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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.

2 Comments

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

5 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Chucktown Tavern [CLOSED]

October 18, 2012

Chucktown Tavern is my favorite bar in Charleston. Hands down. Where else in Charleston can you get a Trashcan? No where. So go order one. I’m not going to tell you what it is, this is something you need to learn for yourself. I know Chucktown Tavern’s not for everyone–it’s far from hipster, there’s karaoke every night, and they close early on Saturday nights–but it has its own special kind of charm that I hold dear to my heart. Sometimes I forget that most of the bars I frequent at night are actually restaurants during the day. I’ve been going to Chucktown Tavern for over 2 years now, and I’d never eaten there before this week. I honestly didn’t even realize they served food.

They do serve up some delicious karaoke, though.

When we arrived, we grabbed a menu clipboard and silverware from a stand at the door and seated ourselves at a booth with a nice view of the TV. The bartender came by to take our drink orders within 2 minutes of when we sat down, which was nice. The menu is very straightforward and unpretentious, nothing fancy or frou-frou about it, which is kind of refreshing for downtown Charleston. We started with an order of the black bean cakes, which were absolutely delicious. Ben was a little iffy at first, because they look like slabs of asphalt (I mean, it’s a black bean cake. It’s hard to make it look pretty), but he ended up loving them. They’re made with black beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and peppers, and a little bit of flour, pan fried, and topped with a sour cream sauce and served with a side of pico de gallo and jalapeño pepper slices. This was my favorite dish out of everything we ordered–they were soooo good.

I know it doesn’t look it, but it is damn delicious.

Ben was feeling kind of boring, so instead of trying one of their signature stuffed burgers, he opted for an old fashioned 1/3 lb burger topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onions, and mayo, served with a side of house cut fries and homemade coleslaw. As soon as he took a bite, he started making those noises people make when they really like the food they’re eating. He kept mumbling “this is so good,” but with his mouth full of burger, so it sounded more like “threfsj irskds srrrr grsiodbfdl.”

This burger is straight up de-loy-cious

I’m more adventurous, so I ordered the Swamp Fox burger, a 1/2lb angus beef burger stuffed with chili, cheddar cheese, and bacon, topped with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and homemade coleslaw, served with a side of fries and even more coleslaw. It was divine. Seriously. I never end up finishing an entire burger at a restaurant, let alone a 1/2lb burger stuffed with chili and bacon, but I definitely finished this burger (even though it started to fall apart at the end and I had to finish eating it with a fork, like a barbarian). The chili definitely tasted homemade and had hints of chorizo sausage in it, which I really liked. The meat was really well seasoned and would have been tasty on its own. I think the coleslaw was a really great addition to the burger, as it was made with vinegar (rather than mayo), and gave the burger an extra level of freshness.

Burgerlicious.

The only thing we weren’t really crazy about were the fries. They were definitely hand cut and fresh, but they seemed to me to be a bit overcooked and lacked the fluffy interior one has come to expect from this national staple. In the future, I’ll probably replace the fries with something else on their delicious list of side items, like the mac and cheese….which I totally ordered. (I mean, you had to have known I was going to order it. I order mac and cheese LITERALLY every time it’s on a menu. I’m a sucker) So I ordered the side of macaroni and cheese and I absolutely loved it. It was creamy (rather than baked), and tasted like they made it fresh the second I ordered it. You can definitely tell it’s made with real cheddar cheese and fresh cream. It was basic and extraordinary all at the same time. It’s probably my favorite mac and cheese in Charleston (other than KSG’s mac and cheese eggrolls which are something of a religious experience).

Cheesy nectar of the Gods

They didn’t really have a huge dessert selection (only 3 options), so we chose to skip dessert and opt for the check (which was relatively cheap considering all the food we got). I have to say I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised with the entire experience. We had a delicious meal that made me feel like I was eating dinner at my friend’s grandmother’s house (I’d say my grandmother, but they’re both horrible cooks). Everything was fresh and delicious, and made with a certain amount of love and care, which I think is really makes a difference in the food.

