I’ve long been a fan of Bay Street Biergarten’s party scene. They sure know how to throw a killer brunch and trivia night. I’ve been to so many events there, and they’ve all been even more fun than the last. So when I heard they were introducing some new menu items in honor of their 5th birthday, I was excited to say the least.

Almost as excited as when I found out this tiara exists.

The first thing(s) I sampled was the The Biergarten Experience (the full meat and haus boards served on a giant platter. Serves 8 – 10, $40). And let me tell you, it was an experience. So you’ve got smoked wings, smoked ribs, smoked kielbasa, pickled veggies, a giant soft pretzel, pimento cheese bites, freaky taters, and the BSB Spatzle. Phew. It was all delicious, so instead of doing everything individually, I’m just going to highlight my faves: the freaky taters (tater tots topped with smoked cheese sauce, demi-glace, bacon jam, green onions) are always a winner, as are the pimento cheese bites and the soft pretzel. The BSB spätzle (spätzle, sautéed spinach, mushrooms, onions, smoked cheese sauce, smoked kielbasa, pretzel breadcrumbs, asiago cheese, served with fried pita chips) was basically like spatzle mac and cheese, and it was probably my breakout favorite of the entire board.

Ok, who’s on my squad to conquer this next time?

Because we hadn’t gotten enough pretzel, we also tried the Pretzel Bombs (Haus made daily, pretzel balls stuffed with sausage and white cheddar cheese, served over smoked cheese sauce with Lusty Monk mustard, $12). These made my tastebuds so happy! They were nice and doughy and soft and I loved the smoked cheese sauce and the sharpness of the mustard.

Is there such a thing as too much pretzel?!

One of their new sandwiches was really intriguing and tasty. The Beary Club (smoked turkey, bacon, avocado, swiss, blueberry jam, bibb lettuce, tomato, semolina, $14) was unexpectedly good. The blueberry jam, avocado, and swiss went really well together, and the bacon added a nice bit of crunch. This is something I’d definitely order again next time.

It was beary good.

I’m not normally a fan, but their Reuben (smoked pastrami, kraut, pickles, swiss, Lusty Monk mustard, remy, dark rye, $14) was actually pretty addictingly tasty. I loved the combo of the spicy mustard with sharp swiss and smokiness of the pastrami.

And dat potato salad, tho.

Because we needed to balance all those carbs with some veggies, I also tried a bit of their new Summer Spinach Salad (spinach, candied walnuts, blueberries, strawberries, feta cheese, red onions, champagne vinaigrette, $13). It was definitely very summery tasting with all the fruit, and honestly refreshing after the sea of brown foods I’d just ingested.

My body: VEGETABLES THANK GOD
Me: can we order more pretzels for the table? mmkthanks

The Nürnberger (two traditional german brats, garlic aioli, kraut, pickled onion, side of mustard, hoagie, choice of side $10) is their newest option under “brats & sausages.” Brats in general are not my favorite, and although this was definitely a good combination of flavors, a brat sandwich is just not necessarily my cup of tea. If you’re into that sort of thing, you’d probably enjoy it.

It wasn’t the wurst.

And if you’re ever there during brunch, I’d like to recommend their Chicken and Waffles (fried chicken, Belgian waffles, bacon, green tomato jam, hickory syrup, side of fresh fruit, $13). I’m normally just kinda meh about chicken and waffles, but I’m really a fan of their, especially if they’re being offered in sandwich form, which they occasionally do at their themed brunches.

Brunch isn’t a game. It’s a way of life.

So while this might not be the most authentic German cuisine you could eat, it’s pretty tasty for what it is, and you’re pretty much guaranteed a good time when you go.

Bay Street Biergarten
549 E Bay St,
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 266-2437

When it was announced that one of my favorite restaurants, Burwell’s, was opening up a rooftop seafood restaurant, I was pumped as hell. I went in to try it with my bar set really high, knowing already what the Burwells team was capable of accomplishing. I’m happy to say that Balao (pronounced Buh-Lay-Oh) met and exceeded my already high expectations. Let’s talk about everything I ate, shall we? (Just keep in mind that they change up the menu daily, so what I had might not be on the menu when you visit!)

