Beach Blog Restaurant Spotlight: Singular Excellence at Ocean One
By Becky Billingsley
To know Ocean One you must know Bill and Annette Austin, because their backgrounds bring a rich culinary history to this lovely oceanfront setting.
Bill Austin is a South Carolina native. He grew up in Columbia, the oldest of five children, and learned Southern cooking at his mother's side. She taught him how to make Southern staples like Grits and Country Ham, but also dishes such as Grand Marnier French Toast. He knew from a young age he wanted to be a chef, and in 1988 graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
After graduation he applied for a job at a Long Island restaurant called Cody's, and fell instantly in love with the owner. The feeling was mutual, and the Austins became a culinary couple.
Some people with vacation homes in Pawleys Island remember when the chef and his wife came back to Columbia and opened the extremely successful Griff's restaurant. In 1996 they moved to the Grand Strand and the chef became known in Myrtle Beach for gourmet cuisine with Austin's at the Beach. During this time Bill III (Little Bill) was born.
In 2000 the family moved to Pawleys Island, bought a home with waterway access and opened a new restaurant called Austin's at Pawleys. They also began providing catering for events at nearby Brookgreen Gardens. That would be enough work to keep most people busy, but in 2006 the couple started operating the Cabana Café in the Litchfield Inn. Soon they also remodeled the level above Cabana Café and created Ocean One, a breathtakingly glamorous oceanfront restaurant with a uniquely perched view.
Cabana Café is closed right now for the off-season, but its casual atmosphere belies the deft gourmet mastery of Bill Austin and his talented kitchen staff. Sumptuous salads, fresh seafood and even Asian fare complete with sticky rice and heady sesame oil aromas are offered. Chef Austin has a unique talent for folding his classic training into a thorough repertoire of Lowcountry favorites and plating uniquely memorable dishes.
But it's upstairs, at Ocean One, where the Austins can show off their considerable culinary and hosting skills, and that is what they have done for three years. In 2008 they sold Austin's at Pawleys and now have more time to devote to the newer venue.
Floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides offer a spectacular elevated view of a beach that isn't as crowded as those around the heart of Myrtle Beach. The venerable hotel has been firmly in place since the 1950s, weathering hurricanes, nor'easters and waves of tourists.
The furniture's sleek-yet-classic lines give the restaurant a spacious and gracious feeling, and white linens with black napkins add dramatic style. Artistic blue metal panels with silver fish add splashes of brightness and draw the outside elements inside. A cozy private dining room is enclosed in glass.
Service is efficient and unobtrusive here. Cindy Findeiss, whom some patrons of Austin's at the Beach may remember as a server, is the house sommelier. She created and evolves a wine list with 160 bottles and dozens of wines by the glass. On Wednesdays, all wine bottles are discounted by 50 percent.
Little Bill is 14 years old now, and his parents serve lunch and dinner at Ocean One. While the midday meals may be appropriately portioned, they are on an exciting culinary level Grand Strand residents have come to expect from Bill Austin. The current lunch menu includes treats such as Crab and Corn Chowder with apple smoked bacon and chives; Blackened Salmon Spinach Salad with mushrooms, tomatoes and creamy tarragon dressing; and Flash-fried Jumbo Sea Scallops with jalapeno peach slaw, dill tartar sauce and steak fries.
Grouper is a special lunch favorite, and it can come pan-fried on a sandwich, or bronzed and served with okra, tomato, bacon, corn stew and lemon aioli.
Dinners can start with a Tower of Fried Green Tomato, Baby Spinach and Goat Cheese with charred tomato vinaigrette; or Red Curry and Coconut Shrimp with spicy Thai sauce sushi rice and curry oil. Another appetizer favorite is the Essential Crab Cake with corn and baby lima bean succotash drizzled with lemon caper aioli.
Salads are classics with the chef's delicious touch, such as the Steakhouse Wedge with Bill's special Blue Cheese Dressing, crumbled bacon, tomatoes, chives and more blue cheese; or the Baby Spinach Salad with butter-roasted pecans, sun-dried cranberries, and bacon/honey balsamic dressing.
Dinner entrees are the chef's special collection of timeless favorites such as Dijon Rosemary Encrusted Baby Lamb Chops served with mint demi-glace; Angus Ribeye au Poivre with blue cheese bacon butter; Spice-crusted Filet Mignon with a Garlic Shrimp Skewer, oyster-mushroom-double smoked bacon ragout and mushroom/cognac demi-glace; Pan Seared Sea Bass with red and gold potatoes and blue crab citrus beurre blanc; or Miso Marinated Grilled Salmon Filet with soy, lemongrass and ginger sauce.
Dessert lovers enjoy the luscious simplicity of Ocean One desserts, such as Devil's Dream with triple layers of Godiva Chocolate Ganache and three sauces: Raspberry, Anglaise and Godiva.
The Austins still cater events at Brookgreen Gardens, and they accommodate many private parties, church retreats and club meetings.
Ocean One is upstairs at the Litchfield Inn, which is at One Norris Drive in Litchfield Beach. It is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and the number is 843-235-8700.
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