Tidal Creek Brewhouse; feels like home and community

     There is much more here to Tidal Creek Brewhouse than a tantalizing selection of house-made beers and coffees roasted on-site, with both brews made to accentuate and elevate quintessential Southern favorites and requisite appetizers. Tucked just behind The Market Common, at 3421 Knoles St., Tidal Creek Brewhouse is reminiscent of days spent sipping iced tea on porches, enjoying lazy afternoons in the shade, and gathering in backyards for barbecues. Essentially, it feels like home and community. The smells of home are here – the unmistakable and exhilarating aromas of fresh coffee waft through the air. Coffee clouds from Ethiopia, Columbia, and Costa Rica steam from cups brimming with jump-start-me goodness. Plus, pounds of philanthropic love are on deck at Tidal Creek throughout each month when it gives back and supports causes and groups for which they care. Each month, on Monday, Tidal Creek has Monday Night Matters. It is but one way for the brewhouse to support its community. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., one dollar of every pint purchased goes back to a nonprofit. On Tuesdays, “Crafts and Drafts,” allow local vendors to do their thing, free of charge, at Tidal Creek. Wednesday is trivia night. Thursday is music bingo. Live music is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Things stay popping at Tidal Creek. “It's about the community growing and helping each other,’’ said Dara B. Liberatore-Sawczuk, co-founder and president of Tidal Creek, which debuted June 8, 2020. Lindy Studds, executive director of The Rape Crisis Center of Georgetown and Horry Counties, said Tidal Creek gave the nonprofit multiple opportunities to engage with their patrons in hopes of heightening awareness and allowed it to benefit from its charitable donations. “We have groups that come in just to meet and converse and talk,’’ said Tess Sanford, Tidal Creek’s lead brand ambassador. “It’s almost like sitting around the breakfast table at home with family that draws people to us. We have a family-created atmosphere.”

Big Plates, Titan Tastes

            Guests from near and far have discovered food here that has enraptured them bite by bite. Jim Haveck is a regular who lives in the Holy City, but he has found his holy grail at Tidal Creek – the Brewmaster Burger. It is the Tower of Babel burger, with the height and without the confusion. The bodacious 8-oz mix of short rib and sirloin cooked how you want. Then, the burger welcomes pimento cheese, pulled pork, bacon, tomato jam, and pickles on a glossy bun. “I stopped in one night for dinner when I was up here for work and had the Brewmaster Burger, and it was phenomenal,’’ Haveck said. “Then, I tried the beer. I am picky about my beer, but I love every beer I’ve had here.” There is nothing ambiguous about Tidal Creek’s culinary trajectory. It's direct, intentional, and simple – the food is a friend to the drinks, and the drinks are friends to the food. “Everything we have on the menu includes our beer,’’ Sanford said. “We have our beer in our recipes. On our lunch and dinner menus, we pair every meal with one of our beers. It is a recommended pairing.’’ The menu boasts nuanced flavors in foods customary and unexpected at a brewery. My palate encountered tastes experienced before but at fine dining establishments, not breweries. Tidal Creek's she-crab soup is top-tier and far superior to others tried at fancier places. The rue was smooth and creamy, while there was a mix of bits and lumps of crabmeat throughout.

           My lone regret? I had a cup of the soup instead of a bowl of the gluten-free fiesta of sheer delight. Just as jumping in taste and texture were the fried green tomatoes. I got five thick slices fried to a deep dark brown and zigzagged with robust remoulade sauce. The presentation was golden ascetically as the contrast of the tomatoes and remoulade were on a palette of mixed greens. I only ate one and took the remainder home. Rounding out my lunch was the black & bleu burger. As its kin, the brewmaster, it is an eight-ounce combination of blackened short rib and sirloin. I had mine prepared medium rare, took one bite, and orbited straight into burger paradise. The punchy marriage of the beef, prepared perfectly, to the natural pungent taste of the blue cheese gratified my Southern soul. The lightly seasoned fries, served in a small tin bucket, were tasty and super crispy. Yet, I only ate three fries and took one bite from my burger because the cup of soup and one plump fried tomato filled me like a stuffed potato.

            Guests dining at Tidal Creek quickly realize the brewhouse never skimps on portion sizes. Grown men confess they cannot finish their burgers, and it is not uncommon to see couples splitting sandwiches. “The food is unreal,’’ said Sam Moon, a Myrtle Beach resident who visited Tidal Creek after Haveck’s recommendation. The men are friends and work for Terminix. “The chicken salad sandwich was excellent.” Whatever food had here can be enjoyed in the creek-inspired décor inside that is punctuated by nature photographs taken by Liberatore-Sawczuk’s neighbors. Or one can saunter to the beer garden outside with umbrella-covered bench seating, shelter seating, and groups of chairs around open fire pits.

Matters of Staff

            Josh Ashley is a shy guy. He prefers fewer words over many, but his talent speaks volumes for him. As the chef of Tidal Creek for nearly two years, he elevates the food to exceptional levels. He grew up in Myrtle Beach and knew food would play a significant role in his life. Myrtle Beach has a diverse, eclectic culinary topography, and Ashley enjoys being one of its food surveyors. “I like the hustle and bustle of being a chef,’’ Ashley said. “The job gets chaotic, but I love it. It is all about seeing people smile when you serve them something good.” His take on shrimp and grits, the burgers, and she crab soup are among the items that get rave reviews. Ashley said the little things like making condiments and oak-smoking pulled pork and chicken wings cause everyday food to take on colossal personalities and tastes. “It all begins with what I believe is good, and I go from there,’’ said Ashley, who has been at Tidal Creek for nearly two years. “I try to think out of the box." For every entrée Ashley leads the way to progress, Patrick Gibson, brewmaster, ensures there are beers to enrich the dining experience. Gibson, a former marine biologist who lost some of his passion for science, has been brewing professionally since about 2000 and fully transitioned in 2014. He is the founding brewmaster at Tidal Creek. The Grand Strand’s weather mandates guests need beers that are easy to drink, he said. His personal choices for beer are lighter, crisper, and have less of a lingering mouth feel. “You need beers that are easy to drink,’’ Gibson said. “So, those beers tend to go best with food because they aren’t dominating. They don’t overwhelm the palate when you are trying to also enjoy what is on your plate.” The Breezy Blonde Ale, my favorite, is my go-to brew because it is delicate and will not spoil my interludes with the satisfying and delicious Tidal Creek offerings.