Verde

June 7, 2013

Ok, so I’ve been pretty busy the past couple of weeks, traveling around the Southeastern US, so I haven’t really had a lot of time to go out and eat at any of the places on my Charleston Restaurant wishlist. I’ve mostly been cooking at home and eating at all of my usual haunts. One place that I frequent at least once a week, is Verde. Verde takes up the space where Bruegger’s Bagels used to be, and is basically a giant salad bar. Now, historically I’ve been very anti-salad–I think people only order salads when they either A. don’t like the taste of real food, or B. are on a diet–but I actually really like Verde.

Lookin’ at you, Lauren.

First of all, the space is really nice. It’s very clean and open, with a white and lime green color scheme which make you think of freshness, health, cleanliness, and nature. You start by ordering at the counter. You can choose to either build your own salad / wrap, or choose from one of the “Signature Creations.” The first thing you notice when you step up to the counter is the wall of lettuce. At least, that’s what I notice. Maybe you notice the 50 some-odd toppings and dressings you have to choose from. Either way.

Behold, the wall of lettuce.

Back to the toppings: Seriously. They have any kind of salad topping you could want. Unless you want something weird, in which case–move back to Seattle, ya Hippie. Laura always chooses to build her own salad, which is never the same twice. You get 4 ingredients included in your salad (while proteins and avocado cost extra, and each additional topping after 4 is an extra $0.50). They also give you a piece of bread with every salad / wrap. Here’s a copy of the menu, so you get an idea.

See what I mean about the green and white?

My favorite salad (obsessed is a good word) is the Mesa Verde (romaine, roasted chicken, grape tomatoes, red onion, avocado, black beans, corn, fresh cilantro, and tortilla strips with chipotle lime vinaigrette, finished with a fresh squeeze of lime). I usually don’t get the corn or tortilla strips (because… gross). I absolutely love their chipotle lime vinaigrette, it is so yummy. And the fresh squeeze of lime at the end just makes everything taste fresh and delicious. I freaking love this salad. I make it at home all the time (but it’s really just easier to let them do it).

I think I like it because it doesn’t actually taste like salad.

You also get the option of getting your salad chopped or tossed. If you get it tossed, they basically stir your salad up and then put it in the bowl. I always get it chopped, which is where they take this medieval torture-looking device (like a double-headed pizza cutter), and attack your salad until it’s mincemeat in a bowl. That’s my favorite part. They charge upwards of like $28 bucks to buy one from them, but if you’re trying to chop a salad at home you can just use a single-blade pizza cutter. It literally works exactly the same way (trust me, I’ve tried).

That second blade is pretty redundant, if you ask me.

Basically, if you’re on King Street and looking for a fast, healthy lunch that tastes as good as it is good for you, I highly recommend you visit Verde. Plus, they have a lot of cool, natural drinks to try, and they offer King of Pops popsicles (which are really good. TRY ONE). Also get their loyalty card–Buy 10 salads / wraps, get your 11th one free (I’m only 3 away!)

I’m kind of craving a salad right now. I feel like I’ve been body snatched.

Verde
347 King Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 579-2884

1 Comments

Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week 6/3/13

June 4, 2013

Holy crap. It’s June already. I honestly have no idea how that happened so fast. 2013 is going to be over before we know it!

I spent this weekend in Atlanta with some of my best friends, eating, drinking, and being merry. I got to try one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten at the Holeman & Finch stand at the Atlanta Braves Baseball game. We had to wait in line for like 20 minutes to get it, but it was 100% worth it. More details on that later.

This week’s quote comes from the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. I chose this quote partly because Christine is Greek, but more so because I believe it is an accurate representation of my life.

“We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink.”
–Epicurus

I bet all of his philosopher friends were all “Hey, why the long face?…no seriously, your face is really long.”

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Restaurant Reviews

Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy, Myrtle Beach, SC

May 31, 2013

After a fun and busy weekend as a bridesmaid in Myrtle Beach, I decided to spend some time exploring the city with Ben. Ben was craving mexican food, and after some intense Google searching, we ended up at Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy at the Coastal Grand Mall. Pulling up to the restaurant, the first thought that popped into my head was “I found the Mexican P.F. Chang’s.” I normally reserve the restaurant building photo for the end of my review, but I’ll put it here just to emphasize my point.

I mean, all it’s missing is a giant horse statue.

