May 11th, 2021

82 Queen, Charleston, South Carolina, Restaurant, Review, Lowcountry Cuisine, Historic Charleston, Good Food, Will Travel, Spring Travel

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.

The restaurant is located at 82 Queen Street. http://www.82queen.com

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.

April 29th, 2021

Zero George, Boutique Hotel, Foodie Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina, 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.

For more info. please visit http://www.zerogeorge.com

Have a great day.