Myrtle Beach in February

The Carolina Roadhouse is a local favorite and rightly so. The ambience is definitely several steps above the typical beach seafood restaurant. The wait staff was friendly, helpful, and attentive.

The food was excellent. On the appetizer menu, we saw the strangest appetizer listed that we'd ever seen -- croissants! But when one came with our salad (and a very delicious salad it was too, with toasted almonds, chopped egg, bacon, etc.), we quickly discovered why. The croissant was the best this side of the Atlantic. It was steaming hot, buttery, and almost floated off the plate. It literally melted in our mouths! The seafood selections were also varied and well above the seafood buffet variety so favored at the beach. The catfish was succulently prepared. The only disappointment was that the oysters Rockefeller was unevenly cooked – some portions were tender and juicy and other portions were rubbery. But overall it didn't ruin our enjoyment of this restaurant.

Relax, walk on a quiet, deserted beach hand-in-hand with your sweetie, explore the area unencumbered by scores of vacationers crowding the streets and highways, go to Broadway at the Beach (their contract forces them to stay open year-round!), and explore the numerous shops while avoiding the crush of too many people -- quite nice. Also, you can chat with the locals working in the shops and restaurants because they have time! And all of this without a sunburn!