Ben and I were starving, so we ordered enough food for about 4 people, even though it was just the two of us (we have a problem). When you first sit down, they bring you chips (which were thinner than typical Mexican restaurants, but they were still good) and a trio of their salsas–traditional Mexican salsa, a mild salsa verde, and a spicy hot salsa. They were all tasty, although the “spicy” salsa was not very spicy at all. We started with the chile con queso (traditional dip made with melted, blended cheeses and fresh roasted Poblano and Anaheim chiles), which was good but tasted not unlike the Superbowl cheese dip you make with Velveeta and Rotel. I was kind of bummed (but not really surprised) that they used a yellow cheese instead of white, but that’s what we get for going to Mexican P.F. Chang’s.

I’m still trying to get the hang of my new cell phone camera.

Our second appetizer was the Jalapeño Cheese fritters (crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside. Deliciously delicate hand-breaded fritters, oozing with minced jalapeño and melted cheese. Served with ranch dressing), from their new “Tapas And Small Bites” menu. These were freaking delicious. I wish we would’ve nixed the cheese dip and gotten two orders of the fritters, because they were seriously so yummy. They also paired really well with the ranch dressing, and I loved the little container they came in.

Apparently, Fritters are the new “It” food. Which I’m totally ok with.

The cheese LITERALLY oozes out.

For my entree, I ordered the chicken nachos (Individual tortilla chips baked with cheese and topped with seasoned ground beef, shredded beef, chicken or refried beans in any combination. Served with sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo and jalapeño slices). I was really confused by the waiter’s follow up question, which was “Ok, did you want 5 or 10?” … what. I ordered 10, thinking I was only going to get 10 of the little tortilla chips like the ones on our table, but they turned out to be HUGE chips. Like, we’re talking taco shell-sized chips here. I definitely should’ve only gotten 5. The presentation was really pretty, but the nachos left a little something to be desired. And I definitely was not a fan of their guacamole, which had a paste like consistency to it (and flavor to match).

More like disappointment nachos.

Ben ordered The Grande combination plate (Three enchiladas – one beef, one cheese and one sour cream chicken – a cheese chile relleno, tamale, crispy beef taco and guacamole). I was surprised by how much I liked the tamale–it was flavorful and not on the dry side like tamales tend to be. The cheese enchilada was seriously cheesy. They definitely did not skimp on the cheese. It also came with beans and rice, which were very good as well (but not anything special). The only thing Ben wasn’t a huge fan of was the beef enchilada, which he said was kind of dry. We were both too full to even try the beef taco, which came on its own separate plate, so I have no idea how that was.

When they say “Grande,” they are not joking around.

All in all, I’d say we had a pleasant experience at Abuelo’s, but I’m not in any hurry to go back. Partly because of the food, but mostly because I hate Myrtle Beach. Plus, I really prefer more authentic Mexican food to Abuelo’s Tex-Mexican fare.

Also this creepy statue

Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy
740 Coastal Grand Cir
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 448-5533

1 Comments

Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week 5/27/13

May 28, 2013

What a weekend. I went to Myrtle Beach for the wedding of my amazing and beautiful roommate from my Dubai Study Abroad, Nichole. It was a beautiful ceremony on the beach, and the first wedding I’ve ever been in, so it was very special. It was also Memorial Day, so I’ll take this opportunity to thank the many service men and women who’ve given so much for this country.

This week’s quote comes from American author and cartoonist James Thurber, and I think it is a pretty spot-on description of my weekend.

“The most dangerous food is wedding cake ”
–James Thurber

I like how he’s rocking the inverted Rogue from X-Men hair do.

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Random Fodder

The Liebster Award and Some Stuff About Me

May 24, 2013

I was totally (and pleasantly!) surprised to find that my colleague (and someone I admire greatly and aspire to be like one day) Jenny Badman nominated me for the Liebster Award! Yay, awards!

Basically, the Liebster Award is a way for bloggers to share the blogs they read and love with others, which I think is super awesome. So when you get the award, you have to do 2 (technically 3) things. 1. You nominate other blogs for the award. 2. You answer a bunch of random, quirky questions and 3. You share 11 random things about yourself. So sit back and relax, and let’s do this thing.

Get excited.

What is your favorite book?

I’m so bad with picking favorites. I’m so indecisive, and my moods change so fast. Here are a couple books that I love. The entire Harry Potter series (Order of the Phoenix is my favorite); To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee; Bossypants, Tina Fey; Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Seth Grahame-Smith; The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood; My Father’s Dragon, Ruth Stiles Gannett; Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Douglas Adams; Water For Elephants, Sara Gruen …ok, I’ll stop there.

What is your greatest fear?

Well I’m afraid of 3 things. Two of them are pretty normal, the 3rd is a bit “out there.” 1. Clowns. 2. Tornados 3. Being in a car/train/airplane, falling asleep and then the car/train/plane crashes or something and I die and I don’t know that I’m dead. I realize how weird and morbid the 3rd one is, but I can’t help it. That’s why I rarely fall asleep while travelling.

