I see several recommend SeeWee...the weather is forecast to be unconducive to outdoor activities (like a harbor cruise), so we may take the time to drive out.

Thanks

I did my best to get to as many recommended places as possible, but family and a wedding kept interfering. Still, I managed to enjoy a few places listed here on LTH, and I think I may have a couple to add to the list.

Hominy Grill was an obvious choice. First time, I had the shrimp & grits, which was so incredibly fragrant, I was tempted to just sit and breath it in. But that only lasted a couple of minutes, and I dug in. Creamy, cheesy grits with freshly caught shrimp sautéed with garlic, bacon, and Tobasco sauce, with a sprinkling of chopped scallions was mighty tasty. Second trip to HG, I ordered the she-crab soup, which I thought was very good. I also had the perloo, which is the South Carolinian version of of the word pilau, and which is kind of a local spin on paella or Spanish rice -- tomato, ham, sausage, shrimp, and aromatics. Mighty tasty. Also had some of the buttermilk pie.

The other listed place I got to was Poogan's Porch. Dandy place. In an old mansion on Queen Street. We were there for brunch, and I had the Good Morning shrimp and grits, which is shrimp and grits with two poached eggs and covered in crab gravy. Yum.

I also got to the Farmer's Market on Saturday, and that was quite wonderful. They can actually sell raw milk right at the market.

Then there were three places I tried that weren't on my LTH list.

82 Queen is, cleverly enough, at 82 Queen St. This is one of the two places that everyone will say has the best she-crab soup in town (the other being the Charleston Grill). The she-crab soup at 82 Queen was pretty amazing stuff -- so rich with heavy cream, you could hardly finish the cup. They float the added sherry and crab meat on top, and it doesn't sink -- you have to stir it in. It was tremendously luxurious and flavorful. However, all that said, if I were eating it often, I'd probably go with the slightly lighter version at Hominy Grill. This would not be something you could eat every day.

Dixie Supply Bakery and Cafe was a wonderful discovery -- a place not even my relatives who live in Charleston had heard of. I found out about it from the woman who led the food history tour I took while there. It's a tiny little hole-in-the-wall place -- 7 tables and a counter along the windows -- but the food is amazing. I got talking to the owners and learned that Alan's family has been in Charleston since the late 1600s and the recipes are based on hand-written "receipts" from his great-great-grandmother. However, they've got a young stud chef named Patrick who puts modern spins on the recipes, plus has daily specials that are his own contribution. Their grits are creamy, the sweet potato cornbread is delicious, and I imagine all the other offerings are fine, but the thing to go for is the tomato pie. As Alan's wife, Kris, explained it, tomato pie is one of the many things done with tomatoes in late summer, when tomatoes are super abundant. Tomato pie is normally made with scraps left over from cutting up tomatoes for canning, but at Dixie Supply, they instead make it with thick slices of locally grown, organic, heirloom tomatoes. There is a rich, flaky, pastry crust that is layered with the sliced tomatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, basil, and a cream sauce that is their secret, and it is baked just long enough to make all the cheese melt but not so long that the tomatoes lose their fresh quality. It was really amazing.

Dixie Supply is at 62 State Street, within a few yards of Market Street. They are only open for breakfast and lunch. http://www.dixiecafecharleston.com/ My new goal in life is to try to reproduce their tomato pie -- or get back to Charleston and eat theirs again.

The final place I tried that I didn't see on the LTH site was Gullah Cuisine, which is in nearby Mt. Pleasant. It has the reputation of being one of the best Gullah places in the area. For lunch, they have a buffet, so it's possible to sample a variety of dishes. Some dishes, such as fried chicken, baked chicken, okra with tomatoes, and cabbage cooked with bacon, were really excellent. Some were very good without being noteworthy: fish soup, collard greens, mashed potatoes. Some, such as the red rice (aka perloo) were not great but were interesting because this is probably more traditional/authentic, while what one finds at the great restaurants in Charleston are updated versions of the simpler dishes. Of the desserts, the bread pudding was great, filled with sliced peaches and raisins, and the clearly popular banana pudding is not so great -- thick and gluey with a strong taste of banana flavoring.

I did learn that stone-ground grits are much better than the grits one normally buys prepackaged at the grocery store. Something to search out. Sweet tea is considered the wine of Charleston, but I still found that most places were willing to serve "the other stuff" -- that is, unsweetened ice tea. And I learned I love fried green tomatoes.

So a great and fun outing. Also did lots of the historic stuff related in various posts here -- went out to Fort Sumter, toured the Aiken-Rhett House, did the walking tour in the AAA book (despite the 102 degree weather). Definitely fell in love with Charleston.

Cynthia wrote:The final place I tried that I didn't see on the LTH site was Gullah Cuisine, which is in nearby Mt. Pleasant. It has the reputation of being one of the best Gullah places in the area. For lunch, they have a buffet, so it's possible to sample a variety of dishes. Some dishes, such as fried chicken, baked chicken, okra with tomatoes, and cabbage cooked with bacon, were really excellent. Some were very good without being noteworthy: fish soup, collard greens, mashed potatoes. Some, such as the red rice (aka perloo) were not great but were interesting because this is probably more traditional/authentic, while what one finds at the great restaurants in Charleston are updated versions of the simpler dishes. Of the desserts, the bread pudding was great, filled with sliced peaches and raisins, and the clearly popular banana pudding is not so great -- thick and gluey with a strong taste of banana flavoring..

