Charleston, SC Archives - Page 7 of 9

Crave Kitchen & Cocktails

March 29, 2013

The first time I visited Crave was June of 2011 with my mom for Sean’s birthday (and because I had a Groupon). I remember it was really delicious, so I don’t really know why it took me so long to go back again. Probably because it’s all the way out by the Isle of Palms connector and I rarely venture out in that direction if I can avoid it. Both Crave and its executive chef, Landen Ganstrom follow me on twitter, and tweet at me pretty much anytime I post anything food related, (ie “Looking for somewhere to eat lunch in Charleston,” etc) with suggestions, which can be really helpful.

Plus, those are some excellent suggestions.

After I saw that Crave won “Most Life-Changing Mac and Cheese in America” from Esquire Magazine, you can bet they shot to the top of my list of restaurants to try. I had their mac and cheese at the Mac Off in October where they won People’s Choice Best Macaroni and Cheese, and it definitely stood out from the crowd.

It’s especially good with pulled pork or brisket!

So I dragged Becca out there last Saturday for lunch to try it for ourselves. I started with the Macaroni and Cheese, which I reluctantly shared with Becca, and I have to say, it was pretty damn delicious. It reminded me of that Mitch Hedburg joke “Fettucini alfredo is macaroni and cheese for adults,” because it had a similar flavor. I was almost tempted to cancel my entree and just get another order of the macaroni, but I had just enough self-control to resist.

Creamy, cheddary, deliciousness.

Becca got the Greek dip to start (Creamy garlic hummus and Mediterranean olive tapenade, served with flat bread and mixed greens topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese), which I gladly shared with her. We were surprised at how good the hummus was. For some reason, I was expecting it to be really generic tasting, but it was actually really yummy. I don’t do olives, but Becca said she loved the olive tapenade.

Gosh, I love hummus.

For my entree, I went with the turkey club (oven-Roasted half pound turkey club served with toasted ciabatta bread, apple wood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and cajun remoulade), which was outstanding. You could really tell that the turkey was fresh and not lunchmeat out of a package. It was thick and flavorful and so good. I also love that the bacon was nice and crispy. I hate when restaurants serve chewy, rubbery bacon. This was perfect. And the cajun remoulade was the perfect condiment. The sandwich just went together really well. I got a side salad to accompany my club (to try and cancel out some of the damage I did with the Mac), with the lemon vinaigrette which was good also. It had olives, feta cheese, and cucumbers on it, and it was really good for a side salad, but I wouldn’t say that it blew me away at all. Then again, it’s really difficult to get me excited about a salad, no matter how good it is.

I wish they delivered downtown. I’d eat that sandwich every day.

Becca got the “Wedge salad” (local Butter lettuce with Humbolt Fog Blue Cheese, Duroch pork lardons, crisp fresh red onions, apples and a cracked black pepper and dill dressing), which more accurately should be called a “butter lettuce salad with a wedge of bleu cheese.” She liked it, but was a little disappointed that it wasn’t actually a wedge of lettuce.

I, however, think all “wedge salads” should actually be a wedge of cheese and a side of lettuce.

For dessert, I was really excited to try the Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake that they tweeted me about a couple weeks ago when I was looking for a dessert place in Charleston. It’s a “rich Gluten-free chocolate cake with salted homemade caramel butter crème and sea salt chocolate frosting topped with caramel drizzle.” It was, in the words of my mother, “The Bomb.” It was so yummy. I don’t think I would’ve known it was gluten-free if they hadn’t specified it on the menu. I loved that it was sweet without making me feel like I had diabetes by the second bite (I’m looking at you, Applebee’s). They have a bunch of other desserts that look good, too, like Baked Alaska, Seared Pear, Hot Fudge Snickers, Coconut Cake, and an array of ice cream. I definitely know where to go next time I’m looking for dessert.

Omigosh, it’s so good.

I also see that they have a bunch of options that are gluten-free, paleo, and cross-fit friendly for people like me who are trying (keyword here being TRYING) to eat healthier. Despite the fact that our service wasn’t really that great and I really wish they had a better website, the food more than made up for any issues I may have had. I highly recommend stopping by Crave whenever you’re out in Mount Pleasant or Isle of Palms.

