Charleston Wine + Food Recap 2016: Havana on Hutson

March 7, 2016

My second ever official Charleston Wine + Food event was “Havana on Hutson,” hosted at Victor Social Club on Hutson Alley. VSC is part of the Holy City Hospitality Group, which also encompasses Vincent Chicco’s and Michael’s on the Alley (among others). Here’s the recap:

Havana on Hutson

Cuban-themed event at a Hemingway-inspired bar? Yes please!

I was really excited for this event because I love Cuban food, and I’ve yet to find any really solid Cuban food in Charleston (although I have found this amazing Peruvian place, which is about as close as I’ve come). We started off with strawberry mojitos (made with local Red Harbor Rum), which were tangy and sweet and fun.

Hello springtime!

There was also some great live Cuban music out in the alley way that was perfect for the ambience and the warm weather.

Can you think of a better place to spend a Saturday afternoon?

The food was also delicious and creative. There was a lobster ceviche served with a plantain chip, coffee-rubbed ribeye with chimichurri sauce, a mini arepa bite, and fried empanada balls.

And they made up this nice plate for me to take a bunch of photos of. And yes, that is AN ENTIRE WOODEN BOARD FOR 4 HORS D’OEUVRES. I’m very important and special, y’all.

On-site was Justin Buchanan, who spoke at Pecha Kucha (and told us that our founding fathers were basically all alcoholics), who’s also one of the founders of Red Harbor Rum (which is really smooth and easy to sip on, I highly recommend you pick up a bottle!). He’s super friendly and very passionate about rum. He also very kindly posed for a picture for me, even though I’m sure I creeped him out.

“This is for my uh….blog? Yeah, blog! I definitely have one of those.”

They also had the guys from Southern Smoke bring their airstream-trailer-turned-smoking-lounge by for the event, and even though I don’t smoke and have no idea how cigars work (something about don’t inhale, but I’m not Bill Clinton, so I don’t know how that works). But it made me feel pretty cool just sitting in there and pretending to smoke a cigar, which also shows how effective the marketing campaign for tobacco has been, which is terrifying, but I digress…

But just tell me this doesn’t look cool. Cancer shmancer.

Overall the event was really fun, and makes me look forward to returning to Victor Social Club on a normal night.

Charleston Restaurant News

New “Heritage Dinners” at McCrady’s

March 7, 2016

Anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows that I have a moderate to severe case of obsession with Chef Sean Brock. My soul sister Lily bought me his cookbook, Heritage for my birthday (or maybe Christmas?) and was even dedicated enough to wait in line to get it signed by the man / legend himself. So that’s why I’m so excited that McCrady’s is now offering “Heritage Dinners” in their Long Room (assuming you have 43 friends you’d like to invite over for dinner).

With Heritage Dinners, Chef Sean Brock’s James Beard Award winning book Heritage comes to life in the Historic Long Room at McCrady’s. Heritage Dinner experiences offers guests a thoughtfully crafted menu, inspired by Heritage recipes and handpicked by Chef Sean Brock and Chef de Cuisine Daniel Heinze. Guests will rediscover heirloom products and revisit what it means to cook and eat in the South and this historic space.

The Historic Long Room can be booked for a Heritage Dinner Monday through Sunday for lunch or dinner. Dinners are served at one grand table and can accommodate up to 44 guests. More information on the Historic Long Room and Heritage Dinners can be found here.

Events

Pecha Kucha and Charleston Wine + Food

March 5, 2016

This is the first year in as many years as I’ve lived in Charleston (going on 9 now), that I’ve actually been able to attend the Charleston Wine + Food Festival (I know, I know…how crazy is that?!). I’ve been so excited looking through all the events to pick and choose which ones to attend (hopefully next year I’ll get one of them fancy “all access passes” so I don’t go completely broke). My first official event was last night at Pecha Kucha 23 at the Sottile with my new contributor, Sydney Turnquist. It was her first ever Pecha Kucha, and I thought this was a great introduction to the ~~cult~~ event.