Also, there’s a patio!

Chucktown Tavern [CLOSED]
159 Market Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 637-3681

1 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

39 Rue de Jean

May 17, 2012

For a friend’s birthday, I treated him to dinner at 39 Rue de Jean, a French restaurant in Charleston (that also serves sushi? not really sure how I feel about that). I’d heard really good things from a bunch of friends, so I had pretty high hopes going in. We were seated in a 2 person mini-booth over by the bar. I was a little annoyed because we were basically squished in next to a bar table full of people, so it wasn’t really the private experience I was hoping for. Not to mention, it was super loud, and it only got louder as the night went on. So even though we were only about 3 feet away from each other, we had to yell a bit to be heard.

WHAT APPETIZER DO YOU WANT TO GET?

Our waiter was really funny, and very attentive. He refilled our water regularly and cracked jokes with us, which was nice. I hate it when waiters are too stuffy. He was perfect though, he didn’t hover, but he was always there when we needed him. Ben and I ended up getting the “Plateau de Fromage” (or “cheese plate” for the english speakers) to start off with. It came with four different kind of artisan cheeses, a piece of toast with each cheese, and different accompaniments. I think the offerings change daily, so they brought us a printed out sheet that told what each cheese was, although I had a difficult time telling them apart. I know there were two goat’s milk cheeses and two cow’s milk cheeses. One was served with apricot preserves, one with raspberry preserves, one with blood orange jam, and one with an onion jam of some sort.

Basically, they all tasted like cheese.

Ben also got “onion soup gratineé” (french onion soup) as a second appetizer. It was served molten lava hot, and Ben had to give it a minute to cool down. I’m not really huge on onion soup (I think it just tastes like oily onion water, but to each his own), and this one didn’t really make me change my mind. I mean, it was ok, but it was still just onion soup. Ben really liked it, but it was so hot that it took him a while to eat. By the time it was cool enough to comfortably ingest, our entrees were delivered, which was kind of disappointing.

Sorry it's out of focus. Ben was very impatient

Sorry it’s out of focus. He was very impatient

For my second appetizer, I got a fried goat cheese salad, because I’d obviously not had enough cheese during this meal. But seriously, how do you pass up getting goat cheese at a French restaurant? Answer: You don’t. It was served on a bed of arugula with roasted red and yellow beets on the side. I don’t really like beets, so I didn’t really eat them, but I really liked the way the creaminess of the goat cheese complemented the sourness/acidity of the arugula. It was pretty delicious.

I really don’t understand why all these chefs in Charleston are suddenly in love with beets. I’m pretty sure no one actually enjoys eating beets. They just eat them because it makes them look cultured or something.

For his entree, Ben ordered the braised short ribs topped with espagnole sauce and fresh herbs, with a side of pureed potatoes and garlic spinach. He liked the short ribs, although he declared that they weren’t as good as his grandmother’s recipe. I personally tend to avoid ordering things that I know my mother is the best at cooking (chicken noodle soup, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, etc) because I know I’ll just be disappointed. He really enjoyed the pureed potatoes. He said they were very creamy and not overly salted. He liked the garlic spinach, but it wasn’t really a standout dish. I personally just thought it tasted like spinach, there really was nothing special about it. But overall he really enjoyed his meal.

You can see him in the background furiously attempting to finish his soup. He didn’t.

I was torn between what to get. On the one hand, I love duck confit, and I felt like I should order it at a French restaurant, but they had rabbit on the menu, and I’ve never had rabbit before, so I thought I should try it. I deferred to the waiter on this issue, and he recommended the duck, which I was glad to order, since that’s secretly what I really wanted anyway. It was served with a goat cheese potato croquette (never enough goat cheese), butter poached mushrooms, and a bacon grape emulsion. It was absolutely delicious. I started with the boned portion of the duck first, and it practically melted in my mouth. It was amazing. As I worked my way through the duck, the meat started getting saltier, and by the time I moved on to the second piece of duck, it got to be too salty for me to finish. Not to mention I was completely stuffed from all the food I’d already eaten. The goat cheese potato croquette was one of the most delicious potato dishes I’ve ever eaten. It was so good. I meant to ask the waiter to replace the mushrooms with sauteed vegetables, but I forgot, so I just left them on my plate (I’m not really into eating fungus). I really liked the sauce on the duck, it was sweet and savory and I think it complemented the meat really well. Overall, I’d say I’d probably order the duck again if I went back. I’d just pick off the skin and hope that it wouldn’t be as salty. Also, those mushrooms creep me out. I’m not going to say what I think they look like.

