Chef Mark Bolchoz calls Hanahan home, so perhaps it’s not surprising that he opened Cane Pazzo (Mad Dog in Italian, for his nickname) in Yeaman’s Hall Plaza, smack dab in the middle of…not a whole lot. But Bolchoz has both identified and begun to fulfill the area’s potential by opening a startlingly good Italian-Southern restaurant with free parking, a full bar, a chef’s counter, and enough seating to be intimate but lively.
Sit at the chef’s counter for an up-close-and-personal view (and heat) from the wood-fired oven, where you’ll see Bolchoz and his team (who are undeniably warmer than you are) firing their house sourdough and preparing melt-in-your-mouth beef and pork meatballs served over polenta with a spicy tomato sauce—an absolutely unmissable dish. An option from the just-right cocktail menu or a glass from the all-Italian wine menu will keep you cool or cozy, depending on the season—from a lambrusco rosé to a chilled Langhe rosso to a Valpolicello superiore. Then it’s time to order—the kitchen recommends putting in your requests all at once, which is a good suggestion because you will order too much, and you won’t regret it.
If you can’t imagine an Italian restaurant that makes seasonal vegetables taste as good as its hand-extruded pasta, Cane Pazzo is up to the challenge. Bolchoz’s years of expertise with The Grocery, Peninsula Grill, and Indigo Road Hospitality Group—to say nothing of his time spent cooking in Italy—are on full display with dishes like heirloom tomato toast with pickled sweet pepper and burrata; risotto with corn, confit peppers, red onion, jalapeño, and pancetta; plus a range of seasonal sides that play up his South Carolina Lowcountry roots: squash and zucchini sformato that’s deliciously reminiscent of traditional Southern squash casserole, and roasted okra with onion and spicy tomato served like a deconstructed version of okra and tomato stew. Don’t miss the Caesar salad, dressing flavored with Duke’s Mayo and Crystal hot sauce, or the crispy mozzarella, in honor of the chef’s mom’s love of fried mozzarella sticks.
Then there’s the pasta: One of the menu’s signature dishes is the raviolo with blue crab, sherry cream, crab roe, tarragon, and chive in a stunningly creative homage to she-crab soup. There’s also linguine with Tarvin shrimp, snail-shaped lumache with sausage ragu, and bucatini all’Amatriciana with house pancetta.
You’d be forgiven for being full by this point, but there’s more: a tightly curated entrée section. On the night we visited, the chicken was “alla romana” style, the steak was a 16-ounce ribeye, and the fish was locally caught golden tile, pan-seared and served piccata style.
We recommend lingering for housemade tiramisu and the gelato of the day, perhaps with an espresso martini, limoncello, or amaro, while you decide who gets to take which leftovers home. The best part is you can come back and order everything you didn’t get to try—or eat it all over again.
