Sorry guys, I’m a little behind, but I’m going to get caught up, soon! I promise! For now, enjoy this little food quote to keep your appetites whetted until I get to all of the backlog I have.
“If anybody even tries to whisper the word ‘diet,’ I’m like, ‘You can go f- yourself.”
–Jennifer Lawrence
She’s pretty much my spirit animal.
Last week when Cullen and Taylor were visiting, we all decided to try out a new lunch spot downtown. Cullen was craving oysters, so we thought we might give Leon’s a shot, since it had gotten pretty good reviews so far. When we got there, I ordered a diet coke, and knew right away it was going to be a great lunch when they served it to me in an old-timey glass bottle.
Mmm… My lifeblood.
We started with raw oysters (cocktail sauce, mignonette, saltines, Market price), which we split between the 4 of us. I’m a little iffy about oysters (ew, slimy!) but these were outstanding. They tasted great and were surprisingly un-slimy. We topped them with a spritz of fresh lemon juice, cocktail sauce, and mignonette sauce, which was delicious. I’d absolutely order these again.
I know they look slimy here, but I promise you they really weren’t.
We also decided to try the char-grilled oysters (half dozen, lemon, parsley, butter, parmesan, $10). To be honest, I thought these were going to taste like grilled oysters, but instead they tasted exactly like oysters Rockefeller (which is also on the menu), and although they weren’t exactly what I was expecting, they were still out of this world, so none of us were disappointed. I loved the cheesiness of the parmesan and how the butter and parsley perfect complemented it. I also loved the bread they served it with. Extra buttery and toasted perfectly. Mmmm.
I never thought I’d crave oysters, but that’s exactly what I’m doing right now.
For an entrée, Cullen and I both decided to get the fish sandwich (fried or grilled, lettuce, tomato, duke’s mayo, $13). The catch of the day was Mahi, so we both decided to try it fried. They serve it on these big fresh buns from Browns Court Bakery, which are delicious all on their own, and the sandwich came together like something from a symphony.
“Hey girl, can I buy you a fish sandwich?”
Lily apparently had not yet eaten enough oysters, so she decided to try the fried oyster sandwich (lettuce, tomato, avocado, comeback sauce, $13). I’m not sure what comeback sauce is, but this sandwich was on point. Lily ate it in like 2.5 seconds, but I snuck a bite in when she wasn’t looking. This sandwich was awesome; the oysters were fried perfectly, the breading was nice and crisp, and you can tell they served it as soon as they cooked it because it was still nice and hot, and the breading hadn’t yet had an opportunity to get soggy.
Oysters, oysters, everywhere.
Taylor opted for the shrimp sandwich (fried or grilled; lettuce, tomato, avocado, comeback sauce, $13). Because we had all decided to clog our arteries together, she also opted to get it fried, and though I tend to prefer grilled shrimp, this sandwich was delicious. Idk if I would’ve though to put avocado on a shrimp sandwich, but it really, really worked.
That bun, though.
There’s so much more on the menu that I want to try—from the fried chicken, to the fried clam wraps, to the shrimp toast—so you can bet that I’ll be back…and soon!
Chabby chic, it’s the new thing. Photo: Lacy Morris / Southern Living
Leon’s Oyster Shop
(843) 531-6500
698 King St
Charleston, SC 29403
“The only thing I like better than talking about food, is eating.”
–John Walters, “The Food Dude”
I feel that.
I kicked off this weekend with the Florida Georgia Line and Nelly concert at the Joe in Charleston with Cullen and Taylor, and we had a great time jamming out under the stars.
I’m not even ashamed to say I enjoyed myself.
Friday kicked off Girls Weekend, hosted by my roommate Regina, in which a bunch of her friends and family came down to tour Charleston and experience some of her favorite restaurants and attractions in honor of her 1 year anniversary of moving down here! We started the weekend off with dinner at FIG, which was kind of a disaster, as the manager was very rude to our group and the whole situation was just awkward and uncomfortable. Lily and I finished the evening at Rarebit. I’m obsessed with the macaroni and cheese at Rarebit, and the patty melt is really good as well! You should check it out if you haven’t been.
If mac & cheese was a diet food, I’d be so skinny!
Saturday was a jam packed day. We got our nails done at Tips-2-Toes on George St. downtown, Regina’s favorite nail salon (mine is Luxia in West Ashley, in case you were wondering). I picked a white-pink color, which was really pretty.
I’m as surprised as you are that I didn’t pick something neon and glittery.