Those mushrooms creep me out. I'm not going to say what I think they look like.

Disembodied penises. They look like disembodied penises.

Even though we had both eaten way too much to justify ordering dessert, we did anyway. There were so many delicious options it was so hard to choose, so Ben and I each ordered something different so we could try a range of desserts. I decided on the white chocolate strawberry mousse torte which consisted of frozen white chocolate mousse, strawberries in sugar cookie crust with strawberry coulis and créme anglaise. When the waiter brought it out, he’d put a candle in it in honor of Ben’s birthday, and sang a rousing chorus of 50 Cent’s “In Da Club.” It was really fun and unexpected. I loved the torte, it was delicious. Ben kept stealing bites because he liked it so much.

“Go shawty, it’s yo birthday.”

Ben ordered Vanilla Bean Créme Brulee, which he’d never had before. It’s one of my mom’s favorite desserts, but I’m not really into pudding, so I don’t really care for it. I didn’t really think this one tasted like vanilla bean at all… or much of anything, really. But Ben made a serious dent in it, which was pretty impressive considering how much we both ate.

It kind of looks like the onion soup.

All in all, I thought the food was ok. We ended up spending more money at Halls Chophouse the next night, and I thought that money was much more well spent there than at 39 Rue de Jean. I know lots of people really love it. I’m just not one of them.

I could take it or leave it.

39 Rue de Jean
39 John Street
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 722-8881

3 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Zen Asian Fusion, Revisited

April 17, 2012

I’ve never done a separate “revisited” review for a restaurant I’ve already reviewed before (I mean, I wrote about multiple visits to Husk in the same article), but if any restaurant deserved a second review, it’s Zen. Not just for the fact that I’ve been there literally 6 times in the past month, but also for the fact that their menu just has so much to choose from, and I really love the way they make their food and the way they interact with their customers. I always feel welcomed whenever I walk through the door. I’m going to summarize a few of the trips I’ve made over the months since my original review. One of the big influences to my decision to go to Zen is that during the Lenten season, I couldn’t eat meat on Fridays, so I was always craving sushi, and when I crave sushi, I go to Zen.

I’m going to wear this hat every time I go eat sushi from now on. Classy.

One Friday, most of my friends were out of town and my boyfriend was otherwise engaged in extreme nerd activities, I decided I’d visit Zen myself and try out sitting at the sushi bar. I’m not sure that I’ve ever actually gone to a sit-down restaurant alone before, so I was both excited and terrified. I of course ordered my standard Tuna Tini, but instead of going with my usual King’s Speech order, I decided to try out the roll of the night, the Kracken roll, in addition to a few specialty cocktails, mango mojito and red sangria. I enjoyed the Kracken roll, although I wasn’t really blown away by it. I guess I’m just spoiled by how much I love the King’s Speech and the Paradise roll. But I really liked the cocktails. They definitely gave you your money’s worth of alcohol, and the flavors really complemented each other in each of the drinks. I also made friends with one of the sushi chefs, Andy, who explained to me what all the different rolls were I saw them creating that other people had ordered and all the different tools they used to create the rolls. It was a totally different experience than sitting at a table, and I highly recommend you trying it at least once.

It’s pretty much an unspoken rule that we go to Zen whenever my mother is in town, and we usually try something new (in addition to our usuals) every time we go. Right after Valentine’s day, we went and decided to try a roll on the menu called the Avatar roll that had no rice or seaweed and was basically tuna wrapped around goat cheese and lobster salad topped with different color caviars. I kicked myself after I was done eating for not taking a picture of it. It was one of the most interesting things I’ve eaten there. I didn’t even mind that it wasn’t crunchy, since it wasn’t really chewy without the seaweed. I love it.

