Moon Coastal Carolinas
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French
If you find yourself in lodging near the Broad Street area—or if you just love crepes—you will want to acquaint yourself with the Queen Street Grocery (133 Queen St., 843/723-4121, www.queenstreetgrocerycafe.com, Mon.-Sat. 8am-8:30pm, kitchen Mon.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Sun. 11am-3pm, $7-10). The kind of place frequented almost exclusively by locals, this corner store is where you can load up on light groceries, beer, wine, and cigarettes—as well as some of the tastiest made-to-order crepes this side of France.
WATERFRONT
New Southern
Few restaurants in Charleston inspire such impassioned vocal advocates as S McCrady’s (2 Unity Alley, 843/577-0025, www.mccradysrestaurant.com, Sun.-Thurs. 5:30pm-10pm, Fri.-Sat. 5:30pm-11pm, $28-40). Housed in one of Charleston’s oldest tavern buildings (circa 1788), McCrady’s is where you enjoy the prodigious talents of Chef Sean Brock, whose sous vide, or vacuum cooking, is spoken of in hushed tones by his clientele. McCrady’s is not the place to gorge on usual Lowcountry fare. Portions here are small and dynamic, based on a rotating seasonal menu. Many diners find the seven-course Chef’s Tasting ($90), in which you get whatever floats Chef Brock’s boat that night, a near-religious experience. For an extra $75, master sommelier Clint Sloan provides paired wine selections. Or you can just go with a three-course ($45) or four-course ($60) dinner where you pick your courses. You may read complaints in online reviews about the prices at McCrady’s. Let me set the record straight: (a) They’re not high at all when you break them down per multiple course, and (b) the perfect blending of flavors you will enjoy with each and every dish on the menu is worth every penny and then some.
McCrady’s
Fresh off an extensive interior and kitchen renovation, Magnolias (185 E. Bay St., 843/577-7771, www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com, dinner nightly 3:45pm-10pm, lunch Mon.-Sat. 11:30am-3:45pm, $22-32) began life as one of Charleston’s first serious eating spots. A warm, wood interior highlights the renovation, and the menu remains as attractive as ever, with a delightful take on Southern classics like the lump crab cakes, the shellfish over grits, and a rainbow trout. The appetizers are particularly strong—start with the famous fried green tomatoes, or maybe the boiled peanut hummus.
While not as flashy as some other local chefs, Craig Deihl has, over the past decade, brought Cypress (167 E. Bay St., 843/727-0111, www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com, Sun.-Thurs. 5:30pm-10pm, Fri.-Sat. 5:30pm-11pm, $20-40)—which shares ownership with Magnolia—to the forefront of the local foodie movement. From aged beef from a local farm to sustainably caught wreckfish, the menu reflects a deep commitment to locavore sensibilities. Any meat or seafood entrée is a can’t-lose proposition here.
NORTH OF BROAD
Breakfast and Brunch
You can sit inside the crowded, noisy diner, or outside literally in the parking lot of a strip mall; either way you’re doing the right thing at S Dixie Supply Cafe and Bakery (62 State St., 843/722-5650, www.dixiecafecharleston.com, daily 8am-2:30pm, $8-10). Dixie Supply has gained a certain amount of cachet with the filming of a Diners, Drive-ins and Dives episode, but don’t let the trendiness keep you away. A case could be made that their signature Tomato Pie—melted cheese over a perfect tomato slice with a delicious crust on the bottom, served with a hunk of sweet potato cornbread—is the single best dish in Charleston. You place your order at the front counter; the cook is a few feet away. When your plate is ready, they call you, and you just come up and get your food and take it back to your table. It can get crowded, but just brave the lines and go. And while they do take plastic, they appreciate cash.
Classic Southern
Walk through the gaslit courtyard of the Planter’s Inn at Market and Meeting Streets into the intimate dining room of the S Peninsula Grill (112 N. Market St., 843/723-0700, www.peninsulagrill.com, daily from 5:30pm, $28-35) and begin an epicurean journey you’ll not soon forget. Known far and wide for impeccable service as well as the mastery of Chef Robert Carter, Peninsula Grill is perhaps Charleston’s quintessential purveyor of high-style Lowcountry cuisine. From the lobster skillet cake and crab cake appetizer to the bourbon-grilled jumbo shrimp to the benne-crusted rack of lamb to sides like wild mushroom grits and hoppin’ John, the menu reads like a “greatest hits” of regional cooking. You’ll almost certainly want to start with the sampler trio of soups and finish with Carter’s legendary coconut cake. Choose from 20 wines by the glass or from over 300 bottles. Four stars from the Mobil Travel Club, four diamonds from AAA, and countless other accolades have come this restaurant’s way. Needless to say, reservations are strongly recommended.
