Little notes from the Charleston foodie front...
In part to assuage my curiosity about what's new in town and in part to research restaurants and news for this blog and a pending book, I've been staying busy checking out new stuff and re-visiting the old. The bad news is that the really new stuff (less than 3 months old) I've visited has been so disappointing I am hesitant to write about it. I figure these guys need a little time to get in full gear, but be advised, the pickings I've come across are scarily slim. If you have any tips, I welcome them. Drop me a line, please.
Meantime, a recent luncheon foray into Brent's (40 Broad Street, downtown, 853-8081) proved that this Broad Street business lunch hour haunt is, almost predictably, as good as ever. It's incredible how fast the small production line rife with cafeteria mainstays like meatloaf and cheeseburgers churns out the yummy goods. The prices are sweet (all lurk around $5) and will buy you some of the highest 19th century ceilings, biggest Broad Street arch-windowed views in town along with a recently re-vamped garden area complete with a gurgling fountain and comfortable cafe tables. Bravo!
I have to admit that I previously held a snobbish resistance to J. Paul'z (1739 Maybank Hwy., Suite V, James Island, 795-6995) and its tapas, sushi and libations merger, writing it off as a likely pick-up destination for sodden locals with the equally likely potential for mediocre food. I was utterly wrong and I'll be the first to admit it. Though not earth-shattering, the attractive decor and solid tapas ($3-$11) come together with pleasing effect that is particularly well suited to a pre or post movie bite at nearby Terrace Theater. Strong suits include buttery, round flavored short ribs layered with braised flavors and an equally fine hanger steak. The staff was young and sophomoric but sweet. I had one of my biggest inner-laughs in years when our waitress started flailing frantically at an insect near our patio table, squealing, "Oh my God, it's a bug".
Definitely Worth Checking Out: Avondale Wine and Cheese (813B Savannah Highway, West Ashley, 769-5444). Owner Manoli Davani has stocked the place with astounding cheeses from all over the globe which she happily cuts and wraps to order, throwing in a pleasant smile and a cache of information about the cheeses' origins, flavor and appropriate wine pairings. $5 wine and cheese tastings are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Under the Campari Sun
Al Di La
25 Magnolia Road
West Ashley
571-2321
Bacaro mania and insanely delicious food keep pumping out of this pristinely-cut Northern Italian jewel nestled off a side street in Avondale's increasinglyBohemian digs. Owner John Marshall raised the bar not only on Charleston area Italian standards but also trend-setting when he set up cuisine camp in his tiny kitchen here when the neighborhood was home to little else except sleepy, little traveled boutiques and a couple of old school restaurants (the now defunct Liberty Cafe and the ever-popular Gene's).
Six years later, Al Di La continues to evolve with the relatively recent addition of a "bacaro" wine bar that runs parallel to the main dining room and delivers sublime Italian small plates. It brings with it a bastion of wood-oven smoked pizza pies, purely Meditteranean olives, terrines, fragrant cheeses and paired wines along with a refreshing youthful energy and happening-now attitude. Marshall has also extended the confines of the delightfully intimate but mildly cramped dining room to a spacious courtyard dotted with passion red symbols of Italian's preferred aperitif - Campari umbrellas.
Beyond that, little else has changed (not counting a minor across-the-board price increase - entrees now range from a still modest $15-$16.75), save the incredible fact that the food is better than ever - that is to say in keeping with the theme of the celestially inspired restaurant name, heavenly. Lovingly braised cipollini onions, kissed with a touch of balsamic and brimming with round, sweet flavor greeted us upon arrival and followed us home in an extra take-away box, just because.
The restaurant's pillowy, hand-made gnocchi are studded with fresh, chunky bites of shrimp in every sinful spoonful of Marshall's deliciousy restrained tomato sauce. The fettucini bolognese and strangozzi spoletina, in all of their creamy and expertly executed perfection, are fully capable of bringing the dead back to life. While they're at it, these lucky souls and whoever else finds themselves blessed enough to be seated in Al Di La's increasingly crowded (reservations are now a must!) embrace, needs to cap things off with the rich, milky cafe au lait and light-as-air tiramisu. To do otherwise, would be a virtual sin in this heavenly, purely Italian retreat.