For lack of a better picture, I present to you, SUSHI CAT

Ben and I ordered take out the Friday before I left for Alabama, which is probably the first time I’ve ever ordered sushi to go. I was interested to see how they made it work, especially since I was still going to order that tuni-tini (til the day I die! And even then, I’ll probably make sure they’re served at my funeral) and was unsure of how they were going to package it, and if it would be the same even when it wasn’t fancily plated. The tuna-tini came in a Tupperware container, and although I was sad to see it out of its happy martini glass, it still tasted just as good. The sushi was served in the same basic containers as you’d find them in the supermarket, which was pretty standard. It still had all the flavor and freshness as when it comes to you at the restaurant, which I was pretty impressed by. They even put the sauces that they’d usually decorate the plate with in a little plastic cup so you can still dip your sushi in it to get the full flavor profile the God of Zen intended.

I’m going to start demanding that all of my food be served in a martini glass from now on.

The most recent time we went was with both of my parents on Good Friday. I’d like to shout out to Cindy (I have no idea if I’m spelling that right, I’m so sorry), whose family owns Zen and who’s taken the time to come chat with me almost every time I’ve come in there since I posted my first review. She’s one of the few restaurant owners who’s actually taken the time to read my review (yay! I’m famous!) and talk to me about my comments. She’s always so courteous and personable and I really enjoy talking with her when I visit. She made a special visit over to our table to explain in-depth the different specials they had that night. It was pretty easy to talk us into ordering the specials, she painted a picture with words that I couldn’t resist. As appetizers (in addition to the tuna-tini), we got crab rangoons, and the special of the night, which was a twist on traditional Chinese egg rolls. The egg rolls were stuffed with the typical cabbage mix you’d find in egg rolls, only instead of pork, they used king crab and shrimp. It was served with this sweet and tangy sauce that was really, really great. The idea of shrimp and crab in an egg roll was kind of strange to me, but it worked really well. In fact, I think I might even like it more than the traditional pork. After being so pleasantly surprised by their egg rolls, I think I might give some of their Chinese food options (orange chicken, since it’s my favorite) a try next time I visit.

There were originally 4 pieces of egg roll, but my parents couldn’t wait long enough for me to take a picture, so they snatched them up. Vultures.

The crab rangoons were really good as well, and were also served with a sauce that looked like the one that came with the egg rolls, but was a touch spicier, which I kind of liked better. I really liked the stuffing of the rangoons, and would have liked them to be stuffed fuller than they were. I felt like they kind of skimped on the filling a bit, which is a shame, because it was actually really delicious, especially with the sauce.

As you can see I only barely managed to snap a picture before they were gone. Notice how my dad moved the garnish around to make the plate look less empty.

For my entrée, I tried the special roll of the night, the sunburst roll, at Cindy’s recommendation. I was not disappointed. The roll was basically spicy, crunchy yellow tail and cucumber wrapped in soy paper, topped with salmon, crab, and tuna, and a spicy honey sriracha pepper sauce and little white Chinese rice balls to add a bit of crunch. The roll was served more chilled than warm (which is different than most of the other rolls I order there that have tempura ingredients in them) which I actually found quite refreshing, especially since the rolls itself had a bit of a kick to it. I loved it. It would be the roll I ordered every time I went there, if it was a regular staple on the menu. Apparently the chef only makes a limited batch of the sauce, and I was lucky enough to snag the last sunburst roll of the night. Thank God for small miracles.

Thank you, God of Sushi, for allowing me to delight in this culinary masterpiece.

My mother got our standard King’s Speech Roll, because she loves it and also for just in case I didn’t love mine (which I did). I was glad because I still wanted a bite of the King’s Speech because it’s so delicious. The King’s Speech is Shrimp Tempura with Fresh Green Apple inside, topped with Alaskan King Crab Salad & Red Tobiko in Honey Wasabi, Eel & Sweet Mango Sauce. It’s amazing.

