The Cypress Room Maintains Stellar Reputation
Along the Golden Mile of Myrtle Beach, situated between oceanfront cabanas on its south side and beautiful beach homes to the north, the Island Vista Resort climbs 12 stories into the salty air. On the ground floor, spilling out onto the open-air veranda and stylish pool deck, the Cypress Room continues to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to resort guests and neighbors who drop by, same as it has been doing for decades.
Executive Chef Steven Stackley, at the helm for nearly two years, has taken a lifetime of experience in Charleston and other locales to continue to uphold the oceanfront restaurant’s excellent reputation. Stackley, originally from Myrtle Beach, feels like working again at The Cypress Room is like a homecoming.
“I was here before when it was the Sea Island Inn, around 1998,” he recalls. A contentious trademark dispute some 20 years ago forced the name change to Island Vista, after Stackley had moved on. Around 2006 a $40-mil renovation of the hotel and restaurant helped establish Island Vista as a premier luxury resort, a reputation it still holds some 19 years later. “In 1999 I moved to Charleston and worked there for 20 years,” Stackley continued. After a move to Colorado for a couple of years, he brought his family and a new baby back to Myrtle Beach. “We moved from 10,000 feet to sea level,” he joked.
The proximity to the ocean is a big draw for the Cypress Room, as true oceanfront dining is rather limited along the Grand Strand. The 90-seat dining room is open for breakfast and dinner but don’t let the white table cloths fool you. The atmosphere is casual while retaining a sense of beach-chic. Lunch patrons order at the bar and are welcome to sit in the bar/lounge area, but most prefer to take lunch outside on the veranda or, if a resort guest, poolside.
While the resort and the Cypress Room are highly rated and well-reviewed for their oceanfront ambiance, it’s the food and traditions that keep people coming back.
“We ran Chef Mike’s [Mikinnon] menu for almost a full year and switched to my menu a few months ago. I added several new seafood dishes, but we wanted to keep things in the vein of what was already happening. Chef Mike has a following.”
McKinnon, who was hired in 1986, retired from the Cypress Inn shortly before Chef Stackley came aboard.
“He’s a great chef,” said Stackley, “and a good friend. In fact, we hired him to come back as our pastry dessert chef.”
The new Cypress Inn menu pays tribute to the classics of the former, has new additions and even pays homage to recipes of a few iconic Myrtle Beach resorts of the past.
“We have a creole on here from the Chesterfield Inn,” said Stackley, “and we have Chesterfield [Inn] dressing—those recipes are at least 50 years old.”
Chesterfield Dressing, named for the original Chesterfield Inn, formerly at 700 N. Ocean Blvd., before it was demolished, was a simple but beloved recipe from the heyday of the Chesterfield dating back to the 1940s and 50s.
“The Chesterfield Dressing was (and still is) a simple mix of onion, green bell pepper, lemon juice and mayonnaise – maybe a little white wine,” said Stackley.
“I’m a pretty well-rounded chef,” he continued, “but I really love cooking seafood dishes. My favorite is our Roasted Grouper. It’s pan seared grouper with a white balsamic browned butter, spinach, and sundried tomatoes over really creamy Carolina Gold risotto.”
“Our [tenderloin] filet is probably our best-selling item,” Stackley continued. “I make it with a nice compound butter and a wild mushroom and port wine sauce. It comes with salad and asparagus. We sell a lot of it, people love it.”
“At lunch our smashburger wins hands down. It gets the Chesterfield dressing.”
Additionally, the Cypress Room’s menu has a large selection of beef, pork and chicken dishes, an extensive seafood menu including lump crab flounder, seafood trio, shrimp creole, salmon, scampi, and tuna.
Vegetable plates come with the option to add a protein; chicken, shrimp, crab cake or grilled salmon.
Lowcountry she crab soup and oyster chowder are always on the menu, along with a variety of salads and appetizers including P.E.I. Mussels, fried oysters, wild mushroom flatbread, jumbo lump crab cake and more. Kids are always welcome and will find something on a menu of their very own.
Seasonally, guitarist Glen Taylor plays most evenings along with other guest artists at the perfect volume for nighttime dining.
Breakfast while the sun’s radiant, energizing rays pouring in through tall Cypress Room windows, is a great way to start any day. Popular with resorts guests and locals in-the-know, the Cypress Room breakfast (served in the dining room or outside on the open-air veranda), includes virtually any egg entrée prepared to order; one, two, or three eggs fried to order, in an omelet, or on a benedict. Add in staples such as bacon, sausage, ham, corned beef hash, turkey sausage, grits, potatoes and you’re well on your way to a savory, hearty breakfast.
On the sweet side try French Toast, pancakes, waffles, seasonal fruit, hot & cold cereal, and yogurt. Yes, here too at breakfast the kids get their own menu. Add a mimosa and strong coffee and you’ll wish every day could begin like this.
Desserts, made in-house, include tarts, cheesecakes, crème brûlèe, ice creams and sherbet, along with a full bar of cordials, dessert martinis, brandy and cognac.
Whether you come for breakfast, lunch or dinner—or maybe all three—you’ll find the Cypress Room ready to live up to its long and storied reputation. Also consider the Island Vista as an ultimate staycation option.
Reservations recommended