25 Magnolia Road
West Ashley
571-2321
Bacaro mania and insanely delicious food keep pumping out of this pristinely-cut Northern Italian jewel nestled off a side street in Avondale's increasinglyBohemian digs. Owner John Marshall raised the bar not only on Charleston area Italian standards but also trend-setting when he set up cuisine camp in his tiny kitchen here when the neighborhood was home to little else except sleepy, little traveled boutiques and a couple of old school restaurants (the now defunct Liberty Cafe and the ever-popular Gene's).
Six years later, Al Di La continues to evolve with the relatively recent addition of a "bacaro" wine bar that runs parallel to the main dining room and delivers sublime Italian small plates. It brings with it a bastion of wood-oven smoked pizza pies, purely Meditteranean olives, terrines, fragrant cheeses and paired wines along with a refreshing youthful energy and happening-now attitude. Marshall has also extended the confines of the delightfully intimate but mildly cramped dining room to a spacious courtyard dotted with passion red symbols of Italian's preferred aperitif - Campari umbrellas.
Beyond that, little else has changed (not counting a minor across-the-board price increase - entrees now range from a still modest $15-$16.75), save the incredible fact that the food is better than ever - that is to say in keeping with the theme of the celestially inspired restaurant name, heavenly. Lovingly braised cipollini onions, kissed with a touch of balsamic and brimming with round, sweet flavor greeted us upon arrival and followed us home in an extra take-away box, just because.
The restaurant's pillowy, hand-made gnocchi are studded with fresh, chunky bites of shrimp in every sinful spoonful of Marshall's deliciousy restrained tomato sauce. The fettucini bolognese and strangozzi spoletina, in all of their creamy and expertly executed perfection, are fully capable of bringing the dead back to life. While they're at it, these lucky souls and whoever else finds themselves blessed enough to be seated in Al Di La's increasingly crowded (reservations are now a must!) embrace, needs to cap things off with the rich, milky cafe au lait and light-as-air tiramisu. To do otherwise, would be a virtual sin in this heavenly, purely Italian retreat.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Paris Wrapped
Charleston Crepe Company
www.charlestoncrepecompany.com
(843) 573-3458
The heady years I spent living in Paris afforded daily gifts of joy; long strolls along the Seine on haunting slate-gray days, awestruck wonder at the sprawling spires and glaring gargoyles of Notre Dame, and on and on and on. Those are just some examples. There is a pool of millions; of these, at least thousands involved food.
When guests or family visited, we splurged by supping at Paris' most noteworthy eateries, but most of the time, my constantly curious culinary life was relegated to the much humbler fare of a regular Parisian Joe, if there really is such a thing. I was a loyal client of bistros, corner cafes, and the most fabulous French invention of all, a crepe hot off the grill at one of the Paris' ubiquitous crepe vending stands. For just $3, I was swept away into the gooey, yummy world of melting swiss cheese and salty ham on a savory day or the indulgence of Nutella on a sweet one.
Well, except for occasional visits to lovely Paris, those days are gone, but the memory of the silken, bubbly, browned crepes and their assorted fillings remain, along with a constant craving for them and the Parisian senses they recall with almost cruel abandon. When it strikes, I fulfill it in an 100% authentically Parisian way at the Charleston Crepe Company's crepe stand at the Charleston Farmers Market (Saturdays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Marion Square). There you can find husband and wife team Jack & Rachel Byrne and their young staff griddling their way through the inevitable and nearly constant frenzy of activity at their booth - especially around lunch time.
