Rita's Seaside Grille
By Libby Williams, @PlateSouth
Let me paint a little mental picture for you: You have packed up the car and headed to Folly Beach for the day. It’s a sunny, gorgeous, damn near perfect day. Your car is brimming with coolers and beach chairs and bags of towels and sunscreen and surfboards. You camp out, enjoying the sun and friends and some much needed down time. The sun starts to go down quickly and everyone packs up when suddenly you realize not only are you all hungry, but you are BEACH HUNGRY….which is to say, ready to eat a small automobile.
Now, the kids are cranky, your partner is hangry and your friends look like deflated pool floats. But because you are a GENIUS, you pull out of your hat that seconds away is a great, family-friendly, made-for-all-taste-buds grill steps from the beach with crowd-pleasing food and even better libations for the adults. They carry you in on their shoulders like the hero you are and suddenly life is perfect again.
Okay…maybe not that last part, but you get the idea.
Rita’s Seaside Grille is all this. It is your saving grace at the beach. It is your place to take a large crowd after a day of fun in the sun. It is the place to listen to love music and feel those endless summer ocean breezes whipping around you as you sip on cocktails and munch on some serious beach snacks. It was made for this moment.
Rita’s is in the best location at the very end of Folly Road (Center Street once you get to Folly), across from the Tides Resort. And they have a menu that serves all the best beach snacks like wings, nachos, ribs, salads, soups and burgers, nobody will go home hungry or hangry. NOBODY!
I recently sampled their menu with the TasteMakers of Charleston (#tastemakerschs) and was happily surprised at their extensive options and wide variety of food options. We started our sampling with hummus and chips which came with feta (helloooooo, old friend, Feta! Always good to see you…), Kalamata olives and tortilla chips. This Greek-styled hummus was so delicious, I may have hogged the whole thing to myself. That’s what happens when feta + anything happen near me.
Next we sampled the Ribs and Chicken Wings…so satisfying after a long day at the beach or playing volleyball with friends…neither of which I did that day, but whatevs…it’s the thought that counts. We followed that up with Rita’s Signature Nachos topped with jack cheese, queso, black beans, jalapenos, and tuna with their house made watermelon pico! This didn’t last long! We snatched it up like hungry wolves.
Next up was a delicious and satisfying chili – perfectly spicy and rich, topped with sour cream, scallions and cheddar cheese. Truly one of my favorite items on the menu. I can’t wait to come back in the fall for a bowl of this.
Next up was the salads, both which were refreshing and delicious. The Seafood Cobb is a great choice for an after beach refresher with chilled shrimp, hard boiled eggs, blue cheese crumbles and bacon on top of a mixed green salad and served with a white balsamic vinaigrette. Super tasty and satisfying. We also sampled the Ahi tuna salad with Ahi seared tuna, teriyaki glaze, and wasabi and served on top of a bed of mixed greens with a citrus vinaigrette. Delicious!
We rounded out the meal with a sampling of their Caribbean Jerk Chicken Sandwich that came with an agave cilantro aioli, which I am sure to be craving around lunchtime today. And as if that wasn’t enough, we got to sample their famous Shrimp and Grits – a classic adaptation on one of the best meals you can eat by the beach. Local shrimp, smokey bacon, tomatoes and chives on top of REAL grits (Side note: Don’t ever offer a southerner instant grits if you want to keep your business license or legs. I will cut the man who feeds me fake grits.)
Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the plethora of cocktails we were served. HOLY MOLY! With every dish, we seemed to get another one of their cocktail specials! And they were all as delicious and refreshing as the next. We sampled the Signature 434 (orange vodka, pineapple juice), their award winning Strawberry Basil Fizz (champagne,lemonade, strawberry purée and basil – FTW), and the delicious, drinks-like-a-dessert Frizzle (rum, amaretto, ginger beer, orange and pineapple juice with Strawberry and mango purée). Such a treat.
My guy Miguel (aka Holy City Handcraft) and the 434. Two great things together!
All in all, it was a great evening filled with lively conversation and delicious eats. I always love getting together with the group from Tastemakers Charleston (#tastemekerschs). Everyone is filled with ideas and food by the time the evening is done. And I really loved checking out the new food scene at Rita’s! Never disappointing to eat by the beach!
Cheers with @TasteMakersCHS