We then drove to North Charleston for lunch at Nigel’s Good Food, a delicious soul food restaurant on Ashley Phosphate. Regina had been a couple of times, but this was my first time. We split an order of the whiskey shrimp, geechie wings, and fried green tomatoes with the table, and everything was delicious. For my entree, I ordered the Lowcountry Ravioli (Grilled Chicken, Bacon, Collards Greens, Black-eye Pea & Corn Relish & Cheese stuffed Ravioli tossed in a Whiskey Cream Sauce, $11.95) and it was super yummy. I’ll definitely be back!
I want to eat all of that food right now.
After lunch, I joined the girls at Frothy Beard, for a quick brewery tour before we headed back downtown for my first ever Carriage Tour. I was originally dreading it because I hate being the car stuck behind the horse tours downtown, but it ended up being a lot of fun and very educational!
And only about 80% as smelly as I thought it was going to be!
After the tour, we headed to Wadmalaw Island to see the Angel Oak Tree, which was spectacular as always. We also went out to the Firefly Distillery, but arrived too late to do any of the tastings. The man working there was really rude to us when we arrived, telling us “We’re closed. Y’all need to plan better,” even though we got there 10 minutes before they closed, and just wanted to look around for a few minutes. Having worked in customer service for a long time, being rude (even at closing time) isn’t a way to treat your loyal customers.
But the Angel Oak is always polite.
Sunday, we had a 4-hour long brunch at Halls Chophouse. It was my first time visiting for brunch, and it was outstanding (as usual). The service we received was top notch and everyone agreed that this was the highlight of their trip. I ordered the chicken-fried bison and waffle sandwich and split some grits with Lily. She ordered the “Lowcountry Biscuits and Gravy” which was less biscuits and gravy, and more biscuits and succotash with fried oysters, but it was delicious either way. It was an amazing meal, but I immediately went into a food coma for the rest of the afternoon.
Halls is so good it shouldn’t be legal.
What did you guys think of that Game of Thrones finale?! I can’t believe it’s already over!
I don’t have a whole lot to report today, as this weekend was relatively uneventful. Thursday, I went to the Grand Opening party at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams with a few of my coworkers and ate my weight in some of the best ice cream I’ve ever eaten. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, I highly recommend you do so. My favorites are the dark chocolate, salted caramel, pineapple upside down cake, and … well they’re all pretty much my favorites.
So much yummy.
Friday, I grabbed some red curry from Fire Street Food after work and settled in to watch Season 2 of Orange is the New Black on Netflix. I was glad that the weather outside was crummy, so I didn’t feel bad about vegging on my couch all evening eating Thai food.
It’s been too long, Fire. Via Yelp
Saturday, I tried to be a little more productive, hitting up a Weight Watchers meeting and doing some circuit training at the gym before picking up lunch from Persimmon Cafe. We played a little Bananagrams at his office before I went back home to settle into the rest of the season of OITNB. My cats were super excited to have me home for the whole day.
Especially Weasley.
Saturday night, I went to a Cards Against Humanity party that my friend Sheena invited me to. It was lots of fun and I laughed a lot. Also, it might’ve been the biggest game of CAH that I’ve ever played, which only made it funnier.
So many deviants in one room together.
Sunday, I went to brunch at Butcher and Bee before going to work finishing the last 4 episodes of OITNB. I made some spaghetti squash for dinner and lounged around until it was time to watch Game of Thrones.
I may or may not have had tater tots as an appetizer. Dieting is hard.
Hope everyone has a great week! If you’ve finished Season 2 of OITNB, let me know what you thought of the season in the comments!
Because of my recent travels and adventures having friends in town (and my general laziness), I’ve been going out to eat a lot lately. Like, way more than I should. Although I love going out to eat (no doing dishes!), I was recently inspired to try some new recipes after perusing the June edition of Southern Living Magazine, which focused on southern food (you should really go pick it up and take a look), so I decided to make a night of it and spoil myself with a southern feast.
My goal is to make all of the recipes in this summer cookbook by the end of August.
I had some brie that was given to me by the folks at Jarlsberg during the Food Film Festival last month, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to make use of it with the “Baked Brie With Jezebel Peaches.”
I’m a fan of any kind of cheese, basically.
The recipe called for a 13.2 oz round, and although mine was about half that size, I decided not to halve any of the other ingredients, and I thought it turned out great. I served it with Keeblers Assorted Toasteds crackers, and it was a big hit. I loved the combination of flavors. It was tangy and creamy and crunchy and fruity all at once. I’d definitely make this again; I imagine it would be a great hit at parties!
