Lady’s Island Country Club is working hard to muscle back into the fine dining scene on Thursday nights. But that’s just the beginning. Chef Will McLenagan wants to take over the dinner world on Lady’s Island.<!--more-->

“We’re starting with Thursday night dinners, and we’ll go from there,” McLenagan said. “We now offer a menu that rivals anything downtown, but for a better price. Plus, we’re right in the neighborhood.”

The club is open to the public for golf seven days a week; lunch and happy hour Tuesday through Saturday; dinner is served each Thursday.

McLenagan isn’t starting small. His Thursday dinner menu spans three pages, with a soup of the day, an array of salads, appetizers far beyond typical and a slate of fresh, creative entrees. “Lady’s Island Country Club used to be THE place in the 1970s,” the chef said. “Other places opened and the food, and hours grew a little inconsistent over the years. We’re changing all that.”

And McLenagan doesn’t back down from a challenge. Building restaurants is his specialty. He did the same for the Henry Clay Inn in Virginia before arriving in South Carolina. “This isn’t going to be typical meat and potatoes country club fare,” McLenagan said. “We’re talking seared yellow fin tuna, calamari with a lemon aioli sauce and homemade desserts. I only use fresh ingredients. This isn’t open-a-can, ‘golf course’ food.”

The improvements don’t stop there. Restaurant manager Lori Westerfield is expanding the wine list and service, which will be fast and efficient.

“We’re going to do whatever it takes to attract people to our Thursday night dinners,” Westerfield said. “Once they try us one time, they’ll be back. The food, service and location can’t be beat. People won’t be disappointed.”

As Chef Will says, “With me, food quality comes before business. The food is everything. The rest comes from that.”

To entice more members, the menu lists both a member and non-member price for entrees. Both social and full memberships are available. Thursday nights aren’t going to be the same on Lady’s Island. Dinner starts at 5:30 p.m. Don’t be late.