P’cha K’cha

This isn’t my first Pecha Kucha rodeo (and technically, I guess you can say that I went to chswff last year because I went to the pkchs event during wine + food in 2014…but I’m not sure that entirely counts). They really stepped it up from last year’s weird-noodles-in-a-takeout-container that made up the “food” portion of the evening. This year, there was an entire block party dedicated to Pecha Kucha, featuring 4 food trucks, and alcohol aplenty.

#pechakucha at the #sottiletheatre tonight. So fun! #PKCHS #CHSWFF

A video posted by JBs PR%F (@jbsproof) on Mar 4, 2016 at 6:48pm PST

The first (and in my opinion best) food truck option of the night was the Short Grain Food Truck. They were serving up Spicy Vemillion Snapper Tartar with Carolina Gold Rice, Ponzu, and Furikake. It basically tasted like a deconstructed spicy tuna roll, and it was delicious. Nice a creamy, with a spicy kick from the spicy mayo in the snapper tartar, and a bit of crunch from the crispy Carolina gold rice.

I may or may not have eaten 3 of these little bowls. #dontjudgeme

Next up, was the Outta My Huevos food truck, which never disappoints. Tonight, they were serving up Crispy Chicken Biscuits with 3-Year Aged Cheddar Pimento Cheese, and Pickled Jalapeños. It was kind of the polar opposite of the first dish, but still so tasty. The biscuit was nice and flaky, the pimento cheese was creamy and sharp, and I loved the slight sourness from the pickled jalapeño.

I’m outta my huevos for trying to keep my diet during wine + food week.

Next in line was the Roadside Seafood truck’s Bam Shrimp Taco Bites with Fried Shrimp, Lettuce, Tomato, BAM! Sauce, and Sour Cream. The best part of this taco was the BAM! sauce. It’s got a little bit of a kick to it, and it’s perfect with the fried shrimp. This was a great little 2-bite taste of what they have to offer.

BAM! That’s a good taco!

The final food truck of the evening was the Lunchbox Food Truck, which is the only one of the four I’d never actually tried before. They were serving up Pulled Pork Tacos with Kale & Swiss Chard Slaw, and Corn. Although not my favorite of the night, they still were packed with flavor (maybe a bit too much from the swiss chard & kale), so I’ll blame it on the fact that they were making a ton of food in such a short period of time.

Kale has no place in my life.

We also got to try samples of JB’s Proof, a South Carolina-made alcohol-infused ice cream brand serving up flavors like Caramel Moonshine, Chocolate Bourbon, and Peach Rum, with each flavor even better than the last. They legitimately don’t taste like alcohol, but, be careful because they’re actually 7% alcohol per serving. You really have to taste it to believe it!

“WE’RE BOUT TO GET DRUNK ON ICE CREAM” -Epic Meal Time (or me, anytime there’s ice cream around).

The speakers were such a great range of talent from the Charleston community. They were funny, inspirational, passionate, and moving. The perfect mix for an event like Pecha Kucha. You should look into each of these amazing Charlestonians and learn more about them and what they’re doing for the Holy City:

Alluette Jones, Alluette’s Cafe
Justin Buchanan, Red Harbor Rum
Margaret Seeley Furniss, Caviar & Bananas
Michael Blake, Teach the Need
Quintin Middleton, Middleton Made Knives
Scott Shor, Edmund’s Oast
Thomas Bowen, Cycles Compost Charleston
Will Altman, Righteous Ranch
Emcee: Amy Robinette, Cake Farmer (*2015 PK + W + F speaker)

Today, I’ll be attending the Havana on Hutson Alley event with my friend Basil & Bubbly, which I couldn’t be more excited about because I love Cuban food so much. On Sunday, you can find me wandering excitedly through the culinary village, drooling and nerding out over every little thing. Hope you’ve all got great Wine + Food plans!

Follow along with my adventures on Instagram!

Events

Cracker Barrel’s “Flip It Forward” Fundraiser for the USO

March 1, 2016

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® and Country Living magazine have announced “Flip It Forward Day,” a nationwide fundraiser to support America’s heroes and the United Service Organizations (USO).