So melty.
For the main course, I decided to go outside of my comfort zone and try the “Coffee-Rubbed Skirt Steak,” which looked delicious in the magazine. I’ve literally cooked steak one other time in my life, so I thought this would be a good learning experience. The first thing that I learned is that I have no idea how to buy steak at the grocery store (it took me 10 full minutes to realize that skirt steak and flank steak are interchangeable. I’m bad at reading directions). Once I’d gathered all of the ingredients, I trimmed some of the fat off the steak, made the rub and let it sit for the required time while I prepared the side dish.
Rubbin’ meat like a pro.
Since I don’t have a grill at my apartment, I decided I would cook the steaks in my cast iron skillet, like they’d done when I went to that cooking class at Southern Season. The problem is that the cuts of meat I’d chosen were too big to fit in the skillet together, and in retrospect I should’ve cooked them one piece at a time, but I’m stubborn and decided I would make it work cooking them both together.
So. Much. Meat.
I somehow managed to both burn and undercook the steaks (kind of impressive, actually), and ended up sticking the whole skillet in the oven to finish cooking them. They came out somewhere around medium-well in color, but well done in texture. When trying the steak, I thought it tasted really flavorful, but was a bit chewy. Lily loved it and ended up eating all of the leftovers, so I guess that’s a good sign! I’d definitely try this recipe again with a grill and someone who actually knew how to cook steak.
Did I cut it right? I don’t even think I know how to do that. Yikes. I’m doomed.
The biggest hit of the night, though, was the “Grilled Mexican Corn Salad.” When I was making the corn, I was a little weirded out about rubbing ears of corn with mayonnaise, but it actually turned out really deliciously. Again, since I didn’t have a grill, I put the corn in the oven at 450 and let them bake for about 13 minutes before I took them out to cut the kernels from the cob to make the salad.
Apparently my oven cooks by neon light.
The flavor of this dish was so unique, and I loved how light and refreshing it tasted with the fresh herbs, lime juice, and crispness of the corn straight off of the cob (rather than canned or frozen). Plus I’m a huge fan of any dish with feta cheese in it.
I love corn straight off the cob. It’s just so much better.
The meal was delicious and as fun to eat as it was to make. With the exception of the snafu with the beef–which was really just my own personal shortcoming (what did I even learn in that semester of culinary school, anyway?!–the evening went off without a hitch, and we enjoyed our meal with a nice bottle of malbec out on my porch. Southern living really is the best kind of living.
The finished product. Not pictured: the half a bottle of wine I drank to destress from cooking that steak.
Thursday night we had a team outing to the Riverdogs game with the entire Matchstick office, which was a blast. I have no idea what happened during the game, but it was nice to get out of the office and hang out with my coworkers in a new environment.
The Matchstick gang! (plus Regina!)
Although it didn’t end up that way, this weekend was supposed to be relatively healthy, as I was all signed up to run a 5K with my best friend from high school, Shay. She came down on Friday night and we had a disappointing dinner at The Green Goat in West Ashley. I’d heard really good things from a lot of people, so I was sad when everything–from the food to the service–was kind of subpar.
Except the fried green tomatoes with goat cheese. Those were pretty good.
Saturday morning, I brought Shay to Folly Beach for her first ever brunch at Lost Dog Cafe, one of my favorite haunts. We feasted on biscuits and gravy, french toast, chicken quesadillas, and homefries. We left stuffed and regretting our decision to wear bathing suits out in public.
But I’d do it all over again
After brunch, we decided to brave the beach, ignoring the thunder and threats of rain. We stayed for about 12 minutes before dark storm clouds forced us to pack up and leave. After the beach, we decided to head out to Johns Island early to pick up our packets for the race and get it out of the way. Upon arriving at Legare Farms, we were told that due to the weather, the race had been postponed until June 28th, which we were at once disappointed and excited by. On the one hand, we were really looking forward to getting all foamy at the 5K, but on the other hand, this left much more time for us to relax (plus it meant Shay has to come back at the end of June!).
Although I kind of think the mud would’ve made it even more fun. Photo via Legare Farms.
Since we were already on Johns Island, we decided to visit Angel Oak, since Shay’d never seen it before. It was surprisingly busy considering the weather, but we still managed to get a few cute pictures with the tree despite the crowds.
Well, cute pictures of Shay anyway.
