City: Myrtle Beach, SC

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (843) 449-9370

Address: 7726 North Kings Hwy.

Description: Everybody has their own concept of a great restaurant. Some enjoy the casual, comfortable, and unpretentious. Some like the blue-blood feeling they derive from the attentive service in an elegant restaurant. Still others prefer the intimacy of a neighborhood bar or coffeehouse. Amazingly, Collectors Cafe and owner/artist Thomas Davis has managed to fuse all three environments. We can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t be satisfied spending an evening here.In the dining room, columns and high ceilings exude elegance, and original paintings depict Lowcountry seascapes as well as Parisian cityscapes. Beyond the dining room, a grill room with oversize canvases and hand-tiled, bar-height tables allow you to watch Collectors’ chefs chop and sizzle. In the coffeehouse room you can relax and feel a little bohemian while surrounded by more original art that includes not only hanging canvases but artwork on every surface, table, wall, and chair. Surrounding patrons with all this art, Collectors Cafe serves up a feast for the senses as well as for the appetite. (By the way, most of the art is available to add to your own collection.) The restaurant bills itself as serving Mediterranean cuisine. Appetizers include a fillet of beef carpaccio with extra virgin olive oil, spicy mustard, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. A favorite entree is pan-sautéed crab cakes with crisp, grilled asparagus. The roasted garlic turnip puree is pleasantly different—and delicious. Of course, there are also pasta and salad selections as well as veal and lots of fresh seafood.After dinner, take time to enjoy the homemade tiramisu, or for that matter any of the desserts; you can walk an extra mile or two on the beach tomorrow. As a gallery, Collectors Cafe opens at noon, Mon through Sat. The restaurant is open for dinner only, and reservations are highly recommended.