Story and photos by
Becky Billingsley
Who’s cooking
The original concrete block building was erected in the 1960s by George Young, a two-time national barbecue champion. Gregg Eaddy opened it as Hog Heaven in April 1999.
Eaddy, a 1983 graduate of Winyah High School, knows how to provide locally popular dishes.
He prides himself on Hog Heaven’s local oysters and other seafood. At night the buffet offers fried, steamed and grilled shrimp.
Place Setting
Eaddy added on to the building so it could have dine-in areas, a buffet and a catering facility in addition to the original take-out barbecue pit.
Through the years the building kept expanding and improving, and currently another remodeling is in the finishing stages.
Inside there is room for 70 diners; another 15 or so can sit at the long zigzagging bar.
When a current dining room expansion is completed this month, regulars will notice fresh paint, new tile floors and more tables.
The building’s ceiling is low, and the tables are utilitarian veneer. Chairs aren’t fancy but they have comfortable cushioned seats and backs.
Plates are disposable foam, and silverware is plastic.
The barbecue buffet is in the middle of the dining room; salads and desserts are toward the rear of the main room.
Outside is a back deck with an additional bar area.
Live oaks grow through the roof, and there are special oyster tables with holes in the middle where you can pitch your shells.
Live music and karaoke are occasionally offered on Friday or Saturday nights.
A grand reopening celebration to commemorate the remodeling will take place sometime in April.
“On April 15 we will have been in business for 11 years,” Eaddy said. “I have a goal of that date for the grand reopening.”
What’s to Eat
The aroma of Fried Chicken catches your attention right away, and chicken fans will appreciate the mound of crispy golden-brown meaty plumpness.
Eaddy says there’s no big secret to his chicken – it’s just coated in flour, salt and pepper and deep-fried – but it is fried to perfection.
If you don’t want fried chicken, another option is barbecued chicken.
Barbecued ribs are another entrée choice on the regular menu along with flounder, shrimp and barbecue sandwiches.
The lunch buffet had plenty of selections: standouts in addition are sweet potato casserole with a sweet crunchy topping; flavorful and moist barbecue; creamy slaw with plenty of crisp bite to it; stewed tomatoes bursting with juicy tanginess.
A dining companion said the Banana Pudding was excellent.
Roasted oysters come from Beaufort, and a bucketful that might be enough for one oyster-lover costs $14.95.
On Fridays you can have all the oysters you care to eat plus the barbecue buffet for $16.95.
Any night there you can have all the fried shrimp you care to eat, plus the buffet, for $14.95.
Another seafood option is to start your meal with Little Neck clams, then opt for a fried seafood dinner such as grouper bites, small or large shrimp, Buffalo shrimp, flounder, scallops or oysters.
A separate catering menu is available for take-out purchases.
You can get barbecue, fried chicken by the piece (folks who love just breasts or just legs appreciate this option), whole barbecued or fried chickens, and side dishes that come in sizes varying from small (feeds 1-2) to extra-extra large (feeds 40-50).
Hog Heaven
Where: 7147 Ocean Highway, Pawleys Island
Phone: 237-7444
Noise level: When we visited it was raining hard and the lunchtime crowd was sparse, so it was quiet. But if it filled up it would still be easy to converse in normal tones.
Vegetarian options: The buffet has plenty of vegetarian choices; a few include beans and rice, slaw, squash, broccoli casserole, macaroni and cheese, corn, green beans, sweet potato casserole, salad and banana pudding. On the regular menu there are hushpuppies, fries and mozzarella sticks.
Smoking: An outdoor smoking area is provided.
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Prices: The barbecue buffet is $2.95 to $8.95, depending on the time of day and how old you are. Regular menu prices top out at about $15 for individual meals; catering ranges up to $450 for a whole hog.
Check for two: If you’re talking full-price adult dinner buffet with non-alcoholic beverages the maximum would be about $25, inclusive of tax and tip. A bucket of roasted oysters is $14.95; two large seafood dinners and a couple of beers apiece (they have a full bar) would be about $45.
Sidedishes
Portofino's on the Wharf
Staff started training on Tuesday at Portofino’s on the Wharf, and Executive Chef Eddie Chacon says the new family-style Italian restaurant will be open to the public on March 16. The chef has been finalizing food choices; on March 2 he had four piles of freshly baked bread and was deciding which would become known as the house signature loaf. Portofino’s is in the Fogle Wharf building at 815 Front Street in Georgetown, and the number is 485-4210. Hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.
Sweeties
Roberta Mason at Sweeties has been busy getting Easter treats prepared. The candy shop at 707 Front St. is becoming colorful with a variety of chocolate-dipped Peeps. A new addition to their line of house-made chocolates includes several sugar-free treats including peanut butter cups, chocolate-dipped Oreos and cashew clusters.
Salmonella
If you have been experiencing gastric distress and thought it was the flu, it may be food poisoning instead. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein that is used as a flavor enhancer in many foods was found by the FDA to be contaminated with salmonella. Now hundreds of food products, such as Great Value Ranch Dip from Wal-Mart and T. Marzetti Dips, containing this ingredient have been recalled. The list is expected to grow, and you can see the affected products at FoodSafety.gov.