On the way back to my apartment, we spotted a little Snow Cone hut along the side of the road and decided to stop. I stood outside in the rain watching as they made our snow cones. I, of course, got Tiger’s Blood, while Shay opted for Blue Raspberry. This was her first snow cone experience, and even with the rain it was quite enjoyable.
Snow cone juice or MURDER?! You decide.
By the time we made it through the flooded roads back to my apartment, the rain had stopped a bit, so we decided to try out the hot tub in my complex to relax. We hung around there for about an hour, switching back and forth between the pool and the hot tub, until we were pruney and ready to change into pajamas and grab some dinner.
I’m wearing a bathing suit, I promise.
We ate dinner at Shay’s favorite restaurant in Charleston, Bessinger’s Barbeque. We always order both a BBQ basket and a cheeseburger basket, and split the sandwiches in half so we can try both. I’ve asked numerous time if they’d make a burger topped with pulled pork, but much to my chagrin, they continue to refuse to do so.
I may have had more fun playing with my food than eating it.
After breakfast Shay and I went out to Sullivan’s Island, since the weather had finally decided to cooperate with us. We stayed out for about 2 hours, where I was delightfully sunburnt from head to toe, despite putting on multiple layers of sunscreen.
Shay, of course, turned a beautiful brown, while I looked like giant cherry tomato.
Shay and I had a quick lunch at Los Arcos before she packed up and headed back to Greenville. I took solace knowing it’ll only be a few more weeks until I see her again. After she left, I spent the afternoon cleaning my apartment and searching Charleston (unsuccessfully) for a 60-inch 5 shelf bookcase since I’ve outgrown mine. Although I didn’t find one, I did pick up a couple of other items at Target, so I still consider Sunday a success (even if I did miss Game of Thrones).
Even though I’ll probably wake up with this song in my head every morning.
Regina got inspired on Sunday and decided to plant a flower & herb garden on our balcony so expect to see more pictures of that as it continues to grow. I might add some more herbs and flowers to the porch as well in the coming weeks. I love summer!
I just love flowers.
This week has a lot of fun things planned, so be sure to check out my Facebook and Twitter pages to keep updated!
I know it’s been a while since I posted a food quote, but I’m working really hard to get back into the swing of things. I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Maya Angelou, one of my personal heroes. I remember when my mother encouraged me to read “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” as an incoming freshman in high school, and I’ve had a special place in my heart for Ms. Angelou ever since.
Did you know she was the author of 2 cookbooks? You learn something new every day.
“I like the country foods: the greens and the beans and the cornbreads and the biscuits. Not just for the taste, but because it infuses the house with an aroma that says “You are welcome. You’re going to have some good food. It’s going to take some time. And once you eat it you won’t want to leave.”
–Maya Angelou
I just love her smile. It’s infectious. (Photo by Stephen Matteson Jr/New York Times Co./Getty Images)
A few weeks ago (before my life got insanely busy), Lily and I took to walking the bridge after work a couple of nights a week. After one of these walking-talking-gossip sessions, Lily and I decided to reward ourselves for our hard work with some Caribbean food.
I mean, basically.
Lily and Chrissy suggested we order from Georgeans Caribbean Soul because they were a little obsessed after they discovered it. Chrissy enticed me with the promise of yummy jerk chicken and “bangin’ mac and cheese.” Chrissy and I ordered the Jerk Box with mac & cheese, cauliflower mash, and rice & veggies ($10). Their mac and cheese is thick and creamy and cheesy and I loved how flavorful the cauliflower mash was. If I didn’t know it was cauliflower, I definitely would’ve thought it was mashed potatoes. So yummy. The jerk chicken was full of spice and only a little heat, and was so yummy. My only complaint was that they use skin-on chicken (but that’s more of a personal preference than a fault on their part).
So. Much. Food.
Lily ordered the curry chicken bowl with mixed veggies and rice and cauliflower mash ($7). The curry is mild and deliciously home-y. The chicken curry is served over the veggies and rice so the curry sauce flavors that, too. Lily was definitely a fan.
Look at that curry sauce. I can almost smell it.
The owners were awesome and super friendly, even though we ordered 20 minutes before they closed, forcing them to stay open an extra 20 minutes to prepare all of our food. She said they keep the light on and the door open while they’re there, so even if it’s past closing time, “if somebody’s hungry, we’ll feed ’em.” They also said that they can make most Caribbean dishes, even if they’re not on the menu, as long as you give them a little heads up.
This is their whole menu, and I still had trouble deciding.
