Review: Cecil’s Italian Grill

(Surfside Beach, SC)   Hello, everyone. This is Mrs. PDF. I know I’ve only written one Quick Bite so far, but I plan to join in the fun every now and again. I mentioned to PDF that I wanted to write this one. He agreed and it was great fun to do. Please read it and tell me what you think.

As he wrote last week, we went to Myrtle Beach this past weekend to attend Taste! on Saturday. We genuinely enjoyed it though, now, are a bit disappointed with the selection of the winner. Not long after the show it was time for dinner. While Myrtle Beach has tons of restaurants, we decided to try a new place in Surfside Beach that’s owned by someone you will probably recognize from television Cecil Chandler. His place is called Cecil’s Italian Grill and it opened on April 19th. It’s getting great press, so it was on our list to visit.

You may recall that we attempted to check out the menu Mother’s Day, after church, but it’s open only between 4pm and 7pm daily. I’m always hungry for Italian even though I’m a Cajun, so off we go. It’s a short trek from Myrtle Beach, but as it was bike week it took a bit longer than expected due to the scores of motorcyclists. It was sill a pleasant drive.

By the time we arrived, Cecil’s parking lot was already full. That’s always a terrific sign for a restaurant, especially a new one. The outside patio tables were nearly all occupied, so we chose a table indoors and were immediately met by our friendly waitress. We ordered drinks and a roasted pepper and fresh mozzarella appetizer, which she recommended. It was drizzled with balsamic vinegar and was beautifully plated. PDF surprised me a little as he normally doesn’t like red bell peppers, but he reminded me that when cooked he thinks they’re great. Silly me.

For supper we ordered as follows: Little PDF had Cheese Tortellini with marinara. PDF had the Veal Francesa. I had Penne with a red vodka cream sauce. While we waited for our entrees, we just enjoyed the ambiance. Cecil, himself, was going from table to table chatting with diners and seemed truly engaged with the patrons. We didn’t see him until we were ready to leave, but it was great that he was so readily available.

On one of her trips back to our area of the dining room, our waitress informed us that our entrees will be ready soon. I mentioned to her that we hadn’t yet received our salads, but she was very cordial and said that someone had to run to the market. They had apparently run out of salad ingredients. Now, we could have been upset, but we weren’t. We were not really in a hurry, so we just took it as another sign of the eatery’s local popularity. The salads arrived and were simple mixed greens. I had the House Dressing, a balsamic vinegarette, and PDF had the bleu cheese. If you like bleu cheese dressing, remember this. It had tons of blue cheese crumbles — wonderful. The balsamic vinegarette was delicious as well, probably made with the same balsamic used for the appetizer.

Veal Francesca with House Veggies and Garlic Mash

As promised, our entrees appeared shortly after we finished our salads. They were a welcome sight after a long day, though we did snack quite a bit at Taste!. Little Pee Dee added parmesan to her cheese tortellini and dug in. My penne was al dente and very good, as well, but the marinara on Little Pee Dee’s pasta was soooo delicious — it had to be the best any of us had ever tried. At one point our waitress returned to check on us and I asked her if the sauces were all made in-house. “Yes, they are” she said. Remember that, as well. This sauce is a must for your visit to Cecil’s.

After what amounted to a Saturday night Italian feast, our waitress returned to ask us about a possible dessert order. The little card on the table listed canollis. PDF is a sucker for cannolis, so guess what? Yep, we ordered them to go, because we were just so darn full from the meal itself. Portions are generous, regardless of entree, from what we can tell. Go to Cecil’s hungry or plan to take the extra home with you. The food is too good to waste. Remember too that your check will be very reasonable. The prices are moderate and from what we understand, they were designed to be a good value everyday. No “blue plate” specials are offered or needed.

Cannolis from Surfside, not New York City.

As we were leaving, Cecil stopped us and asked us how we enjoyed our meals. A great deal, we replied and added some compliments about the marinara, because it was such a standout. No recipes were exchanged, but we did learn that Cecil hired two local chefs from Myrtle Beach. The first worked at Valentino’s and the second at Portofino. They were proud additions to his team. Wrapping up our conversation, we mentioned that we had cannolis to go, and he confided that most people think that they are shipped in from New York. He assured us, however, that they are made fresh in the restaurant. By the way, PDF didn’t share them with me. Stinker!

All in all, Cecil’s in Surfside is worth the drive from Myrtle Beach, Conway, Florence, or anywhere in between. The food is delicious, the staff are friendly, and the prices are just right. Oh yea, the housemade marinara is to die for — just didn’t want you to forget that one.

As PDF would say, visit Cecil’s Italian Grill as soon as you can. We agree that this is a three-pump rating. Road Trip, Baby!

Tags: Balsamic, Beach, Cecil Chandler, Cecil's, Italian Grill, Myrtle, Penne, Road Trip, Surfside, Taste!, Three Gas Pumps, Tortellini, Veal

Category: Restaurant Reviews