Now, I’m CRAVING Crave! hyuck hyuck

Crave Kitchen & Cocktails
1968 Riviera Dr
Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
(843) 884-1177

1 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

The Owl, Greenville, SC [CLOSED]

March 22, 2013

This review comes to you from my amazing mother, Tina. She’s beautiful and crazy and has relatively good taste (most of the time). Here goes!

…And this is one of her BETTER moments.

Sydney posted a link on my Facebook wall the other day for a write-up from a Greenville food blogger about a new restaurant in called The Owl on Pleasantburg Road. The article made it look so good we decided to go there for dinner that same day. After reading the reviews we thought it would be packed, but luckily for us, 5:30 on a Tuesday evening must be the calm before the storm, because we were their only customers for a while.

The bar scene has definitely been kicked up a few notches. We had visited this building a number of years ago when it was a private club known as Gumby’s. Though it’s a small place and sparsely decorated, this once shabby tavern has been transformed into a chic establishment. I really like the cool bar stools and open kitchen.

The atmosphere was pretty neat. I like that it was really simple in the way of decor. Each of the tables had different color candle holders and a nice cold bottle of water.

I was really looking forward to trying some of the stuff mentioned in the blog post we read, but when we looked at the menu, none of the dishes we read about were actually on the menu. Apparently their menu changes seasonally, so what you see here might not actually be on the menu when you visit.

The menu is made up of appetizers, “small plates,” and full-plated entrees. We started with the Fruit Plate and the Lamb Meatball Plate. The Lamb Meatball plate wasn’t considered an appetizer, but it could have been and we were curious. The Lamb Meatballs were scrumptious. I loved the duck fat mashed potatoes. Not sure on what the sauce was on top. Looked like a mustard or a cheese but was neither. The pistachio pieces on top made the whole thing look pretty. Tasted wonderful. Interestingly, while eating it as I first bite into a pistachio piece I thought I was a seed or shell because I forgot there where nuts on it and that threw me off at first. You don’t think about nuts when chewing on a meatball. But altogether it was fantastic.

This is the Fruit Plate. Not what I pictured, but tasted amazing. I could eat this all day long. The pear and parsnip slices were warm, the nuts pieces were toasted and the ricotta was cool and creamy. It was simple, but the flavors came together really well. I’d go back for the fruit plate alone, it was that good.

For my entree, I ordered the steak well done. I know I’m “not supposed to do that” but that’s how I like it, and I’m the one who has to eat it, so just deal with it. Lots of places have problems cooking steaks well done, but The Owl cooked my steak just the way I like it. It came with Fried Brussels Sprouts which were the bomb. I should cook my Brussell Sprouts like this forever. The pile of cheese and mound of butter tied everything together. This can only be described as a mouthful of yummy flavor.

Russ got the Pasta Pomodoro, with something called “parmesan foam,” whatever that is. I have to say that The Pasta Pomodoro was my least favorite thing. I tried it once, went about eating my steak, then tried it again and I have to say–it did not get any better. I wanted it to be yummy. It looked yummy. It wasn’t so yummy. I don’t know if it was the Hazelnut, or “basil chip” or something in the spice department but the taste wasn’t where it could/should have been. Maybe this for someone else’s palate but not mine.

The service was wonderful. Everyone was very welcoming. The Chef even came out to thank us for stopping by…And stopping by is what we will do again and again. Can’t wait for the new menu change to try new and exciting entrees and revisit a few favorites. A very enjoyable dining experience.

The Owl
728 Wade Hampton Blvd
Greenville, SC 29609
(864) 252-7015

4 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Crust Wood Fired Pizza

March 15, 2013

I love pizza. There’s nothing better than a hot, cheesy, slice of really good pizza. One of the great things about pizza is that when it’s good, it’s great. And when it’s bad (i.e. Papa Johns or Domino’s)…it’s still pretty good. I prefer pizza that either has a thick, garlicky crust, or a thin, crispy crust that has that fresh-baked-bread taste and texture that can’t be beat. Well… all this pizza talk has me salivating over my keyboard. I really have to find a salad joint to review.

OMG pizza salad. How is that not a thing??