Actually, it was in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1345&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=gullah+cuisine

jlawrence01 wrote:

Cynthia wrote:The final place I tried that I didn't see on the LTH site was Gullah Cuisine, which is in nearby Mt. Pleasant. It has the reputation of being one of the best Gullah places in the area. For lunch, they have a buffet, so it's possible to sample a variety of dishes. Some dishes, such as fried chicken, baked chicken, okra with tomatoes, and cabbage cooked with bacon, were really excellent. Some were very good without being noteworthy: fish soup, collard greens, mashed potatoes. Some, such as the red rice (aka perloo) were not great but were interesting because this is probably more traditional/authentic, while what one finds at the great restaurants in Charleston are updated versions of the simpler dishes. Of the desserts, the bread pudding was great, filled with sliced peaches and raisins, and the clearly popular banana pudding is not so great -- thick and gluey with a strong taste of banana flavoring..

Actually, it was in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1345&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=gullah+cuisine

Okay. Maybe I didn't write it down on my LTH list because I'd already found it elsewhere. But two discoveries isn't bad.

“The whole army is burning with an insatiable desire to wreak violence upon South Carolina. I almost tremble for her fate.”
William Tecumseh Sherman

So with an insatiable appetite I too descended upon the Vipers Nest of the Confederacy, fortuitously timing my visit during the Martin Luther King holiday weekend and the concurrent buildup to the Republican primary. Abraham Lincoln would chuckle at the irony that South Carolina, of all places, has become the place where his party's candidates come to trumpet their bona fides to the most zealous fringe of their constituency.

A battle of this magnitude first requires a dose of liquid courage, so we did a minor pub crawl upon arrival late Friday afternoon. First stop was catching the sunset at the Pavillion Bar, on the rooftop of the Market Pavillion Hotel. Pretty cool place, but the view would've been better if it faced south to the historic downtown instead of north toward the public housing projects. A few young political operatives were hanging out, easily recognizable in their red ties, white shirts and blue suits. I asked the lone overworked bartender if they were good tippers, and he rolled his eyes and sighed.

Next stop a few doors south on East Bay Street was Squeeze Bar, an appropriately named long narrow joint. Fairly new, jumping with both feet into the craft cocktail pool complete with hipster bartenders and a pretty young singer/guitarist serenading the happy hour crowd with folk music. Really liked this place, darkly atmospheric and powerful cocktails. I had a couple of nice bourbon Manhattans and my wife opted for the Churchill, which sounded on the menu like an innocuous riff on a French 75, substituting bourbon for cognac. But instead of being served in a dainty ladylike flute out came an imperial pint glass loaded with a goodly portion of bourbon and topped off with champagne. Quite wicked but tasty:


Squeeze was one of those bars where you feel so comfortable you just hate to leave, but common sense prevailed and we stumbled across the street to SNOB. We didn't have a reservation, it was Restaurant Week in Charleston and everything was booked up. But they were kind enough to seat us at the chef's table overlooking the kitchen which was fun. Sat next to a retiree from Chicago, a real Horatio Alger who grew up in Roseland the son of a steelworker stopping in Charleston on his migration from a home in Naples to his permanent abode in Richmond. They were fun, but after a while it became tiresome hearing him and his bejeweled trophy wife rant against the government and how they're taxing him to oblivion - this after he let slip about the wonderful education he got at the U of I on the GI Bill, and what great healthcare he was getting through his veteran benefits, and how he made his money in construction working on federal contracts. Dinner at SNOB was good but not as excellent as I remember it from a previous trip, the shrimp and grits were good but so incredibly rich I couldn't even finish half my serving. I think they cranked up the dial a few more notches to the point of overkill, they were much more subtle previously.

A recalibration of the palate was required, and lunch next day at Husk did the trick. Husk is fairly new, but has been garnering up quite a bit of national acclaim for its take on the new southern cuisine. Its one of these places where the provenance of every item on the menu is meticulously spelled out, and the professional wait staff is very well versed on all the nuances of the daily recreated menu. I was somewhat apprehensive about the hype, but fears were dispelled when the appetizers came out: fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese, and a real killer - chicken fried chicken skins with a honey/hot pepper dipping sauce, slap yo mama good man!


The War of Northern Aggression continued with my wife's attack on the famous Husk Burger, ground beef, lamb and bacon smothered in pimento cheese, while I did a flanking maneuver with the catfish - which the waitress explained came from a sole source in the environs of of Asheville, who catches them from a cold mountain stream. She didn't specify if he used handfishing to snare them, but regardless it was incredibly clean and sweet tasting, with a perfect accompaniment of beans and greens delicious:



We walked off the lunch with a hike over to Aquarium to catch the ferry over to Fort Sumter. The boat trip is a rather dull half hour, the terrain of the aptly named low country being featureless except for a few church steeples hovering over the historic district. The canned narrative on the boat was reiterated by the park ranger at the fort, emphasizing the cleverness of the cadets from the Citadel who manned the cannon that bombarded the undermanned federal troops at Fort Sumter and forced the concession. I was overcome with Schadenfreude when the tables were turned three years later and the Union artillery reduced half of Charleston to rubble.

Flush with victory, we headed for a celebratory dinner that night at Anson Restaurant. I was a little uncertain about this choice, the restaurant has been around for 25 years and I thought it might be a little fusty. But it's owned by the same family that owns the Old Pink House in Savannah, and we had a fine meal there a few years ago so that tipped the scale. And glad I was that we came here, what a marvelous dinner! Beautiful restaurant, very tastefully decorated. The restaurant is off the tourist path, tucked away on a dark side street behind the old market. The waitress confirmed what my eyes suspected, the room was filled with well-dressed multi-generational Charlestonians with nary a besneakered tourist to be found. This place reminds me of Jack Fry's in Louisville or Galatoire's in New Orleans, a see and be seen place for the old aristocracy.

