Shiver Me Pinchers
By Becky Billingsley
Cutting straight to the crabby heart of the matter, a new Maryland-style crab house in Myrtle Beach has meaty and affordable local steamed blue crabs and excellent fried softshells.
Tim and Shannon Stewart moved from Maryland to the Conway area with their three children a little more than a year ago and decided to turn the former Schlotsky's Deli at 812 S. Kings Highway into Shiver Me Pinchers. Before the move Shannon says she was a nurse, and Tim worked for 30 years in the restaurant business.
While on a vacation at Walt Disney World, the couple met the late Nelson Jackson and his wife, Mary Emily Jackson, who founded Ocean Lakes Campground in Surfside Beach. The Stewarts camped at Ocean Lakes for years after that, and then decided to "semi-retire down here and open a restaurant."
Shiver Me Pinchers opened at the beginning of the 2010 busy season, and the Stewarts are busy serving pounds of Snow Crab Legs, Steamed Shrimp, Crab Cakes and of course Steamed Blue Crabs.
Those crabs are straight from Murrells Inlet, and the two I was served were respectably sized and meaty 6- to 7-inchers. They cost $2 apiece as of July 2010.
The Stewarts will cover the crab-cracking area with brown butcher paper and set out a purposeful little metal mallet so when the crabs are delivered their guests can commence whacking. If you've never eaten steamed crabs, someone will show you the trick.
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About those Crab Cakes. They are not jumbo lump crab cakes; they are backfin cakes with an occasional lump. What they are not is full of filler. The plump cakes are judiciously seasoned so the flavor of the crabmeat comes through and can be prepared broiled or fried. I recommend broiled so as to not have any morsel become too dry.
Backing up to the appetizers, the Stewarts have been selling a lot of their Hurricane Fries, which are thick crispy fries served with horseradish-infused pink Petal Sauce. Other finger foods include Jalapeno Poppers stuffed with a blend of four spicy and creamy cheeses; Crab Balls (think mini crab cakes); and Shrimp Cocktail.
That type of food might make some people think of cold beer, and several are on tap including Bud Light, Sam Adams Summer Ale, Miller Lite, Blue Moon and Natural Light. There's also a full bar.
Of course a comfy-casual seafood restaurant has sandwiches, and the choices include Fried Fish, Cheese Steak, Hamburger and Shrimp Salad. But if you like soft shell crabs, try a Soft Shell Crab Sandwich here. Tim Stewart does it right so every bit is either crispy-delectable or moistly, sweetly luscious.
Rounding out the menu are a handful of fried seafood baskets and a couple of different cheesecakes.
The restaurant is roomy with lots of bar and cocktail-height seating, plus regular-height tables. There's a nice pool table and several video games, and in the corner by the street there's a bandstand. The Fab 2, a local Beatles tribute duo, performs every other Friday night.
Shiver Me Pinchers is open daily starting at 11 a.m., and the number is (843) 213-1056.
Fantastic food and great people running this place. Friendly and though they are Baltimore Raven fans, which I won’t hold against them, the place is just fun to be at. Shannon and Tim are great people and the steaks and sea food just melt in your mouths! Can’t wait to get back down to Myrtle to hand out at Shiver Me Pinchers!