Charleston, South Carolina is known for its Lowcountry cuisine. This type of cooking has influences from the coast and from soul food. Classics like the she-crab soup and the shrimp and grits are some of the offerings I taste as I go from one restaurant to another. Which one is best? As you know that is so personal but so is a blog. My personal experiences!!
Lunch at 82 Queen in Charleston in early March was memorable because of those 2 dishes I mentioned above.
It opened in 1982 and it is considered one of Charleston’s oldest restaurants.
March is a great time of the year in Charleston. Cooler evenings and days are warm, perfect for enjoying an outdoor lunch.
Starting with the French 75. Love this cocktail. I wanted made with Courvoisier because it makes such a difference. Very refreshing.
I was recommended to have the Queen’s Salad which was a mixture of lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, sweet corn, field peas, apple wood bacon, hard boiled egg, with a cheddar, buttermilk herb dressing. Starting with a salad and a cocktail, it is perfect for me.
They have been serving the She Crab Soup probably since the restaurant opened so there is perfection in its taste. Here, in Delaware, I don’t see this soup in restaurants. You use the female crab for this tasty soup.
Best of the several ones tasted I decided to look for their recipe. I think I found it and here it goes.
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter divided
1/2 cup of flour
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups fish stock or water and fish base
1/4 lb. crab roe
1 lb. white crabmeat
1/4 sherry
1 tablespoon Tabasco or your preferred hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
Lightly saute celery, carrots and onion in 2 tablespoons of butter. In a separate pot, melt remaining 1 stick of butter; stir in the flour to make a roux. Whisk in milk and cream until smooth. Bring to a boil. Add sauteed veggies and remaining ingredients. Simmer 20 minutes. Serve and garnish with sherry.
This soup has the consistency of a bisque. The recipe came from Great American Publishers.
The other dish we had was one that has also been made in this restaurant forever. Their Barbeque Shrimp & Grits. Shrimp, stone ground grits, a bourbon-barbeque sauce, applewood baon, cheddar, and scallions.
On this particular trip the Fried Green Tomatoes were offered as starters but I can tell you that if you like to share this one is a nice big portion. I ate it all. It was my total favorite.
Pimento cheese, a must, stone ground-grits the best partner, and tomato bacon jam. The best.
So if you decide to take a trip to Charleston check these restaurants here on AboutMyBeaches. You can put Charleston on the search and see if some of them catch your interest.
AboutMyBeaches has a FB page.
Comments Off on 82 Queen, Charleston, South Carolina, Restaurant, Review, Lowcountry Cuisine, Historic Charleston, Good Food, Will Travel, Spring Travel
In going to Charleston, South Carolina, there are a few things that I want to taste all over the place…The She Crab Soup and Fried Green Tomatoes.
Have you been to the Peninsula Grill? This restaurant is elegant and their food is delicious. The first time in Charleston everywhere we went they kept saying we have to try the Coconut Cake at The Peninsula Grill. If you want to see that post with photos just put The Peninsula Grill on the search on the top right side of this blog. It is heavenly delicious. You can mail it but it will be expensive. It weighs like 15 pounds but it feeds a ton of guests.
Every visit I like to stop at this restaurant. Great service and atmosphere. The decor is very traditional. Their cooking has low country accents like greens, grits, and black eye peas.
The soup above is the She Crab Soup Jumbo Lump Crab with a Sherry drizzle and you do need that Sherry. It does something to this soup. An enhancement if that is what you want to call it. Yummy!! I find it interesting that as many blue crabs as we have, the she crab soup is never offered at restaurants.
This salad was my starter and it was light with macadamia nuts. The citrus added a light character to the salad.
The Red Snapper was the fish of the day. Loving seafood I decided to get and it did not disappoint. A little crab and asparagus finished the entree.
The Roasted Breast Duck got a review like “the best duck I have ever eaten”. I guess I do not need to expand on that. Confit leg, grilled cabbage, shiitake mushroom, wax bean and black garlic jus. Cooked per chef’s suggestion.
