Try the sherry-mushroom-and-crab soup at Roz's Rice Mill Café. TOP-RATED: Roz's Rice Mill Café Soup? At the beach? If you're under the impression that beach food is all about tidal waves of fried fish, shrimp, and hushpuppies, you need to come to Roz's tiny bistro. To start, it's cheap like the devil. You can eat a huge lunch for less than $10, with tip and taxes. Better still, that lunch will be unforgettable. Roz offers three different soups each day ($3 cup; $4 bowl). I loved the mushroom-sherry-and-crab soup--an incredibly creamy, dense concoction made for people who like to eat their soups with a fork. One delicious cupful is a meal in itself; a bowl is a feast. Roz, a gracious host, makes guests feel like old friends visiting her tiny kitchen. You want a friend like that. She makes a black bean-artichoke cake ($7.50) served with tart salsa, sour cream, and fresh limes that will make you want to move to Pawleys Island so you can eat here every day. Her cobb salad ($7.95) brims with fresh cheese, eggs, and vegetables. All the food at Roz's isn't super fancy--her children's menu includes PB&J and grilled cheese sandwiches (both served on French bread), making the cafe a great place to bring the wee ones. Finally, if you're wearing pants with an elastic waistband, finish with a dessert, such as the warm, sweet, heavenly banana bread pudding. 10880 Ocean Highway, Pawleys Island; (843) 235-0196. Salads: $6.25-$8.50; sandwiches: $4-$8.50

Sautéed snapper topped with fried leeks and a Champagne sauce gives a new twist to seafood at the Rice Paddy.

Rice Paddy
Tease your hair up, put on your fancy clothes, and make a reservation at this swank Georgetown restaurant. The Rice Paddy sports burnished wood, exposed brick walls, Oriental rugs, and gorgeous artwork. The food and wine match the romantic setting. I sampled the day's special: snapper, perfectly sautéed in a Champagne cream sauce and topped with fried leeks. The tender, flaky fish made me want to dance. I also ordered the pan-seared quail. The Rice Paddy serves it with a country ham-and-cream sauce on a bed of the best grits you've ever tasted. Though their food is expensive, these folks know how to make a mean meal worth the moola. 732 Front Street, Georgetown; (843) 546-2021. Entrées: $18.95-$30.95.

Perrone's, A Fine Food & Wine Market
Here's a Pawleys Island secret just waiting for you to discover. This tiny culinary gem has a huge local following. Whether you eat in or take out, the gourmet food you'll find here may intimidate at first. Take the Chocolate Espresso Chili for $6.99 a pound. Who would eat organic black beans, chipotle chiles, honey, chocolate, coffee, and cinnamon? Rather than a dish you'd actually enjoy, it sounded to me like a spice rack collapsed. Wrong. The chocolate brings out the dark flavors of the chipotle, cinnamon adds a mysterious bite, and the beans, well, they're just plain delicious. The wines picked by owner Steven Perrone are little known but have big taste. They're also reasonably priced--I bought what tasted like an $80 bottle for just $10.99 (a 2003 Zinfandel blend by Folie à Deux). If you're looking to create a surprise picnic on the beach or just relax after a day in the sun, make this your first stop. 13291 Ocean Highway, Litchfield/Pawleys Island; (843) 235-9193. Items priced by piece or pound: $6.99-$16.95.

Old Fish House (also known as Big Tuna)
This Georgetown spot gives the appearance that it may ease off into the river at any moment. Battered tables, chairs, and nautical decorations look as if they were around back when Ahab went searching for Moby. Yet the Old Fish House is only a few years old, and there's nothing aged about the fresh fish. Sushi-grade tuna for $9 blew me down. A lightly battered and fried flounder entrée was quite possibly the best on the island. The rice and beans cook for two days in a delicious blend of ham hock, garlic, and onion. It's a hip fish shack worth the visit. 807 Front Street, Georgetown; (843) 546-1045. Entrées: $6-$12.

This article is from the July 2005 issue of Southern Living. Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.