On Thursday, March 3, 2016, guests may join Cracker Barrel from opening until 2 p.m. at all 635 locations nationwide to lend their support by purchasing Momma’s Pancake Breakfast®. Cracker Barrel will donate 20% of the sales price for each sold, up to $50,000, to the USO.

Momma’s Pancake Breakfast®
Enjoy three freshly made Buttermilk Pancakes served with 100% Pure Natural Syrup warmed up just for you. Served with two Grade A eggs** cooked to order and your choice of Thick-Sliced Hickory-Smoked Bacon, Smoked Sausage Patties, Turkey Sausage, or Turkey Bacon.

The Cracker Barrels in Charleston are located at 2183 N Hwy 17, Mt Pleasant, SC 29466 or 7351 Mazyck Rd, North Charleston, SC 29406.

Restaurant Openings

The Darling Oyster Bar Opens Today!

February 25, 2016

It’s official: King Street has a new oyster bar! The Darling, the long-anticipated oyster bar that took over the spot where Union Provisions used to be, will officially open their doors at4pm today (Thursday 2/25).

Guests will be seated on a first come, first served basis, and kitchen hours are Sunday through Thursday, 4:00 p.m. – 10 p.m; Friday through Saturday, 4 p.m. – 2 a.m. (kitchen will serve until 11:00 pm).

The Darling aims to be more of a neighborhood spot (which means you won’t have to sell your firstborn to get some oysters, unlike another King St. raw bar I can think of *coughtheordinarycough*). Here’s a preview of the menu:

We’ll see if they can live up to my (and everyone else’s) expectations!

About Me Random Fodder

Introducing Queen of the Food Age’s New Contributor

February 18, 2016

So, back when I started this blog in 2011, I had no idea it was going to become the behemoth that it is today. I was just a bored, broke, post-grad who wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life who started writing about food as a last-ditch effort to get her parents to give her an allowance while she found a real job. Since then, I’ve grown to over 5,000 views a month, over 1,600 Facebook fans, and I’m writing for amazing publications like Charleston Grit, Thrillist, Where Traveler, and Localeur (to name a few). I used to get 1 invitation every couple of months to attend events (I still remember my first one), and now I’m being invited to multiple events a week.

Like that time I was a judge at the Mac Off. #Humblebrag

I’ve come to realize that I’ve spread myself a little thin and that I can’t give this blog the full attention I used to. My heart breaks every time I have to RSVP “no” to something (and not just for the free food…..although that is definitely part of it). In order to be more fair to you, my amazing readers who’ve supported me for so long, I’ve decided to add a contributor to help me out so that I can be in 2 places at once.

Introducing….

Sydney Turnquist

She’s so glamorous.

Yes. Her name is Sydney, too, which I can’t imagine being confusing for any of you in the least. Sydney (or Tquizzle, as I like to call her) and I started off as coworkers and became really close over the past year and a half. Not only do we share the same name, sometimes I think we share a brain. We order the same foods, we text each other out of the blue at the same time (I’m not even kidding she just texted me as I was writing this), and we like almost all of the same things. (Seriously, she’s even dating a guy named Ben. I’m not making this up).

Less glamorous.

But as similar as we are, we also have a lot of differences, too. She’s a dog person, she loves Lilly Pulitzer, and pink is her favorite color. So I think she’ll bring a new perspective and a fresh face to this little ole blog of mine. She’s going to be integral as I continue to expand!

With cocktails in hand.

Enough about me, hear from the new girl herself:

Thanks for the intro OGS! (Original Gangster Sydney, she totally came up with that name for herself though, to be honest). I’m excited to be joining such an awesome blog with an awesome friend! I’ve always thought it would be fun to be a food critic, so I get to play that fantasy out now!

Since moving to Charleston in 2009, my palate has become increasingly more sophisticated. Seriously, I’m so picky now going to restaurants, I basically critique everything and compare it back to my favorite restaurants in Charleston (my family loves going out with me). I mean, let’s be real though. I would eat a grilled cheese and mashed potatoes any and every day.

