The Hungry Lady: There is nothing quite as satisfying as a good burger.

On Sunday, L and I found ourselves with a few hours to kill before we had to get to our respective evening plans. We did a little shopping (supporting small local businesses...hooray!), and then decided to grab dinner. It was a beautiful day, so we were looking for three things: good food, cold beer, and outdoor seating. We were also trying to avoid falling into our normal "let's grab dinner and a beer at our usual place" routine. We finally settled on Pawleys Front Porch. L had never been there, and I had only been there once, so it was a pretty novel experience. Plus, Pawleys has a huge outdoor deck, good burgers, and we assumed the beer would be cold. Not to mention the fact that Pawleys has the Guy Fieri seal of approval. No really...Pawleys was featured on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in 2010. You can see the clip here.

Anyway. We headed over to Pawleys, snagged the last available table on the deck, and ordered a couple of beers. We took our time with the menu, but eventually settled on a couple of burgers (obviously). Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me, so you're just going to have to use your imagination as I describe these treats to you.

L ordered the Kiawah burger (just FYI, if the names sound a little bizarre, it's because nearly all of the burgers are named for places in SC). The Kiawah has portabella mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and melted brie. All of the burgers come with either fries, Frank's red hot onion rings, pasta salad, or sweet potato fries. L opted for the onion rings. She wasn't too impressed with the onion rings because she thought they were a little lacking in flavor. I didn't try any, but I have had the onion rings before and they were great. Maybe she just got a bad batch. But I guess if you're calling something "red hot," they should probably have a good kick to them. She really liked the burger though. And really, with a combination of portabellas and roasted red peppers, how could you not?

When we visited Pawleys, it happened to be Tax Weekend. Along with their usual specials, Pawleys had a featured burger called the Tax Man. That's what I ordered, with a side of fries. The burger had bbq ranch, slaw, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and fried onion straws. What a burger! I loved that the slaw was on the burger because it added a nice crunch. The seasonings were spot on, and everything tasted amazing. The fries are hand-cut, and they look almost like shoestring fries. It looks like the skins are left on when the fries are cooked, which is something I love. They're also salted just enough to add flavor, but not enough to be overpowering.

I really like Pawleys. They use local ingredients (which I love), they have enough of a variety that you can always order something different, and the outdoor seating is awesome. I do find Pawleys to be a little pricey (especially with beer - I don't drink especially expensive beer, but I paid a dollar more for what I did order than I have at other places around town). I'm certainly not going to complain, because the quality of the food is definitely worth the price. I just wish it was a little more affordable so that I could go more often. Fair warning: If you're one of those people who doesn't like to get messy while eating, you probably don't want to order a burger. Even cut in half, you're likely to make a mess. If, like me, you don't really care, and just order extra napkins, you'll be pretty happy. Although Pawleys is known for their burgers, the rumor around town is that they have pretty good fish tacos too. I may have to give those a shot sometime soon.

Final Rating