No dessert was necessary. But, the Coconut Cake was ever present in my mind as I saw several orders go to other tables. It was the beginning of my stay in Charleston and because it is a foodie town I needed to show some restraint.
Have a great day. Check AboutMyBeaches on Facebook.
Comments Off on Peninsula Grill, Restaurant, Review, Charleston, South Carolina, Southern Hospitality, The Ultimate Coconut Cake, Good Food, Will Travel
My previous post consisted of our stay at the Zero George Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. When staying in this beautiful spot, you get a light breakfast in the a.m. and Happy Hour from 5 to 6. You may take advantage of their verandas and enjoy your wine and appetizers.
This restaurant’s Chef is Vinson Petrillo. A very well known chef who is very passionate about food and brings that to his team. He is a two time winner of Food Network’s Chopped and Chopped Champion, among other accolades.
You would think that his food would be prepared in a state of the art kitchen. Oh, no. I was so surprised as we came to check into the hotel and right there they were prepping for the evening. A tiny kitchen, no less, and his busy bees working on beautiful foods adding those finishing touches that show off his gorgeous offerings. The kitchen is in the property’s 1804 kitchen carriage house. Edible art is all I could think of.
Our last evening was having dinner at Zero George. Impeccable service, wines, drinks, and a great ambiance. Have in mind that coming to this food experience is to taste more than to have a full blown meal. Lots of small plates, almost like tapas style, except more sophisticated.
The first delicate dishes came all at once. From left to right on the next photo you will see the Beausoleil Oysters. These oysters are from New Brunswick Oyster Appelations. The name means beautiful sun. They are farmed by the tray suspension method on Miramichi Bay.
The next dish was the Royal Red Prawn. These are deep water species of prawns caught off the eastern coast of Australia.
Foitnut….now this was interesting. Only 2 of those peanuts is the Foinut and they are the ones with the gold on top. Aren’t they unreal? You think they are peanuts but they are filled with passion fruit and a crunchy fennel base.
The Beef Tartare, I do not know how to actually describe it but you had to eat it immediately and an explosion in your mouth told you that this was going to be memorable.
The Potted Plant and heirloom radishes with puffed red Quinoa and house made butter made a great conversation piece but to tell you the truth it was not my favorite.
This next dish I did like a lot. AAA Holland Asparagus, soft fried egg, white anchovy and horseradish. You could have added Bianchetto Truffles or Caviar but we did not.
Our other dishes were equally as good, but I have to laugh because I do not have the descriptions. Colorado Lamb Saddle is one. Trust me you get so involved into the food that you forget to take photos.
Ending our dinner with 2 desserts. One was 70% Chocolate with Mint and Passion Fruit and the other one was Chef’s Petrillo’s version of the ever so popular Tres Leches with a honeycomb and coconut.
And who is a true “Foodie”? You cannot wrinkle your nose at eating sweetbreads, or scrapple. A true “Foodie” understands what goes into a recipe, try different restaurants, try new dishes and ingredients. You read food magazines….GUILTY!! You enjoy discovering new food fads but also have a presence of what traditional cooking is all about.
Zero George was definitely an experience. They have a cooking school as well and can accommodate private events.
TGIF!! On Instagram find Zero George Restaurant as zerorestaurant.
Comments Off on Zero Restaurant, Charleston, South Carolina, Foodie Restaurant,Tasting Menu, Review, The Art of Wining and Dining, Edible Art, Southern Hospitality
Traveling to Charleston in the Spring after a cold winter was soooo nice. The weather, the restaurants, and our accommodations all worked in unison. When that happens your vacation is great.
We chose the Zero George located on 0 George Street because of its reputation. Conde Nast names it as one of the top 5 Foodie Hotels in the world. Besides choosing it for our stay we also had the opportunity to enjoy a dinner in-house at their restaurant which was a foodie experience. More on that later.