So good, it’ll make you stutter! (badumpshhh)

I also tried their white sangria during this visit, which is made with Yellowtail cabernet sauvignon, St. Germaine elderflower liqueur, and mangoes. I really liked it, and my mom got kind of obsessed, even going so far as to buy all the ingredients to try and recreate it for our Easter dinner (it didn’t really turn out anything like it, but it was still delicious).

Tina is photobombing my sangria picture, looking all crazy as per usual.

With the regularity that I visit Zen and their penchant for creating new and unique sushi dishes (and the sheer amount of non-sushi options I’ve yet to try on the menu) leads me to say with relative confidence that you should probably expect a third review in a few months. They’re just that good. Also, on a completely unrelated note, I’m in love with Instagram. I think it makes my cell phones pictures look 100% less ghetto. What do you think? (It actually doesn’t matter to me whether you like it or not… I like it, and I only just got it, so I’m going to keep using it, so there). Also, I love that when you google image search “Zen Asian Fusion,” the pictures from my first blog are on the 1st page of results. Ballin’

I’m not tech savvy enough to put my own face in there, so just use your God-given imagination.

Bottom Bottom Line: Get the sushi. TUNA TINI. Drink lots of white Sangria.

All these months and I still haven’t remembered to take a proper picture of the restaurant itself. #lazy

Zen Asian Fusion
2037 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard
Charleston, SC 29407-4601
(843) 766-6331

1 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Bluerose Café – Closed

March 23, 2012

Update 5/10/18 – The Bluerose has since changed ownership and completely overhauled the menu and restaurant. It’s no longer Irish at all and is, in everything but the name, a completely different restaurant.

“Céad Míle Fáilte!” or “One hundred thousand welcomes!” is what greets you as you enter the door into the unassuming little eatery that is the Bluerose Café. I’d passed this spot about a hundred times before I actually ended up eating there with my family for brunch last Father’s Day. Until I saw the menu, I had no idea that it was an Irish restaurant. Having visited Ireland in the summer of 2010, I was overjoyed when I saw that they had Old Fashioned Irish Breakfast on the menu. I was skeptical, thinking that it wasn’t going to be the same as when I was in Ireland, but really the only thing different was that I was eating in Charleston instead of in Dublin. It was just as delicious as it was when I was in Ireland. From the first bite, I knew this would be one of my new favorite breakfast spots.

I mean, seriously. Do you see this??

I still get the Irish breakfast whenever I go to Bluerose for breakfast (which is more often than is probably healthy). For those of you who may not know, the full Irish breakfast consists of the following: Two eggs, Irish sausage, Rashers (which is pretty much bacon), Black & White pudding (because I don’t want to turn you off of this based on the description, I’ll just say that it’s like sausage. It’s delicious. Don’t Google what it is until after you’ve tried it), early morning potatoes, grilled tomato, and an Irish Scone (they might offer you toast or a biscuit instead, but get the scone. I’m obsessed with Irish scones, they’re so freaking delicious). I usually go with my dad whenever he is in town because he (like me) is obsessed. Last time we went, he ended up ordering the corned beef hash, because that’s pretty much his go-to breakfast order at any restaurant we go to. I think it’s gross, but hey, to each his own.

But he also considers SPAM to be “edible” sooooo…. it’s hard to trust his judgement.

I only recently went to the Bluerose for dinner. They’re only open for dinner Thursday-Saturday night, so you have to catch them when you can. We went on a Thursday around 7, and it was perfect. It wasn’t too crowded, and we even got a chance to talk to the owner, Denis O’Doherty. He’s pretty great—very funny and personable. He teased me about wearing a jacket in March, since it’s so warm out. When we went for lunch on St. Patrick’s Day, we even had the treat of hearing him sing “O Danny Boy” completely a cappella. It was quite moving. For dinner we started off with an appetizer of the Baked Brie. Usually when I order baked brie, it’s encased in some kind of dough that you have to dig through to get to the cheese. The Bluerose baked brie, however, is baked completely dough free…. Naked, if you will. It’s topped with cranberries and pecans and served with warm crustinis to eat it with. It was sooooo good that we fought over who got the last bite (I won. As usual).

