Folly’s Italian restaurant is now serving breakfast, hosting special holiday dinners, and has plans to add small retail section
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
Just in case you haven’t noticed, there’s been a lot of interesting things happening at the tiny Italian bistro located just off Center Street on West Hudson Avenue. For a couple of years now, Alfredo’s on Folly has been churning out quality homemade pasta dishes, paninis, and soups. But lately, owner and chef Michael Scognamiglio has stepped up Alfredo’s game in some pretty major ways.
So what’s behind the changes? Is it a new secret spice? Different food purveyors? Some new twist on a classic dish? The answer is actually quite simple. It’s the one ingredient we all wish we had more of: time.
In 2007, a then 25-year-old Scognamiglio opened Bacco on Houston Northcutt Boule-vard in Mount Pleasant. The restaurant became wildly popular and Scognamiglio was heralded as a young star among Charleston’s exploding culinary scene. For a decade and a half, Bacco was a favorite east of the Cooper River.
In February 2020, just before the pandemic, the ambitious chef fulfilled another dream of his and opened Alfredo’s on Folly Beach in the space that was formerly home to The ’Wich Doctor and Lil’ Mama’s before that. It became Scognamiglio’s second Italian eatery in the Low-country, and he was forced to split time between the two. Where Bacco was a more upscale white tablecloth kind of place, Alfredo’s had a more Folly vibe — quality food in a casual set-ting, lots of to-go orders, just a nice place for locals and visitors to grab some Italian food after a day at the beach.
Then last summer, after nearly 15 years, Bacco closed its doors. What was Mount Pleasant’s loss became Folly Beach’s gain. Now the heralded chef was able to place all of his time and creative energy on Alfredo’s. And the proof, as they say, is in the pudding … or in this case, the sauce. In the last several months, Alfredo’s has begun serving breakfast, hosting spe-cial themed dinners, and cranking out nightly specials that had locals breaking their New Year’s resolutions before they even started.
“Having both places was tough. Going back and forth really hindered my ability to focus, unfortunately,” says Scognamiglio. “Now I can bring back the focus to one spot and really put in 100 percent of the effort, which is nice to do again. I can bring to the forefront things that worked in the past as well as actually have plans for the future rather than just being stagnant and not creative.”
For starters, Alfredo’s European-style breakfast has been a welcomed addition, with pastries, egg frittatas, crepes (both savory and sweet), and a solid breakfast panini. This was something that was first offered the morning of the Folly Beach Christmas Parade. The response was positive and Scognamiglio was encouraged to make it a regular offering.
In addition to breakfast, Alfredo’s has hosted some special dinners lately, notably the Italian tradition of Feast of the Seven Fishes in December. Scognamiglio says he wants to continue doing these dinners as little ‘one-offs’ from time-to-time.
“It gives a little break in our routine and keeps it fresh for our customers, too,” he says. “Valentine’s Day will be one of these special events. We are doing a one-seating, reservation-only four-course dinner.” It will likely be sold out by the time this gets printed, but these type of special events and dinners are things Scognamiglio wants everyone to keep in mind during holidays and special events.
Scognamiglio says 2023 feels like a new beginning for Alfredo’s and for himself person-ally as he focuses his energy on one restaurant. But he has been in the business long enough to know that it takes a team to create something special. And Scognamiglio is thankful that he has had a dedicated staff during some tough times for the restaurant industry.
“My staff that has been with me, they all have been amazing,” he says. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great people who believe in what we are doing and I am looking forward to moving forward with their help.”
Scognamiglio also says to keep a look out for expanded hours coming this summer as well as some retail with the products that are made in-house, like fresh pasta, soups, dress-ings, and that garlic compound butter for the garlic bread that everyone loves.
Alfredo’s on Folly is located at 106 W Hudson Ave. (843) 633-0225 or visit www.alfredosonfolly.com.
