December 14th, 2015

Historic Charleston Eats!! Cypress, Restaurant, Review, Charleston, South Carolina

Eating my way through Charleston.  A friend that reads my posts told me she was not going to read them anymore.  She was gaining weight just looking at some of the food.  I arrived at Cypress which was across my hotel, The Vendue.  This is a historic building….but practically a lot of the buildings in downtown Charleston are historic.  The location? 167 East Bay Street.  Website? http://www.cypresscharleston.com.

You may call for reservations at 843-727-0111.  The Mezzanine Bar opens at 5:00 p.m. and the Dining Room opens at 5:30 p.m.  You may also make reservations online.  The above mentioned website is a wealth of information.  You can also read about the chefs, and check out what events are going to be happening in 2016.  They will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so please take a look in case you want to take advantage of a relaxing and delicious experience in dining.

Cypress is part of a group of restaurants…Magnolias, Blossom, and Artisan Meat Share.  If you are visiting Charleston take a look at them, as well.

Taylor was my server and I have to give a loud shout to her.  She knew the menu so well, having tasted most everything from the kitchen.  I followed her advice and I could not have been happier.

A little wine and warm bread to the table.  Not just a simple bread….the crust was well done and the inside was just perfect and so warm.

An appetizer of Sashimi Tuna & Oysters….what a great combination of flavors.  Oysters are in season.  It had a ginger-garlic glaze, and pineapple wasabi.  Not only did they tasted delicious, the presentation was awesome.

For my entree I was looking at the Crisp Wasabi Tuna.  Taylor told me that it was a signature dish, and one that is usually photographed in the magazines.  I had to have it because it sounded perfect.  The tuna had a crispy outside placed on carrots, turnips, radishes, edamame, shiitake mushrooms, and that fab ginger-garlic glaze once again.  I could not get enough of it.

What could my sweet ending be?  The Grand Marnier Souffle sounded decadent.  It was brought to the table and when the Marnier creme anglaise was poured from above, I was just so happy to have had my camera ready!!

If dining or having drinks on the Mezzanine you will have an advantage bird’s eye view of the kitchen.

Once again many thanks to Taylor for taking care of me.

Eating by myself was just fine.  “All four elements were happening in equal measure – the cuisine, the wine, the service, and the overall ambiance.  It taught me that dining could happen at a spiritual level.”  charlie trotter

December 13th, 2015

The Churches on My Travels, Historic Churches, The Church of The Cross, Bluffton, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Charleston, South Carolina, Sunday is a Day of Worship

“Rooted in The Past, Sheltering the Present, Reaching out to the Future, Empowered by the God of the Ages.”  Visiting  my good friend, Anita, in Bluffton, South Carolina….discovering a new city in the South; Anita took me to this beautiful church.  Unfortunately, we could not get inside.  It is an Anglican Church.  It also 161 years old.  Since 1975 The Church of The Cross has been in The National Register of Historic Places.

The location is beautiful, right on the May River.

If you would like to read more about the church, please visit http://www.thechurchofthecross.net/history.

Magical Sundays I call them….There is something about this day of the week.  Some go to church, others put their feet up and read a book.  And most probably do nothing at all.  They say that 1 in 5 Americans identify themselves as spiritual but not religious.  Spirituality is an emotion and soothes.  Visiting the churches on my travels bring me peace and it does not matter what denomination they are.  They have heard our prayers and our thanksgivings.

One church I fell in love with last February was St. Michael’s Catholic Church located at 71 Broad St. in Historic Charleston.  It is a National Historic Landmark.  Pewes are made of native cedar and remain the same as they have always been.  I visited this church once again last week.  The chancel rail is made of wrought iron.  It dates to 1772.  George Washington worshipped at Governor’s Pew #43.

St. Michael’s Church is one of the few city churches in America that has retained its original design.  Last March I wrote a post on this church.  If you would like to see it just click on the month of March 2015 on AboutMyBeaches and scroll down to the 8th.

If you get a chance to visit the beautiful churches of Charleston, please do so because they are amazing.

Have a Great Day!!