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Old Town Bluffton’s new raw bar is set to fully open for both lunch and dinner this week.

CRUDO has been serving guests for dinner since March 11, its soft launch, but will usher in its full opening this week with the addition of a lunch service. The raw bar can be found filling about half the space that was once the Corks Wine Bar in the Old Town Bluffton promenade.

The address is 14 Promenade St., suite 306, Bluffton. The Promenade makes for a great location because of all the established restaurants nearby, CRUDO owner Brian Behnke said.

“With the established restaurants already here, we think we complement them well,” he said. “They’re all, you know, really good neighbors, and we’re really excited to be here.”

“Crudo” is the Italian and Spanish word for “raw,” and refers to a dish of uncooked fish, shellfish or meat, seasoned with olive oil, citrus juice or vinaigrette.

The menu features daily crudos, ceviches and other raw seafood dishes like oysters, caviar, salads, a few non-seafood plates and some Vietnamese dishes sprinkled in. All of CRUDO’s fish will be purchased from local market, Behnke said.

To pair with their dishes, CRUDO offers an assortment of wines, spirits and cocktails. Behnke, as a trained sommelier, will continue to curate CRUDO’s wine selection and is looking forward to recommending new ones to his guests.

Behind the bar is the Le Verre de Vin wine preservation system, which can preserve opened bottles for over 20 days. That way CRUDO can offer more wine by the glass, Behnke said.

A program called the Cru Club, which gives access to advanced reservation capacity, advanced sign up for special events, a reduced corkage fee and the ability to purchase the wine by the case for 15% over cost. Events will happen every other Wednesday, Behnke said.

They’re open 5-9 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays and closed on Tuesdays. On Sundays they serve a four-course family supper.

Dine-in and carry-out are available, according to the restaurant’s website.

CRUDO has a dress code, but it’s not extensive, only asking men not to wear hats or tank tops and for all guests to avoid athletic wear.

“While we’re upscale, we’re not formal and stiff,” said Behnke “It’s not like a formal dining experience where you get to sit here for three hours.”

Rainy and cold weather is preventing Bluffton’s U Pick Daffodil farm from opening as it usually does this time of year.

Visiting the farm has become a spring rite for families, flower-lovers and photographers alike, and co-owners Chuck and Diane Merrick had planned to be open for sweethearts on Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, that’s just not possible, Chuck Merrick said Monday.

“We are a little bit short on flowers because of the rain and the cold,” he said.

The muddy field conditions and parking area — not to mention the farm’s location on a dirt road — make it dangerous for customers.

“I don’t want someone slipping and falling down and getting hurt,” Chuck Merrick said by phone as he walked the fields.

“I’m out here trying to decide what would be best to do,” he said.

The family is now hoping to be able to open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, weather and blooms permitting. Closing early is a possibility if the blooms are picked out earlier, and there’s also a chance the farm won’t be able to open at all that day.

The weather forecast says Beaufort County will be sunny and cool on Saturday, with a high temperature in the mid-50s, according to the National Weather Service in Charleston. There is a chance of more rain between now and then.

For information about days the farm will be open, watch its Facebook page or go to its website at upickdaffodils.com. Those who’d like to check on the status of the flowers before making a longer commute can also text Chuck Merrick at 843-368-1998.

The fields are located at 48 Calhoun Plantation Road, just off Pinckney Colony Road.

Each stem is 50 cents. Cash and card payments will be accepted.

The U Pick Daffodil tradition started more than 50 years ago. Each year the farm has expanded to meet demand, and this year is no different.

Chuck Merrick uses a planting machine purchased from Holland — it is pulled behind a tractor — to plant tens of thousands of daffodil bulbs with varying blooming times so the farm can stay open longer.

Daffodils don’t grow easily in the Lowcountry climate, he previously told The Island Packet, and every year the farm loses about half of the ones they had planted in earlier years.

This year, he planted 36,000 new bulbs, and those haven’t bloomed yet because of the cold temperatures.

Does this mean the season that typically ends in March will be longer?

“It’s really hard to say,” Chuck Merrick said. “We are at the mercy of the weather and the flowers.”

This story was originally published February 13, 2023, 12:50 PM.