Named for a now-deceased beloved dog who once greeted guests, Poogan’s Porch (72 Queen St., 843/577-2337, www.poogansporch.com, lunch Mon.-Fri. 11:30am-2:30pm, dinner daily 5pm-9:30pm, brunch Sat.-Sun. 9am-3pm, $12-20) is the prototype of a classic Charleston restaurant: lovingly restored old home, professional but unpretentious service, great fried green tomatoes, and rich, calorie-laden Lowcountry classics. I can’t decide which entrée I like best, the crab cakes or the shrimp and grits. Some swear that even the biscuits at Poogan’s—flaky, fresh-baked, and moist—are better than some entrées around town, although that’s a stretch. Brunch is the big thing here, a bustling affair with big portions, Bloody Marys, mimosas, and soft sunlight.
Executive chef Sean Brock of McCrady’s fame already has a healthy reputation as one of Charleston’s—indeed, the country’s—leading purveyors of the farm-to-table fine-dining aesthetic. He cemented that reputation with the opening of S Husk (76 Queen St., 843/577-2500, www.huskrestaurant.com, lunch Mon.-Sat. 11:30am-2pm, dinner Sun.-Thurs. 5:30pm-10pm, Fri.-Sat. 5:30pm-11pm, brunch Sun. 10am-2:30pm, $25), voted “Best New Restaurant in the U.S.” by Bon Appétit magazine soon after its 2011 opening. The spare, focused menu—”If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the door,” Brock says of his ingredients—is constantly changing with the seasons. On a recent lunch visit my party enjoyed two types of catfish (a fried catfish BLT on Texas toast and a lightly cornmeal-dusted broiled catfish with local vegetables), Husk’s signature cheeseburger, and—wait for it—lamb barbecue. Another visit brought a wonderful appetizer of teriyaki pig’s ears in lettuce wraps! Husk is literally right next door to Poogan’s Porch, and as with Poogan’s, reservations are recommended.
For many visitors to Charleston, there comes a point when they just get tired of stuffing themselves with seafood. If you find yourself in that situation, the perfect antidote is High Cotton (199 E. Bay St., 843/724-3815, www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com, Mon.-Thurs. 5:30pm-10pm, Fri. 5:30pm-11pm, Sat. 11:30am-2:30pm and 5:30pm-11pm, Sun. 10am-2pm and 5:30pm-10pm, $20-44), a meat-lover’s paradise offering some of the best steaks in town as well as a creative menu of assorted lamb and pork dishes.
The long lines at Wentworth and Meeting Streets across from the fire station are waiting to follow Rachael Ray’s lead and get into Jestine’s Kitchen (251 Meeting St., 843/722-7224, Tues.-Thurs. 11am-9:30pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am-10pm, $8-15) to enjoy a simple, Southern take on such meat-and-three comfort food classics as meatloaf, pecan-fried fish, and fried green tomatoes. Most of the recipes are handed down from the restaurant’s namesake, Jestine Matthews, the African American woman who raised owner Dana Berlin.
Coffee, Tea, and Sweets
If you find yourself needing a quick pick-me-up while shopping on King Street, avoid the lines at the two Starbucks on the avenue and instead turn east onto Market Street and duck inside City Lights Coffeehouse (141 Market St., 843/853-7067, Mon.-Thurs. 7am-9pm, Fri.-Sat. 7am-10pm, Sun. 8am-6pm). The sweet goodies are delectable in this cozy little Euro-style place, and the Counter Culture organic coffee is to die for. If you’re really lucky, they’ll have some of their Ethiopian Sidamo brewed.
Routinely voted as having the best desserts in the city, the cakes alone at Kaminsky’s (78 N. Market St., 843/853-8270, 5pm-midnight, Sat.-Sun. noon-midnight) are worth the trip to the City Market area. The fresh fruit torte, the red velvet, and the
“Mountain of Chocolate” are the three best sellers. There’s also a Mount Pleasant location (1028 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., 843/971-7437, Mon.-Fri. 5pm-midnight, Sat.-Sun. noon-midnight).
French
On the north side of Broad Street itself you’ll find Gaulart & Maliclet (98 Broad St., 843/577-9797, www.fastandfrench.org, Mon. 8am-4pm, Tues.-Thurs. 8am-10pm, Fri.-Sat. 8am-10:30pm, $12-15), subtitled “Fast and French.” This is a gourmet bistro with a strong takeout component. Prices are especially reasonable for this area of town, with great lunch specials under $10 and Thursday-night “fondue for two” coming in at just over $20.