The menu is one southern classic after another, and it's hard to narrow it down to a manageable meal for two people. But we started with the fried macaroni and cheese - sounds disgusting but the waitress faved about it, and it turned out to be surprisingly light and digestable. A hint of nutmeg and a dab of mornay sauce for dipping, a fine starter:


Next course for my wife was shrimp with Anson's famous bespoke grits, fantastic, and I had the she-crab soup. Now THIS is what she-crab soup is about, not the gloppy starchy mess I've had before. Tasting of salty crab roe and sweet crab meat, offset with cream and sherry perfectly balanced - now I see what the fuss is about:



Main courses were pork cutlets with more grits for my wife, and the fried oyster and shrimp platter for myself. Pictures don't do this meal justice, but it's a deliberate choice by the owners. There's no celebrity chef in the kitchen, the food and the ingredients are the star. These are just classic dishes immaculately prepared, with no razzle dazzle visual presentation or cooking techniques. Just perfect ingredients simply and expertly prepared. These were some of the freshest and sweetest shrimp you could ever eat, in a delicate and perfectly fried batter. Magnificent, even the french fries were perfect:



Dessert was a simple brown sugar maple pecan cake with a side of sweet potato ice cream. Odd but wonderful:


So softened by some fantastic meals, this Yankee forgives all past seditious acts and present zealoutry. I hand over my saber to Charleston!

I had the misfortune of living in Charleston a while ago. A great place to visit, great for food, a very lousy place to live (many stories). I suppose the best way to explain it was than when our first was born the first words from my wife were "can we move now?". I knew a nice lady who owned a sushi bar that refused to get any local fish due to the quality - she had everything flown in. One of my favorite memories was shrimp from one of the more polluted areas bursting into flames when coming out of the water (sodium?). Due to several oyster scares, I bought mine from the back of a truck that came up from Texas on a weekly basis. One final story - the people that bought our house moved from Wisconsin. We moved to Wisconsin. When I drove back with a van to get some of the more valuable items she was making up plans for the yard (which was an amazing yard I do admit) and saw the Wisconsin plates, broke into tears and begged us to take her back to Wisconsin.

However, I would suggest browsing this book - http://www.amazon.com/Hoppin-Johns-Charleston-Beaufort-Savannah/dp/0517703874

The author, John Martin Taylor, used to run the best cookbook store I have ever been in. Quite an interesting character who showed up at a few of our parties.
One of my regrets is that his PBS series never came about.

For those that visit, downtown Summerville (not that far away) has seen a real growth of upscale eateries.
For classic and GREAT SC BBQ, try Dukes in Summerville. Also knock on a door or two in Tea Farm plantation to bring home some now wild tea plants.

Also do a walking tour of downtown Charleston that allows you into some of the homes.
There are a couple of Chocolate shops that were outstanding just off of the main drag. Before my wife moved down to be with me I went in on weeknights and weekends to learn more of the art.

exvaxman wrote:IOne of my favorite memories was shrimp from one of the more polluted areas bursting into flames when coming out of the water (sodium?).

This is confusing. Sodium reacts (violently) to the presence of water, not the absence. Introducing sodium to water will result in a dramatic, fiery, reaction. So *removing* supposed sodium-infused shrimp from water would not cause spontaneous combustion.

I thought it was sodium - I may be wrong. When exposed to air and the water was not protecting it the shrimp burst into flames.
Really awesome on the TV news report.

I will also do one last nasty story. I hired a guy from our NY office for our project in Charleston. He lasted almost a day. His wife took their three kids to the local library to get registered and take out books to keep them occupied while she unpacked. The lady behind the counter pulled out a milk crate and presented it as the children's section. She informed my hire that she was leaving that minute and it was his choice if he wanted to stay or not. I give credence to this because I had more books in my house (local news story on it) than the local library. The house next to me had the most AWESOME library. I went in went in when it was up for sale (I thought it would make a good retirement place for my parents) and saw a destroyed room because they left the windows open since Hugo. I made a fortune buying everything due to the 1st editions that were then auctioned off without consideration to condition. The then owner went (I kid you not!) "yep, the builders of the place were from NY. Dey was inta readin' and stuff like that". My wife bodyblocked me and tossed me out of the place before I could say a word. One of my other employees was telling me that his 2nd year course in EE at a community college he was teaching was considered a 4th year senior class at the Citidal.

Sorry - great place to visit, awesome place to grow plants (I miss my yard), but just awful to live.

exvaxman wrote:Sorry - great place to visit, awesome place to grow plants (I miss my yard), but just awful to live.

The South is a strange place. You go to a city like Charleston, by all appearances it seems as cosmopolitan as any other major city in the country - it has the food, the cool hotels, the art galleries, the craft cocktails with the hipster bartenders. But scratch just slightly below the surface and you find the hardset attitudes that have been here for generations.

Our taxi driver on the way to the airport was from Antioch, and when he sussed out we were from Chicago he started opening up about his 10yrs of living there. Most telling was the 2008 presidential election. At 6:00am as the polls opened, he got a call from one of the better nursing homes in town to come pick up 4 dowagers and take them to the polling place. The whole ride was a constant stream of, "Get me to the polls, I haven't voted in 18 years but we can't let the Ns take over the country! blah blah blah..." coming from the mouths of 90 year old grannies. And then the Republicans pander to this mindset just to whore some more votes.

The whole "War of Northern Aggression" thing gets me too. Although SC isn't as bad as Virginia. where every little town square has an equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee. It would be like going to Bavaria and seeing a statue of Hitler in every town.