BLUFFTON — In the early 1990s, this place really was a small town.

About 750 people lived here, clustered around a 1 square mile downtown.

Today it has a population of 32,000 and extends for 54 square miles, a good deal of it dedicated to the planned community of Palmetto Bluff.

While some longtime locals have moved away — frustrated by traffic, cut-down trees, more parking — a surprising number of residents say Bluffton is managing to hang on to the qualities that drew so many people to it in the first place.

“It’s a beautiful area,” said Evan Blatter, 20, who grew up playing beneath the live oaks with the other neighborhood kids.

Now he mans the visitors center, an 1841 farmhouse within walking distance to a farmers market, two parks, and dozens of foodie-friendly restaurants and one-of-a-kind shops. In a very Bluffton touch, one enters the visitors center by the back door, like an old friend.

“I find no fault with the growth because it gives children who’ve grown up here a chance to stay here,” said Babbie Guscio, whose high-end variety shop called The Store is part of what lends Bluffton its charm.

While the town is “spiffier” than it used to be, said Guscio, “We are still funky and fabulous.”

‘We want to control it’

Bluffton can pinpoint the moment it changed from a tiny town between Savannah and Charleston to an urban center with a pull of its own.

“We were all snug as a bug until Sun City announced they were coming,” Guscio said.

That was in 1993, when a real estate developer bought a tree farm about 12 miles northwest of Bluffton. Two years later, Del Webb Communities Inc. opened a 55-and-over residential resort spread across 5,100 acres.

“So the Town Council at that time said, ‘It’s coming,’” said Debbie Szpanka, Bluffton’s public information officer.

In her telling, officials asked themselves: Do we want to control our destiny? Or do we want to be submissive and just take whatever’s coming?

“They’re like, ‘We want to control it,’” Szpanka said.

Since the only way to expand the town’s boundaries was for landowners with contiguous property to ask for annexation, the mayor communicated that Bluffton was open for business. The petitions rolled in.

In that way, for the next two decades the municipality of Bluffton steadily grew.

Then, in 2015, it exploded.

This little spot

As it happened, 2015 was about the time that Rebecca Mancini began visiting from Ohio, stumbling on Bluffton as an out-of-the-way place to vacation with girlfriends.

But soon, finding somewhere to stay got a little trickier, Mancini said. “I thought, ‘Wow, people are finding this little spot.’”

In 2020 Mancini herself relocated to Bluffton, part of a wave of newcomers that increased the population by 12,000 people in five years. She rented a cottage a stone’s throw from the local coffee shop and turned it into a girls-and-women’s clothing store called Maggie and Me, named after her daughter.

“I meet new people every week that just got here, just moved here, building a house here, from every part of the country you can imagine,” Mancini said. She keeps thinking, “How’s there room for everybody? How is there any space left?”

Building out

One answer to Mancini’s question can be found in the sheaths of maps in Szpanka’s office, showing what is already built in Bluffton and what development Town Council has agreed to, perhaps some years ago.

“We know what’s coming,” Szpanka said. “We know exactly what’s on paper that’s been approved.”

The intricate drawings indicate that three-quarters of residences are currently standing, but only about one-third of commercial buildings are in place.

In other words, Bluffton’s housing will soon stabilize, even as the town continues to add businesses.

“Now that we’re getting toward the cap of what our population is, we’re starting to work on making sure that we have services and economic development, everything for all of our citizens,” said Stephen Steese, the town manager, who comes to work in faded jeans and a baseball cap.

Despite the pressure to deliver, Steese leaned against Szpanka’s doorway as if he had all the time in the world to chat.

Outside, rain streaked down the windows, and town hall felt quiet and cozy as a library.

Noticing the impression they were creating, Szpanka observed, “It takes a lot of work to make us look this laid back.”

A small town feel

That casualness is part of what makes Bluffton feel small, said Margaret Thomas, who moved five years ago to Old Town, the 1-square-mile historic district that still feels like the center of the community.

On Oct. 13, Thomas and her half-chihuahua, half-Dachshund chiweenie were rolling down the road in a golf cart, a package of fresh fish in the seat between them.

