A New England-style restaurant is preparing to debut in Bluffton’s Moss Creek Village this summer.
Maine Cafe is slated to open Aug. 1 at 1533 Fording Island Road, Suite 296, in the former Uncorked space.
Owner Donna Mello, a New England native, comes from a long line of family restaurateurs. After 14 years of visiting Hilton Head and three years living in the Lowcountry, she told What Now Charleston she missed the region’s signature coastal dishes and wanted to bring them to the area.
“I like to cook with botanicals and do things a little differently. I like to cook from scratch,” Mello said. “I’m real picky about my meat, I’m real picky about my chicken, and I don’t want anything in here I wouldn’t want to eat.”
Among her planned offerings are Sunday brunches with a DIY Bloody Mary bar and Monday night clam bakes featuring a fixed menu. The bakes will include a quarter pound of lobster with white truffle butter, corn on the cob, homemade clam chowder, orange fennel rosewater salad and blueberry cake—all for a set price.
The chowder will feature Bar Harbor clams and clam juice, along with a secret recipe element Mello said takes you to Maine.
The 89-seat restaurant will include a full-service bar designed to resemble a sailboat, complete with a central column repurposed as a lighthouse.
“We have this column at the bar, and I turned it into a lighthouse,” she said. “It’s wicked cool.”
In line with its harbor theme, Maine Cafe will offer a wide selection of craft cocktails with playful names like “Quite the Pier,” “Mermaid Tail,” “Bikini Bottom,” “Sugar Daddy” and “Dump Him.” Specialty margaritas will include smoky lavender, rose and frozen spicy pickle. A signature dessert cocktail, “Espresso Yourself,” will feature a brownie inside a margarita glass with espresso vodka, Kahlúa, cherry blossom whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.
While Uncorked was known for its lively bar scene and music, Mello said the energy will continue. Maine Cafe will host genre-themed nights—like country and jazz—and bring in DJs and live bands.
“It’s just good times and good, clean food,” she said.