Mediterranean
The cuisine of northern Italy comes alive at Fulton Five (5 Fulton St., 843/853-5555, Mon.-Sat. from 5:30pm, $15-32), from the bresaola salad of spinach and thin, dried beef to the caper-encrusted tuna on a bed of sweet pea risotto. There’s a hint of romance in the bustling, dimly dining lit room. It’s not cheap, and the portions aren’t necessarily the largest, but with the taste will leave you satiated with life itself.
New Southern
Don’t be put off by the initials of Slightly North of Broad (192 E. Bay St., 843/723-3424, www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com, lunch Mon.-Fri. 11:30am-3pm, dinner daily 5:30pm-11pm, $15-35). Its acronym, “SNOB,” is an ironic play on the often pejorative reference to the insular South of Broad neighborhood. This hot spot, routinely voted best restaurant in town in such contests, is anything but snobby. Hopping with happy foodies for lunch and dinner, the fun is enhanced by the long open kitchen with its own counter area. The dynamic but comforting menu here is practically a bible of the new wave of Lowcountry cuisine, with dishes like beef tenderloin, jumbo lump crab cakes, grilled barbecue tuna—and, of course, the pan-seared flounder. An interesting twist at SNOB is the selection of “medium plates,” i.e., dishes a little more generous than an appetizer but with the same adventurous spirit.
Just across the street from Hyman’s Seafood is that establishment’s diametrical opposite, the intimate bistro and stylish bar S FIG (232 Meeting St., 843/805-5900, www.eatatfig.com, Mon.-Thurs. 6pm-11pm, Fri.-Sat. 6pm-midnight, $20-25)—but the two do share one key thing: a passion for fresh, simple ingredients. While Hyman’s packs in the tourists, FIG—short for “Food Is Good”—attracts young professional scenesters as well as the diehard foodies. Chef Mike Lata won James Beard’s Best Chef of the Southeast award in 2009. FIG is one of Charleston’s great champions of the Sustainable Seafood Initiative, and the kitchen staff strives to work as closely as possible with local farmers and anglers in determining its seasonal menu.
Inside the plush Charleston Place Hotel you’ll find S Charleston Grill (224 King St., 843/577-4522, www.charlestongrill.com, dinner daily from 6pm, $27-50), one of the city’s favorite (and priciest) fine-dining spots for locals and visitors alike. Veteran executive chef Bob Waggoner was recently replaced by his longtime sous chef Michelle Weaver, but the menu still specializes in French-influenced Lowcountry cuisine like a niçoise vegetable tart. There are a lot of great fusion dishes as well, such as the tuna and hamachi sashimi topped with pomegranate molasses and lemongrass oil. Reservations are a must.
Cru Café (18 Pinckney St., 843/534-2434, lunch Tues.-Sat. 11am-3pm, dinner Tues.-Thurs. 5pm-10pm, Fri.-Sat. 5pm-11pm, $20-24) boasts an adventurous menu within a traditional-looking Charleston single house just around the corner from the main stable for the city’s carriage tours, with a choice of interior or exterior seating. Sample entrées include poblano and mozzarella fried chicken and seared maple leaf duck breast.
The hard-to-define Mistral (99 S. Market St., 843/722-5708, Sun.-Thurs. 11am-11pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am-midnight, $10-25) is part seafood restaurant, part sexy French bistro, part Lowcountry living. With live, serious jazz blowing it hot Monday-Saturday nights and some of the best mussels and shrimp in the area served up fresh, all you really need to do is enjoy. If you’re not a shellfish fan, try the sweetbreads or their excellent veal.
Seafood
Hyman’s Seafood (215 Meeting St., 843/723-6000, www.hymanseafood.com, Mon.-Thurs. 11am-9pm, Fri.-Sun. 11am-11pm, $14-25) is thought by many locals to border on a tourist trap, and it’s mostly tourists who line up for hours to get in. To keep things manageable, Hyman’s offers the same menu and prices for both lunch and dinner. After asking for some complimentary fresh-boiled peanuts in lieu of bread, start with the Carolina Delight, a delicious appetizer (also available as an entrée) involving a lightly fried cake of grits topped with your choice of delectable seafood, or maybe a half dozen oysters from the Half Shell oyster bar. In any case, definitely try the she-crab soup, some of the best you’ll find anywhere. As for entrées, the ubiquitous Lowcountry crispy scored flounder is always a good bet.
