Inn at Palmetto Bluff

The River House in the main building serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is also a porch menu with some lighter fare for late afternoon into the evening. Breakfast begins at 7am. The May River Grill at the Golf Club serves lunch from 11am-4pm. Had a turkey club there that was excellent. Try the Boursin Kobe Beef Burger too. Buffalo’s across the square in the Village serves breakfast and lunch and dinner (in season) in a casual setting. They bake their own breads and they are delicious. This is the place for breakfast if you want something lite and quick. The newest addition is the Canoe Club, a classic grill with views of the May River on one side and the Palmetto Bluff Water Trail on the other. Fun variation on typical strakhouse; you select the base item (meat, fish, dessert) and then have a choice of sides or toppings. Very cozy setting.

The River House restaurant is an elegant and charming room with high ceilings, a large fireplace, soft lighting and great views of the May River. Tables are spaced comfortably apart and service is crisp and friendly. Cuisine is low country based and many of the ingredients are sourced fresh from local vendors.

The menu is not extensive but what is there is excellent. Sweet Carolina corn soup was thick with lobster with an overlay of bacon and chili oil. Absolutely delicious. Local grouper was sweet and tender and served with Carolina gold rice in a bouillabaisse broth and a Carolina shrimp risotto was made with sweet corn and white truffle essence.

For dessert, go the wine companion route, wonderful desserts paired with dessert wines. We shared a 1988 Warres “Cavadinha” Vintage Port with chocolate, black currant and sweet pepper. Tremendous!

The wine list is magnificent with some 4000 bottles. There are about 25 wines by the glass with some excellent choices like Silver Oak and Kistler. The list is organized either by grape or region which is fun and has just about anything you can imagine and some things you may never have heard of before like Grignolino or Mourvedre. Sommelier is very knowledgeable and will help find something unusual for you. Pricing is very fair with some real values.

Appetizers: $10-$19, entrees: $45, desserts: $9-$12

ROMANTIC QUOTIENT: High