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Ate: July 29, 2006 Published: July 30, 2006 $$$ There are two ways you can tell that Myrtle Beach is growing and becoming a more cosmopolitan vacation destination. The first is when a small, two-lane back street becomes widened, divided and turned into a parkway. The second is when a boarded-up, run-down biker bar on that same street is completely renovated and turned into an upscale Italian restaurant. Pomodoro's has been open for about a month now, and we figured it was time to try it out. As you would expect, everything in the restaurant is new and shiny. The owners really went all out to fix the place up, and it really showed. We could tell that this wasn't going to be just another dinner when, along with our bread, the waiter brought out a big head of roasted garlic. Following his instsructions, we mashed some of the garlic cloves up and mixed them with olive oil to use as our bread dip. It was worth the effort. The smoky flavor of the roasted garlic was better than the usual herbs you get in your dipping oil. I think both of us actually enjoyed the garlic paste more on its own, without the olive oil. The high standards continued with the fried calamari that we got for an appetizer. Fresh out of the oil, it was light, tender and moist. Either one of us could have eaten a big plate of just the calamari and considered it a good dinner. Since we didn't have that, we instead looked forward to the rest of our meal. Our dinner service was quick, and we didn't have to wait long. At the waiter's recommendation, my wife had ordered the parmagiana di vitello, or veal parmesan. The veal cutlet was served atop a bed of penne pasta and a thick red sauce. One of the first things she noticed was the fresh herbs in the breading. She could also taste the freshness of the sauce as well. There was nothing canned or pre-packaged about her meal, and the taste showed through. I had gone for a little less traditional menu item, a little bit of fusion cuisine called jambalaya di napoli, an Italian take on a Cajun classic. Decorated with a crayfish perched on top, my dinner consisted of some humongous shrimp, chicken, Italian sausage, okra and red peppers. All of this was served over a bowl of linguine. As with my bride's dinner, everything tasted fresh, with good-quality ingredients. Even though we had made pigs of ourselves, we still wanted to end our meal with some dessert, so we split one of their cannolis. Rich and not overly sweet, it hit the spot and made a great ending to a wonderful dinner. Pomodoro's was already beginning to fill up when we got there, when we left, the crowd was even larger. We were both surprised by this. Not being on either Highway 17 Bypass or King's Highway, it isn't subject to a lot of tourist drive-by traffic. But somehow, word about this place has already gotten out among the locals. Far from being a hidden treasure, Pomodoro's has already become an inside secret among the locals. For an elegant environment and fine Italian cuisine, this is the place to go. |
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