Restaurant Review: Next Door

It’s sexy Next Door; the lighting is low, the booths are embracing and the food is sure to illicit sounds of absolute delight. Ben Berryhill’s newest culinary endeavor-- you guessed it, basically next door to Red Drum-- is my new favorite place I can’t wait to go back to.

The Atmosphere

I hate to use the hackneyed term “casual elegance” to describe Next Door’s atmosphere, but that’s exactly what the Mount Pleasant bistro offers. The vibe is relaxed but not subdued. There’s a subtle hum of confidence, energy and fun that emanates from the staff, the plates the kitchen produces and the bartender’s faultless musical choices. You’ll want to stay here through multiple courses.

The Staff

Our waiter was impeccable. There’s something to be said for a server who strikes a balance between being making you feel like an inconvenience and watching you like a hawk. He seemed to enjoy our meal right along with us, guiding us through the wine list and the menu, pointing our favorites and “must try” items. 

The Food

Next Door’s menu is crowded with delicious items, many of which use locally sourced produce, seafood and proteins. Of course, this means the menu changes frequently, so if you hear of a dish your friend loves, best head Next Door as soon as possible.

The salad of baby beets, watermelon radishes, baby carrots and house made mozzarella ($8) with a lemon vinaigrette was like a run through Mr. MacGregor’s garden with a lemon twist. So refreshing, so balanced and so delightful. Who says salads need be boring? The root vegetables, roasted, were tender but still satisfyingly crunchy. The mozzarella served as a creamy foil to the salad’s purity. Definitely a must order. 

There’s something about cutting into a poached egg, and how its liquid gold seductively pours from its tender white albumen cradle. Pair that with freshly made pasta, house made ricotta and nutty brown butter and you’ve got the makings of a decadent yet simple dish. Next Door’s poached egg, ham, and ricotta raviolo ($14) is rich and satiating in its sea of nutty brown butter, though definitely one to share. 

Eating Next Door’s seared duck breast with kale, turnips, duck jus and soubise is tortuous. With each bite there’s less to enjoy, without another bite you feel deprived. Earthy, salty, tender and complete with crisp, seared skin this is how one should prepare duck. The Lucinato kale greens are a substantial partner to the game-like bird, maintaining the dish’s natural flavor profile. The turnips provide a sweetness and necessary textural juxtaposition to the tender duck breast and sautéed kale. The duck jus is intense with solicitous sweet and umami flavors and the soubise (béchamel sauce with puréed onions) serves as nice creamy accent. This, too, is a must-order.

The Verdict

Next Door is simply fabulous. The atmosphere, food and staff make this venue a beautiful location for a romantic dinner for two, or, alternatively, a fun outing for a sophisticated group. Expect entrées to be priced between $15 and $25, starters below $15-- though each dish is worth every penny. The wine list is interesting in the best way possible. Ask your server for suggestions.

Three Course Thursdays: Triangle Char and Bar

This originally appeared on my Patch.com column.

Regardless of its origin, the hamburger is to me quintessentially American. One can never have too many great burger joints at one’s disposal. The Charleston area definitely has a few, although I’m not sure I’d count Triangle Char and Bar amongst them.

The Atmosphere

The design, décor and atmosphere of Mount Pleasant’s Triangle Char and Bar is casual, fun and a little bit funky. I love the industrial whimsy of the interior and the fact that the bar opens up to the outdoors. This is especially important on Sundays when the hungry brunch crowd must satiate their appetites with pitchers of mimosas while waiting for a table.

The Service

The two times I’ve visited Triangle Char and Bar the staff has been knowledgeable and helpful. My most recent experience was no exception. I’m not a regular at Triangle Char and Bar so I wasn’t aware that Thursdays are “Three Course Thursdays.” I’m so glad my server clued me into this fantastic deal. Who can pass up a snack (read: appetizer), a burger and a draft beer for $15? I couldn’t.

The Food

I took advantage of the “Three Course Friday” deal and started my meal with livers, fried chicken livers, tasso gravy, stone ground grits and a fried egg. If you’re a fan of fried chicken livers, you have to get this—you’ll be presented with three perfectly fried chicken livers, very creamy grits, beautifully salty tasso gravy and an orb of golden egg yolk prepared to bring the whole dish to life.

I really like burgers. I’m of the belief that designer burgers and “plain jane” burgers both have their place in this world (and my stomach). I also believe that burgers should always be cooked on a flat top or in a skillet and not grilled (tailgating is the only exception). This way, all of the fantastic drippings, fat and flavor that cook out of a burger make its way back. Grilling just doesn’t impart the same flavor or deliver the same juicy patty.

I ordered “the yank”—a burger topped with Swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms and horseradish mayo. The burger itself was good but took itself out of the running for great because it was dry and a little overcooked (I normally order my burgers medium). The horseradish mayo is delicious. I suggest you request a bit extra on the side for dipping your burger and fries.

In case you were wondering, I ordered an Allagash White for my draft beer. (Yum!)

