WaterScapes: Fresh Food Forays Result in Excellence

By Becky Billingsley

When newcomers ask Myrtle Beach residents, “What’s the best restaurant in town?” often the answer is WaterScapes.

Part of the reason for this opinion is the lovely and gracious setting inside the Marina Inn at Grande Dunes. The restaurant is elegant but never stuffy. It’s simply beautiful with tasteful and comfortable furniture, interesting fossils that make for fascinating art accents and a sunny and energetic view of an outdoor pool and a marina. Service here is always friendly, efficient and consistently impeccable.

But it’s the food that brings diners back of course, and an exemplary kitchen staff is headed by a formidable duo: Executive Chef James Clark and Executive Pastry Chef Tina Spaltro. Between them they have decades of experience and are dedicated to the use of fresh and local ingredients.

Chef Clark is a South Carolina native who grew up hunting and fishing. His culinary experience spans several states and tutelage under many fine chefs. Today he still enjoys fishing and hunting, and that interest makes him uniquely educated with a wide knowledge of different species and how they should best be treated for maximum flavor effects.

Getting out of the kitchen whenever he can to scour the Grand Strand for fresh ingredient sources is a practice that has endeared him to anyone who has tasted his food. The chef, who is a member of South Carolina Sustainable Seafood, visits the Murrells Inlet waterfront and personally selects whatever he thinks will most please his customers. Hog Snapper, Triggerfish, Scorpion Fish – you just never know what he’ll bring back to cook. That commitment to freshness extends to the restaurant’s fruits and vegetables, which often come hand-selected from local farms and farmer’s markets.

Often Chef Spaltro is on the receiving end of these fresh food forays. Chef Clark found a fresh local egg source for her, so her Crème Brulees, Breads, Cakes, Cookies, Tarts and more are all resplendent with vibrantly rich flavors. Lately the chefs have started preserving their finds so as to make their own fresh condiments such as Salsa Verde and Fig Preserves.

Menus of course change seasonally here to take advantage of whatever foods are freshest, and the chefs research trends and tastes to provide stellar world-class choices. Whether enjoying a breakfast of Shrimp and Crab Omelet or Bananas Foster French Toast; or a lunch of the simply prepared Fresh Fish of the Day, the tastes leave diners planning their next WaterScapes meal.

WaterScapes’ new 2010 spring menu offers appetizers such as Crab Cannelloni with house-made ricotta, preserved lemon and fennel pollen emulsion. A popular starter is Pee Dee Style Pimento Cheese served with freshly baked Crispy Lavash, while a more luxurious choice is Foie Gras Mousse served with house-made sweet ‘n’ hot Fig Mustard.

Some diners build meals from these small plates and share them. Then several people can enjoy Pan-seared Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Corn, Pickled Okra Relish and Mustard Remoulade; Crispy Oysters with Country Ham and Leek Reduction and Sunchoke Relish; Quail Two Ways where you get a roasted breast and a crispy leg with a Scallion Black Pepper Pan Cake served with Blis Maple Syrup and Pepper Relish; Ahi Tuna Carpaccio with Smoked Steelhead Caviar, cucumber and watermelon; or Fried Green Tomato Salad with Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dressing.

But of course the entrees are not to be missed, because they are symphonies of scintillating flavors. Anyone who appreciates good food would enjoy Seared Pamlico Sound Scallops served with Black Truffle “Mac,” Parmesan Froth and Sweet Peas; Roasted Muscovy Tanglewood Farms Duck with stewed corn, tomatoes, butter beans and pulled duck confit; Wood-grilled Eden Farms Pork served with Carolina barbecue sauce, shaved fennel slaw and warm picnic potatoes; or a 14-ounce grass-fed strip loin from Painted Hills served with bourbon Vidalia onion jam, roasted garlic potatoes and crispy vegetables.

Extra side dishes are equally memorable, from Mushroom Ragout and Creamy Anson Mills Grits to Grilled Asparagus.

This is not the place to skip dessert; this is a dessert destination where portion sizes are perfect: They’re of a size where one person could handle them alone, but they’re perfect for two or even three people to enjoy and feel sweetly satisfied. A peek at Chef Spaltro’s new spring dessert menu displays unique deliciousness.

She created Frosted Flake Crème Brulee where the crispy-topped vanilla bean custard is garnished with crunchy chocolate-covered corn flakes and a chocolate chip biscotti. Wicked Whoopie Pies are mini chocolate cakes filled with mocha cream fluff and served with a wee glass of malted chocolate milk; while the Lazy Day Ice Cream Sandwich features crispy meringues, lemon verbena ice cream and warm strawberry sauce. A house favorite is Chef Spaltro’s Grande Coconut Cake that’s tall and proud with layers of rum-soaked cake, creamy coconut filling and passion fruit sauce.

Be sure to inquire about the day’s specials, which might be a flavorful new fish Chef Clark is excited about, or a new ice cream or sorbet flavor Chef Spaltro whipped up.

WaterScapes is at 8121 Amalfi Place in Myrtle Beach, inside the Marina Inn at Grande Dunes. It’s open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the number is (843) 913-2845.

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