Fresh Beginning at Land’s End
By Becky Billingsley
Where rivers flow outside the door, where Coastal Carolina cuisine is served by friendly staff and where shaggers congregate to stroll their stuff is at Land's End in Georgetown.
This roomy restaurant greets visitors at the north end of historic Georgetown where several rivers flow into Winyah Bay. The view is of stately boats in a marina, the bay and, across the water, a lovingly preserved wilderness. It was closed for a few months, but in 2010 it reopened to continue its decades-long tradition of daily lunches and dinners and renowned Sunday brunches.
Dining room floors were refinished to a glossy silken shine, and walls have been repainted in a rich and handsome aquamarine. Head-high beadboard wainscoting and ceilings are stained a deep auburn, and the rooms are airy with vastly tall ceilings. The new feature diners don't see is that the kitchen was gutted and totally refurbished.
Black captain's chairs, black paper napkins and blonde rough-weave tablecloths complete the sleekly casual ambiance. The staff is extremely friendly; expect many huge and genuine smiles.
Lunch and dinner menus are full of variety, from soups, salads and sandwiches to seafood platters, chicken and steaks.
Starting at the menu's beginning, Land's End uses different breading for each of its many fried dishes, such as Onion Rings with light and delicately crispy coating wrapped around extra-sweet onions. They're served with Ranch dressing for dipping.
Oysters Rockefeller are cooked so the oysters are semi-firm so that there's still plenty of jiggle in them. They're generously sauced with Hollandaise.
Other lunchtime choices include the Tuna Laguna with fresh cold tuna salad on greens served with fresh fruit, and the Big Kahuna Salad can be topped with chicken, shrimp or beef tips. Low Country Shrimp Salad is a signature dish made with a special Southern-style mild and savory dressing.
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More special regional fare on the lunch menu includes Pimento Cheese Burger and Pimento Grilled Cheese on Texas toast; Po' Boy sandwiches with fried fish, oysters or shrimp; Shrimp 'n' Grits; Shrimp Creole; and Seafood Platters that come with slaw, hushpuppies and a side dish. Those sides are baked white or sweet potato, rice, grits, French fries, sweet potato fries or vegetable of the day.
From 3-6 p.m. there are $10 early dining specials with choices like Chicken Alfredo, Flounder and Crab Cakes.
For dinner the choices include Pecan Encrusted Chicken Tenders served with sweet potato puree; Lobster Cocktail; and Alaskan King Crab or Snow Crab Legs. Bubba Gump would be ecstatic with choices of sweet local Creek Shrimp, Fantail Shrimp, Blackened Shrimp and Shrimp Scampi.
But seafood is just part of the menu. A house specialty is Slow-Roasted Prime Rib served with horseradish sauce and jus, and other meat entrees are Ribeye, Filet Mignon, Pork Chop, Smothered Chicken and Baby Back Ribs. Land's End also has pasta such as Land and Sea Pasta where steak, scallops and creek shrimp are tossed with noodles in creamy seafood sauce.
A dessert that's made in-house is Key Lime Pie, and it is the condensed milk custard-like version with a medium-thick graham cracker crust.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays it's as if someone's favorite Southern grandma cooked for a week to put out a buffet spread with Sausage and Egg Casserole, Sweet Potato Souffle, Pot Roast, Cube Steak, Fried Chicken, Pulled Pork, Meatloaf, Shrimp Fried Rice, Collard Greens and a lot more.
Land's End is at 444 Marina Dr. in Georgetown, and the number is 843-527-1376. It's open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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