If you could have one superpower what would it be?

Floo powder. I want to have floo powder. Which I guess is technically not a power, and more of an element, but I don’t care.

Ok, on second thought, fire scares me. Let’s just go with apparition.

What is the quality you are most proud of?

I really hate qualitative (no pun intended) questions like this. I guess that I’m proud of thoughtfulness? I like being able to help people out and pleasantly surprise them. Like Leslie Knope.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

When people refuse to try new food. I can’t stand picky people. It’s one thing if it came from a restaurant and you don’t want to try it, but if someone spent their time making something from scratch and you refuse to try it because you “don’t like avocado” or something equally lame, I’m pretty sure they’re reserving a special place for you in hell with all the other rude, selfish people. There are lots of foods that I thought I didn’t like until I actually tried them (see: tomatoes, beans, avocados, and sushi). One little bite to placate someone’s feelings isn’t going to kill you. Unless you’re allergic to shellfish and they’re serving shrimp, in which case you get a pass.

Who is your idol?

I’ll go ahead and be cliché here and say my mother. Tina Gallimore is a force to be reckoned with.

You don’t mess with Tina Gallimorski… she will CUT YOU.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

Oh God, where do I even begin. My brother would probably say it was the time my pants fell down in the middle of Ruby Tuesday’s. He tells that story pretty much anytime I introduce him to new people, which is annoying because it happened when I was in 5th grade or something like that.

Where do you draw inspiration for how you live your life?

My parents, my friends, fictional characters I admire, and Jennifer Lawrence.

If you could live in any era, which era would you choose?

I want to be 16 in 1980 and live through the 80’s. I love the 80’s. What a great time for music. And fashion

I really think I would’ve flourished in the 80’s.

If you could have lunch with ANYONE – living or dead – who would you choose?

Why do all of these questions have to be superlatives?! My catchphrase is like that old Lay’s slogan, only mine reads “Betcha can’t pick just one.” I want to pick one person from like 10 of eras and then have one amazing lunch where I learn all about the history of the world from people who were actually there to see it. Here’s my lunchtime Super Group lineup: Eve (the one from the Bible, not the rapper… although to be honest, I’d be fine with either), Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Queen Elizabeth I, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Freddie Mercury, Princess Diana, Will Smith, Tina Fey, and all of the Spice Girls.

What is your ultimate life goal?

I want to be a good friend, to make people laugh, to love and to be loved, and to see and do as much as I can before I die.

11 random things about me:

I can wiggle my eyeballs.
My favorite movie is the Princess Bride.
My go-to karaoke song is Don’t Stop Believing by Journey.
I have a scar on my forehead in basically the same spot as Harry Potter (but it’s not a lightning bolt).
I hate mushrooms.
I hoard board games. I own probably 50 different ones, and I’m constantly buying more.
I love gossip, but I’m terrible at keeping secrets.
Mario Batali tweeted at me once.
I’ve been to Dubai.
My favorite planet is Neptune. Don’t ask me why, because I have no reason for it.
Batman is my favorite superhero (and if you even try to argue that he’s not technically a superhero because he doesn’t have any super powers, I will light you on fire).

The final bit of this thing is to share the love with some other bloggers I love, so here you go. Please go check out these awesome blogs: Table Scraps, Greenville Bites, and Foodmancing The Girl.

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Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week 5/20/13

May 20, 2013

Well, I’m officially back to reality after almost 2 weeks of gluttonous indulgence. Was too afraid to step on the scale this morning because I know I’m not going to like what I see.

This week’s quote comes from French humorist Erma Bombeck, and highlights some pretty sage advice that I definitely did not follow whilst on my cruise.

“Never order food in excess of your body weight.”
–Erma Bombeck

That's pretty sage advice. I should really start putting it into practice more often.

I should really start putting that advice into practice more often.

Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week 5/13/13

May 13, 2013

I’m cruising somewhere in the caribbean right now, lounging under the sun, stuffing my face with free food. No new review or recipe on Friday, but here’s a quote to tide you over until my return.

“Ever eat so much you feel sick? Isn’t that the best?”
–Jim Gaffigan

This pipe is filled with bacon.

Recipes

Moroccan Chicken with Tomato Lentil Couscous

May 9, 2013

This is a guest recipe from my mom, since I’m going to be out of town for the next two weeks. Enjoy!

So I had a hankering for something Moroccan, because I’m obsessed with Moroccan food and found some ideas online. Violá, Moroccan Chicken Tina’s Way.

