by Joyce Deaton

If you’re a regular cruiser along the Intracoastal Waterway, you know Barefoot Landing. It’s a great stopping point for a broad range of food and entertainment. If your stopovers so far haven’t included Greg Norman’s Australian Grille, you have a treat in store.

Like the golfer, his restaurant is one-of-a-kind. No chain, this. At 13,000 square feet including its retail store featuring Greg Norman clothing, this oversize, rollicking establishment feels as big as Australia itself. The plenitude starts at the 225-foot dock, where boaters can tie up without charge while they dine. “Because of this, the Myrtle Beach Herald for the past two years has named us the number one most boater-friendly restaurant,” says operations manager Peter Dombrowski.

A huge veranda with a patio-style waiting area beckons you to relax and have a sip of something cool. The Shark Pub (Norman is nicknamed the Shark for his aggressive golfing) is a work of art, with a large oval mahogany bar that holds 30, plus plenty of oversize leather couches and relaxing armchairs. Eight TVs ensure you won’t miss a stroke or a play of whatever sport is your passion. Happy hour is similarly generous – from 3 to 7 p.m. – and there’s live entertainment every evening on the waterway deck.

Looking for lunch or dinner? You won’t be disappointed. The restaurant’s interior is unexpectedly beautiful. No golf-themed décor and only two depictions of the Shark himself. Instead, there’s more leather and handcrafted woods from Australia. An earthy rust-and-coral color scheme is warm and inviting, and Aboriginal artwork adorns the walls. A large mural of Australia’s Ayers Rock, complete with cascading waterfall, transports diners to the outback. In the main dining room, a handpainted sky-blue cathedral ceiling with eucalyptus-leaf chandeliers completes the look, and seating is sumptuously comfy.

The tiered dining room, which holds 164, provides a view of the ICW from every level, and an open-air woodburning grill fills the air with wonderful aromas. Dining is available on the patio as well, where a 130-foot canopy protects seating for more than 80. Lunch is served daily from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., and dinner is available from 4:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Sometimes such a spectacular restaurant offers only mundane food, but not here. Chefs Jeff Edwards and Greg Sandford collaborate on special dishes you’ll remember even more than the surroundings. Appetizers include seafood spring rolls and calamari. Favorite entrees include Cowboy Steak, North Atlantic salmon over mashed potatoes with corn, pea, bacon and lobster succotash, and bourbon tuna with mushroom risotto. Save room for dessert because of the Fallen Chocolate Cake, which is baked to order and served warm with vanilla ice cream, raspberry sauce and whipped cream.

Portions are generous here, and prices more reasonable than you might expect.
“We take pride in being the most affordable fine dining restaurant in all of Myrtle Beach,” says Dombrowski. You can find a tasty entrée for around $16. Service is impeccable, and the restaurant’s wine list has earned numerous awards of excellence from Wine Spectator magazine. As you walk back to your boat and motor down the waterway, you’ll almost certainly be pleased with your experience at this Aussie emporium.

Looking for a waterside spot with great local seafood? You’ll find that – plus entertainment enough to last from lunch to the wee hours at Spud’s Waterfront Dining at the southernmost end of the Marshwalk in Murrells Inlet.

Part of the Crazy Sister Marina complex, Spud’s occupies the point of a peninsula, so there’s a great water view on three sides. Bifold doors open most of one wall of the inside dining room, lending a fresh outdoor flavor even indoors. “The place has a very open, casual feeling,” says general manager Seth Williams, whose family owns the marina complex. There’s also an outdoor dining room, plus bars outside and in, which give Spud’s dining space for 120 plus another 50 or so at the bars. That means it’s big enough for large events, and catering is available.

The complex includes the marina itself plus Captain Dick’s water sports store, where you can rent boats and jet skis, go parasailing, and connect with charters for fishing and marsh and ocean exploring.

At Spud’s (named for Seth’s childhood nickname), you’ll find a half-dozen or more fish offered fresh daily, depending on what local fishermen are catching. “We’ve introduced a mix and match thing, which seems to be very popular,” says Williams. “You choose the fish you want, and decide how you want it cooked – blackened, Mediterranean style, stuffed with crab or fried.” You’ll also find the traditional fried seafood platter, as well as steaks, chicken, shrimp and crabmeat primavera and a unique twist on shrimp and grits. For lighter fare there’s a complete range of salads and sandwiches including po’ boys, crab cake, French dip, chicken and burgers. The Crazy Sister house wine gets good reviews, and desserts include key lime pie, chocolate cake and cheesecake.

Spud’s is open for lunch and dinner at 4123 U.S. 17 Business in Murrells Inlet. Happy Hour from 4-7 p.m. features half-price appetizers and drink specials. There’s entertainment in summer – acoustic soloists during the week, full bands on the weekends, and occasional fire and hula shows. “The best entertainment is the place itself,” says Williams. “It’s a fun, lively atmosphere. There’s always something going on. You can watch boats coming and going at the marina, watch people clean fish on the dock, and rent jet skis or parasail from Captain Dick’s. We have some people who come for lunch, stay all day, then come back to eat, drink and listen to music at the Tiki bar. That’s what makes it fun.”

Pull up a chair on the deck of Crab Catchers in Little River, and you’re likely to see Don Kettner’s kitchen crew filleting fish they’ve just bought from the boat that pulled in at the dock next door. You won’t find seafood fresher. “We buy locally as much as possible,” says Don. “Our catch of the day may change five times, depending on what comes in. I don’t like to freeze anything.”

Fried seafood is most popular at Crab Catchers, though you can also order it grilled or grill-blackened. Besides the usual seafood items, there are crab leg and oyster specials, along with homemade seafood gumbo and clam chowder. One thing you’re sure to remember is deep-fried corn on the cob – a creation of Don’s father, Jim. It’s battered and fried, then dipped in melted butter and garlic salt. Non-seafood lovers can find flatiron steaks, burgers and chicken sandwiches, and there also are special menus for kids and seniors. For dessert, there’s key lime pie, as well as cherry, blackberry and even pumpkin cheesecake, all supplied by a baker up the road in Calabash.

At 4474 Waterfront Ave., Crab Catchers offers two outside decks and inside dining areas, all overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. They’re open every day, with happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. The ambience is classic crab-shack casual, and there’s a friendly atmosphere in this family-run operation. It was a bar until 1996, when Don’s father and uncle bought it during a vacation from their native Wisconsin. While still in high school, Don spent summers working in the restaurant. Then after six years as a Marine, he and longtime bartender Justine Vaitas bought into the business when his uncle wanted to retire.

It’s clear the Crab Catchers folks like to have a good time. Come in on your birthday, and the price of your meal will be discounted by your age. And the menu will soon sport a “Wisconsin Seafood Platter” featuring beer-boiled bratwurst, sauerkraut and deep-fried Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds. “When you make cheese, everything that comes to the top is curds,” Don explains. “We take all that, batter it and fry it. You’d be surprised how good this is. We think our customers are going to love it.”