The South - an odd place to visit, but the food is damn good!

exvaxman wrote:Our taxi driver on the way to the airport was from Antioch, and when he sussed out we were from Chicago he started opening up about his 10yrs of living there. Most telling was the 2008 presidential election. At 6:00am as the polls opened, he got a call from one of the better nursing homes in town to come pick up 4 dowagers and take them to the polling place. The whole ride was a constant stream of, "Get me to the polls, I haven't voted in 18 years but we can't let the Ns take over the country! blah blah blah..." coming from the mouths of 90 year old grannies. And then the Republicans pander to this mindset just to whore some more votes.!

Honestly, the last two times that I have heard the "N" word used (outside of the movies, comedy clubs, and political speech), was from a Milwaukee businessman that I worked for in Virginia and at a barbershop in St. Louis. I could do nothing about the former (although I left that hospital a month later as I did not fire the woman who was the object of the slur) and walked out on the second.

Midwesterners LOVE to say that we are more enlightened than the neanderthals "down south" but scratch the surface just a bit and you'll see very little evidence of it.

Fast Eddie wrote:
The whole "War of Northern Aggression" thing gets me too. Although SC isn't as bad as Virginia. where every little town square has an equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee. It would be like going to Bavaria and seeing a statue of Hitler in every town.

If you insist on going the Godwin route your (strained) analogy would be better served to substitute Jefferson Davis for Lee.

Ok, can we please get back to discussing the food in and around Charleston? I'm especially curious because I'll be heading down there at the end of March.

Thanks,

=R=
personally and for the moderators

For one of the experts in food from the area, read John Martin Taylor's blog:
http://hoppinjohns.net/default.aspx
He has lots of recipes that you can keep an eye open for or ask where you find the best.

I'm joking about this but Sticky Fingers started in Mt. Pleasant SC, and has expanded a lot. You can get their sauce locally to try it out.

Make sure that you try the she crab soup somewhere.....
Dukes in Summerville for SC BBQ. Mustard based sauce that is regional.

Some things to look for the end of march:

You should do the homes tour:
http://www.historiccharleston.org/news_ ... tival.html

As well the the house and Garden tour is the 23rd and 24th
http://www.thegardenclubofcharleston.org/tours.html

Folly Beach is having their shindig the 24th and 25th:
http://www.wix.com/undertheoaks/seasand

Summerville is having their arts festival as well on the 30th to the 1st:
http://flowertownfestival.org/

The only oyster roast I could find scheduled is in Beaufort - a little bit of a drive on the 24th.
http://beauforttwilightrun.com/

The cajun festival is on John's island on the 1st:
http://ccprc.com/index.aspx?NID=137

Probably a little late for you but the Grits festival was always fun: (mid-april)
http://www.worldgritsfestival.com/

and if you are downtown, the tinderbox always had some great smells if you like cigars:
http://www.tinderboxcharleston.com/

Trying to help combat the thread drift, I will toss in that a good friend just returned from Charleston after trying a half dozen restaurants there, some of which are mentioned above. Husk was far and away her favorite.

Just back from a week in the Charleston area, where we ate extremely well. There were so many choices it was nearly overwhelming. Of course, not everything we ate was wonderful but what follows are the highlights; places and dishes I'd recommend . . .

Virginia's On King - 412 King St, Charleston, SC

Sunday Brunch. It may be important to note that because of its proximity to a church, VoK does not serve alcohol of any kind on Sundays. So, if having a libation with your Sunday brunch is important, you may want to go somewhere else. If that doesn't matter to you, the food is excellent . . .



Fried Green Tomatoes | buttermilk batter, arugula, sweet pepper relish
Not quite as browned as I like typically like them but still very crispy and tasty.



Fried Chicken Livers | caramelized onions, bacon, arugula, pepper relish
A great preparation. I was thrilled to see these on the menu.



She Crab Soup | garnished with sherry
Thanks to this rendition, I finally understand the beauty of this soup. The amount of crab in this soup was insane and the bold note of sherry was a perfect accent.



Country Ham & Eggs | pan-fried cured ham, 2 eggs, red eye gravy, biscuit
It was great to have this red eye gravy because it was another one of those things I've had before but not in a way that I could really appreciate. Now, I do.



Buttermilk Biscuit
Hard to argue with that.



Shrimp & Grits | local shrimp, smoked sausage, bell peppers, stone-ground grits, tasso ham gravy
A soupier version than I'm used to having but immensely delicious and satisfying on every level. The house-made smoked sausage was fantastic and the local shrimp were cooked perfectly, which was a very happy recurring theme during our trip. They were plump, snappy and tender.



Biscuits & Gravy | buttermilk biscuits, sausage gravy
Oh yeah!



Sausage | house-made (with extra egg)
Had I known how generously the delicious, peppery house-made sausage would be applied in the in biscuits and gravy, I wouldn't have order this extra side. Still, it was great to try it on its own.


Charleston Beer Exchange - 14 Exchange St, Charleston, SC

We happened upon this awesome shop while walking around the harbor area after brunch at Virginia's on King. The selection was excellent and we purchased a few local brews -- Palmetto and Coast -- to drink throughout the week.


Husk - 76 Queen St, Charleston, SC

Lunch. One of Beard-award winner Sean Brock's joints. 3 weeks out, dinner reservations were already booked, so we went for lunch, which was sensational . . .



Barrel-Aged Manhattan | Old Overholt rye, Carpano Antica Formula, Fernet Branca and clove; barrel-aged for 30 days
The bar program at Husk is outstanding. Being on vacation, it was great to throw back a few craft cocktails at lunch.



