Barbecue joint vows to wow
JOHANNA D. WILSON
EATERIES
Barbecue can't be put in a box because it has too much personality.
Think about it.
Barbecue rules the summer and maintains its popularity in the hearts, minds and especially in the stomachs of untold millions throughout the year.
Louis Osteen loves it, and he knows you love it, too.
That's part of the reason why he is excited about a new barbecue restaurant opening this summer.
Osteen, owner of Louis's At Pawleys, said the name of the restaurant will be called Smokestack Lightning. And directly underneath that name, the words "House Of Barbecue For All People" will be written.
Osteen said he will be a small owner in the business that he says will be the Disney World of barbecue on the Grand Strand.
It will be the place, he said, where barbecue fans will be able to savor various kinds of barbecue under one roof.
"Almost everybody loves barbecue, but they love barbecue their way," Osteen said. "And there are a million different ways to do barbecue. It's like politics and religion - people are passionate about it."
The restaurant will be located in Myrtle Beach, but Osteen said he can't reveal the location just yet. However, he promises it will be an ideal spot.
The place will be funand barbecue will be served up in imaginative and tasty, traditional ways.
Osteen said the restaurant will also treat barbecue with the respect it deserves.
"It will be the real deal, like the places you go to that aren't fancy but when you eat the barbecue, it's the real stuff," he said.
"Other places make fun of the barbecue."
Osteen believes Southerners make some of the best barbecue around and said any good barbecue takes time.
"The hardest part of making barbecue is cooking it slow enough, and somehow Southerners can do that and other folks can't."
Barbecue is meat cooked by smoke, not meat that is baked.
"That is roast pork, as far as I am concerned," Osteen said.
So, get ready Grand Strand for barbecue that is bona fide.
In other news from this famed Grand Strand Chef - who was named the 2004 American Express Best Chef in the Southeast by the James Beard Foundation, the Oscars of food competition - he has launched Sunday Suppers, which are meals with themes.
Plus, starting this spring, Louis's will once again launch a wine club.
To learn more about the Sunday Supper Series and the upcoming wine club, call the restaurant at 237-8757.
Louis's At Pawleys is located at The Hammock Shops at 10880 U.S. 17 in Pawleys Island
Sounds interesting.