Any wait, even the occasional 20-minute one, is well worth it. Their honey ham and Swiss cheese crepe, slathered with a generous layer of plucky Dijon mustard, is as good as any you can find in Paris. The crepe itself, no matter what the filling, is always tender and moist, due in part to the French griddles the team employs to craft their tasty wares. Recently, I broke from tradition and sampled Charleston Crepe's Southwestern crepe-take - the Chicken, Black Bean, Corn, and Salsa Crepe. Though less traditional, it was an earthy wonder of pulled chicken, crunchy fresh corn and more.
Take my advice - put in your name and get in line for one of Charleston Crepe's many crepe creations, including the incredibly French Nutella confection concoction. You won't regret it. Their crepes are simply Paris "wrapped" and taste just as delicious gobbled down in a cozy corner of Charleston as they do in the City of Lights. The bustling crepe stand also sets up on Tuesday afternoons at the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market in front of Moultrie Middle School and caters at many functions and parties around town.
www.charlestoncrepecompany.com
(843) 573-3458
The heady years I spent living in Paris afforded daily gifts of joy; long strolls along the Seine on haunting slate-gray days, awestruck wonder at the sprawling spires and glaring gargoyles of Notre Dame, and on and on and on. Those are just some examples. There is a pool of millions; of these, at least thousands involved food.
When guests or family visited, we splurged by supping at Paris' most noteworthy eateries, but most of the time, my constantly curious culinary life was relegated to the much humbler fare of a regular Parisian Joe, if there really is such a thing. I was a loyal client of bistros, corner cafes, and the most fabulous French invention of all, a crepe hot off the grill at one of the Paris' ubiquitous crepe vending stands. For just $3, I was swept away into the gooey, yummy world of melting swiss cheese and salty ham on a savory day or the indulgence of Nutella on a sweet one.
Well, except for occasional visits to lovely Paris, those days are gone, but the memory of the silken, bubbly, browned crepes and their assorted fillings remain, along with a constant craving for them and the Parisian senses they recall with almost cruel abandon. When it strikes, I fulfill it in an 100% authentically Parisian way at the Charleston Crepe Company's crepe stand at the Charleston Farmers Market (Saturdays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Marion Square). There you can find husband and wife team Jack & Rachel Byrne and their young staff griddling their way through the inevitable and nearly constant frenzy of activity at their booth - especially around lunch time.
Any wait, even the occasional 20-minute one, is well worth it. Their honey ham and Swiss cheese crepe, slathered with a generous layer of plucky Dijon mustard, is as good as any you can find in Paris. The crepe itself, no matter what the filling, is always tender and moist, due in part to the French griddles the team employs to craft their tasty wares. Recently, I broke from tradition and sampled Charleston Crepe's Southwestern crepe-take - the Chicken, Black Bean, Corn, and Salsa Crepe. Though less traditional, it was an earthy wonder of pulled chicken, crunchy fresh corn and more.
Take my advice - put in your name and get in line for one of Charleston Crepe's many crepe creations, including the incredibly French Nutella confection concoction. You won't regret it. Their crepes are simply Paris "wrapped" and taste just as delicious gobbled down in a cozy corner of Charleston as they do in the City of Lights. The bustling crepe stand also sets up on Tuesday afternoons at the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market in front of Moultrie Middle School and caters at many functions and parties around town.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Something to Crow About - Happy Pigs
Caw Caw Creek Farm
723 Olive Street
Columbia, SC 29205
(803) 917-0794
www.cawcawcreek.com
email: happyhams@cawcawcreek.com
Recently, a publisher friend invited me to join him for an afternoon touring this picturesque pig farm located in the rolling hills of St. Matthews near Orangeburg, SC. Run by local farming enthusiast Emile DeFelice (he's the "State on Your Plate" guy that ran for Agricultural Commissioner last year and sadly, lost), the entire 90-acre farm is infused with a passion for living close to the land and ensuring natural, happy lives for DeFelice's heirloom pigs.