A couple Saturdays ago, I chose to try out Crust Wood Fired Pizza on James Island with Becca. It’s a cute little spot with an open kitchen and a chalkboard wall on which they write the daily specials. Their menu is very simple, which I like, and yet I still had a hard time choosing, since everything looked so delicious. We started with the arancini (fried risotto balls). I was hoping they were going to be like the giant ones I had in Boston, so I was slightly disappointed when they were only the size of golfballs. They were good, but lacking something, though I’m not sure what. They were served with this “simple tomato sauce” which I absolutely loved. You can definitely tell it was homemade.

Yummy, cheesy rice balls

Becca also got the handcut fries served with rosemary aioli and topped with some “grana padano” which our waiter (who was a dead ringer for Joey Lawrence) described as “like parmesan cheese but BETTER.” I thought it just tasted like parmesan cheese, which apparently means I’m uncultured. But whatever, I can’t be perfect at EVERYTHING. The fries were delicious, and I loved that they tasted like rosemary. Though I’m not European enough to be totally comfortable with dipping french fries into mayonnaise, the rosemary aioli was freaking good.

I know what you’re thinking, and yes we did eat the whole basket.

Then we each ordered pizzas because we thought maybe we should have some more carbs with our carbs. I really wanted to order all of them, because they all looked amazing. Next time I’m definitely going to try the chicken and bacon pizza (spinach, sundried tomato, caramelized onions, goat cheese, mozzarella, grana padano). I ended up getting the Bianca, a white pizza with fontina, mozzarella, grana padano, garlic, and rosemary. I added crispy prosciutto because I wanted some meat on that mother, and I think I definitely made the right choice. It was hella good.

This pizza is divine. Just the right amount of char.

Becca was a little more adventurous and got their butternut pizza with roasted butternut squash, mushrooms, caramelized onions, goat cheese, mozzarella, arugula, and truffle oil. I tried one slice and immediately regretted not ordering it. Seriously, I know it sounds weird, but it was really good. My mom wasn’t a fan, however. She thought it was awful. To each his own, I guess.

It’s not a pizza salad, it’s a salad pizza!

I hope this place stays open for a while, I really want to keep going back. It’s so good! If I get around to trying that Chicken & Bacon one, I’ll let you know! UPDATE-I did get the Chicken and Bacon, and it was really good. Probably my new favorite.

I’m digging the sign

Crust Wood Fired Pizza
1956 B Maybank Hwy.
Charleston, SC 29412
(843) 762-5500

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Fire Street Food

March 8, 2013

Dude, I freaking love Fire. I eat here once a week. Sometimes twice. It’s kind of a problem. In fact, I think Blue Ion is single handedly keeping them in business (anytime you want to start giving us that discount, would be great!). In fact, I’m using all of my self control to not walk the twenty feet across the street to go get some curry right now. Seriously, I’m addicted. Although I do occasionally miss Tacone, I’m so glad it replaced that weird “Burger Babies” place that I never actually tried because the name freaked me out.

Basically what I pictured every time I heard “Burger Babies.” …gross

First of all, while I’ve never actually ordered the pad thai, I’ve mooched enough off of other people to know that it’s good. It’s not necessarily the best pad thai I’ve ever had, but it’s tasty and flavorful and when you’re craving pad thai, this will definitely do the trick.

I’m glad I have friends who put up with me taking pictures of their food all the time.

My favorite thing at Fire is the curry. Specifically the Red curry. It’s my kryptonite. It’s so damn good, there simply aren’t enough words in the English language for me to accurately convey how much I love this stuff. I know everyone in Charleston freaks out over Basil, but I’ll take Fire’s Red Curry over Basil’s EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. Seriously. I’d eat it 7 days straight. Ben likes the yellow curry best, and the green is good too, but red is definitely my favorite.

OMG. I want this right now. RIGHT NOW.

I went there once craving a sandwich, and got their fried fish sandwich with sweet spicy mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, pickles, and avocado. It was delicious. If I wasn’t on a diet, I’d eat that sandwich all the time. It’s very fresh and I love that they have all these great, flavorful veggies on it.

“Hey sweet thang, can I buy you a fish sandwich?”

They also have burgers, chicken sandwiches, and sushi so it’s the perfect spot to go with friends or a date who’s not into curry (although the space is a bit cramped, so you might consider taking your food to go). Basically, try this place. It’s straight up deloycious.

