Blog a la Carte

The inaugural Hilton Head Island Taste of Summer Craft Beer Festival runs from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday (May 19) at Shelter Cove Harbour. More than 60 craft beers are going to be served so be prepared. In today's paper, we broke down some of the summer seasonals. But I was scanning the list and came across a few others that sound quite tasty.

Anybody been to the new Plums in Bluffton yet? It's been open a few weeks, but the grand opening is May 22.

From a release:

Plums Restaurant Open in Bluffton
Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Celebration May 22

I ran into chef Russell Keane at the Hilton Head Island Seafood Festival today, where he was participating in the Iron Chef competition (which he won, by the way). He had some big news. He's buying The Upper Crust in Bluffton, if all goes to plan. He said he plans to close the deal within the next two weeks. He'll keep the current Upper Crust menu (pizza/Italian) for a while then start experimenting with his own fare.

The Hilton Head Island Seafood Festival is a two-day event this year. Like several other festivals lately (WingFest, Oyster Fest), organizers have decided to hold a pre-party, so to say, the night before. So, a smaller version of the fest will be held Friday evening followed by the main event Saturday afternoon at Shelter Cove Community Park. Here's the rundown for each day.

The Soft Shell Crab Festival runs from noon to 5 p.m Saturday along Paris Avenue in Port Royal. There's going to be a ton of food. So don't get bent out of shape if you don't like soft shells. But if you do, the crab menu looks pretty tasty (crab pierogies ... you heard me). Here's the rundown of the crab treats this year.

We're in the middle of soft shell crab season. In today's paper we'll discuss what all that means. For the story, local cookbook author Pat Branning (Shrimp, Collards & Grits) was kind enough to provide a couple recipes for soft shell crab, including this one for a twist on eggs benedict. Perhaps it'll get you in the mood for the Soft Shell Crab Festival this Saturday in Port Royal.

Either you're in the middle of it or you've locked yourself inside for the weekend. There really is no escaping the Heritage crowds if you're on Hilton Head Island. My advice: embrace it. The Heritage has a tendency to bring out the colorful crowds (literally - it's the only place John Daly becomes a fashion role model.) So even if you don't feel the Heritage-vibe, this weekend can make for great people watching.

A bit of north of the Broad has finally come south. The Plums restaurant in Bluffton opened today.

Only two more days until Firkinstock. The inaugural craft beer festival runs from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Buckwalter Place in Bluffton (near the new Publix and bowling alley). Tickets are $40 each.

Yes, we can call it "award winning" now. Hilton Head second-grader Mallory Russell and her P-nutty BBQ Chicken Quesadilla won the Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest. Read our story here.