"Best of the Beach 2006" is Here!

For visitors and locals alike, it’s a highly anticipated annual guide to the best the Grand Strand has to offer. Sunday, the Sun News unveiled the 2006 edition of its "Best of the Beach" publication, which breaks out the top local pop culture selections as voted on by the publication, its readers and Myrtle Beach visitors.

Take a good look, and tell us what you think of the list. I’m not going to pick it apart here, but will simply offer a few knee-jerk reactions to some of the guide’s selections:

Where I Agree:

• Family physician – Dr. Jeffrey Lindaberry gets the nod by the readers, and it’s richly deserved. I was recommended to him (without hesitation and by several people, I might add) when I arrived in Myrtle Beach, and it’s the best suggestion I’ve received ever since. Excellent doctor, genuinely caring person, very involved in the community. This one’s a no-brainer.
• Barbecue – Little Pigs Bar-B-Q is as good a choice as any on the Grand Strand. My only disappointment with Little Pigs is that they don’t serve ribs on their somewhat limited menu. If you want great-tasting barbecue at a really good price, though, it’s definitely the place to go.
• Sporting Goods – I’m more of a traditional sports enthusiast than an outdoorsman. That said, the local Bass Pro Shops is one of the most impressive stores I’ve ever seen. Kind of makes shopping more like an event.

Couldn’t Disagree More:

• Bakery – See my last post on Toffino’s. They made it as a finalist on the readers’ list, which is good. But losing out to Atlanta Bread Company? Yeeesh. Atlanta Bread’s food isn’t bad, but each of the three times I’ve been in there they’ve made up for it with awful service. There never seems to be enough people working behind the counter, and your order tends to enter the black hole – good luck guessing who’s filling it or where you’re supposed to pick it up. Fifteen minutes for a bagel & coffee to go?
• Pizza – Ultimate California Pizza, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s occupy the top three spots on this list. You’re kidding, right? No, really – where’s the real list? Why not add Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, Bi-Lo or any place you can pick up a frozen Tombstone pizza? I will respectfully disagree – no, vehemently disagree – with the readers’ selections for this one, because any local list for pizza joints that doesn’t include Michael’s Pizza, Pasta & Grill should simply be voided.

Need to Update:

• Department Store – Belk holds the top spot, followed by Dillard’s then Wal-Mart. Kohl’s, which just opened its first location in this area in Surfside Beach, should shoot right up next year’s list.
• Sports Bar – Handley’s Pub and Grub needs to be somewhere on this list. It has most everything you’d look for in a sports bar, and has also become a haven for enthusiasts of "cornhole.” (For the unfamiliar, "cornhole" is a Kentucky/southern Ohio craze that’s gaining popularity around the country; think horseshoes with beanbags.)
• Amusement Park – Is this a list for the past, or the present and future? If it’s the latter, then the Myrtle Beach Pavilion no longer belongs. It’s great to wax nostalgic about it, but it doesn’t do much good to mention it in this forum if it doesn’t exist anymore.