Lowcountry Eats: Ryder Cup Bar

While downtown Charleston has amazing views all over the city, and you could spend hours walking along the harbor, surprisingly, there isn't a lot of waterfront dining. When we are looking to eat right on the ocean, we drive a few miles South through James and Johns Islands, onto Kiawah. The winding roads through Kiawah are so beautiful, and at the Eastern end of the island is one of the top ten golf courses in the country: The Ocean Course.

There are two restaurants at Ocean: The Atlantic Room and the Ryder Cup Bar. While The Atlantic Room has elegant dining, we prefer the Ryder Cup Bar. It's more our speed with televisions showing an array of sports, more comfortable and laid-back seating, and it actually has even better 180 degree views of the water. When we can, we prefer to sit outside on the veranda, overlooking the 18th green. It's also only a few steps down the path to the water, so it makes a perfect walk before or after your meal. Because this beach runs along the golf course without many homes around, it's always quiet and almost deserted.

Now for the food and drink. To be honest, you can't go wrong with any of the choices. They always have craft beer on tap, and I love the different signature drinks. In my opinion, the appetizers are as good as the main courses, so we usually split one main course and a couple appetizers. What's great about the Ryder Cup Bar is that, for dinner, you can actually order off either the bar menu or the Atlantic Room dinner menu. One of our favorite dishes at The Ocean Course, is the lobster mac and cheese, and even though it's only on The Atlantic Room menu, we always get it for dinner at Ryder Cup. The Ocean Course chefs are best known for the Crispy Shrimp, and if you ever go there, you need to try it.

The crab dip is fantastic, too, and for meals, I love the shrimp burger and Lowcountry grilled cheese: fried green tomatoes, bacon, and pimento cheese in between two pieces of jalapeño cornbread.

Next time you're in the Lowcountry, a stop at Kiawah is a definite must. Keep in mind, though, that Kiawah is a private island. While it doesn't cost anything to get on the island, you need to tell the gate attendants that you either have a reservation at The Atlantic Room or that you're to the Ryder Cup Bar to eat.