I didn’t even need the toast. Just bring me a spoon.

For dinner, I got the Irish Chicken Curry sandwich, with a side of Irish potato cakes and vegetable beef stew with rice. I absolutely loved it. The chicken salad has chopped apples and raisins in it, which gives it a freshness that really complements the curry. The potato cakes are basically like spiced mashed potatoes that are pan-fried, so they’re kind of crispy on the outside. I love them.

or “Curry curry chick chick,” as Tom Haverford would say.

The soup was perfect. It was broth based, with chunks of beef and vegetables that went really well with the rice. It would have been the perfect complement to a grilled cheese sandwich, but it also went really well with my chicken curry, too.

Although I don’t understand why you need crackers for a soup with rice in it.

The prime rib is sautéed with mushrooms, peppers, and onions, and served with au jus for dipping. Normally I don’t like things with mushrooms in it, but this sandwich was delicious. He got it with a side of potato salad, which he didn’t really love, but still ate. And because I was dining with a friend who had a crazy sweet tooth, we obviously had to get some of the homemade desserts they bake and offer daily. My favorite is the buttermilk pie. I’ve always had a hard time describing the consistency of buttermilk pie (also known as chess pie)…. the closest I can say is that it’s almost a custard, but not quite. So yeah. Hope that cleared it up for you.

I almost ate the whole thing before I remembered to take a picture. But at least I cleverly hid that with whipped cream! You totally wouldn’t have known.

Bottom line: Get the irish food and buttermilk pie. Wash it all down with a traditional Irish beer.

I see no Blue Roses. I feel deceived.

Bluerose Cafe
652 Saint Andrews Boulevard
Charleston, SC 29407
843-225-2583

1 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

JB’s Smokeshack – Closed

February 29, 2012

Update 5/10/18 – It’s with a heavy heart I report the closure of JB’s Smokeshack. The owner retired and tried to sell the business, but no one bought it, so it’s officially closed up shop.

JB’s Smokeshack is the epitome of great barbecue, there are no two ways about it. It embodies all of the characteristics I look for when selecting a quality barbecue joint:

Sweet Tea. Homemade, Paula Deen sweet, and ice cold.
Baked beans with meat in them. Seriously. PUT SOME MEAT IN DEM BEANS.
Pulled pork that tastes delicious before you even put sauce on it. If your meat doesn’t taste like anything before you put the sauce on it, YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG.
And on the subject of sauce, being a southern girl, I prefer my barbecue sauce to be mustard based. But I’m not opposed to vinegar or tomato based sauces. I just like to have the mustard base sauce as an option in case your other sauces suck.
A buffet, so that I am able to shove as much meat into my face as humanly possible… and then some (that’s what she said?).

JB’s does all of this exceptionally well. You know it has to be good for me to be willing to drive 25 minutes out into the middle of banjo country to get there. Their sweet tea is amazing. The perfect level of sweet, in my opinion. But then again, I subscribe to the Gospel According To Paula Deen (Our sacraments are butter, sugar, and butter….it’s pretty great), so to each his own.

You can’t argue with Paula, ya’ll

When it comes to baked beans, I’m pretty sure I’ve never eaten anything like JB’s. They have some of their pulled pork in the beans, so they’re beany and meaty and sweet and savory all at the same time. Their pulled pork is amazing all on its own. I’ve been to plenty of barbeque places that really rely on their sauce to give the barbeque all of the flavor. And while I agree that the sauce is an integral part of the barbeque equation, I don’t think it should be the main flavor factor. The flavor of the pork should complement the sauce and vice versa, each adding its own flavor profiles to the mix, so it’s like a barbeque party in your mouth. JB’s definitely does this superbly. I could seriously eat their pork without any sauce on it at all. But that would be unfair to their fabulous sauces, which I also love. I like to mix the mustard one with Mama’s Sweet and Spicy (which I’m pretty sure is vinegar based), and it’s AMAZING, trust me on this.