The pigs graze on nuts and grasses in rotating fields. Their diet is enriched with organic eggs and dairy supplied by EarthFare, organic fruits and vegetables, corn by-products from Anson Mills, and malted barley leftovers from a nearby brewery. It's the same kind of wholesome, natural fare humans like to eat. In fact, as DeFelice explains, pigs want and deserve to be treated humanely and like the creatures of God that they are. They want to live a real life, not a crated one. Caw Caw Creek pigs are allowed to root about with their families, feel the sun and the breeze on their backs, wallow, loll, run and sleep in freedom - lives so different from the unnatural, lonely lives of pigs imprisoned in the beastly, often cruel world of industrialized pork production.
Even their chemical-free, happy lives end much later than their industrialized counterparts. They live to see their first year or more (unlike the 3 month mark slaugther green light awaiting their unlucky porcine cousins) and they develop up to 3 inches of fat back and richly marbled meat (unlike the inch or so of fat back and lean, "unhealthy" white meat of industry produced pork).
It was so much fun interacting with the pigs as they frolicked among our group that I felt almost guilty ordering some of DeFelice's much lauded chops. Still, curiosity and, by the end of the afternoon at Caw Caw Creek, a desire to support a very important cause, got the best of me. Six, 2" fat chops arrived in a refrigerated container a few days later with a handwritten "thank you" on the box. I marveled at the marbling; it was all through the meat.
I served the celebrated chops this weekend to some friends, including the publisher who took me to the farm. Grilled over an open flame in a kettle drum and glazed with a thin layer of hot pepper jelly, they were beyond divine. The texture of the pork enthralled the entire group. It was more like filet mignon and nearly as rosy and nothing like the "pork" any of us had ever experienced before. The meat was sweet and milky and had a distinctly rich, pork flavor that was further enhanced by the smoke from the grill.
It felt so good to eat such spectacular food; the kind our farming ancestors ate and the kind that's going away due to the economics and facility of mass production. I also knew that, as DeFelice says, this little piggy had lived one happy life. I could taste it. For more information or to order your own, go to www.cawcawcreek.com.
723 Olive Street
Columbia, SC 29205
(803) 917-0794
www.cawcawcreek.com
email: happyhams@cawcawcreek.com
Recently, a publisher friend invited me to join him for an afternoon touring this picturesque pig farm located in the rolling hills of St. Matthews near Orangeburg, SC. Run by local farming enthusiast Emile DeFelice (he's the "State on Your Plate" guy that ran for Agricultural Commissioner last year and sadly, lost), the entire 90-acre farm is infused with a passion for living close to the land and ensuring natural, happy lives for DeFelice's heirloom pigs.
The pigs graze on nuts and grasses in rotating fields. Their diet is enriched with organic eggs and dairy supplied by EarthFare, organic fruits and vegetables, corn by-products from Anson Mills, and malted barley leftovers from a nearby brewery. It's the same kind of wholesome, natural fare humans like to eat. In fact, as DeFelice explains, pigs want and deserve to be treated humanely and like the creatures of God that they are. They want to live a real life, not a crated one. Caw Caw Creek pigs are allowed to root about with their families, feel the sun and the breeze on their backs, wallow, loll, run and sleep in freedom - lives so different from the unnatural, lonely lives of pigs imprisoned in the beastly, often cruel world of industrialized pork production.
Even their chemical-free, happy lives end much later than their industrialized counterparts. They live to see their first year or more (unlike the 3 month mark slaugther green light awaiting their unlucky porcine cousins) and they develop up to 3 inches of fat back and richly marbled meat (unlike the inch or so of fat back and lean, "unhealthy" white meat of industry produced pork).
It was so much fun interacting with the pigs as they frolicked among our group that I felt almost guilty ordering some of DeFelice's much lauded chops. Still, curiosity and, by the end of the afternoon at Caw Caw Creek, a desire to support a very important cause, got the best of me. Six, 2" fat chops arrived in a refrigerated container a few days later with a handwritten "thank you" on the box. I marveled at the marbling; it was all through the meat.
