River House at Palmetto Bluff

Fresh and Contemporary Southern Cuisine

The highlight of my recent trip to The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, a Montage resort was definitely enjoying dinner + drinks at the River House. I have a lot of memories in this restaurant — from dining with my brother-in-law and his wife right before their first baby was born (that’s big!) to sharing date nights with my husband. There’s a sense of nostalgia when I step through those doors.

We sat outside on the patio — the sound of the wildlife was almost too loud. Executive Chef Nathan Beriau greeted us and described the vision of the new menu which was launched near the end of July. He called it a celebration of ingredients. Jason McGarry, Chef de Cuisine of the River House pulled influence from local ingredients found on the coast and in the South. But don’t expect heavy foods. Instead you’ll enjoy fresh + contemporary southern cuisine. There is a reason why people say, “Trust the Chef.” Chef Jason + Chef Nathan know what they’re talking about when they created this menu. Trust me to trust them.

We started dinner with warm Benton’s bacon and crispy potato croquettes and seasonal watermelon gazpacho with smoked avocado, cilantro and feta. You’ve got to try the croquettes — they’re not heavy like you would think because of the words bacon and crispy — instead they’re heavenly. I don’t know how else to describe it.

Next we moved on to the grilled peach salad and the Atlantic snapper. The peaches are sourced from Beaufort’s market for fresh foods called Silo (Sea Islands Local Outlet). The textured goat cheese and candied pecans really add the right flavor to this salad. And my favorite dish of the night was the Atlantic snapper with seasonal succotash, rock shrimp and the traditional southern collard greens. The ingredients were so fresh and the mild fish was cooked just right.

For those of you who have visited the Inn at Palmetto Bluff know that before you retire for bed you’ve got to enjoy s’mores under the stars. Right outside of the River House overlooking the May River, they have three fire pits that they light at dusk. What a perfect ending.