I’m originally from Minnesota where I grew up with all different kinds of animals (we had pot-bellied pigs, horses, chickens, miniature horses, pygmy goats, miniature donkeys, dogs, cats, and even a llama at one point). From a young age, I’ve always been on or near the water so it only makes sense that I landed in Charleston. In my spare time, I love to go paddleboarding, surfing (I’m terrible, but trying to learn!), kayaking, and taking Ben and my two adorable dogs to the beach.

I love all kinds of food, except for tomatoes and mushrooms. So if there’s a dish that’s heavy on those, sorry guys, can’t do it. My favorite cuisine is Asian (Thai is my jam). There was a period of time where I was a vegetarian, which then morphed into being a Flexitarian, but now I’ve come to see the light (as my friends would say) and eat all kinds of meat. I’ve become much, much more adventurous in my eating and will basically try anything once (I recently ate fried pig ears at Swig and Swine, they were surprisingly tasty).

I hope to continue the magic that is Queen of the Food Age and am thrilled to begin!

3 Comments

Charleston Restaurant News Events

Where to Watch the Super Bowl in Charleston

February 3, 2016

Ahh, the Super Bowl. America’s favorite buffalo-wing-related-holiday. A chance to officially break those resolutions you’ve been desperately trying to cling to for the past few weeks. Well, let me tell ya: it ain’t no thang but a chicken wang.

Here’s where you can go in Charleston to get your football and chicken wing fix:

Downtown

The Alley

5pm – 11pm
Open to the public, no cover charge.

Special Super Bowl Menu
$4 Carolina Sky Blue Beer & featured Colorado/ Denver beer
$12 Buckets of Bud Light

Bay St Biergarten

3pm-11pm
Open to the public, no cover charge.

Free Wing Eating Contest: Whoever downs the most wings in the allotted time will prevail as the champion and take home a $50 gift card. First ten people to sign up will be entered in the challenge.
$4 Select Biers, $5 Brats, $6 Wings
Wing Platter Specials: 50 wings for $50 or 100 wings for $85. (dine in or take out)
Pong Tournament: Starting at 3pm. Free to enter, free to play. Sign up here: https://a.pgtb.me/PHd02R
- First Place: $100 House Cash
- Second Place: $75 House Cash
- Third Place: $50 House Cash

Kickin’ Chicken

Open to the public, no cover charge.

$12 Buckets of Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra
$3 Shock Top drafts

Republic Garden & Lounge

2 pm – 11 pm
Open to the public, no cover charge.

Free oysters from 2 – 8 pm
Live music with DJ and drink specials all day

Upper Deck Tavern

Open to the public, no cover charge.

Hosting annual chili cook off, newcomers welcome
Game will be broadcast on the TVs

James Island

Kickin’ Chicken

Open to the public, no cover charge.

$12 Buckets of Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra
$3 Shock Top drafts

Johns Island

The Loophole

6pm
Open to the public, no cover charge.

Free oysters
$10 pizzas, $0.25 cent wings
Big screen TVs

Mount Pleasant

Kickin’ Chicken

Open to the public, no cover charge.

$12 Buckets of Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra
$3 Shock Top drafts

Rusty Rudder

4pm
$50, includes food & drinks
Open to the public

$50 includes food from Super Bowl menu, domestic beer, house liquor, and house wine all night long.
Larry David project plays from 4-6 pm

Triangle Char & Bar

6pm
Open to the public, no cover charge.

$12 All-U-Can-Eat wings
$3 Bud Light aluminum bottles

Summerville

Kickin’ Chicken

Open to the public, no cover charge.

$12 Buckets of Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra
$3 Shock Top drafts

Triangle Char & Bar

6pm
Open to the public, no cover charge.

$12 All-U-Can-Eat wings
$3 Bud Light aluminum bottles

Wescott Golf Club

5:30 pm
$20 in advance, $25 at the door

Heavy hors d’oeurve buffet, including buffalo chicken dip, pulled pork sliders, wings, and more.
$13 domestic buckets, $1 jello shots, $5 Panthers Punch, $5 Broncos Brew.
$5 Super Bowl Squares with payout every quarter

West Ashley

Charleston Sports Pub

11 am
Open to the public, no cover charge.