I served the celebrated chops this weekend to some friends, including the publisher who took me to the farm. Grilled over an open flame in a kettle drum and glazed with a thin layer of hot pepper jelly, they were beyond divine. The texture of the pork enthralled the entire group. It was more like filet mignon and nearly as rosy and nothing like the "pork" any of us had ever experienced before. The meat was sweet and milky and had a distinctly rich, pork flavor that was further enhanced by the smoke from the grill.
It felt so good to eat such spectacular food; the kind our farming ancestors ate and the kind that's going away due to the economics and facility of mass production. I also knew that, as DeFelice says, this little piggy had lived one happy life. I could taste it. For more information or to order your own, go to www.cawcawcreek.com.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Divine Rights
Spring in Charleston means more than a thick blanket of yellow pollen everywhere you look and the fragrant scent of Confederate Jasmine everywhere you turn. It is the season of local church tea rooms, which is another way of saying that some of the best food of the year is being served in entirely genteel and Southern venues across town and everyone, saints and sinners alike, is invited. These tasty annual rites of passage include Charleston food traditions prepared by church members. Aside from being delicious, the added bonus is that all proceeds from the tea room sales go to help those in need.
Sadly, the first, at St. Philip's Church, has already come and gone. I was lucky enough to savor the goods during the week of April 23- April 27 on a sun-drenched afternoon at an ample table in the church garden. The fabulous meal of a Classic Chicken Salad Sandwich ($7) and a bowl of chunky, sweet Charleston Okra Soup ($4) was peppered with a parasol twirling hostess and service as sweet as honey. In addition to the stellar scenery, my eyes feasted throughout the meal on the dessert tray that relentlessly beat my sweet tooth, and that of those around me, into total submission. The Hugenot Torte ($4) crunched with layers of meringue, pecans and a towering dollop of freshly whipped cream and should be a must try for anyone, especially anyone who has never tasted this uniquely Charlestonian confection.
Don't despair! More divine delices await at the Grace Church Tea Room which will take place from May 28-June 8, just in time for Spoleto. "Grace" boasts a similar menu and ambience, including live piano playing softly in the background, gingham-cloth lined tables, and flowers fresh from the church ladies gardens. This is a Charleston tradition that's worth enjoying for the full two-week run. You'll thank "you know who" that you did.
St. Philip's Church Tea Room
April 23-27, 2007
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., daily
142 Church Street, downtown
(843) 722-7734
www.stphilipschurcsc.org
Grace Church Tea Room and Gift Shop
May 28-June 8, 2007
Mon.-Sat.,11:30 a.m. -2 p.m.
98 Wentworth Street
Charleston, downtown
(843) 723-4575
www.gracechurchcharleston.org
Spring in Charleston means more than a thick blanket of yellow pollen everywhere you look and the fragrant scent of Confederate Jasmine everywhere you turn. It is the season of local church tea rooms, which is another way of saying that some of the best food of the year is being served in entirely genteel and Southern venues across town and everyone, saints and sinners alike, is invited. These tasty annual rites of passage include Charleston food traditions prepared by church members. Aside from being delicious, the added bonus is that all proceeds from the tea room sales go to help those in need.
Sadly, the first, at St. Philip's Church, has already come and gone. I was lucky enough to savor the goods during the week of April 23- April 27 on a sun-drenched afternoon at an ample table in the church garden. The fabulous meal of a Classic Chicken Salad Sandwich ($7) and a bowl of chunky, sweet Charleston Okra Soup ($4) was peppered with a parasol twirling hostess and service as sweet as honey. In addition to the stellar scenery, my eyes feasted throughout the meal on the dessert tray that relentlessly beat my sweet tooth, and that of those around me, into total submission. The Hugenot Torte ($4) crunched with layers of meringue, pecans and a towering dollop of freshly whipped cream and should be a must try for anyone, especially anyone who has never tasted this uniquely Charlestonian confection.