I’m honestly a little surprised that I’m not in this picture.

Fire Street Food
293 King St
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 641-0152

2 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Coleman Public House

March 1, 2013

I actually ate at Coleman Public House back in November, but I’m only just now getting the chance to review it. Sorry about that. I’m kind of lazy. But, I digress. I first heard about CPH in the City Paper in last year’s Best of Charleston where they were voted “Coma-Inducing Skillet of Cheesy Goodness.” Sounds like my kind of restaurant. Plus they reference The Hunger Games on Facebook. What’s not to love?

I’m a sucker for anything Hunger Games

I was able to get a taste of their mac and cheese at the Mac Off in October, and it was delicious. So I was super pumped to go visit. The parking lot was crowded and we ended up having to park in the shopping center next door, so we thought it was going to be super crowded, but it wasn’t actually that bad and we were seated immediately. I started out with a 4 beer flight sample of Fort Collins Chocolate Stout, Van Den Bossche Buffalo Belgian Stout, O’Dempsey’s Big Red, and Railhouse Honey Wiess. I liked all of them except for the Honey Weiss which was way too sweet. I think the O’Dempsey’s Big Red was my favorite.

Big Red, Honey Weiss, One of the Stouts, The Other Stout.

We started with two appetizers because we have a really hard time making decisions and couldn’t narrow it down to one. But I’m really glad we chose the two of them because they were really yummy. The first one was duck confit taquitos (Duck Confit, Queso Fresco, Crispy Yellow Corn Tortillas, Tomatillio & Avocado Salsa). They were sooo yummy, although I’m not sure I would have liked them as much without the avocado salsa. It really tied the whole dish together.

I’m really into instagram.

Our second appetizer was Mini Lamb Burgers (Ground Lamb, Spices, Onion Chutney, Pickles, Tzatziki Sauce) which were seriously good. They tasted like gyros, but better. I think next time I might order them as an entree and just get a side of mac and cheese, because they were soooo good.

Also, I’m really into lamb right now.

For our entrees, we got the fungi burger (Gruyere, Roasted Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, White Truffle Oil) which he was really excited about since he loves mushrooms. He was a little disappointed once it actually arrived, saying it wasn’t really as flavorful as the appetizers had been and while the burger was good, he had really been hoping for something outstandingly delicious. He did like the truffle & parmesan fries though.

More like nomburger

I debated for a while between the caprese burger (Fresh Mozzarella, Vine Ripe Tomato, Pesto, Balsamic Reduction), the black and bleu burger (bleu cheese, vine ripe tomato, fried onion strings…it’s not on the menu anymore, so I’m just spitballing here), and the barnyard burger (Goat Cheese, Oven Roasted Tomato, Fresh Spinach, Caramelized Onions). Our waitress talked me into getting the Black and Bleu burger, which I ordered with a side of their smoked gouda mac and cheese (Smoked Gouda, Parmesan, Pecan Smoked Bacon, White Truffle Oil) in place of fries. The mac and cheese was damn good. The burger was also a little disappointing. There was just too much going on. Plus their buns are huge, so there’s this overwhelming ratio of bread to burger. Plus, I think maybe I just don’t like bleu cheese as much as I think I do.

God, that mac and cheese looks amazing.

We were both super stuffed, so we ended up opting out of dessert. All in all, I’d say CPH is definitely worth going back to. Maybe next time I might just order a bunch of appetizers with my mac and cheese, or maybe try some of their homemade flatbreads. I would definitely recommend trying this delicious pub if you’re ever in Mount Pleasant!

Now all I can think about is that mac and cheese

Coleman Public House
427 W Coleman Blvd
Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
(843) 416-8833

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

The Macintosh

January 25, 2013

Restaurant Week is usually my favorite time of the year. A chance to get a sampling of some of the best that Charleston restaurants have to offer without totally breaking the bank. This year, I was in charge of picking the group restaurant. After reading a Yahoo! article that declared The Macintosh one of the Best New Restaurants of 2012, I decided that’s where we should go. Unfortunately, the evening started off bad, and never really went up from there. I made reservations for 9:45 Friday night. I got there 10 minutes early and was told that our table had paid, they were just waiting for them to get up before we could be seated. Fast forward 45 minutes later and we’re finally told we can sit down. No apology. No comped beverages or appetizers. Just a flippant “thanks for waiting,” as they showed us to our table.