Ingredients

1 Bag of Perdue Frozen CHICKEN TENDERLOINS (the raw ones)
2 Envelopes from a box of SAZON GOYA SEASONINGS. This is found in the Hispanic section of any grocery store. Just use 2 envelopes from one box, not two boxes of the stuff for-crying-out-loud.
1 Large ONION, diced
4 Cloves of GARLIC, minced
4 CARROTS, diced
4 CELERY Stalks, diced
1 1/2 Tablespoons Ground GINGER
1 Teaspoon Ground PAPRIKA
1 Teaspoon Ground CUMIN
1 Teaspoon Dried OREGANO
1/2 Teaspoon Ground CAYENE PEPPER
1 Teaspoon Ground TURMERIC
OIL for sautéing. I use Canola. You use Olive.
1 (14.5 ounce) Can Swanson’s CHICKEN BROTH- or use whatever broth
2 Cans of GARBANZO BEANS
1 (8 ounce) Can TOMATO SAUCE
1 Box of Near East’s TOMATO LENTIL COUSCOUS

Instructions:

Slice open the top of the bag of CHICKEN and fill it with cool water. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

These flash frozen CHICKEN pieces do not need to be thawed to cook them but they need to be a little pliable to be able to chunk’em up without slicing off a finger.

After about 10 minutes, maybe 15. Chunk up those TENDERLOINS, and pop’em into a fry pan. Sprinkle on the SAZON GOYA SEASONING ENVELOPES and add enough OIL to sauté them for however long it takes til they’re done. Remove CHICKEN from the pan and set aside for a minute. We’ll get back to them.

To the frying pan add enough OIL to sauté the ONION, CELERY, CARROTS, & GARLIC til the CARROTS are tender ’cause they take the longest. Mix together the GINGER, PAPRIKA, CUMIN, OREGANO, CAYENE PEPPER, & TURMERIC. Sprinkle on these veggies. And sauté a minute longer.

Add the CHICKEN back into the frying pan. Mix everything up in there. Then add the CHICKEN BROTH, the GARBANZO BEANS and the TOMATO SAUCE. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Tomato-Lentil Couscous

Take a look at the Directions on the side of the box of Near East’s TOMATO-LENTIL COUSCOUS. (If this is more then you want to know then stop right here and make rice instead)

Ingredients (Sometimes it’s better not to know)

Couscous (Precooked Semolina), Precooked Lentils, Tomatoes (Dried), Salt, Autolyzed Yeast Extract (Dried), Molasses (Dried), Garlic (Dried), Onions(Dried), Paprika Spice Which Imparts Color, Natural Flavors, Honey (Dried), Celery (Dried), Spices, Calcium Chloride (Natural Source).

Directions (all of them)

Range Top: (This is the route I took)

1. In medium saucepan, combine 1- 1/2 cups water, 2 tsp. olive oil or butter and contents of spice sack.

2. Bring to a boil; stir in couscous.

3 Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

4. Fluff couscous lightly with fork before serving.

Makes 3 cups.

Microwave: (This is not the route I took)

1. In round 2 quart microwaveable glass casserole, combine 1 – 1/2 cups water, 2 tsp olive oil or butter and contents of spice sack.

2. Cover; microwave at High 5 to 6 minutes or until boiling.

3. Stir in couscous; cover. Let stand 5 minutes.

4. Fluff couscous lightly with fork before serving.

Low Fat: (This is also not the route I took)

Follow package direction, except omit olive oil or butter.

High Altitude: (Who are these people?)

Increase water to 1 – 2/3 cup and stand time to 7 minutes.

Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week 5/6/13

May 6, 2013

Hope everyone had a happy Cinco De Mayo! I didn’t do anything special except make way too much mexican food and watch Game of Thrones. This week’s quote comes from the book Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins, and pretty much sums up my feelings on Cinco de Mayo.

“Never underestimate how much assistance, how much satisfaction, how much comfort, how much soul and transcendence there might be in a well-made taco and a cold bottle of beer.”
–Tom Robbins

Get your hands off of my taco, or I’ll punch you with my rings on.

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

La Norteña

May 3, 2013

I have a new favorite mexican restaurant in Charleston. Technically, it’s in North Charleston, but it is 1000% worth the drive out to Rivers Avenue. Other than Real Mexico in Columbia, I think this is the freshest, most authentic tasting Mexican restaurant I’ve been to in a really long time… and I eat a lot of Mexican food.

Yeah, that’s pretty accurate.