Don't despair! More divine delices await at the Grace Church Tea Room which will take place from May 28-June 8, just in time for Spoleto. "Grace" boasts a similar menu and ambience, including live piano playing softly in the background, gingham-cloth lined tables, and flowers fresh from the church ladies gardens. This is a Charleston tradition that's worth enjoying for the full two-week run. You'll thank "you know who" that you did.
St. Philip's Church Tea Room
April 23-27, 2007
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., daily
142 Church Street, downtown
(843) 722-7734
www.stphilipschurcsc.org
Grace Church Tea Room and Gift Shop
May 28-June 8, 2007
Mon.-Sat.,11:30 a.m. -2 p.m.
98 Wentworth Street
Charleston, downtown
(843) 723-4575
www.gracechurchcharleston.org
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Reuben Ready
Tristan
55 S. Market Street, downtown
(843) 534-2155
www.tristandining.com
Tristan's prix fixe lunch was instituted about a year ago and has evolved into lunch event dining at its best. Fancy lunches are a strange rarity downtown, especially in the bustling Market area which is surrounded by banks, corporate offices and legal firms. These guys (and gals) have to eat, too, and power lunches are frequently the order of many a professional's midday trappings. Thus, Tristan's move was a smart one, indeed. The 3-course, $15 lunch includes a bevy of elegant options served in the cool elegance of Tristan's linen-lined, colorful, glass-splashed dining room and includes endless helpings of the restaurant's remarkable housemade potato and manchego cheese rolls served hot out of the oven.
So, on a recent sunny day, I visited Tristan with the precise intent of spoiling myself with the prix fixe indulgence. However, my outstanding server almost adamently stated: "We have the best Reuben in town". She proceeded to describe how the kitchen staff sautes fresh cabbage for the sandwich ($8) instead of the more traditional marinated variety which often tastes a tad medicinal. I bit. Big time! The sandwich is phenomenal and easily lives up to her heartfelt endorsement. The brisket is shaved thickly and tumbles out of the sandwich, the portion is so hefty. Fresh, marbled bread swirled prettily above it like a cloud and swiss cheese brought a mild bite and an appealing ooze factor to contrast with the just-crunchy cabbage. Served with a pert salad or fries for the more indulgent, it also comes with those remarkable rolls.
Tristan
55 S. Market Street, downtown
(843) 534-2155
www.tristandining.com
Tristan's prix fixe lunch was instituted about a year ago and has evolved into lunch event dining at its best. Fancy lunches are a strange rarity downtown, especially in the bustling Market area which is surrounded by banks, corporate offices and legal firms. These guys (and gals) have to eat, too, and power lunches are frequently the order of many a professional's midday trappings. Thus, Tristan's move was a smart one, indeed. The 3-course, $15 lunch includes a bevy of elegant options served in the cool elegance of Tristan's linen-lined, colorful, glass-splashed dining room and includes endless helpings of the restaurant's remarkable housemade potato and manchego cheese rolls served hot out of the oven.
So, on a recent sunny day, I visited Tristan with the precise intent of spoiling myself with the prix fixe indulgence. However, my outstanding server almost adamently stated: "We have the best Reuben in town". She proceeded to describe how the kitchen staff sautes fresh cabbage for the sandwich ($8) instead of the more traditional marinated variety which often tastes a tad medicinal. I bit. Big time! The sandwich is phenomenal and easily lives up to her heartfelt endorsement. The brisket is shaved thickly and tumbles out of the sandwich, the portion is so hefty. Fresh, marbled bread swirled prettily above it like a cloud and swiss cheese brought a mild bite and an appealing ooze factor to contrast with the just-crunchy cabbage. Served with a pert salad or fries for the more indulgent, it also comes with those remarkable rolls.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Tasty Treats of the Week
April 3, 2007 - April 10, 2007
Unforgettably FIG
FIG
232 Meeting Street, Downton
843-305-8900
www.eatatfig.com
A recent nomination by The James Beard Foundation singles out chef Mike Lata as one of the Southeast's best. Lata's not letting that go to his head. I checked out his latest offerings with a visiting college pal last week only to find that FIG's braised short ribs, roasted beet salad, chicken liver pate and, farm-fresh deviled eggs from Green Grocer farm's happy, free-range world, are as heavenly as ever. Attention to detail and passionate kisses of produce handling restraint seal the deal on some of the best food in town. Service staff worked in tandem to sweeten the meal even further. Check out FIG's new ice cream offerings. When we visited, Lata and crew had put together a creamery fresh version of toasted pistachio ice cream with their new "$700" ice cream machine. Delicious as can be, Mr. Lata felt it could be better and was tweaking with sugar content and the possible addition of a fig compote garnish. You can bet it will be award-winning, just like the chef himself.