Swizzle | Cruzan rum, falernum, lime juice, bitters



House-Baked Rolls | benne



Crispy Pork Rillettes | Husk honey mustard, house-made pickles
Fantastic flavor and texture. I loved the porky intensity of the the rillettes and the light crispiness of the outer coating. And the pickles were sensational, especially the jalapenos, which were a perfect accompaniment for the rich rillettes.



Crispy Pork Rillettes | Husk honey mustard, house-made pickles
A closer look.



Cornmeal Fried Pickle Spears | spicy buttermilk dressing
More great regionally-inspired bites.



Copperhead | Wild Turkey rye, lemon juice, absente, wormwood bitters, muddled sugar cube



Debutante Punch | Rittenhouse rye, Smith & Cross rum, fresh strawberry, Luxardo maraschino, green tea, soda



Cornbread & Sausage Stuffed Quail | Anson Mills farro, glazed beets, brown butter, red eye gravy
Only had a bite of this but I loved the stuffing.



Corn Meal Dusted North Carolina Catfish | smoky butterbeans, field peas, fried cabbage
A wonderfully conceived and executed dish.



Fried Chicken BLT | spicy mayo, Wes' tomato, Benton's bacon, fried potato wedges
Utterly fantastic. Ultra crispy and juicy.



Cornbread | Benton's bacon
This one didn't really sing for us. We all thought it was a bit bland. None of us could taste the bacon and it seemed undersalted.



Belgian Red | Kind Ale, Greenville, SC
When in South Carolina . . .



Husk Cheeseburger | fried potato wedges
We were done. Sort of. We'd seen several of these burgers go out to other tables and decided that even though we'd each already had a main course, we wanted to split a burger. It was well worth it.



Husk Cheeseburger | fried potato wedges
A damned fine burger and some very nice potato wedeges, too.



Charleston Buttermilk Pie | Geetchie corn meal crust, Ambrose strawberries
I'd never had buttermilk pie before (or even heard of it) but it was great. Sweet but lovely. And it was great to have strawberries that really tasted like strawberries.



TN Chocolate Chess Pie | "Mint Chocolate" ice cream, smoked O&S cocoa nibs
It was hard to stop eating this one.


Jack's Cosmic Dogs - 1531 Folly Rd, Charleston (James Island), SC (and other locations)

Lunch (1 of 2). Our friends recommended this place to us and we really enjoyed it. Turns out, it's very much on the radar, too. Alton Brown has waxed poetic about it on television (there are signs with quotes by him hung on the walls). For stalwarts of Chicago-style dogs, this place could be a let-down. The soft, skinless dogs themselves cannot hold a candle to our local favorites but the synergy of the dogs + toppings + buns ='d a really enjoyable eating experience . . .



Jack's Cosmic Dogs



Space-Age Interior



Menu Board



Menu Board



Menu Board



Lunch!



Planet Dog | Jamaican relish, yellow mustard



French Fries | peanut oil



Rocket Corn Dog



Astro Dog | Jack's zippy onion relish, spicy mustard



Morph Slaw Dog | cole slaw, spicy mustard



Orbit City Dog | chili, cheese, onion, spicy mustard


Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers - 309 King St, Charleston, SC (and other locations)

Dinner. Our local friends had their first date many years ago at a Georgia outpost of this small, regional chain and they now go there with their kids. We met them there for a dinner before a Citadel vs. USC baseball game. I thought it was pretty good pizza -- nice, chewy crust but maybe a little sweet. They had 25+ beers on tap, many of which were interesting, harder-to-find brews . . .



Bruschetta
Again, it's nice to have good tomatoes in March.



Salad | salad mix, lettuce, roma tomatoes, roasted red peppers
Even this salad was good. In-season tomatoes and warm, roasted red peppers -- roasted to order -- made it special.



Pizza | sausage, pepperoni and onion (all), half pepperoncini
Very nice stuff.


Fiery Ron's Home Team BBQ - 1205 Ashley River Rd, Charleston, SC

Lunch. We'd had some disappointing BBQ earlier in the trip at another local stalwart but this lunch was the antidote for that meal. BBQ at lunchtime was excellent, with the stand-outs being the spare ribs, the pulled pork and the chicken, which was some of the best smoked chicken I've ever eaten. Sides were excellent, too. We really loved the beans, the greens, the slaw and the cheesy grits . . .



Pulled Pork | red rice, macaroni & cheese
Juicy, barky and nicely smoky.



Brisket | greens, cheesy grits
This was the only meat I didn't really care for. It was very tasty and very tender but it didn't taste like bbq to me; more like a very good braise. Of course, I didn't expect to find outstanding brisket at a SC bbq shop but I still wanted to try it.



Combo Plate - Spare Ribs | baked beans, cole slaw
These ribs were sensational...best I've had in a long time. The meat was unctuous, pulled apart unevenly and came away from the bones only with a bit of effort.



Combo Plate - Smoked Chicken | baked beans, cole slaw
Sensational smoked chicken. One of the best renditions I can ever remember having.


The Wreck of the Richard & Charlene - 106 Haddrell St, Mount Pleasant, SC

Dinner. If you like fried fish and seafood, it'll be hard to find it better than here, where they specialize in it. We had a very nice meal here. Even though it's not my favorite style, I'm glad we checked it out because it was an eye-opening experience to have fried stuff so uniformly high in quality and well-prepared. And for the record, I'm not a fan of boiled peanuts . . .



Boiled Peanuts



Boiled Peanuts



Local Brew



Soft Shell Crabs



Shrimp & Scallops Combination | red rice, slaw, sivea beans, pup, fried hominy square
Even in these applications, the recurring theme of perfectly cooked seafood continued. It's local and the locals know how to handle it. It was a real treat.