The men behind the magic.

First up, it’s pretty much impossible to hang out on a rooftop bar without a drink in hand, so I started with the Summer Rose cocktail (pureed, rosé-soaked watermelon, tequila, elderflower liquer, mint, topped with sparkling rosé, $11). For as sweet as it sounds like it would be, it was actually super pleasant and very drinkable.

Summer rose, makes me feel fine…

Next up, a group of us split the Ahi Tuna Nachos (poblano queso, blackened tuna, guacamole, corn pico, pintos, chiles, crema, $18), and holy shitsnacks were they good. That poblano queso is something else! It’s the perfect combo of cheesy and smoky. My favorite part is that they layer the toppings throughout the chips, so you’d be hard-pressed to find a naked chip in the stack.

Naked chips are the bane of my existence.

Next up was the Ceviche (fresh catch, mango, chiles, cucumber, celery, cilantro, onion, fresh citrus, $15), which was like summertime in a bowl. It was served with more of the delish chips from the nachos (minus all those toppings, obvious). It was super fresh and refreshing and made me feel really healthy.

Luckily, I ate a crap ton of tortilla chips to cancel out the healthiness of the dish.

After that, we of course had to get some Roasted SC Oysters (ramp butter and herbed bread crumbs, $15). I’ll basically order anything on a menu if there are ramps involved and these oysters were buttery and garlicky and so decadent. Even if you’re not normally a fan of oysters, you should give these a try!

I’m a tramp for ramps! #TrampForRamps

Our next drink was the The Irie (Dark Rum, Frangelicao, Coconut water, Pineapple, Cinnamon, House Falernum, $11) which almost tasted like the tropical cousin of a Dark & Stormy. It was a little dark for my tastes, but if you’re into dark rum, you’d definitely enjoy this drink.

Anything with a roasted pineapple on it is gonna be delicious.

We followed up drinks with the Louie Sandwich (shrimp, Rouille Louie sauce, bibb lettuce, tomato, fresh shallot, (1) $9 or (2) for $17). These were basically like a really delicious shrimp roll served on the softest grilled bread you can imagine.

There’s a lot of shrimp hiding under those veggies, trust me.

We also ordered some Calamari (baby arugula, banana peppers, bresaola and soft cheese, $12), which typically isn’t my favorite, but I actually really enjoyed it! There was enough going on with the dish that I didn’t feel overwhelmed by all the breading and distinct “fried” taste that calamari always seems to have.

Who knew soft cheese and fried cephalopod went so well together??

Our final drink was the Lime In The Coconut (Rum, Coco Lopez, Lime, served frozen, $10), which was BY FAR my favorite, and tasted like the beach. I especially liked that it tasted fresh and not cloying like a lot of frozen beachy cocktails do. This was only the good stuff, people.

Gotta love a little narcissism (also, thanks Cookin With Booze for the stellar photo)

Our final dish of the night was the quintessential Charleston dish, Shrimp and Grits (SC white shrimp, black grits, yum yum peppers, duck tasso gravy, ramps, $15). Yay, more ramps! Also, I love that Balao put their own spin on it by including the black grits (which get their color from squid ink) and a duck gravy, which was super unusual. And the shrimp were huge and sweet (the way they should be). The whole dish was really well-balanced and a definite crowd pleaser.

Don’t be afraid of squid ink, guys, it just makes the grits a little brinier.

Now that the weather’s warming up, you should mosey on down to Balao and enjoy the rooftop with a few cocktails and snacks (again, if you don’t get the tuna nachos, I don’t know if we can stay friends).

If you need me, I’ll be hanging here all summer.

Balao
16 North Market Street
Charleston, SC 29401, US
843-737-8703

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of brunching at On Forty One in Mount Pleasant, Chef Brannon Florie’s post-Granary home. Living on Johns Island, it’s a bit of a trek for me to come out this way, but boy oh boy was it worth the drive!