This restaurant. I hate it.

So as we’re sitting at the table, I’m unhappy, tired, and hungry. Then comes our waiter, who was surly and unhelpful for most of the meal, going as far as to scold us when we stacked up our menus after ordering (you know, to try and make his job easier)… “No, don’t do that. Just leave them there, I’ll come around the table and get them.” Right. Ok. Then he was constantly reaching over us to pick things up or put things down, and not a single time did he say “pardon my reach.” Normally this wouldn’t bother me, except I’m at a restaurant where I’m paying $28 and up for entrees, I expect some top notch service. Then he just disappeared for a while, we don’t know where he went. Basically, he was just terrible.

In the words of Stephanie Tanner “How rude!”

They were very clever with their restaurant week menu. Instead of just giving us a menu with the restaurant week items on it, they gave us the full menu with the restaurant week menu items underlined. Very smart on their part, since only 2 of the 7 people in our party ended up ordering from the restaurant week offerings. It was also kind of annoying that although their menu stayed the same throughout the week, they changed up the items that were part of the 3 for $30 promotion (so if we’d have come on Thursday or Saturday night, we might have had a better selection…basically we lost the food lottery).

Not unlike Tantalus

To start, I got the pork ravioli (Country Ham, Shiitake Mushroom, Creamed Lacinato Kale). Honestly, I only got it because it was the most expensive of the appetizers, and I wanted to get my money’s worth. It was actually spectacular. If I’d just gotten a big plate of those, I would’ve been perfectly happy. Bennett got the crispy pork belly (Pole Beans, Marcona Almonds, Radish, Lardo Vinaigrette) even though he opted out of the 3 for $30 special, and it was also outstanding. Naringa got the salad of carrots (Ginger, Golden Raisins, Ricotta Cheese, Asian Greens, Candied Spiced Nuts) which she really liked, but I never in a million years would’ve ordered.

In a battle of Pork vs Carrots, pork wins every time.

For the entree I got the grilled Local Triggerfish (Anson Mills’ Sea Island Cape Beans, Red Quinoa, Kennerty Farm’s Mustard Greens, Dashi Broth). It was good, but I think they undercooked the beans which was disappointing. Or maybe I’ve just never had beans cooked correctly? Are they supposed to be cooked al dente like pasta? I don’t know. Naringa opted for the Crispy Duck Leg (Golden Beets, Pickled Mustard Seed, Chestnuts, Winter Greens, Celeriac Goat Cheese Puree), which she really seemed to like. The only other Restaurant Week entree was a Winter Vegetable Plate (Carolina Gold Rice Grits, Seasonal Vegetables, Mushrooms, Butternut Squash) which I’m sure was delicious, but for the red-blooded american boys and girls I was eating with, it left something to be desired. Everyone else opted to get “The Mac” 8oz House Ground Burger (Aged Cheddar, Nueske’s Bacon, Pecorino Truffle Frites), which was good but not better than many of the other burgers you can get around Charleston.

Beans served al dente.

For dessert, I got the caramelized banana and peanut butter chocolate tart, which was really yummy and tasted like a banana Reese’s cup. I liked it a lot, although it was very rich. Naringa got some kind of apple something that was really yummy. Bennett caved in and got the sticky buns dessert with some kind of liquor glaze, I want to say bourbon, but I’m not sure.

This was also delicious.

I got two cocktails while I was there, one was really good and the other was God awful. The Honey Badger (Jack Daniels Honey, housemade chai, orange bitters, almond milk) is possibly the worst cocktail I’ve ever tried. DO NOT GET IT. Unless you’re really into whiskey and chai, in which case you’re gonna love it. The Little Italy (Luxardo, Cinzano, prosecco, lemon) was delicious and almost made up for the first cocktail.

This isn’t it, but this is the closest thing I could find. DON’T ORDER THE HONEY BADGER.

