Tapas Take Center Stage at Folly Beach

by Mary Ann Hester

Folly Beach is one of those rare, untouched places along our coast. In efforts to keep the city both rare and untouched, a six month moratorium on new building permits is in effect so leaders can assess their city’s future. This is extremely admirable given its world class beach and proximity to top-ten destination Charleston.

This view does not mean the city is not progressive – quite the contrary – it boasts one of the most modern restaurants in the Lowcountry. 11 Center Street is the place to dine on delectable “small bites” paired with good wines. Even co-owner Larry Lewis has been surprised at the reception of what was designed to be “a wine bar serving great food, the food demand has become almost bigger than the call for wine ... it kind of happened. We were a little surprised at how big the restaurant got so quickly.”

Larry Lewis, his wife and brother found the building for sale in 2003 that would house their wine and tapas bar and quickly snapped it up. It had been an old grocery store and Lewis says “my wife Gretchen had always wanted to own a wine store and here was her chance with this location ... we wanted to offer what we would enjoy as consumers, which was wine and tapas. “They hired three chefs from Johnson and Wales University (formerly in Charleston) and made a team effort to develop the menu, starting out with 13 items. Lewis is quick to admit that he has a business rather than a restaurant background, but he also knows “this helps me adjust to what the market wants quicker than someone who does not understand about giving the people what they want.”

What the people wanted was food – and the menu has expanded way beyond the original 13 items. Some of the most popular items are the Sesame Seed Encrusted Tuna Filet, Spinach and Chicken Spring Rolls, the Pepper Encrusted Beef Tenderloin and the Mediterranean Platter. Tapas are small plates and in some places the price does not mesh with the amount or quality of food that you are served. But neither of those is the case here – the portions are generous and the freshness is very apparent. It is a convivial kind of dining where sharing is not only acceptable but expected and there is enough on each plate to do so happily. Dessert is doable here, which is not the case with the huge portions many restaurants provide. The Yemassee Belle Pecan Tart is not only superb but the pecans come from the family orchards in Yemassee. Lewis also has the added advantage of a son who is a chef and co-owns the Baked and Chocolate Bar (two hot candy stores for grown-ups in NYC) and whose theory is that “every holiday should be a chocolate holiday.” So blame him for the inspiration and calories of some of the desserts.

Aside from the food, there is a selection of over 1,300 wines to choose from, including small vineyards like Cakebread Cellars. They also offer the wines of Irvin House Vineyards on Wadmalaw Island (See the article on Firefly Vodka on page 93 for another Wadmalaw connection.) At 11 Center Street you can purchase a bottle of wine in the “store” and then have it served to you for the corkage fee of $8, which is much less than you would pay purchasing the bottle through a restaurant wine list. There is also a wonderful selection of wines by the glass, including premium varieties such as Oak Leaf and Chateauneuf de Pape. The restaurant soon will offer wine “flights” (a sampling of four wines that are somehow related to each other) to give patrons a chance to try some different selections.

Along with the wines are over 80 beers and another unusual offering – Sangria made right at your table. Being at the beach and having sunburned tourists almost demands Sangria, but Lewis and his team take it a step further. They bring a pitcher with fresh fruit and sugar, a carafe with brandy, and a bottle of Spanish wine to your table. The wine is uncorked and mixed with the other ingredients. True to his background, Lewis’ attention to detail includes finding pitchers that stay unscratched since he believes it is important and “our customers would notice if the pitchers looked marred – they get a lot of use in the summer!”

When you walk into 11 Center Street, you may not see anyone sitting at the tables in the front, but only because many of the regulars head for the back porch with the fireplace or upstairs to the covered patio where they can view what is happening on the street below. The patio is so popular that Lewis put a kitchen upstairs to accommodate the crowds.

11 Center Street is named for its location, and Lewis pulled on his business background to come up with this designation. “We have a lot of tourists here and trying to find places in towns where you are not familiar with streets sometimes makes it hard. So what better way for people to locate you than to use your location as the name?” he says.

Tourists aren’t the only ones who frequent 11 Center Street – one server in another restaurant told me a lot of locals go there for the food and ambience. “The food is great,” she says, “and I am personally known as the ‘blini queen’ since I cannot get away from their potato pancakes.”

Lewis and his team have pulled on their business acumen to create a new style of dining in Folly Beach. “We work hard to make it an experience that we would enjoy if dining here,” he says.

11 Center Street is open daily from 11a.m. - 11p.m. Please visit their website at www.11center.com for directions or call 843-588-9898.

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