We’re gettin’ a little saucy up in here.

And finally, their buffet is outstanding. I love their beans (obviously), macaroni and cheese (although I’ve definitely had better mac n cheese), collards (spicy and meaty, just the way I like it), green beans, fried okra, and fried creamed corn bites (seriously, those are amazing… I could probably eat 100 of them in one sitting).

This is what I imagine heaven looks like.

They also have a meat station which they alternate the offerings of regularly. They’ve had brisket, ham, etc., which they carve for you right there.

Ron Swanson would get teary-eyed looking at this delicious hunk of meat.

They also have some salad on their buffet, which I’m pretty sure they put there just to taunt you. It stares as you judgementally as you load up your plate with meat and beans and macaroni and meat like “Hey fatty. You know you should just be eating salad. You know you’re going to hate yourself later” but I can never actually hear what it’s saying to me over the sound of my own chewing. I usually make three trips to the buffet, loading up on meat and beans, and then collapse on the table, praying for death….

Sweet, meaty death

So I’ve never actually eaten dessert at JB’s. But I’m sure it’s delicious, because everything else sure is. I really want to try the “pluff mud pudding,” which reminds me of the dirt pudding I used to eat when I was in kindergarten. You know, chocolate pudding, crushed up oreos (to look like dirt) and gummy worms. It’s awesome. Ben got the banana pudding but was unimpressed (but once again, CANADIAN).

Man, feels like kindergarten all over again.

So basically it’s awesome. I would recommend fasting for three days or so before visiting, so that you can truly appreciate the meat cornucopia that is JB’s Smokeshack. They’re also really great people who truly take pride in their food, so how can you go wrong with that?

The word “shack” is not an exaggeration.

Bottom line: Get the meat. And the beans. And everything else. DON’T. STOP. EATING.

JB’s Smokeshack
3406 Maybank Highway
Johns Island, SC 29455
(843) 557-0426

4 Comments

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Five Loaves

December 2, 2011

I have no idea how many times I’ve been to Five Loaves (or 5 Breads as Tina calls it). It’s Lauren’s favorite restaurant and one of my favorite casual lunch spots in Charleston, as well. It’s simple, good food. Nothing pretentious or over the top—soups, sandwiches, and salads. For dinner they offer heartier options such as pastas and meat dishes. Everything I’ve ever had there is delicious. Their soups are homemade, creative, and just plain yummy. Lauren’s favorite is the broccoli, potato, cheddar which she couples with the half version of the tomato and mozzarella salad (although she always replaces the mozzarella with goat cheese, which is sacrilegious, in my opinion… She says “mozzarella doesn’t taste like anything” MOZZARELLA HAS FLAVOR, LAUREN. IT’S MOZZARELLA FLAVORED. IT’S DELICIOUS. HAVE YOU NEVER HAD PIZZA BEFORE?!). I tend to stick to the marinated chicken sandwich on baguette (which comes with the house-made mozzarella cheese, WHICH IS DELICIOUS, LAUREN) with a cup of the chicken chili.

The sandwich is quite delicious.

If they have a really good selection of soup that day and I have a hard time narrowing it down to just one, I opt for the 3 soup pours which allows me to sample three different soups. I strongly recommend this option if you are indecisive like me.

Om nom nom

If you’re going for dinner, I recommend the tri-colored tortellini in the cracked black pepper parmesan cream sauce. It’s amazing. I’ve also had the gnocchi, which is really good. I usually eat half of it and take the other half home to eat for lunch the next day. The portion sizes are pretty big, so you definitely won’t leave feeling hungry.

When food is this good, it’s hard to remember to take a photo before you eat half of it.