There are 4 buildings in the property. Originally only 2 dating to 1804. The above photo shows where our suite was. This is one of those building with wide plank beautiful floors. It was like an apartment.
The property is beautifully maintained. Cozy and quaint you can find plenty of places to enjoy a drink during happy hour in the gardens or in their verandas.
Complimentary wine and cheese in the early evening.
You can walk from the Zero George to the center of town. But if you get tired or if you want to go to restaurants in the evening then calling the Bike Taxi or the Charleston Pedicab is the best way to go. The Zero George has valet parking available too. Plus, at night you practically get a tour of the city while these guys take you from one destination to another. At the time of our stay it was $12 for the ride. Charleston does not have a lot of Uber and I never saw a taxi. This is a very popular way to travel within town.
Charleston is so pretty. Walk, take a tour, enjoy their food and their music.
The fun part of staying in Historic Charleston is that you can walk everywhere. During my stay last week I noticed that Christmas decorations were very traditional and understated. So en route to Husk at 76 Queen St. I was.
I was anticipating a very nice dinner. This is one of the top restaurants in Historic Charleston. Tel. 843-577-2500. You can find it on Facebook. Website? http:/www.huskrestaurant.com.
Husk is operated and managed by the Neighborhood Dining Group. You can find this group managing and operating restaurants throughout the southeast. For more info., please visit http://www.neighborhooddininggroup.com.
Husk opens 7 days a week. Lunch is served Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Sunday Brunch is from 10:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Dinner is from Sunday to Thursday from 5:30 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. And, Friday and Saturday dinner is from 5:30 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.
Wednesday evening was crowded so my photos were limited to my dining experience.
The bread was sprinkled with sea salt. It was brought to the table promptly. The service from this point on was impeccable.
Through my stay in Charleston I always asked for the signature dish of the restaurant. I figured it is one that is tried and true and really liked by the public. So I started with Kentuckyaki Glazed Pig’s Ear Lettuce Wraps, Sweet Vinegar Marinated Cucumber, Red Onion and Bourbon Barrel Togarashi. Togarashi is the Japanese word for red chili peppers and a general name for a group of condiments that blend chili pepper with other ingredients. The pig’s ears were thinly sliced and were crisped. The cucumbers were all preserved by Husk as they usually do with all their summer veggies. This dish was awesome. And when upon posting the photo on Facebook my friend, Shelley, mentioned….Oh you could get those at Southern States….she seems to still have a good sense of humor.
Another Signature Dish at Husk is the Cornmeal Dusted Carolina Catfish. Field Peas and Butterbeans, Smoked Tomato Gravy, Mustard Greens. Once again the flavors on this entree were terrific. I also enjoyed this dish because I knew my late husband, John, would have ordered it, as well. This Catfish had a bit of a bite to it even though the flavor was mild and the dusting was light.
A side order of Wood Fired Geechie Boy Mill Grits, and Cheddar from TN. I ate grits everywhere I found them. These were delicious. Geehie Boy Mill Grits are from Edisto Island, South Carolina. You can order online. Please visit http://www.geechieboymill.com
My dessert was again decadent. Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Fudge Cake with homemade Peanut Butter Ice Cream and a dusting of peanut butter powder. I missed my partners in crime to help eat this cake, so what can I say, I ate it all myself. Olive & Sinclair chocolate is stone ground in Nashville Tennessee. More information, please visit http://www.oliveandsinclair.com.
So, 3 nights in Historic Charleston, 3 delicious dinners, 2 great breakfasts, and 1 very nice lunch…..TTYL Have Good One!!
Comments Off on Historic Charleston Eats! Husk, Charleston, South Carolina, Restaurant, Review, “A Destination to Savor”
Comments Off on 82 Queen, Charleston, South Carolina, Restaurant, Review, Lowcountry Cuisine, Historic Charleston, Good Food, Will Travel, Spring Travel