Seriously worth it!

My besties from Atlanta were visiting, so we treated brunch like the sacred meal it was by ordering… pretty much everything on the menu. We started with a few brunch drinks, the Classic Bloody Mary ($5), the Spicy Bloody Mary ($5), and a Mimosa ($3). The mimosa was delicious, especially for it being only $3. This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever actually enjoyed a bloody mary, so that’s really high praise.

But I’ll probably still stick to Mimosas.

Sean and Christine both loved their bloody marys, as seen by this unnecessarily necessary photographic evidence.

Friends who brunch together stay together, amirite.

We started with our first appetizer (because duh we ordered more than 1) of the Deviled Eggs (three house bacon, three smoked salmon and capers, $8). They were a perfect starter to the meal, as they were light and refreshing. I personally preferred the bacon ones, but the salmon ones were also good (these were Christine’s eggs of choice as I’m pretty sure she’s actually part salmon at this point).

They were so pretty I almost felt bad for inhaling them in 1 single bite… almost.

Our second appetizer was the Totchos (tater tots, gravy, salsa, sour cream, jalapenos, smoked pork, $12) because I can never say no to tots. These were absolutely fantastic. The tots were nice and crunchy and didn’t get soggy despite being covered in delicious gravy. The pork was perfectly smoked, and the toppings themselves varies in texture and flavor in a way that made every bite blend harmoniously.

I would order these again at any time of the day.

For a third appetizer (don’t judge us, y’all) we decided to try something completely different, with the Strawberry Toast (House orange ricotta, maple honey, mint, $10) and I’m soooo glad we did! It was a huge hunk of toast that was nice and crispy, topped with super creamy orange ricotta, with just a light drizzle of the maple honey. Together it was 100x better than any other fruit toast I’ve had before (including avocado), and I’m not sure Christine has quite recovered from it yet.

Although TBH I’m not sure I’m over it yet either.

Finally, we moved on to the entrees. I opted for our waiter’s recommendation, the Fried Catfish (buttermilk biscuit, soft scrambled egg, pork belly gravy, $15), which although a bit out of my comfort zone, was a stellar recommendation. The fish was mild and crispy, and the breading was light and flavorful. The pork belly gravy is perfection, and I’m glad they weren’t stingy with it. And the biscuits were flaky, butter, and a standout all on their own.

Just go ahead and jar that gravy for me to take home and put on everything, kthanks.

Sean opted for the Country Fried Steak and Eggs (Tater tot hash, pepper gravy, sunny eggs, $16) which was decadent, but also delicious. The steak, much like the catfish, was lightly breaded and smothered in pepper gravy, and I personally would order anything if it came with more of these tots.

Tots for President, 2020.

Christine kept it classic by ordering the BEC Sandwich (brioche, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, fried eggs, basil pesto mayo, spinach, home fries, $13). I liked that they added the basil pesto mayo, which gave it a fresh spin and set it apart from other BEC sandwiches. The downside is that it makes the bread soggy, so you’ll want to eat fast!

Which is not really a problem for us.

Instead of the homefries, Christine opted to switch them out for the Geechie Boy Grits (cheddar, monterey jack, $5 as a side), which were some of the cheesiest and creamiest grits ever.

And served in a mini cast iron skillet.

Because somehow we weren’t potatoed out yet (is there such a thing?), we also tried a side of the Truffle Fries (parmesan, smoked tomato ketchup, $7), which were also amazing. The truffle was really light and perfectly harmonized with the parmesan cheese. The fries themselves were thin and crispy while still being potatoey inside.

I don’t think I’ll ever potato out.

Whether you live in Mount Pleasant or not, you should definitely make the trip out to On Forty One, because Chef Florie is a magical kitchen genius. I can’t wait to come back for dinner!

On Forty One
1055 SC Highway 41 #600
Mt. Pleasant, SC, 29466
843-352-9235