I’ve also gotten the chicken parmesan, which also comes with the house-made mozzarella cheese (PEOPLE LOVE MOZZARELLA CHEESE, LAUREN. IT’S NOT JUST ME. YOU’RE THE ONE WHO’S CRAZY), but I don’t really love their tomato sauce that comes on the pasta. I find it kind of bland. The fried goat cheese appetizer is really good if you like goat cheese (which I do). I’ve also had some of their other appetizers. Becca usually gets the turkey sandwich with the cranberry mayo on whole wheat. Tina usually gets the same thing I get (which drives me crazy. I hate getting the same thing as other people at restaurants. I don’t know why. I just do).

Lauren: This is what delicious looks like. Take note. There will be a quiz later.

Anywho. I love Five Loaves. It’s a great place to eat if you’re not looking to eat something super heavy. I love it, and Becca, I will always choose Five Loaves for our Mount Pleasant lunch dates. Just FYI. I’m so excited to go eat there with Lauren whenever she finds it in her heart to grace me with her presence (yes, DC is cool, I GET IT). Only maybe she’ll get something a little heavier so that we don’t have a repeat of Halloweekend (HINTHINT NUDGENUDGE, LAUREN. EAT SOME FREAKING BREAD).

Also, they’re closed on Sundays. Go figure.

Five Loaves Cafe
43 Cannon Street,
Charleston, SC 29403-6068
(843) 937-4303

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Early Bird Diner

October 29, 2011

I’ve been to Early Bird Diner a few times, and each time it’s been delicious. I feel like calling it a diner is a little bit misleading, as this food is far and beyond anything you’d find at a typical greasy spoon. One of their breakfast items is curried vegetables and eggs. Try and find curry on a menu at some roadside diner. You can’t. I’ve checked.

This is a curry-free establishment.

I usually get the Country Scramble which is eggs, sausage, cheese, and potatoes scrambled together and topped with sausage gravy. It’s amazing. It also comes with toast/biscuit and a choice of one of their sides, of which there are usually 10 plus options to choose from. I like their fruit salad, it’s very fresh, and a good mix of fruit; not just sad pieces of mushy cantaloupe like most places. I wouldn’t recommend the fried green tomatoes (which is rare, as I love fried green tomatoes); they just don’t really taste like anything. But that’s the only thing I have a problem with at Early Bird.

Let’s put gravy on more stuff.

Last time I went with my dad, he ordered the fried chicken and waffles of the specials menu. The waffles come Belgian style, and they’re almost more savory than they are sweet, even with the maple syrup on top. They’re really good (and this is coming from a girl who doesn’t like Belgian waffles. So that’s really saying something). The chicken is batter-dipped and fried and topped with their house-made honey mustard. The sweetness of the honey mustard paired with the sweetness of the waffles…I don’t know what it is, but it just works. It’s so good. They fried chicken alone is amazing. Tender, juicy, white meat chicken fried perfectly to perfection. The batter that they use is delicious as well. You should definitely give it a try if it’s on the menu.

Gladys Knight would be proud.

Also, they’re open til 4 am on Friday and Saturday nights, so, if you’re like me and you crave really good, higher quality food at 2 am on a Friday night after the bars close, you’re in luck! We actually went last night after a long night of celebrating. Geoff got a club of some sort and, although he didn’t say whether he liked it or not, there was nothing left on his plate by the time he was finished, which is always a good sign. La got the omelet, which she said was probably one of the best omelets she’s ever had.

This omelet was EGGcelent.

Matty V ordered the pancakes. Only no one warned him that the pancakes are the size of dinner plates and they come out stacked three high. He was only able to eat maybe one of the pancakes before he threw in the towel. So a word of warning: Don’t order the pancakes unless you haven’t eaten in over 36 hours or you’re trying to feed your entire family on a budget.

More like MANcakes, amirite.

My new favorite thing is the fried pork chop with pepper jelly. It’s fried perfectly to a crisp and is seasoned excellently. The pepper jelly gives it a great amount of depth and tanginess and it’s a great mixture of salty and sweet.

I want to put this in my face right now.

Early Bird Diner
1644 Savannah Highway
Charleston, SC 29407
(843) 277-2353

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