Snooky’s on the Water – Take Two

So… I’m the queen of awkward/random situations. I don’t know how they happen to me, but they do. Before I get to my review, let me set the stage with this story… I used to love Snooky’s when it was under previous management. They had a great cocktail menu, and they were one of the few places around that actually served something other than fried seafood (the novelty wears off when you’re surrounded by so much fried seafood and your pants get tight). One day when going there with my foodie friend, we were greeted at the door by a big, red letter “C”. Not knowing whether we should bail on our plans to eat there or continue to sit down for dinner, we sat down because, ultimately, our growling stomachs won. We ordered food, and while we’re waiting for it to come, we pulled up the food inspection results on the South Carolina website. This was a bad idea. After it’s already too late to leave, we read the food industry version of a horror story and sat there pale as a ghost, not knowing whether we were going to eat the food that was yet to arrive. Well, we did, and we survived without getting sick – but that stuck with us for a couple of years until we got up the courage to try it again.

This brings me to present day Snooky’s on the Water, not to be confused with the red-lettered Snooky’s that was there before. This place was completely cleaned up and remodeled, which it desperately needed to add to it’s previous abysmal quantity of indoor seating – and it looks great! They still have some outdoor seating where you can look over the Marina in Little River, SC and the intracoastal waterway, but thankfully, you don’t have to worry about reading 30 weather reports before you leave to make sure that your dinner wasn’t going to turn into rain soup, since the remodel turned the deck into a covered patio. The night we were there this time had live music, and it was packed!

We were there for happy hour; so after a round of beer, we received our food. Raw Oysters, Tuna Poke with avocado, Crab Legs, Wasabi Slaw, Fish Tacos, and Salads were our choice for the table. I have to say that my food-snob son was so impressed by the tuna poke appetizer that he actually ordered a second one. I’m really hoping that this blog takes off because I’m going to need that extra money to pay for his appetite and palate. It’s really hard to mess up raw oysters and steamed crab legs, and as weird as it sounds, everything paled in comparison to the wasabi slaw. I’m not kidding you – that stuff was amazing. Picture creamy coleslaw with a kick of wasabi afterwards; I considered getting a second side dish of it until I realized that I was probably going to have to help polish off my son’s second tuna poke appetizer, not that I was complaining about that either. For a $9 happy hour appetizer, the tuna poke is a steal because you get a healthy portion of raw tuna served over your choice of either avocado or mango with wonton chips for scooping it all up. If you’re crazy like me and like spicy food, order extra sriracha on the side for a final pre-bite dunk.

I can’t say that this place is so impressive that we will be regulars, but if we’re looking for somewhere to take guests this summer for food that is fresh, not fried, this will definitely be on our regular rotation! Plus, it’s an ideal girl’s night spot as well 🙂