Grouper (broiled) | red rice, slaw, sivea beans, pup, fried hominy square
Ok, not everything here is fried.



Seafood Platter | fried shrimp, scallops, oysters, fish of the day (grouper), red rice, slaw, sivea beans, pup, fried hominy square
A proud platter...or "special" as it's described on the menu.



Banana Pudding
Ok stuff.



Key Lime Pie
A bite bathed in sunlight



Harbor - Just a beautiful vantage point behind the restaurant.


Lost Dog Cafe - 106 W Huron Ave, Folly Beach, SC

Breakfast. I wasn't sure what to expect from this cafe in the town where we were staying. On first glace it reminded me, not encouragingly, of Heartland Cafe. But a lot of locals recommended it, though, so we decided to give it a chance and I'm very glad we did. The food was delicious and oh-so-comforting. Everything was cooked perfectly. The vibe was very laid back and the service was friendly . . .



Bloody Mary | with Kenny's Special Recipe



Folly Benedict | english muffin, shrimp cake, crab cake, asparagus, oven-roasted onions, poached eggs, hollandaise (special)



Best International Eggs Benedict | Canadian bacon, fried green tomatoes, poached eggs, hollandaise



Folly's Original Breakfast Burrito | eggs, shrimp, cheese, peppers, onions, black beans, salsa, sour cream, smothered in green pork chile, cheese and tomatoes
As with every single shrimp I ate during this trip, the ones inside this burrito were cooked perfectly -- plump, snappy and tender. In fact, I normally wouldn't have even ordered something like this but after a week of eating perfectly-cooked shrimp all over the Charleston area, at every level of eatery, ordering this didn't seem risky in the least. I'm glad I did because it was phenomenal. And the green pork chile was effing awesome, too.


Jack's Cosmic Dogs

Another lunch. This was our last meal, on the way back to the airport and we let the boy decide where. Of course, he went for the dog joint. This time around I ordered a modification of a dog I'd had the first time and also tried a Rover, which includes Taylor Ham Roll and which I don't think I'd ever had before. It was a tasty component in a delicious concoction . . .



French Fries | peanut oil



Krypto Kraut Dog (modified) | sauerkraut, spicy mustard...added chili and cheese



Galatic Dog | chili, cheese, slaw, spicy mustard



Orbit City Dog | chili, cheese, spicy mustard, onion



Rover Pork Roll | Taylor ham roll, egg, cheese

There were so many more spots we wanted to try but we just never got around to them . . . next time!

=R=

Virginia's On King
412 King St
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 735-5800

Charleston Beer Exchange
14 Exchange St
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 577-5446

Husk
76 Queen St
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 577-2500

Jack's Cosmic Dogs (multiple locations)
1531 Folly Rd
Charleston, SC 29412
(843) 225-1817

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers
309 King St
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 723-7374

Fiery Ron's Home Team BBQ
1205 Ashley River Rd
Charleston, SC 29407
(843) 225-7427

The Wreck of the Richard & Charlene
106 Haddrell St
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
(843) 884-0052

Lost Dog Cafe
106 W Huron Ave
Folly Beach, SC 29439
(843) 588-9669

ronnie_suburban wrote:
Crispy Pork Rillettes | Husk honey mustard, house-made pickles
A closer look.

I need to eat several of these ASAP.

I mentioned exploding shrimp a few times in the thread.
Charleston is a wonderful place to visit for a short time, my wife is far more vocal on how awful it is to live there than I am.
In any case - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FIRE_ROCKS?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Very nice write-up of Charleston, Ronnie. While the south is beginning to gain some recognition as a food "destination," Charleston still manages to be very underrated on the national food scene.

I was able to visit Husk on my most recent trip to the area and while I thought it was well above average, it didn't quite live up to the hype.

exvaxman wrote:I mentioned exploding shrimp a few times in the thread.
Charleston is a wonderful place to visit for a short time, my wife is far more vocal on how awful it is to live there than I am.
In any case - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FIRE_ROCKS?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

What the heck does that link have to do with Charleston?

What the heck does that link have to do with Charleston?

It had to do with the very polluted shrimp pulled from the local rivers. In one area the shrimp actually exploded when taken out of the water. This was mentioned earlier in the thread. As I mentioned, I knew a woman who owned a sushi place in downtown Charleston - she refused to use anything caught locally.

exvaxman wrote:

What the heck does that link have to do with Charleston?

It had to do with the very polluted shrimp pulled from the local rivers. In one area the shrimp actually exploded when taken out of the water. This was mentioned earlier in the thread. As I mentioned, I knew a woman who owned a sushi place in downtown Charleston - she refused to use anything caught locally.

Still not following - she refused to use shrimp caught locally - in Orange County, California (location of incident in your referenced article) - in her Charleston restaurant? What?

Kman wrote:

exvaxman wrote:

What the heck does that link have to do with Charleston?

It had to do with the very polluted shrimp pulled from the local rivers. In one area the shrimp actually exploded when taken out of the water. This was mentioned earlier in the thread. As I mentioned, I knew a woman who owned a sushi place in downtown Charleston - she refused to use anything caught locally.

Still not following - she refused to use shrimp caught locally - in Orange County, California (location of incident in your referenced article) - in her Charleston restaurant? What?

I ate a lot of shrimp in and around Charleston. None of them exploded -- though, they did pop pleasantly to the bite -- and I'm still here.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I ate a lot of shrimp in and around Charleston. None of them exploded -- though, they did pop pleasantly to the bite -- and I'm still here.