I’ve been a bunch of times, so I have a lot of pictures to share. When you first get there, they bring you chips, salsa, and a plate with 4 different kinds of sauces. Many of them are spicy, so I’d recommend waiting until you have a drink in front of you before you try any of them. I really like the thicker red one, which has a nice smoky taste to it and the green goopy one because it isn’t spicy at all and is really refreshing and helps to put out the fire that the other start in your mouth.

The “goopy one” is the one at the very top, by the way.

When I went there last week with my dad, he wanted to try the shrimp cocktail, which came out more like a shrimp soup. It was served cold in a tomato sauce with pico de gallo, which kind of threw me off at first. I couldn’t really get over the cold tomato soup part, but the shrimp were cooked to perfection and tasted yummy. My dad said it was “very refreshing,” and ate the entire thing.

If the words “Cold Shrimp Soup” throw you off, you might not enjoy this.

We also tried the guacamole which came with 3 chicken taquitos, which was kind of cool. I liked the taquitos and ate pretty much all of them immediately. The guacamole was good, but not the best guacamole I’ve ever had. Definitely better than most mexican restaurants, though. You could tell it was pretty fresh.

Sorry for the poor quality. I was in a hurry to get to eatin’

We also tried some of the tacos, which ranged from your normal chicken, ground beef, and pork, to more unusual options, such as beef tongue (lengua), beef cheek (cabeza), and beef intestines (tripa). We ordered three- al pastor, cabeza, and lengua. I loved the al pastor, which ended up being my dad’s least favorite. We both really liked the beef tongue (lengua) tacos, which had the taste and consistency of pulled pork. My least favorite was the beef cheek, as it was just a little too dry for me.

I have to say, eating tongue was not as gross as I expected.

The first time we went, my mom ordered the barbacoa platter (marinated, shredded beef served with Mexican rice, refried beans, and a small salad), which I really liked, and I don’t usually like beef.

Also, they have amazing refried beans

Ben always gets the enchiladas verdes with chicken because those are his favorite, and I love to steal bites from his plate because they’re so yummy. They’re listed on the menu as “your choice of four enchiladas topped with green sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and queso fresco. Served with choice of salad on top or Mexican rice.” I don’t know what the green sauce is, but it’s delicious. Ben always gets the rice, which is really yummy. Lots of times Mexican rice can be really dry, but the rice at La Norteña is never dry and always very flavorful.

I promise there are enchiladas under all that sauce.

When Ben was visiting with his friends from Auburn, we took them to La Norteña and they each got burritos. The burritos there are huge and they have seemingly endless options on what to put in them. Everything from cheesesteak, to fajita meat, veggies, beans… you can even get a seafood one stuffed with octopus, shrimp, and scallops. They opted for the basic Burrito La Norteña (Made with refried beans, Mexican rice, lettuce, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and choice of meat filling) and raved about how delicious it was. Forgot to take a picture, so enjoy just screenshot from their menu.

Pixellated burrito!

I usually get the order al pastor (marinated, sliced pork and steak layered and slow-cooked on a rotisserie served with charro beans, sweet onions, cilantro, and soft tortillas). It’s my favorite thing and unlike anything I’ve eaten at other mexican restaurants. The charro beans (Delicious combination of bacon, chipotle sauce, beef franks, Mexican sausage, and onions) are like a Mexican version of beanie weenies, and are surprisingly good.

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve ordered this.

On my most recent visit, I decided to be more adventurous and get something other than al pastor, so I decided to try enchiladas poblanas (four enchiladas with choice of grilled chicken or steak, topped with poblano sauce and cheese. Served with choice of salad on top or Mexican rice), with chicken. The poblano sauce turned out to be a mole-like sauce (savory chocolate sauce) which was pretty good. My only issue with molé sauce is that I really want to like it, but in reality I usually don’t. This one was good, but I don’t think I’d ever order it again. If you like mole sauce, then I definitely recommend you order this.

I love chocolate, so I don’t understand why I don’t love mole sauce.

We also tried the Sopes once (specially made thick tortillas with your choice of meat with refried beans, tomato, lettuce, sour cream, and fresco cheese) with chicken, and it was good, but kind of strange. It was almost like eating a savory funnel cake.

Obviously I didn’t take this picture.

They also make pretty delicious margaritas. I tried a “Texana margarita” which is made with tequila and grand marnier, so it’s sweeter than your typical margarita. It was really good and they definitely give you your money’s worth of liquor.

It’ll get you drunk!

Basically La Norteña is fast becoming one of my favorite restaurants in Charleston. Even if I do have to drive all the way out to North Charleston to get there. Plus they have really awesome live music on Friday nights, and they have a special loyalty card where you buy 6 meals and your 7th one is free. How can you beat that?