At the end of the meal they tacked on an automatic 20% gratuity for our waiter (who did NOT deserve it), even though it said nowhere on the menu that they automatically tack on gratuity, nor did they mention it on the phone when I made my reservations. So that was annoying. All in all, I’d say I might give them a second chance (not during restaurant week ever again), but I definitely wasn’t as impressed as I expected to be.

From their website. Also, this was the table at which we were sitting.

The Macintosh
479 King St, Charleston, SC 29403

(843) 789-4299

3 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Ali Baba Mediterranean Cuisine – CLOSED

January 18, 2013

I love Mediterranean food. I could eat it every day of the week. My favorite Mediterranean restaurant in Charleston (and probably all of South Carolina) is Ali Baba Mediterranean restaurant in Mount Pleasant. It’s awesome, and really reasonably priced. I thought I really liked Pomegranate in Greenville, but Pomegranate can’t even hold a candle to Ali Baba (and Taziki’s shouldn’t even be considered “Mediterranean food.”)

That’s like calling Taco Bell “authentic mexican cuisine.” The only difference being that Taco Bell is delicious, and Taziki’s is not.

We always order the Ali Baba dinner for two, which is an appetizer sampler platter, a meat sampler tray, tons of rice, unlimited delicious pita bread, and a dessert sampler for $39.99. Really there’s enough food for 3/4 people, because we always have enough leftover for dinner the next night. Which is really good, because I’m super lazy and it’s gosh darn delicious.

I am the person equivalent of a cat.

The interior of the restaurant is nothing fancy. White walls, some mediterranean-inspired artwork hanging, hookas lining the bar area (I’m assuming you can smoke hookah there, but I’ve never done it), some clutter around the bar area… It feels like you’re eating at someone’s home, rather than in a restaurant, which I personally like. And now to the food. The appetizer plate consists of hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, tabouli, and Jerusalem salad (cucumber, tomatoes, onion, green peppers in tahini). The hummus is awesome, and the falafel is the best I’ve ever eaten. I don’t really love baba ganoush, but I actually like it at Ali Baba. As for the tabouli, I just am not a fan of it on its own, but I think it’s okay on stuff. To each his own, I suppose.

Also, the falafel is amazing. Seriously amazing.

Barely got a picture before it was all gone.

The meat plate is my favorite thing. It’s what I imagine they serve in heaven. Shawirma, kibby, kofta, grape leaves, and even more falafel served over a huge mountain of curried rice. It’s seriously good. I always ask for a side of tahini, and then build little stuffed pita sandwiches out of everything on the tray. It’s the best. The shawirma is amazing, it’s unlike anything I’ve had elsewhere.

This would be part of my last meal request.

We also order the stuffed zucchini plate, which is zucchini stuffed with rice and beef in a tomato sauce. It’s so yummy, and I love having that tomato sauce to dip other stuff into (especially the grape leaves). It’s my mother’s favorite thing to order. I think it’s really interesting as it’s unlike anything else I’ve had before (and I mean that in a good way!)

That sauce is amazing. I have no idea what it is, but it’s delicious.

The desserts are good, but they’re not my favorite. There’s the baklava (which I like best of the two), which is filo dough stuffed with pistachios, cinnamon, and honey sauce, and the Burma, which is noodle strings filled with pistachios and honey sauce. They’re yummy, I’m just not a huge fan of pistachios.

Forgot to take a picture, so I stitched 2 of them together from Google Images.

I definitely recommend Ali Baba if you enjoy Mediterranean food. If you’re not hungry enough for the dinner for two, you have to at least order the shawirma and falafel. Those are the best things.

Probably my #3 favorite restaurant in Charleston.

Ali Baba Mediterranean Cuisine
920 Houston Northcutt Boulevard #2
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
(843) 388-0683

3 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Tattooed Moose

December 14, 2012

Anyone who knows me knows that “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” is one of my favorite shows. Every time I travel to a new city, I look to see if Guy Fieri has been to any of the restaurants in that town. Now, I don’t mean to sound like a hipster, but I ate at (and loved) Tattooed Moose long before Guy Fieri ever did. And if any restaurant in Charleston actually deserved to be reviewed by DDD, it’s Tattooed Moose; it’s the very definition of a Dive bar with awesome food.

I just really wish he’d do something with that hair.