$20 “Super Bowl” ticket that includes a bucket of domestic beer, 12 wings, entry into 4 raffles
Projector screen to watch the game
Tailgate with tents, chairs, and lots of games
Raffles to give away a PS4 bundle with Call of Duty Black Ops 3

Kickin’ Chicken

Open to the public, no cover charge.

$12 Buckets of Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra
$3 Shock Top drafts

Southside 17

$40 – All you can eat & drink

Unlimited domestic bottles, house liquors, draft beers
All you can eat wing buffet
Auctioning off a 50 inch flat screen TV

Triangle Char & Bar

6pm
Open to the public, no cover charge.

$12 All-U-Can-Eat wings
$3 Bud Light aluminum bottles

Beaufort

Hwy 21 Bar & Grill

4:30 pm
$25 per person

$25 includes open bar for well drinks & domestic beer, oyster roast, dinner, and snacks
Big screen TVs

I’ll update as I get more info! Please message me if you’d like to be included on this list.

4 Comments

Charleston Restaurant News

Charleston Beer Exchange to Relocate to NoMo

February 2, 2016

Scott Shor, owner of Edmund’s Oast and The Charleston Beer Exchange, announced today plans to consolidate and make some exciting changes to his popular retail store. By early 2017*, The Charleston Beer Exchange will relocate to a brand new location being built adjacent to Edmund’s Oast Brewpub and be renamed Edmund’s Oast Exchange. The space will be over 2,000 square feet, two stories and is being designed by architect Andrew Gould of New World Byzantine. The store will continue to offer their incredible selection of craft beer with approximately 1,000 different varieties sold in cans, bottles, kegs, and growlers. Edmund’s Oast Exchange will be the only location anywhere patrons can buy beers produced at Edmund’s Oast Brewpub.

Photo by Chrys.

In addition to the top notch beer selection, the retail space will add a comprehensive wine collection, featuring roughly 500 different labels. This will include everything from benchmark classics to fun finds from the young vanguard. An emphasis will be placed on wines that tell a story and sharing these stories with customers. Also included will be glassware, merchandise, and food items made at Edmund’s Oast such as charcuterie. A porch/garden area along with the expanded interiors will be used to host a full curriculum of beer and wine classes and tastings year round. Being closer to the brewpub, the store can collaborate easily to expand events at the restaurant such as offering additional beverage related dinners. Edmund’s Oast Exchange will be led by a stellar group of knowledgeable professionals including Sarah O’Kelley, Certified Cicerone® Brandon Plyler, and Mark Sahara.

“It is pretty wonderful to be able to bring our popular beer store closer in proximity to Edmund’s Oast Brewpub and our anticipated offsite brewery, Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company. We have longed to have a larger space for the retail component, to be able to offer additional parking and have a large footprint for better displays, events, and additional products such as wines. We are thrilled to have strong talent leading this effort and our onsite education component. In the meantime, we will continue to offer all the same great beer, service, and tastings at our current location. No changes will be made until we get closer to the anticipated opening in early 2017.”
– Scott Shor, owner.

The store’s relocation to the Half Mile North/NoMo area, is in addition to other recent openings and announcements of retail spaces and brings more convenient places for people to come to visit, shop, and dine.

*Early 2017 is just an anticipated date and dependent of construction.

To learn more, visit us at www.edmundsoast.com.

Events Guides

A Shucker’s Guide to the Lowcountry Oyster Festival 1/31/16

January 30, 2016

This Sunday, January 31, Boone Hall Plantation will welcome 80,000 lbs of oysters and an estimated 10,000 attendees to the World’s Largest Oyster Festival- the Lowcountry Oyster Festival. The Greater Charleston Restaurant Association (GCRA) is celebrating the Festival’s 33^rd year with a number of new offerings including local oysters from St. Jude Farms as well as complimentary shuttle service to festival grounds from designated parking areas.

