|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Ate: December 10, 2005 Published: December 18, 2005 $$$$ Medieval Times is not the type of thing that the two of us do on a regular basis. It is much more of a special event. I've been here now three times in the ten years since I first moved to Myrtle Beach. The first time was with family and friends who were visiting and the second time was for the second date with the lovely woman who has since become my wife. This time, we went again with family. Since we're only two weeks out from Christmas, we were both hoping that the Medieval Times show will be a special Christmas-themed one. For those of you not familiar with the area, the Medieval Times castle (and yes, it really is designed like a classic castle), is located just over the waterway from the city of Myrtle Beach, in what is known as the Fantasy Harbour entertainment complex. In the mid-nineties, this complex was developed as an answer to the shows and theaters in Branson, Missouri. Other establishments like the Ronnie Milsap Theater and the Gatlin Brothers Theater never caught on, but Medieval Times has built up a good clientele and managed to do well. This time of year, the crowds are a little bit thinner, but it was still a good Saturday night at the castle. Once you pay your admission, you enter a main lobby. On this evening, it was full of people, but not jam-packed. It was still easy to move around. About five minutes or so after we arrived, they began calling in the patrons. In short order, the crowd purposefully moved to file into their designated sections. Since this is dinner and a show, all of the seats are facing a central oval performance arena. While this affords a nice view of the arena, it can make some conversations difficult. You can communicate with the two people on either side of you pretty well, but beyond that it gets tough. Our waiter was a jovial fellow who did his best to bring us into this pseudo-medieval world where we could kick back and suspend disbelief. The meal is served in three courses and our first course consisted of garlic bread and dragon soup, complete with claws and scales. At least, that's what our waiter said it was. Actually, it was a very enjoyable vegetable soup with good, fresh chunks of vegetables that hadn't been cooked to death. During this time, the emcee was welcoming everybody and setting up the story for the show we were about to see. Sadly, it wasn't going to be the Christmas-themed show we had been hoping for, but we weren't about to let that little thing ruin a fun evening. We've never heard a bad word about their regular shows, so we figured we were still in for a good time. After a quick clearing of the soup bowls, our main course came out. This was a dragon wing, a dragon rib and an herbed potato. As you can tell, our waiter stayed in character and kept the running gag going. The wing consisted of a nicely roasted half-chicken, very juicy and richly flavored. The rib was just that - a rib, but a barbecue pork rib instead of a dragon's rib. It's just as well; I think that this time of year is the wrong season for dragon anyway. The pork rib made a more-than-acceptable substitute, with plenty of savory rib meat basted in a good sweet barbecue sauce. As part of the atmosphere for the show, all of this food was eaten with our fingers, as tableware had not been invented yet. Even the potato was eaten this way. It was fun, but also a little messy. If you go, plan on using your napkin quite a bit. While we were eating our dinner, the warm-up show was going on. The stunt actors who play the knights were showing their stuff in some preliminary exhibitions. They performed such feats as collecting rings with their lance and hitting targets with spears, all while riding on horseback. It was fun stuff to watch. After each trial, the successful knights were given roses, which they would then toss to a female member of their section of the audience. I am happy to report that our eleven-year-old niece caught one of those roses. After a big, hearty meal like they served, you don't have a whole lot of room for dessert. They served a small apple pie that was just the right amount to top off our dinner. Our meal ended at the same time as the warm-up show. The atmosphere in the arena changed from one of friendly competition to something much more serious. Each battle began with a joust and continued on foot after one of the knights was knocked from his horse. These fights were impressively choreographed, because the knights take some real falls and some real hits. They are swinging hard enough that the swords draw sparks when they clank together and the shields buckle from the impacts of the maces. If a knight messed up and missed a move, someone could really get hurt. We don't want to give any of the storyline away, but suffice it to say that there is lots of action, intrigue and cool special effects. The meal, while not four-star cuisine, was tasty, filling comfort food that enhanced a good show. The show itself is a whole lot of fun and the audience members are really encouraged to get into it and cheer vigorously for their knight. A group of soldiers from Fort Bragg who were seated in the Green Knight's section got into it so much that a couple of them looked like they were ready to jump in and help him out during a fight. Medieval Times is a great place for some good family entertainment. With the new, re-worked Highway 501, Fantasy Harbour has become a little more difficult to get to, but it is worth the effort for a special evening that will be a good memory of your Myrtle Beach vacation. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright ©2010 ReviewMyrtleBeach.com |
| Want Us To Review A Particular Restaurant? Just Click Here And Ask |
 Our RSS Feed |