LONE STAR
by MARC ATCHISON

The lunchtime lineup at the rustic
Lone Star Barbecue restaurant located
on the outskirts of this golfing haven,
stretched from the buffet table to the
front entrance.

Pat Williams, the jovial owner, was at
the back of the line with a couple of
visiting strangers. “Even the owner
doesn’t get preferential treatment
here,” joked one of the regulars with
Williams. “I’m just like any other
customer,” said Williams, whose
restaurant isn’t like any other you’re
likely to come upon.

In fact, the Lone Star is more
museum than restaurant. “I want
people to feel like they’re walking
back in time when they come into my
restaurant,” said Williams, who’s also
a local realtor in Santee.

The Lone Star is made up of a
collection of four small old frame buildings that look like the could have served as Jed Clampett’s (of Beverly Hillbillies fame) home. The weathered structures date back to the late 1800s and served as country stores and farm commissaries before being salvaged by Williams and moved to their present location, about 1¼ from the centre of Santee in Santee State Park, in 2000. One of the historic buildings was used as a post office until 1995 and the teller’s wicket is still on display along with a number of other important South Carolina artifacts that Williams was able to collect over the years.

The lineup was moving slowly the day we visited the Lone Star – it usually does. That gave us time to gawk in wonderment at the collection of memorabilia scattered about the dining facility, one of the most popular in a town that has become known for its valued golf vacations.

“I haven’t seen a soft drink machine like that since I was a kid,” my 50ish friend observed about the vintage Coca Cola cooler sitting off to the side of the Lone Star. The shelves lining the entrance to the buffet table were also filled with lots of items from times past – many of them salvaged from the original structures. The wooden cigar store Indian may not be politically correct but it certainly didn’t look out of place in this throwback to another time and place in American history. Neither did the vintage collection of cars that Williams had parked out in front of his one-of-a-kind eatery that fills up fast at lunchtime and dinner, especially when the Blue Grass and old Country Music entertainers take to the stage. “We have the boys some in on Saturday night and the place really jumps. It’s a popular attraction with our customers,” said the toe-tapping Williams.


















Finally, we made it to the front of the buffet line but were slowed by the selection on offer: tender barbecue pork that was fork tender; barbecue hash; crispy fried chicken; and, according to our host Pat, “the best dang tomato pie and macaroni pie you’ve ever tasted.” Not ever having the pleasure of eating such regional delicacies as the
aforementioned pies, it was hard for me to judge but suffice to say, competitors will have to go a long way to outdo the taste of Williams' pies.” Country vegetables and lots of salad items completed the buffet treats and the deserts were as sweet as our host’s southern drawl.

The Lone Star offers daily specials on their night time menu – Thursday’s feature dish is a big fish fry featuring catfish stew; Friday is all you can eat barbecue rib night; Saturday, stewed shrimp and grits top the list of favorites; and Sunday is when a family buffet has them lined up outside the restaurant.

The main dining room, once Shuler’s General Store, can hold up to 90 people while the second dining room, which once served as Dantzler’s Social Hall, can seat 60. Zeagler’s dining room, where the U.S. Post Office once operated out of, can also seat 60 diners and is used a lot for private functions. The pine tables scattered about the dining rooms came from a 100-year-old schoolhouse.

If the charm of this restaurant doesn’t excite you, then the prices for dishes here surely will. The Thursday fish fry and Sunday buffet both cost $8.96 and the all you can eat barbecue buffet costs $6.95. The history, memorabilia and good times are thrown in free. While many of the dishes served at the Lone Star have been passed down through  generations, many are the creation of head chef Chris Williams, Pat’s son, who oversees the kitchen with help from his wife Lisa. Chris, a graduate of the renowned Citadel, returned home to find his cooking roots and now is firmly planted in the Lone Star galley. Lisa is no stranger to the culinary world – she’s been associated with it for the past 12 years.

Our lunch buffet over, we waddled to the back of one of the buildings, where Williams led us out on to a wooden porch overlooking a barn yard.“Is that what I think it is?” I asked in amazement. “It sure is,” said Williams pointing to an old still used to make South Carolina’s potent moonshine whiskey that sat alongside an old smokehouse and several other historic relics. “And it still works,” beamed Williams, who as a realtor has seen the prices of homes in sleepy Santee “almost triple” in the last decade.

The town’s location next to South Carolina’s largest lake, Lake Marion, and the easy accessibility to Interstate 95, the major route to the northeast and Florida that cuts through Santee, have made this tranquil community a favorite with retirees and golfers from the north. “It’s very difficult to find a home around the lake but if you do, it will cost you plenty,” said Williams.

In high golf season, the Lone Star is a favorite hangout for golfers – just like the courses in town, they get great value here.“The golfers have really put this town on the map,” said Williams. “We are one of the fastest growing communities in the south and we’re open for business all year.”

Patrons have no trouble finding the secluded Lone Star – they just follow their nose.

The Lone Star is located 2212 State Park Road, not far from Santee National Golf Club. For more on this unique dining spot, call 803-854-2000.

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Marc Atchison is the former Travel and Golf Editor of Canada's largest newspaper The
Toronto Star. More of Marc’s stories are also available on www.tnnworld.com.