Except for their vehicle, the pair could have been locals from any point in the past 200 years, buying seafood at the docks on the May River and stopping on Calhoun Street to visit with neighbors.

It’s that part, the running into folks, that makes Bluffton feel small to Mancini. “There’s a nice little web of people,” she said.

“I think it’s because it doesn’t look cookie-cutter,” Guscio said.

Even a new Greek-columned building at the corner of Calhoun Street aims to fit with Bluffton’s classic Southern architecture while projecting an eclectic, boutique-y vibe.

The building’s owner, Matt Cunningham, plans to put tenants in the luxury apartments on the second floor and women- and Black-owned small businesses on the street level.

“All these things are either artist’s retail, art-oriented or culinary arts, so think about it like an artsy-fartsy town kind of scenario,” he said.

The development, called The Bridge, has drawn criticism for appearing too tall, too massive, too close to the street.

But Cunningham sees himself simply as helping shape the direction of his adopted home. Echoing the words of many transplants, he said, “I fell in love with it.”

He pointed out that historic Bluffton feels like a small town in part because it is literally small.

“People can live, golf-cart, eat and work here now because a lot of people are remote,” he said. “It’s charming, but it’s also got a lot of things to offer, and you can get as close as possible to those things.”

A different cultural feel

The steady flow of cars between Bluffton and Hilton Head Island, about 7 miles down U.S. Highway 278, speaks to the increasing convergence of the two areas, with some familiar institutions shifting off island.

In 2018 the 50-year-old Red Piano fine art gallery quit its isolated storefront outside Sea Pines for Old Town Bluffton, where it’s part of an ecosystem of galleries.

Sam’s Club is out in Bluffton now, along with Hilton Head Christian Academy. The private K-12 school, founded in 1979, settled into a new campus in a former field of pine trees on Buckwalter Parkway in 2021. With more and more young families coming to Bluffton, setting up among the warren of suburban houses looked like a smart move.

“Because of the growth, because of so much going on and changing and happening, I think people want to be a part of that,” said Steese. He credits some of the decampment from Hilton Head to the excitement around Bluffton.

Lauren Arsenault Terrett, a painter who moved from the island to Bluffton in 2004, said, “It’s not that I don’t like Hilton Head, but it’s very tourist-oriented.”

“It’s a different cultural feel,” agreed Cunningham, another former Hilton Head resident. “It’s just a little bit more down-to-earth in Bluffton.”

Historically real estate has been cheaper on the mainland, too, but housing costs are rising.

Mancini is still waiting for them to come down to her price point. While she bides her time, she admires the “darling apartments” going up around the downtown area.

“Nothing looks out of place,” she said. “It’s done small and quaint and lovely.”

Preservation

Honoring its history is one of the most important reasons why Bluffton feels the way it does, Szpanka said. “That’s what gives you an identity and a sense of place.”

In the 1800s, White plantation owners from nearby places like Savannah and Hilton Head made their summer homes on Bluffton.

“They came here because we’re about three blocks off the May River. It’s a saltwater river. So that means no mosquitoes and there’s a constant northeast breeze,” Blatter said. Behind the Heyward House where he welcomes visitors, several 1841 slave cabins stand, restored and on display thanks to the efforts of a preservation society.

“The town has made an effort ... to make sure that we’re preserving all aspects of our history,” Szpanka said.

But for all the praise for Bluffton’s old-fashioned vibe, said Councilman Fred Hamilton, a born-and-bred Blufftoner, newcomers can also yearn for more modern amenities, such as a Costco.

“They don’t understand this country way of living,” he said.

Hamilton, whose voice is warm and slow, said he finds himself educating a new generation about Bluffton.

Quality of life is not convenience, he said, but clean water that you can get shellfish from, lots of open space to raise young kids, a place where you know your neighbors and feel like you can thrive.

“To lose that would be devastating,” he said. “But to preserve that will be a place where anybody would love to call home.”

The long-awaited Aldi grocery store opens in Bluffton at 9 a.m. Thursday.

