Culinary Seaside Pampering
By Becky Billingsley
Diners in the Myrtle Beach area appreciate and savor the cuisine of Chef Bill Austin that is elegantly presented in a uniquely casual oceanfront setting at Austin's Cabana Cafe and Beach Bar in Pawleys Island.
That setting is at the Litchfield Inn in Pawleys Island, and the public is welcome to dine there. The roomy restaurant has a U-shape bar with indoor seating on one side and patio tables on the other. Beyond the patio are sea oats, sand and ocean. In warm weather the windows are propped open to let in sea breezes, and Cabana Cafe becomes an aromatic and tasty part of the landscape.
Chef Austin is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and during his 15 years cooking at the beach he has earned the respect of a large following of devotees. The chef's wife, Annette Austin, is a marketing and advertising professional who worked with him at Austin's at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, and then at their second Grand Strand restaurant in Pawleys Island called Austin's at Pawleys. Now the couple call the Litchfield Inn their restaurant home, with Cabana Cafe and Beach Bar downstairs, and a more elegant evening restaurant - Austin's Ocean One - upstairs.
So that means diners in the casual beach bar receive food prepared to an award-winning chef's standards. Forget about a menu of fried cheese and jalapeno poppers. At Austin's, you can have a Grilled Salmon Strawberry Spinach Salad or an award-winning Crispy Taco Grouper Wrap with mango salsa and chipotle aioli.
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But that doesn't mean you can't have summertime favorites like burgers and hot dogs. They're just vastly better than the typical beach bar fare: the burger is chopped Angus sirloin on a Kaiser roll, and the hot dogs are a trio of all-beef minis; one with slaw, one with chili and one with cheese.
There are some menu items Chef Austin could never remove, because his fans would protest mightily. One is the Blue Crab Cake appetizer which is big enough to share but you won't want to. It's a plump palm-size cake full of lump crab meat served on a bed of buttery summer succotash and drizzled with lemon caper dill tartar sauce.
Entree salads are as light or dense as the diners wish. You don't have to be vegetarian to appreciate and enjoy the Healthy Salad with generous portions of three nuts: pignoli, candied walnuts and pistachios. It contains many other tempting vegetarian tidbits, and comes with a delightfully sticky and sweet honey balsamic dressing.
Two other popular salads are the Oriental Chicken with crispy wontons and sweet soy ginger vinaigrette; and Fried Green Tomato and Goat Cheese with Bacon and Raspberry Vinaigrette.
Sandwiches and wraps are premium here, like a Turkey Panini with provolone, roasted red pepper and basil mayonnaise; or the fresh grouper sandwich that's run through the garden and topped with dill tartar sauce. You can even have your fried shrimp Beach Basket with fries and slaw, and you get extraordinarily wonderful peach slaw and mango cocktail sauce.
Dinner is served in the Cabana Cafe, and watching the setting sun's rays cast twilight hues on the waves while dining on sun-dried tomato, basil, spinach and shrimp in Parmesan cream sauce over penne pasta will create a favorite summer memory.
Of course this beach bar can whip up just about any cocktail you can conjure, with frozen concoctions a specialty of the house.
Chef Austin offers several tasty desserts, and a locals' favorite is Periwinkle Chocolate Mousse served with whipped cream and seasonal berries.
Through Labor Day, Austin Cabana Cafe and Beach Bar is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It's located in the courtyard of the Litchfield Inn at 1 Norris Dr. in Pawleys Island, and the number is (843) 237-4211.
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