Falafel Fever
Charlie's
Charles Grocery
1 Jasper Street, Downtown
(843) 853-03510
Low and behold, just when I thought the only respectable falafel provider in town was Pita King, a realtor friend turned me on to the virtues of Charlie's. In seven years of sampling Charleston's offerings, I never even knew this somewhat tattered looking, brick red corner grocery existed, let alone turned out New York-worthy falafel. A father and son grocery affair dappled with canned sausages, Sunbeam white bread and other collegiate staples, it also showcases a small made-to-order deli counter. Falafel are prepared by the fetching young son who chatted affably while he hand-rolled several chickpea balls and spoke of his dreams to open his own restaurant in the near future. In the meantime, the fresh-from-the-fryer falafel were insanely delicious, especially when topped with hummus, crackling-fresh lettuce shreds, banana peppers and Charlie's special hot sauce. Wrapped in fresh pita pockets, these gems sell for just $2.99 and will keep anyone's appetite satisfied for several hours. The memory will last a lifetime, especially for Southern transplants hungry for the authentic, international offerings of larger cities such as New York and Chicago.
April 3, 2007 - April 10, 2007
Unforgettably FIG
FIG
232 Meeting Street, Downton
843-305-8900
www.eatatfig.com
A recent nomination by The James Beard Foundation singles out chef Mike Lata as one of the Southeast's best. Lata's not letting that go to his head. I checked out his latest offerings with a visiting college pal last week only to find that FIG's braised short ribs, roasted beet salad, chicken liver pate and, farm-fresh deviled eggs from Green Grocer farm's happy, free-range world, are as heavenly as ever. Attention to detail and passionate kisses of produce handling restraint seal the deal on some of the best food in town. Service staff worked in tandem to sweeten the meal even further. Check out FIG's new ice cream offerings. When we visited, Lata and crew had put together a creamery fresh version of toasted pistachio ice cream with their new "$700" ice cream machine. Delicious as can be, Mr. Lata felt it could be better and was tweaking with sugar content and the possible addition of a fig compote garnish. You can bet it will be award-winning, just like the chef himself.
Falafel Fever
Charlie's
Charles Grocery
1 Jasper Street, Downtown
(843) 853-03510
Low and behold, just when I thought the only respectable falafel provider in town was Pita King, a realtor friend turned me on to the virtues of Charlie's. In seven years of sampling Charleston's offerings, I never even knew this somewhat tattered looking, brick red corner grocery existed, let alone turned out New York-worthy falafel. A father and son grocery affair dappled with canned sausages, Sunbeam white bread and other collegiate staples, it also showcases a small made-to-order deli counter. Falafel are prepared by the fetching young son who chatted affably while he hand-rolled several chickpea balls and spoke of his dreams to open his own restaurant in the near future. In the meantime, the fresh-from-the-fryer falafel were insanely delicious, especially when topped with hummus, crackling-fresh lettuce shreds, banana peppers and Charlie's special hot sauce. Wrapped in fresh pita pockets, these gems sell for just $2.99 and will keep anyone's appetite satisfied for several hours. The memory will last a lifetime, especially for Southern transplants hungry for the authentic, international offerings of larger cities such as New York and Chicago.
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