The store is located at 1131 Fording Island Road in the shopping center with Hobby Lobby and PGA Superstore. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Here’s what you need to know before you go:

The first 100 customers will receive a reusable gift bag filled with a sampling of “Aldi Fan Favorites” products and a gift card as part of the Aldi Golden Ticket gift card giveaway program, according to a news release.

You’ll need the coin to unlock a shopping cart. The quarter will be given back to you when the cart is returned at the end of your shopping trip. Aldi says this practice saves it money because it doesn’t have to use employee time to corral loose carts.

Or, you can buy reusable ones at the store. Aldi doesn’t offer single-use plastic bags, another way it says it saves money. Boxes generally are available to cart home your items.

A store employee will scan the items in your cart, but you’ll be on your own to bag them up. This is another way Aldi says it keeps prices lower.

The store will be stocked mostly with Aldi-exclusive brands, including gluten-free, plant-based and dairy alternative items. This doesn’t mean they are lesser quality. You’ll have to try them to see whether they stack up to the brands you are used to.

Aldi does not accept national manufacturers’ coupons or have a store loyalty card for discounts as other grocery stores do.

Aldi’s “no frills” locations aren’t as large as modern superstores. The Bluffton location has around 12,000-square-feet of sales floor. For many, this makes the shopping experience quicker and more efficient. Some items will be stacked on pallets.

Staples such as flour, sugar, milk, canned goods and bread likely will be less expensive than at other grocery stores. Bring a list of what you typically pay for certain items so you can see whether it’s a bargain at Aldi or not. (Some online lists caution that paper goods and cereal may be better purchased elsewhere with a coupon. Produce also gets mixed reviews.)

Aldi is known for its good selection of cheese, European chocolates and inexpensive wine. You can expect the Germany-based company also to stock European-based beers and snacks.

If for any reason you aren’t satisfied with the quality of a product, Aldi will replace the product and refund it under its “twice as nice” guarantee.

An estimated 45,000 gallons of wastewater were released from a gravity main Saturday in Bluffton, according to a Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority news release Monday evening, but the spill did not impact the water system in the area and water coming into homes is safe to use and drink.

The cause? A structural failure of the main at the manhole located in The Farm neighborhood.

Dirt got into the failed section, and the weight of the dirt, as well as the actual sediment, led to a blockage precipitating the overflow of thousands of gallons of wastewater. The sewage flowed into the ponds of adjacent neighborhoods, the authority said, which was diluted by the deluge of rain Saturday night and Sunday.

BJWSA notified the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control of the break, which the authority said did not impact the water system in the area.

Wastewater overflows of more than 5,000 gallons of untreated or partially treated domestic sewage “could cause” a serious adverse impact on the environment or public health, according to SCDHEC’s website.

About a year ago, a spill over 10 times that size happened in Beaufort. Then, in late January 2022, an estimated 500,000 gallons of sewage spilled from a sewer main into a tidal ditch that leads to Battery Creek in Beaufort. The spill occurred near the intersection of Parris Island Gateway and the Savannah Highway and prompted an immediate closure of shellfish harvest beds.

However, the Saturday wastewater overflow in The Farm neighborhood has not caused those types of impacts.

Pam Flasch, BJWSA director of public affairs, said Tuesday morning that the wastewater break has “absolutely no relation” to the authority’s water system, meaning water flowing in homes is safe to use and drink.

Because of the somewhat fortuitous weekend rainfall, the sheer volume of rain diluted what could’ve affected the ponds. Flasch said the break’s impact couldn’t have reached the May River.

While the Saturday overflow in The Farm neighborhood has been stopped and crews are continuing cleanup, Flasch said the biggest issue remains a traffic detour to avoid the break for safety reasons. The detour will remain in place until repairs are finished.

Because the manhole couldn’t be saved, the area is served with a bypass pump to ensure service isn’t disrupted, the BJWSA said. The authority expects repairs will take “several weeks.”

According to BJWSA, it continues to communicate with residents at The Farm and the Homeowners Association on the repair schedule and potential impacts.

The authority delivers about 10 million gallons of wastewater each day to eight wastewater treatment facilities for treatment and disposal. For any suspected or seen sewer collection system spills, call BJWSA at 843-987-9200.

This story was originally published February 14, 2023, 1:05 PM.