My absolute favorite thing at the Moose is the Roasted Garlic and Bleu Cheese fries. You may remember me talking about this amazing nectar of the gods in my Favorite Blue Things post. The fries at the Moose are hand cut and fried in duck fat, which makes them extra delicious. Then they top those delicious fries with blue cheese and a whole bulb of confit garlic. It’s decadent, and delicious, but definitely plan on hitting the gym afterward, for like 6 hours or so.

Man, I really shouldn’t blog while I’m hungry.

Obviously, you have to get the Duck Club. It’s divine. In the words of Josh Campbell, “on a scale of 1 to 5, it’s a TWENTY FIVE!” A triple decker filled with duck confit, apple smoked bacon, and smoked cheddar on sweet Hawaiian bread with garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. Yum, yum, yum. They also serve each of their sandwiches with their house made garlicky dill & spicy sweet green tomato pickles, which are really yummy.

Omigosh, I really shouldn't blog while I'm hungry.

Also, they let you draw on the tables/walls, which is AWESOME

I also recommend the smoked chicken BLT. It’s similar to a traditional chicken salad, except they house smoke their chicken and top it with bacon, romaine, sweet & spicy green and red ripe tomatoes on toasted wheat bread. It’s very, very good. Lots of people think chicken salad is a healthy sandwich alternative, but not at the Moose. If you’re looking for healthy, you should probably just pick a different restaurant. They also have a bacon bleu cheese slaw that, which was really tasty. It had a really creamy consistency (rather than vinegary as you sometimes see), and you could really taste the bleu cheese, which I really liked. It also tasted kind of smoky, like bacon, which we really enjoyed. It was enough that we had leftovers to take home with us.

Man that looks good.

Recently, when we went to the Tattooed Moose for Casey’s birthday, I branched out from my usual Duck Club and ordered the Thanksgiving “Leftovers” Sammy, which is fried turkey breast, stuffing & cranberry mayo on toasted wheat bread, served with duck gravy for dipping. It was really good. The duck club is still my favorite, but this sandwich is definitely a close second. Mike ordered his without the cranberry mayo, because he’s a crazy person who doesn’t like cranberries. But I wouldn’t recommend that, unless you’re a crazy person like Mike.

Not pictured: personal bowl of gravy for dippin’

I love Tattooed Moose, but it’s definitely not a restaurant I’d want to visit more than once or twice a month. It’s very rich, and not even a little bit healthy for you, even though it’s damn delicious. But it’s definitely worth the miles on the treadmill.

The keyword here being “Dive.”

Tattooed Moose
1137 Morrison Drive
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 277-2990

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Taziki’s Mediterranean Café

December 7, 2012

Yesterday for lunch I decided to try Taziki’s, the (relatively) new mediterranean restaurant that opened up on King Street where Ye Ole Fashioned Ice Cream and Sandwich Cafe used to be. I was craving hummus and falafel, and now that Patat Spot is closed, I had to try someplace new. I’d heard relatively good things about Taziki’s, and it had pretty good reviews on Urbanspoon, so I had high hopes going in. The space is unassuming, not a whole lot going on in terms of decor. The layout of the restaurant is a bit cramped. While waiting in line to place my order at the counter, I was sandwiched in between two tables of people having lunch. It was uncomfortable and I was so close to them, I might as well have just grabbed a chair and sat down to join in on their conversations.

Hello new friends, wonderful to meet you!

After about 8 minutes of waiting in line, I finally made it to the counter. I ordered a Mezedes Platter (Hummus and Taziki dips served with Dolmades and pita) and a grilled lamb gyro (Taziki sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, and grilled onions) with tomato cucumber salad on the side. Not a hugely comprehensive order, but somehow it still took them 25 minutes before my to-go order was ready. Granted, they were pretty steadily busy, but I was there after the lunch crowd, and only maybe 5 people placed orders after me. The lady who handed me my food was very apologetic for the wait, which was nice.

Pretty accurate.

When I finally got back to work to eat, I was ravenous and slightly annoyed, but still excited for lunch. I love mediterranean food. However, I was very disappointed. The hummus was almost watery and a little too citrus-y, the taziki dip was a really weird consistency, the dolmades, although quite large, were dried out and quite tasteless. And, to top off my disappointment, they served it all with pita chips and not the warm, soft slices of pita bread I was hoping for.

