Editor's note: Food writer Andre James gives a unique perspective on cuisine across the Myrtle Beach area. In his column, To Butterfly A Shrimp, James explores the menus of restaurants so you can learn just what to order during your visit.
If you allow it, Myrtle Beach can be a glutton鈥檚 pep rally, cheering you on with pom poms as you finish the last inch of a footlong hotdog, hide those buttermilk biscuits under a goopy blanket of sausage gravy or make that one last trek to the buffet because you noticed the kitchen staff just put out a fresh pan of bourbon chicken.
Indeed there are a few spots where you can get a kale smoothie and burritos stuffed with marinated tempeh, but that narrative is drowned out by fish bowls 鈥 literally, plastic fish bowls full of blue Hawaiian cocktails or hidden in the shadows of paper boats runneth over chili cheese fries.
Fortunately for you, I and our overall health, LoLeo 鈥 the first cold-press juice bar on the beach 鈥 disrupts that prevailing theme, where those blue Hawaiian fish bowls are replaced with organic Blue Majik Algae, a cousin of spirulina known for boosting energy levels, which you can add to your "Magic Mylk."
I鈥檓 aware that the average LoLeo loyalist would spill their chia seeds in haste trying to distance themselves from a Spam frying, chitterling-lover like me.
And on the flipside, I don鈥檛 associate myself with kombucha sippers or veganaise smearers 鈥 I think the air fryer is witchcraft, plant-based burgers are borderline demonic.
Not only is a carton of cashew milk more expensive than a gallon of 87 unleaded gas in my world, but it鈥檚 also as egregious as cauliflower buffalo wings.
I do love vegetables: Brussels sprouts, asparagus, Swiss chard, just as long as it鈥檚 saut茅ed in a liberal amount of duck fat or bacon grease. I love fruit, especially mango 鈥 a nice, ripe mango, but I like that mango, cantaloupe and pineapples especially when it鈥檚 doused with Chamoy and chili powder. It鈥檚 safe to say that I eat just enough 鈥渉ealthy stuff鈥 to keep me 鈥渉ealthy.鈥
After my first trip to LoLeo, I had to Google exactly what 鈥淏ee Pollen Granules鈥 and 鈥淎shawangha鈥 were. Amid shots of wheatgrass and lattes made with ceremonial matcha, whatever ceremonial matcha is. I found a soft, familiar place to land: avocado toast.
As much of a horrible eater as I am, even I know about avocado toast.
It鈥檚 the ideal entry point to eating healthy-ish 鈥 like the California roll is the gateway to chutoro sashimi and uni when it comes to sushi.
Most of the avocado-toast eaters I know pretty much all agree that a good inch-or-so slice of sourdough is the worthiest of all breads (yes, even more worthier than multi-grain and challah).
LoLeo checks the sourdough box, but after that, the combinations of ingredients are almost never ending, bespoke to the eater's whim, desires or tendencies.
My homie Carson likes his with feta cheese and hot honey, zeroing in on the sweet/salty combination that almost all of us drool over. Sam and Jack prefer Za鈥檃tar and slivers of pickled red onions and, along my journey, I鈥檝e seen it decorated with alfalfa sprouts, dollops of cre虁me frai虃che, sprigs of dill, truffle oil and, of course, the quintessential sunny-side-up egg, which gives the sourdough bread the chance to be a sponge, soaking up the runny yolk.
Aesthetically speaking, I prefer my avocado sliced and fanned out over toast before I sprinkle that good, heavy-hand of furikake to satisfy my inner-Japanophile.
LoLeo鈥檚 avocados are gently mashed, still leaving the chunkiness because anything else would just be guacamole. It鈥檚 topped with red pepper flakes for some subtle heat, olive oil, fresh lemons juice-for acidity鈥檚 sake and Himalayan salt, which is not only cool because it鈥檚 pink, it has zero traces of microplastics, it鈥檚 loaded with mineral like potassium, calcium, magnesium and doesn鈥檛 have the anti-caking compounds that鈥檚 added to the standard, run-of-the-mill table salt.
The up-charge to add the smoked salmon is for sure worth the $4.
I鈥檓 not telling you to go out and buy a Peloton, sign up for hot pilates classes or rummage your pantry and refrigerator throwing away all the ham hocks and Twinkies. You can still eat popcorn shrimp like popcorn, devour chocolate covered bananas covered in sprinkles and all that greasy, not-good-for-you fairground-style food Myrtle Beach is notorious for.
But a slice of avocado toast never hurt anybody.
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