Hyman’s Seafood
UPPER KING AREA
Asian
There’s usually a long wait to get a table at the great Thai place Basil (460 King St., 843/724-3490, www.basilthairestaurant.com, lunch Mon.-Thurs. 11:30am-2:30pm, dinner Mon.-Thurs. 5pm-10:30pm, Fri.-Sat. 5pm-11pm, Sun. 5pm-10pm, $15-23) on Upper King, since they don’t take reservations. But Basil also has one of the hippest, most happening bar scenes in the area, so you won’t necessarily mind. Revelers enjoy fresh, succulent takes on Thai classics like cashew chicken and pad thai, all cooked by Asian chefs. The signature dish, as you might imagine, is the basil duck.
Coffee, Tea, and Sweets
By common consensus, the best java joint in Charleston is Kudu Coffee (4 Vanderhorst Ave., 843/853-7186, Mon.-Sat. 6:30am-7pm, Sun. 9am-6pm) in the Upper King area. A kudu is an African antelope, and the Africa theme extends to the beans, which all have an African pedigree. Poetry readings and occasional live music add to the mix. A lot of green-friendly, left-of-center community activism goes on here as well.
Lowcountry Locavores
It might seem strange that a Deep South city founded in 1670 would be on the country’s cutting edge of the sustainable food movement, but that’s the case with Charleston. Perhaps more seamlessly than any other community in the United States, Charleston has managed to merge its own indigenous and abiding culinary tradition with the “new” idea that you should grow your food as naturally as possible and purchase it as close to home as you can. From bacon to snapper to sweet potatoes, the typical Charleston dish of today is much like it was before the days of processed factory food, and harkens back to its soulful Southern roots.
Spurred in part by an influx of trained chefs after the establishment of the Spoleto Festival in the 1970s, the locavore movement in Charleston came about less from market demand than from the efforts of a diehard cadre of epicureans committed to sustainability and the principles of community-supported agriculture (CSA). Spearheaded by visionaries like the James Beard Award-winning Mike Lata of the bistro FIG and McCrady’s Sean Brock, a multitude of sustainable food initiatives have sprung up in Charleston and the Lowcountry, such as the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative (http://scaquarium.org), partnering with local restaurants to ensure a sustainable wild-caught harvest; Certified South Carolina (www.certifiedsc.com), guaranteeing that the food you eat was grown in the Palmetto State; a local chapter of the Slow Food Movement (http://slowfoodcharleston.org); and Cypress Artisan Meat Share (www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com), in which a group of highly regarded restaurants makes their fine locally sourced meats available to the public.
The list of Holy City restaurants relying almost exclusively on local and sustainable sources is too long to replicate in this space, but here are a few notable examples:
• Husk (76 Queen St., 843/577-2500, www.huskrestaurant.com)
• McCrady’s (2 Unity Alley, 843/577-0025, www.mccradysrestaurant.com)
• Cypress (167 E. Bay St., 843/727-0111, www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com)
• Charleston Grill (224 King St., 843/577-4522, www.charlestongrill.com)
• High Cotton (199 E. Bay St., 843/724-3815, www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com)
• FIG (232 Meeting St., 843/805-5900, www.ea
tatfig.com)
• Al Di La (25 Magnolia Rd., 843/571-2321, www.aldilarestaurant.com)
• Queen Street Grocery (133 Queen St., 843/723-4121)
• Middleton Place Restaurant (4300 Ashley River Rd., 843/556-6020, www.middletonplace.org)
• Circa 1886 (149 Wentworth St., 843/853-7828, www.circa1886.com)
• COAST Bar and Grill (39D John St., 843/722-8838, www.coastbarandgrill.com)
• Cru Café (18 Pinckney St., 843/534-2434, www.crucafe.com)
• Hominy Grill (207 Rutledge Ave., 912/937-0930, www.hominygrill.com)
• Peninsula Grill (112 N. Market St., 843/723-0700, www.peninsulagrill.com)
French
A taste of the Left Bank on Upper King, S La Fourchette (432 King St., 843/722-6261, Mon.-Sat. from 6pm, $15-20) is regarded as the best French restaurant in town and, naturellement, one of the most romantic. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the reasonable prices as well. Cassoulet, the French national dish, is front and center among Chef Perig Goulet’s concoctions, arriving in its own casserole dish on a trivet. Whatever you do, make sure you start with the pommes frites double-fried in duck fat. Your arteries may not thank you, but your taste buds will.
Italian
Upper King’s newest “it” restaurant, Indaco (525 King St., 843/727-1218, www.indacocharleston.com, Sun.-Thurs. 5pm-10pm, Fri.-Sat. 5pm-midnight, $20-25), features a small but well-curated menu of antipasti, custom wood-fired gourmet pizza, and delicious Italian specialties like black pepper tagliatelle. Yes, there’s a brussels sprouts pizza, and it’s quite delicious! Indaco is set in a stylish, bustling, restored warehouse environment that draws some of Charleston’s most beautiful foodies.