=R=

And, a little further south, as a kid we caught our own shirmp in Low Country marshes and none of them every exploded in a bad way either.
Fresh caught shrimp and crabs cooked within a couple of hours - those were the days.

We just spent a week on Edisto Island, in South Carolina, for Christmas, and did some very fine eating. Thanks to all for suggestions -- although the one place I was determined to try, The Wreck, was closed the day we tried to go there Another day we ended up at Hominy Grill, and although I hadn't noted it from LTH, I was not surprised to find it here afterward. We had been planning to go to Jestine's, based on recommendations here, but parking was bad, and my son found Hominy Grill listed somewhere, and it sounded good, and as if it would have parking... thus did we stumble into one of the best places we ate at all week.

We ate barbecue in two places, one in Edisto Beach where we were staying. Po-Pig's is very highly rated amongst South Carolinians, apparently. It shares a building with a gas station, is only open Thurs-Sun in the winter, and serves buffet style. Considering that it was buffet, we probably should have arrived earlier in the day; some things seemed to have been sitting a bit. There was pulled pork, and fried chicken, and about two dozen sides. There were numerous things I had never seen before and have forgotten the names of -- a big variety of choices. Sauces were on the table, about four choices-- very good but more mustardy and vinegary than I would prefer; I guess I personally like the tomato-based variety better. But the benefit of a buffet was that we could try many sides -- butter beans, turnips, pork and beans, etc. My son is still talking about the squash casserole, which somehow I neglected to try. We did note that the Southern idea of "vegetables" seems to include macaroni and cheese; collards were about the only thing that was green, and we did begin to feel salad-deprived eventually.

The other barbecue was in Savannah, in an alley. (Just the part of the first floor on the left, a real tiny place, with a long line when we arrived.)

Angel's in Savannah was my favorite. There were only three tables, it was mostly take-out, though we did manage to snag a table. We had called to check the hours -- and were told that they were open until they ran out of barbecue. We got there just before 1pm, and they were out of brisket, so we all had pulled pork. Excellently moist and succulent. Three kinds of sauce on the table -- I thought I had taken a photo, but I didn't. One was very vinegary; one was mustardy but also fruity, complex and very hot; and the third was called Memphis Sweet, and was quite tart, but thinner and more vinegary than any barbecue sauce I ever had in Memphis. All three were very fine, and the four of us disagreed which was best. They also served collards with a liquid that included peanuts or peanut butter -- I only got one taste, because I didn't order it, and the person who did wolfed it down -- quite delicious. Definitely stop by if you are in Savannah, but don't go too late, as they sell out early!

Toward the other end of the elegance scale, we ate twice at Hominy Grill in Charleston, and I will just say, wow. My husband says his meatloaf was the best he has ever eaten; I could eat the shrimp and grits any time (grits with bacon, mushrooms and scallions, exquisite, with perfectly cooked shrimp on top); both boys had something called "Big Nasty Biscuit with Fried Chicken Breast, Cheddar and Sausage Gravy" and it was totally over the top, as it sounds. I had the low-country purloo the first time we were there, and it was quite tasty, with shrimp and ham and chicken and highly flavored rice; I also had she-crab soup, which was good, but not a personal favorite, maybe more my taste than the soup itself -- a bit too thick for me. This place has quite a reputation, and very well deserved, based on our two meals. Highly recommended. Disappointed that they ran out of buttermilk pie before we got to order it.

We had about half our meals at the cottage we were staying at, and ate lots of good home cooked food, using our location as an excuse to cook and eat biscuits and gravy, lots of cornbread, etc.

For our grand finale meal, we ordered take-out from Flowers Seafood in Edisto Beach:

This was called the "medium bucket" to serve 3 - 4. Dinner was fairly hilarious because we are all such landlocked Midwesterners, we really have very little experience eating crab in the shell. I was impressed with the fortitude of my sons, who were very game for figuring out where the crab meat was hiding. There were also shrimp in the mix, which did not seem to disturb the older son, who dislikes shrimp. And sausage, which was delicious, but maybe not as delicious as the corn on the cob which had been cooked in with the whole mix and was scrumptious. That is fried oysters visible on the lower right; I discovered last year in New Orleans that I love fresh fried oysters, and that I had probably never had fresh ones before; fried oysters near the sea are totally unlike any that I have previous eaten, and I couldn't get enough of them. Flowers sells fresh seafood, and cooks to order from a kitchen in a truck for carry-out. I personally would have stopped for another order of fried oysters on our way to the airport, but my family was appalled (although if it had been barbecue, I think they would have agreed.)

Po Pig's Bo-BQ
2410 State Highway 174
Edisto Island, SC 29438
(843) 869-9003

Angel's BBQ
21 West Oglethorpe Lane
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 495-0902

Hominy Grill
207 Rutledge Avenue
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 937-0930

Flowers Seafood Company
1914 Highway 174
Edisto Island, SC 29438
(843) 869-0033

My favorite meal on my most recent trip to Charleston was lunch at Two Boroughs Larder on Coming Street . . .


Two Boroughs Larder - 186 Coming St Charleston, SC



The Roster
TBL works with an impressive array of suppliers, many of whom are local.



Mexican Coke
Not exactly local but a definite upgrade from the version that is. My son ordered this. There were a few tap beers, some of which were local, but I opted for a New Belgium Lips of Faith (not pictured) because it's a beer I find particularly food-friendly.



Bagna Cauda | cauliflower, fava beans, breakfast radish, meyer lemon
I certainly wasn't expecting such a stylized take on this standard. But the flavors and textures were great, with a nice degree of funkiness.



