While we were down in the Charleston low country back in the
later part of June, we had decided to spend a day at Folly Beach. As we have
traveled to the Carolina coast for the past twelve years, this was our first
time making it out to Folly. As you pull into town, there is a sense of fishing
meets surfer meets college spring break atmosphere. We parked in a pay lot
close to the pier of which I recall being approximately eight bucks for the
afternoon. The downtown shopping district is pretty small and the retailers
consist primarily of t-shirt & surf shops, bars and restaurants. It only
takes about an hour or so to stroll downtown and cover most stores. I am not a
big shopper so after one or two shops of seeing the same thing (t-shirts,
shells, sharks teeth, beach toys and towels), I waited outside the stores with
my kids while the wife looked at the merchandise.
The highlight to the day was a stroll down the grand pier,
checking out Morris Island lighthouse and finally stopping for lunch. As
newcomers to Folly, we did not know one restaurant from another thus we chose Rita's
(2 Center Street) as it was closest to our car in the nearby lot. Rita's is a
very open airy restaurant that has a wall of open doors/windows that can easily
open in times of cooperative weather. The day we visited it was pretty hot thus
the large doors were down so we appreciated the a/c environment to escape the
Carolina heat. We were easily able to find a table as we were only the second
group of customers for a later lunch. The menu was to our liking as the main
features included burgers, sandwiches and salads. Appetizers had a couple
seafood options which include peel and eat shrimp, crab and artichoke dip and
several other decent finger food selections. The deep fried pickles caught my
eye but I didn’t find any other takers in the group willing to go along and
order with me. Overall the menu was pretty small and basic, but I was okay with
that as I was looking for a sandwich and a cold drink.
The orders from our table included the likes of burgers,
sandwiches, salads and kids meals. My choice was the flounder BLT which was a
mile high assembly of tasty flounder, bacon, juicy tomatoes, and lettuce on
thick “French toast” style bread covered with a pimento mayo. The addition of
bacon to this fish themed sandwich was a huge bonus. I didn’t expect it but I
never shy away if someone wants to add throw some bacon on my plate. This
alternative to a “BLT” was amazing and cured my desire for a quick seafood fix.
The other bonus to the meal was the homemade seasoned fries. Delicious. I can’t form an opinion on the others meals, though they looked pretty
decent.
RITAS – THE SERVICE -
The young woman that waited our table
seemed efficient and prompt with the iced tea refills, though I would have been
shocked had she been slow; given there were only two tables occupied at the
time. Not sure why there weren’t more patrons, unless they were all at the
beach. I would expect the big rush to be during evening hours up through close.
This joint appears to have live music and I was even amused to see a cigarette
machine next to the restrooms. I can’t remember the last time I had seen one of
those!
All in all, in my next stop in Folly, I will most likely pay
another visit to Rita's again for a flounder BLT or a pimento burger, delicious
fries, and perhaps a frozen cocktail to beat the heat.
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