You get a lot of high quality food for not a lot of money. If you haven’t stopped here yet, get your butt down to Line St. and order some jerk chicken!
And they just added these cute little tables! Via Facebook
Part 3 of 3 of my Food Film Festival Series. I hope you enjoy, and know that as soon as this week is over, I should have much more time and be able to get back in the habit of posting 3x a week (and I have quite a few restaurant reviews in my arsenal, so those are on the way). Night 3 of the Food Film Festival was probably the night I was most excited for, and it definitely lived up to the hype.
My mother was also very impressed. Photo by Gregg Lambton-Carr
The pre-party was featured Sushi by O-Ku, and some delicious fried chicken skins and tempura vegetables done by the organizers of the festival. Everything was super yummy, and I never thought I’d say that about a chicken skin.
Although, to be fair, I didn’t know it was chicken skin when I agreed to eat it.
The first film of the night was “Sushi: Handcrafted Happiness,” which was literally 1 minute long and I think I missed most of it trying to get a good picture. The sushi that O-Ku made at the pre-party was delicious, though, so I guess that makes up for it.
Just now realizing this looks like a mouth. Kind of creepy, but cool.
The second film of the night was “Beer: A Beautiful Artistic Symphony,” which was 2 minutes and 22 seconds of entertainment. It was funny and informative and I loved the way Charlie Bamforth really made beer into an art form. Also, I’m always down for some free Sierra Nevada.
I feel like I know him already. Or maybe I just wish I knew him.
The third film of the night was my favorite of the night (and perhaps the whole festival), “Guacamole – A Gambling Recipe,” which was an adorable stop-motion story of the old west, told by vegetables. Just under 3 minutes, I was enthralled from beginning to end. Also, the guacamole was delicious.
Guacamole + Stop Motion = A Winning Combination
The next film was the film that I’d been waiting for during the entire festival: Biting Into The Ramen Burger. The film documented chef Keizo Shimamoto during the summer of 2013 when he invented the Ramen Burger, which quickly became a sensation. I mean, who wouldn’t be interested in a “bun” made out of ramen with a delicious burger in the middle?
So good.
Unfortunately, we’d have to wait until the after party to be able to taste one of these delicious burgers, and taste we did. I ate 2 of them before pilfering a few more to take home with me to be eaten later and shared with friends. The burger was awesome. I loved the texture of the ramen buns, paired with the tanginess of the soy sauce that went on it. The flavors were like nothing I’d ever had before and it was easy for me to understand why some people would wait in line for over 3 hours just to try one.
Also, I got to meet the Chef!
Next up was “The Mobile Blues,” a 4-minute long film about the hunt for blue crabs in Mobile Bay. To complement the film, we tried blue crab crostini from Charleston Crab House and Alabama Seafood, which was fresh and very yummy.
I prefer to think of it as a “Crabby Patty”
Still on the seafood kick, but switching gears a bit, “Tako NY” was the story of Chef Karl Palma and his love for street food. The audience watched as he crafted the much-loved “takoyaki” balls, which looked like something sweet, but were actually very savory.
Also full of squid.
Moving onto the sweet part of the evening, we screened the film “Sweet Legacy,” directed by festival director George Motz, detailing the legacy of the “In The Raw” company and the family behind the brand. To go along with the film, we were given “banana brulee” prepared by the FFF chefs, with a donut featuring In The Raw sugar, which was delicious.
I mean, it’s fried dough covered in sugar. What’s not to love?
The final film was “Where Does a Compost Cookie Come From?” which was essentially a video recipe card, showing all of the different elements that go into a compost cookie from Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC (potato chips, butterscotch, oatmeal… what a combo!). The film was great, but the cookie was even better. The after party featured a bunch of other cookies that they make like the corn cookie (with real corn!), blueberry cream, chocolate chip, and more.
Although, only giving me half of a cookie is kind of cruel.
The afterparty was so much fun. Tina got to try a popsicle from King of Pops in Charleston, which she’d never had before. She talked to the guys for a while and really enjoyed it.
She was really excited about the popsicle. And basically everything else.
Then we ate our body weight in Ramen Burgers, drank a little too much, and stuffed a bunch of samples in our purses to take home. The rep from Jarlsberg cheese even gave us a bunch of cheese samples to take home (and by “a bunch,” I mean “5 whole pounds of cheese.” It was awesome.)
But then we felt like this for the rest of the night.
And, there’s my mother, looking excited again.
We can’t wait until next year!