PITA BREAD > PITA CHIPS

The lamb gyro was also subpar. It was good, but by no means would I say that it was better than any other restaurant’s lamb gyro. Maybe I’m just spoiled by all the really outstanding mediterranean food I’ve had, but the lamb itself was nothing special. It tasted processed, and it was very dried out. The pita bread that it was wrapped in was yummy, which made me sad that I got shafted with the pita chips in the appetizer platter. The tomato-cucumber salad was good, though, so at least the meal wasn’t a total loss.

More like “grilled disappointment gyro”

All in all, I was pretty disappointed with the whole experience. I’ll never go back. If you’re in the mood for really good mediterranean food, I suggest you try Ali Baba Mediterranean Cafe in Mt. Pleasant, because it is outstanding. Some of the best shawarma and falafel I’ve ever had.

I really have no idea how they got that many votes.

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Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Lost Dog Cafe

November 30, 2012

My favorite restaurant on Folly Beach.

I don’t really like Folly Beach. It’s crowded, it’s kitschy, and no matter what time of day it is, it always seems to take me an hour to get out there because of traffic. If I’m going to go to the beach, I usually drive out to Sullivan’s or Isle of Palms. The only thing that makes trekking out to Folly Beach worth the while is Lost Dog Café.

Really, it’s the biscuits and gravy. DELISH

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ve probably heard me talk about Lost Dog and their delicious biscuits and gravy (aka the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever eaten in my life. Ever.) One time, when I went with Sean and Christine to meet Sean’s mom, we split an order of biscuits and gravy while we were waiting for her to arrive. They were so good, we ended up getting another order after Sean’s mom showed up. And we probably got a side of biscuits and homemade sausage gravy with our meal, too, because we’re fatties, and it’s SO FREAKING GOOD. When we ordered it with my mom and dad, we finished the entire plate between the four of us in under a minute. It was impressive (or pathetic, depending on your perspective).

In case you didn’t get it from the first picture.

I love to order the Southern Eggs Benedict, which is a fried green tomato and a poached egg on an English muffin topped with hollandaise sauce and a side of fruit. Lost Dog also offers a “Folly Benedict” which is eggs benedict with a crab cake, which is also pretty dang.

I know I don’t like poached eggs, but this looks delicious. Also, I haven’t had lunch yet.

I always order the “quesadilla for the hungry dog,” which I know sounds like kind of a cop out, but it’s so good! They stuff this huge tortilla with refried and black beans, peppers, onions, and cheese and serve it with salsa and sour cream. I always add chicken, but there’s an option to add shrimp if you’re into that sort of thing (weirdo).

Are those biscuits and gravy you see in the background? Yes. Yes they are.

When we went with my parents, my mom ordered the special wrap of the day. It had pork and some other stuff in it, and it was freaking delicious. We all really liked it, and if they put it on the menu permanently, I might start ordering it on the reg.

With a side of biscuits and gravy, of course, not the cucumber salad that my mother got.

When we went with Ben’s roommate, Doug, he ordered the “society street French toast” served with fresh strawberries. Although he’s not a huge fan of biscuits and gravy (because he’s a communist), I think he did like his French toast, which looked beautiful and delicious. I don’t know for sure, though, as he never offered to share (oh the irony).

He also ate it sans syrup, which just seems wrong.

Lost Dog has the best chocolate milk. They squirt Hershey’s syrup along the side of a mason jar before filling it up with some delicious chocolate milk so it’s double chocolate. It’s like the inception of breakfast drinks. Lauren says their Bloody Mary’s are pretty good, but I think mixing tomato juice with liquor sounds like something only a homeless person would enjoy, so, I guess you’ll just have to take her word for it.

I just don’t get it.

If you’re vacationing in Charleston and you’re looking for a really great breakfast/brunch place that is really delicious and won’t break the bank, I definitely recommend Lost Dog. And get the biscuits and gravy (unless you’re a dirty commie like Doug). I honestly don’t know why Guy Fieri and Diners’ Drive ins & Dives hasn’t been there yet.

Lost Dog Café
106 West Huron Ave
Folly Beach, SC 29439
(843) 588-9669

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