Kind of Blue, a new restaurant featuring live music, opens on Hilton Head’s south end
An unlikely friendship borne out of music years ago is behind a new restaurant on Hilton Head Island.
Kind of Blue, located at 19 Dunnagans Alley in the space that used to be Ruby Lee’s South, marks its official grand opening Thursday.
The restaurant and music venue’s owners are Graeme Tosh and Stephen Connolly, businessmen from Canada, and Sterlin Colvin of Bluffton. Colvin is a locally well-known musician and singer who performs with his wife under the banner of Sterlin and Shuvette.
How did the trio become partners in a business on Hilton Head?
Tosh and Connolly have been in the restaurant business in Canada for decades. During one of Tosh’s regular vacations on Hilton Head, he heard Sterlin and Shuvette perform and invited the couple to play on Valentine’s Day at one of his Toronto-area restaurants.
“We were a little hesitant to go,” Colvin said. “The more we talked to him, we decided to go ahead and give it a shot.”
The trip was a success, though February’s below-zero temperatures made them happy to return to South Carolina. They were willing to travel back occasionally, though, and from there, a friendship developed.
Then Tosh proposed a business partnership.
“He wanted us to move up there. He was buying another club,” Colvin said. But there was the matter of those cold winters and Colvin’s extended family in the Lowcountry.
“In the interim, we talked about, ‘Graeme, why don’t you come and partner with me here?”
“Family’s more important than business,” Tosh said.
Before they could get the business off the ground, the COVID pandemic shut everything down, and Tosh and Connolly were stuck in Canada.
“We have been paying rent 16 months during COVID,” Tosh said. Then supply chain issues made outfitting a brand new kitchen a longer-than-typical process.
Finally, in August, Kind of Blue was ready for its soft opening.
What’s next?
“We are now all in,” Tosh said. “We are trying to learn about the community and be part of the community.”
One of those lessons is about American happy hour.
“People know their liquor, they know food, they know entertainment,” Tosh said.
While music infuses every part of the business — even the bartender is a talented singer and drummer — it’s not just a bar or just a live music venue. The food is a priority.
“You can get a cheap drink anywhere, but you can’t get good food everywhere,” Tosh said. “Everything’s made in house, so there’s nothing coming out of a bag and going into a fryer.”
The menu
Some of the menu’s highlights include Blues Brothers Jambalaya Pasta filled with sausage and lump crab meat; The Queen’s Baby Back Ribs served with fries and coleslaw; and On Blueberry Hill, roasted chicken breast with blueberry Frangelico cream sauce.
There are decidedly Southern touches like shrimp and grits or okra gumbo, but also Canadian specialties, too. Diners can try poutine, french fries topped with gravy and cheese.
The restaurant offers three types of seating. Those dining in the front area with the musicians will pay an extra entertainment fee, generally in the $10 range, that goes directly to those on stage, but there’s also seating in a separate indoor area for those who would prefer a quieter meal or on the patio outside. Altogether the restaurant can seat up to 230 people.
The music
The entertainment is an eclectic mix including local performers, including Sterlin and Shuvette, Ear Candy, Brian Simpson, Dean St. Hillaire and Reggie Deas, among others. On Tuesday nights, Colvin has revived his popular “Dueling Pianos” act.
Colvin, who is coordinating the entertainment, has plans to bring in a Queen tribute band and a Roberta Flack tribute act.
The schedule for grand opening weekend also includes Huxey Scott and Kenny Munshaw; guitarist Michael Scott; and Tru Gentlemen. The full lineup is posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
“We’ve been having fun with it, and we are looking for success,” Colvin said. “The locals that have come in have been very receptive.
“It’s not the same thing every night.”
If you go
What: Kind of Blue
Where: 19 Dunnagan’s Alley, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Hours: Noon to midnight Monday through Friday; 4 p.m. to midnight Saturdays; 10 a.m. to midnight Sundays
Phone: 843-686-2868
Website: kindofbluehhisc.com
Facebook: facebook.com/kindofbluehiltonhead
Instagram: instagram.com/kindofblueresturanthhi
This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 3:47 PM.
