I’ll be visiting non-frum relatives in Myrtle Beach in a couple of weeks. Does anyone have any valuable info about kashrut there? I know there was/is a place called Jerusalem, but I haven’t been there in over a dozen years, so any up-to-date info would be appreciated.
Jerusalem is still there but it’s moved and gotten bigger. No more dinky little hole in the wall with an attached market. I truly wasn’t overwhelmed last year. Erratic service and just okay food. The clientele seems to be two opposite ends of the spectrum - Hebrew speaking Israeli ex-pats of which you know MB is overflowing and confused tourists who just wandered in and have no clue about the food. The staff falls into the latter category.
HOWEVER, it is still the only kosher restaurant in SC so that’s all there is to it. As always, getting in touch with Chabad for other kashrut needs is a possibility and, other than self-catering, your only other choice.
Just thought I’d report back, now that I’m back from Myrtle Beach. And I’m happy to report that I must respectfully disagree with rockycat. We were very impressed with Jerusalem. The food was very good, and the service was great. We went twice in the three days I was there, and my non-frum relatives, who are definitely picky and complain about high kosher food costs, really liked the place, and said they would add it to the list of places they eat out.
There were not too many people in the restaurant either time we went, but those who were there fell into neither category rockycat mentioned. One night we met the Chabad rabbi and his family who were there for dinner, as were a few couples at other tables; the other night we saw an assortment of diners, including a table of four women, one of whom my relative knew, and this woman was definitely not Israeli, nor a confused tourist; it’s possible she wasn’t even Jewish. There was also a frum young couple that looked to be on a date, and a number of people that were there for the bellydancing!! Yes, Wednesday night is bellydancing night, and while I don’t see it happening in NY, if it brings people in, and helps keep the place open, so be it.
As for the food, after ordering, we were brought a large, freshly baked pita with four or five small salads to share among the table. The salads differed on the two nights, but included chickpea salad, corn salad, Moroccan carrot salad, pasta salad, cole slaw, and a few others. As for main courses, I had a beef tagine one night and chicken tagine the other. The portions were quite generous; the chicken tagine had two full leg quarters along with the olives, lemon, onions, and lots of sauce. The beef tagine was not as saucy, but was full of beef chunks and prunes. One relative had the same thing both nights, something called chicken pastella, which was really good. It was ground chicken with almonds, baked in phyllo dough. It was made in a rectangular shape, and served cut into two triangles. The other relative had a salad with chicken strips one night, and the chicken pastella the second night. Sides of fries and saffron rice (chosen from a list of about five choices) were very good; the rice was particularly good for sopping up the sauce from the chicken tagine. Desserts are displayed in a showcase; the first night the only one that interested us was baklava. When it came to the table, the single order turned out to be two large triangles of it, enough for the three of us. A pot of Moroccan Mint tea was very tasty along with it. The other night there was a much larger selection of pastries; we split an almond macaroon cookie, a mocha cake (individual sized), a small pecan pie/tart, and a small coconut pie/tart (the small tarts were about 4" in diameter) and a pot of tea again. Neither time were we charged for the tea. There were a number of servers; we had a very nice young man named Gloria (not a typo; it seems to be an Albanian name) the first night, and my relatives asked to be at one of his tables the second night.
As you can see, I highly recommend the place, and while I wouldn’t say you should travel there specifically for the restaurant, I definitely encourage you to go if you are there.
I’m glad you had a nice experience. It’s certainly possible that the night I was there was an aberration or that they’ve gotten their act together in the time since I’ve been there. It’s also possible (although I hope not) that the difference was that I went during the height of tourist season and you were there when the clientele was more likely to consist of regulars/locals.
Either way, glad you enjoyed it.