Breakfast Sandwich | artisanal pork scrapple, farm egg, aged cheddar, hard roll
I wish the egg had been a little runnier but this was a tremendous sandwich. The scrapple was really offal-ly, the hard roll was buttery and crisp and the egg had great flavor. There were a couple other versions of this sandwich on the menu (one meatless, one with Nueske's bacon) and I'm guessing they were just as delicious as this one was.



Breakfast Sandwich | artisanal pork scrapple, farm egg, aged cheddar, hard roll
A closer look.



Roasted Brussels Sprouts | salumi vinaigrette
One of my favorite vegetables cooked in a fanastic manner. They were just delicious and the vinaigrette tasted like it has been made from Spanish-style chorizo, with a noticeable and delectable pimenton note.



Clammer Dave's Clams | pozole verde, green chili, avocado, cotija
Spectacular in every regard. The clams were tender and sweet. The pozole packed a real punch, not just flavor-wise but also heat-wise. I'm pretty sure the chili element was serranos, that had been sliced into thin rings. Long after the clams were gone, I ate the remaining pozole as one of the best bowls of soup I've had in a long time. The avocado was firm, but not overly so, and that added a great element to the dish. The cotija added a sharp punch of funk that accented the dish perfectly.



Fried Cauliflower | mustard, rice, herbs, togarashi
Had I known there'd be so much cauliflower in the bagna cauda, I might not have ordered this but it was great in its own right. And since we'd eaten way too few vegetables to this point on our trip, it was great to have one of my favorites served up again. Texture here was perfectly balanced between tender and firm without a hint of mushiness. The flavors, especially the togarashi note, were addctive.



Bowl-O-Noodle | pork confit, soft egg, pork broth, house noodles (pickled mushrooms add-on)
Not quite ramen but a delicious bowl in its own right with a nutty, lip-smacking broth that delivered subtle notes of sesame. The house noodles were perfectly al dente, which really elevated the dish because their flavor developed throughout the chew. But everything about this bowl was righteous, including the crispy, unctuous pork confit, the perfectly cooked sous vide egg and the bright, pickled mushrooms (an add-on for .50), which provided beautiful highights of acidity when mixed throughout the bowl. Magnificent.



Pork Belly | smoked hazelnut, morita, green strawberry, chorizo
Perfectly cooked belly -- crispy on the inside and sticky-tender on the inside. I loved the heat and smoke from the morita element, as well as the suprising (to me, anyway) accent provided by the thin slices of green strawberry. They were great in combination with the other components. We were told that the chorizo was house-made and it was terrific.

This was as a great lunch and I was tempted to go back the next day for another round. Unfortunately, other obligations on our all-too-short trip prevented me from doing so. But next time I'm in Charleston, there's no way I'm not going back to Two Boroughs Larder at least a couple of times.

=R=

Two Boroughs Larder
186 Coming St
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 637-3722

outstanding ronnie, love charleston. this makes me want to go back
was there last month.
went to fig. on merybeths suggestion .

it was great

philw wrote:outstanding ronnie, love charleston. this makes me want to go back
was there last month.
went to fig. on merybeths suggestion .

it was great

I still haven't been to Fig . . . hopefully, next time.

=R=

really lovely photos, Ronnie. I'd like to get to to know that pork belly.

I'm back from a trip to Charleston last month, during which we ate extremely well. Chef Stuart Tracy's Butcher & Bee is certainly no secret. It's garnered all sorts of national recognition and locally, it seems to be adored equally by diners and industry folks alike. Even our server at dinner the night before, a Charleston native, recommended it highly. The praise is well-earned and well-deserved.

Just about everything is made in-house, including meats (yes, even the cured and smoked ones), breads and condiments. Ingredients are spectacular across the board. Combinations are inspired and delicious. Service is ultra-friendly and knowlegeable. The vibe of the indoor-outdoor space is super casual. We had a lunch there that really showcased just how special the place is. This was unquestionably our favorite 'cheap eats' meal of the trip.


Butcher & Bee - 654 King St, Charleston



Menu - the offerings on this particular day.



Kale Slaw | soy, benne, peanuts
I loved the combination of flavors here and the texture of the kale, which was chewy but not ridiculously so. I also appreciated that it wasn't a sweet flavor profile.



Hummus & Pita | tahini, olive oil, Israeli salad
A great take on this ubiquitous dip. The fresh and fluffy house-baked pita took it to another level.



Beef Tongue | refried beans, avocado, spicy carrots, cilantro
It was truly inspired matching up cured tongue and refried beans. The combination worked very well. Who knew?



Fried Chicken | roasted garlic mayo, tomato, arugula-dill verde
A fantastic take on this sandwich, mainly because everything from bun to bun was prepared meticulously. The chicken was flavorful. It was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Great pickles, great tomatoes . . . well, you get the picture.



Pastrami | spicy slaw, pickles, dijonnaise
We loved the aggressively-seasoned, peppery pastrami, especially in combination with the other ingredients.



Skirt Steak | pickled peppers, spring onions, feta, chimichurri
This was another inspired combination of really bold flavors. The beefy, juicy steak was complemented perfectly by the other components, especially the feta and onions.



Pork Meatball Banh Mi | cucumber, carrots, peanuts, jalapeno, soy, miso mayo
When they ran out of the meatballs, they subbed in the fried chicken, as is shown on the pic of the menu board above. I was glad we got the last order of meatballs, though. They were spiced perfectly for the banh mi application.

I'm really sorry we didn't save room for dessert! However, I know that Butcher & Bee will be at the very top of my list on my next trip to Charleston.

=R=

Butcher & Bee (website)
654 King St
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 619-0202