Myrtle Beach Scene

*Originally published at Myrtle Beach Scene on June 22, 2010*

Let's class this place up a bit, shall we?

21 Main has been open for a little over a month and our friends over at Myrtle Beach Restaurant News has a great review of the main menu right here.  Our review will focus on the most important aspect of any restaurant....happy hour!

We decided to impress a lady and treat her to a little more classy happy hour. Sure, any bum can ask a girl to grab a drink and questionable bar food for a happy hour date; so why not take it up a notch and have this little happy hour date be at one of the Strand's newest and nicest restaurants?

As expected, 21 Main's happy hour is a little pricier than most places we've reviewed here, but it's totally worth it and understandable for the quality of food and atmosphere.

Food:

 Of course it is delicious! And 21 Main's happy hour menu is more like a perfect sampler menu, offering a little taste of some of their best dishes. And unlike some finer dining happy hours that we have been too, the prices really aren't that bad, especially when you respect great food and appreciate quality.

We had a little selection of the Happy Hour menu and some of their tasty sushi.

What did we order and love?

Clams Casino - How could you go wrong with clams and bacon!?! Six half-shell clams filled with bread crumbs and bacon for only $4.00

Garlic Sherry, Sautéed Shrimp on Basil Ricotta Crostini - Probably my personal favorite of the items we got. Tasty, perfectly cooked shrimp on top of a basil spread. The Crostini had a nice crust and was soft. ProTip: the little purple dust is salt...sprinkle some on top for a bit of a flavor boost.  It's yummy. Only $6.00.

B.L.T Seared Beef, lettuce and tomato, Dijon Aioli on Crostini - This ain't a typical BLT. No bacon here (but it's ok, don't panic). The seared beef is cooked perfectly medium rare and served chilled. The lettuce and tomato are fresh and just like above the Crostini was perfect. Only $4.00.

Did someone say Sushi?

Not only does 21 Main have a full sushi bar, but they have a fine selection of sushi on the Happy Hour menu as well. We had a couple (yeah it was that good) servings of the Spicy Tuna Roll. My lady friend said, and I agreed, that it was probably the best spicy tuna we'd ever had. We also enjoyed the Eel and Cucumber roll, tasty but the Spicy Tuna was the winner of the two. Both were only $3.00 for a good sized serving (6-8 pieces).

Drinks!

The real reason for happy hour....the drinks! And 21 Main at North Beach has some great ones! All of their happy hour priced liquors are Call brands, meaning real deal name brand, pretty good stuff. No George Dickel here....

Absolut, Tanqueray, Bacardi, Seagrams 7, Jim, Jack and El Jimador all for only $4.00 (a piece of course).

Domestic/Import Bottles -$3.00

Draft Beer -$3.00

Select Wines (red and white) - $4.00

Sparkling Wine (house select) - $4.00

21 Main also has some great signature cocktails and martinis that go for $10.00 a pop, but the quality of alcohal and the yumminess makes that $10 the best you'll spend. Some of their signature cocktails and martinis include:

Upper Manhattan - Makers Mark Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth and a Splash of Grand Mariner. (pictured)

"Poolside" Mudslide - Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka, Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka, Kahlua and Bailey's.

Espresso Martini - Van Gogh Vodka, Stoli Vodka, Kahlua, Espresso, Dash of Cream. (pictured)

Wrap-up

Go on and go! 21 Main is a great place if you want to relax and enjoy some wonderful food and great drinks and it's a great place if you wanna impress that lady friend you just met....

Happy Hour is 4 to 7 p.m., seven days a week.

Check out 21 Main at North Beach online right here!

Peep their full menu right here.