Here’s a cheat sheet for everything you should see, do, and eat at the festival:

What to See:

Legendary “Oyster Shucking” & “Oyster Eating” contests, occurring at 1:30pm. Registration takes place at the Festival.
Live Chef Demos, sponsored by St. Jude Farms
- Adam Miller from Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.
- Vaughn Collins from Bay Street Biergarten, 2-5 p.m.
Live music from The Piedmont Boys at 12pm

What to Eat:

$12 buckets of Chesapeake Bay single select oysters will be available for purchase
St. Jude Farms will be on site, offering up steamed local “Otter Roasters” for purchase
During the Chef demos, the Sweetgrass Mussels and Comdahee Clam dishes being made will be available for $4 per serving
Food will be offered for purchase from the following vendors:
- Food Trucks: MacDaddy, Dukes BBQ, BlackJack Barbeque, Ben & Jerry’s
- Restaurant Row Booth: Charleston Festival Foods, Sticky Fingers, Burtons Grill, Gilligan’s Seafood Restaurant, Wild Wing Café, Zeus, Red’s Ice House, Tavern & Table, A Dough Rei Me, Hyman’s Seafood
- Sweet Treats Booth: S&D Coffee, Wando High, Memminger Elementary

But mostly oysters. It is the oyster festival, after all.

What to Wear:

The current weather forecast calls for 65 degrees and sunshine, ideal for light layers of clothing. Boots are recommended as the Festival grounds can be muddy in areas. Oyster gloves and shuckers will be provided at the event, but attendees are welcome to bring their own.

Where to Park:

Parking will be quick and easy, with a shuttle service available at two pick-up/drop-off locations. The shuttle will run every 30 minutes, making stops at the following off-site locations:

South Carolina Aquarium trolley stop – 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston, SC 29403
MUSC Health East Cooper – 1600 Midtown Avenue, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

There are two entrances into the Festival: the main Boone Hall entrance off Long Point Road and the entrance off Highway 17. Boone Hall Plantation is located at 1235 Longpoint Road, Mount Pleasant, SC, 29464.

For the Kids:

New to the Oyster Festival this year, the Children’s Pluff-a-Palooza center will celebrate the natural wonders of the Lowcountry with four live theatre performances of “Pearlie the Amazing Oyster,” Bubba the Lowcountry Bubble Man, an electronic bull, bounce houses, face painting stations, cookie decorating, puppets, giant live dinosaurs and more.

VIP Access:

VIP tickets are $100 and include access to the VIP lane at the entry gate and VIP tent admission where guests can enjoy complimentary food, steamed oysters, beer, wine and Pepsi products. Food is catered by Charleston Hospitality Group.

Other Fun Facts:

The Lowcountry Oyster Festival runs from 10 am – 5 pm on January 31, 2016. General admission tickets are $17.50 in advance/$25 day of the event. Children ten and under are free with paying adult. You can purchase Oyster Festival tickets online.

The Lowcountry Oyster Festival is a charity fundraiser benefiting The Ronald McDonald House, Hollings Cancer Center, Shriners Hospitals for Children and Charleston County Schools Science Materials Resource Center. Additionally, the Department of Natural Resources partners with the Coastal Conservation Association’s Topwater Action Campaign to recycle and restore the oyster shells.

The festival is a rain or shine event. No pets or coolers allowed.

For more information and to join the #LowcountryOysterFest conversation, follow on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Charleston Restaurant News

Edmund’s Oast Introduces Nightly Tasting Menu at Chef’s Counter

January 29, 2016

Executive Chef Reid Henninger will begin to offer a special seven-course Tasting Menu at Edmund’s Oast. The menu will change nightly and is only available at the Chef’s Counter. Reservations must be booked in advance and substitutions are not available. The cost is $80 per person and there will be an optional beverage pairing as well for an additional charge. Guests can still dine at the Chef’s Counter and order off the regular menu.

“We are often asked about tasting menus and thought it would be something special to add at the Chef’s Counter,” stated Reid Henninger. “It will be a great way for the talented kitchen team to do something a little more formal than the norm. We think it will be a nice addition to the ever-evolving menu.”

To learn more, visit us at www.edmundsoast.com or to make reservations call 843-727-1145.