The Verdict

Whoever thought up “Three Course Thursdays” is a genius. On it’s own, it’s a great deal. For the menu items you have to choose from at Triangle Char and Bar, it’s an absolute steal. Great for hanging out with friends and watching the game, not the ideal setting for a romantic date, Triangle Char and Bar serves up decent burgers and new twists on bar food sure to please a broad spectrum of palates.

What's your favorite burger place? What did you order at Triangle Char and Bar?

Breakfast at Charleston's Café

As familiar with the Charleston dining scene as I am, it can be a difficult deciding where to eat. Charleston’s Café is one of my go-to places. Trust me, this is where you want to be eating breakfast.


THE ATMOSPHERE


Charleston’s Café, located just off of US-17, is not fancy by any means, but that’s okay. The moment you step inside its doors you immediately recognize it as an establishment where the food comes first and the décor doesn’t really matter. Nondescript wooden tables and chairs fill the dining rooms and a large black chalkboard lists the daily specials.


THE SERVICE


Unfortunately, the service this visit was definitely lacking due much in part to the large Father’s Day brunch crowd.


THE FOOD


My eyes scanned the list of daily specials before we were seated. The Belgian Waffle Sandwich with Bacon, Scrambled Eggs and Fried Chicken with Maple Mayonnaise was already a lead contender before I’d opened my breakfast menu.


I couldn’t pass up a twist on the classic chicken and waffles and decided on the special, though I asked that my eggs be cooked over easy instead of scrambled. My cohort ordered one of Charleston Café’s most popular items, Amber’s Choice, a crab cake topped with eggs, hollandaise, shrimp and smoked sausage.

A Twist on Chicken and Waffles

Amber's Choice

Our breakfast entrées came out quickly. I was presented with a mountain of food: the best waffle I’ve ever had topped with a layer of maple mayonnaise, crispy bacon, juicy fried chicken and crowned with an over easy egg that anointed the entire dish with runny gold.


My cohort’s meal wasn’t as satisfying. The crab cake had an odd metallic taste suggesting that the crab was probably canned. Too much lemon disguised the metallic flavor with as much success as perfume masks foul odors. Everything else on the plate, however, was good.


Having consumed enough calories to sustain a small army, we ordered dessert. We split an order of the Bourbon Pecan Pie and the Deep Fried Vanilla Bread Pudding. Don’t light a match near the Bourbon Pecan Pie—or take a Breathalyzer test after eating a slice. The Deep Fried Vanilla Bread Pudding was a great idea in theory, but the execution of the comfort food favorite completely failed. The outside of the bread pudding was fried food heaven but the inside of the fried bread pudding was grossly unexpected. Its texture reminded me of the soap-making scene in Fight Club.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Fried Bread Pudding

THE VERDICT


Charleston’s Café is the perfect place for both locals and out of town guests as the menu offers a variety of traditional and local, southern inspired fare. There’s something on the menu for just about anyone and you can’t disagree with the restaurant’s reasonable prices. Be prepared for a potential wait during peak brunch times and make sure to check out the specials board.

"Ma the Meatloaf!" Meatloaf

It's October and the air is getting cooler, leaves are beginning to change ombréed with colors of brown to yellow. When the weather begins to change, I begin to crave comfort food. Meatloaf is a comfort food.

Admittedly the definition of meatloaf is not particularly appetizing. Meat seasoned, shaped into a loaf and baked doesn't make my mouth water. So many of us have meatloaf horror stories of overcooked, dry and gray masses of meat served to us by grandparents, diners and hairnet clad lunch ladies.

Meatloaf should be flavorful, moist and comforting not some gray lump on a plate you need gravy in order to stomach. This meatloaf doesn't need gravy! The secret to this meatloaf is in the preparation. Don't think by just chopping and not mincing the vegetables you'll reach the same results. Soaking the breadcrumbs is also key.


Recipe for "Ma the Meatloaf!" Meatloaf

Ingredients 
- 1 lb ground turkey (not turkey breast)
- 1 lb ground beef chuck
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups of homemade bread crumbs (I used roasted garlic bread. Yum!)
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 2 carrots
- 2 ribs of celery
- 1/2 white onion
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tblsp unsalted butter 
- 2 tbslp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbslp apple cider vinegar
- center cut bacon
- ketchup


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF
2. Prepare your mise en place
• chop onion, parsley, carrots and celery ribs
• tear bread into pieces and make breadcrumbs in a blender or food processor
3. Place breadcrumbs in a bowl with the whole milk and allow to soak
4. Place vegetables in a blender or food processor and chop to a fine mince
5. Sauté vegetables in butter on medium heat until carrots are soft, about 5 minutes. Add apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire and mix into vegetables off the heat
6. Add vegetables to breadcrumb and milk mixture
7. Mix beef, turkey and three eggs with vegetable-breadcrumb mixture with your hands
8. Shape into one large loaf and four smaller individual loaves. Top each loaf with ketchup and a criss-cross of bacon.
9. Bake the smaller loaves for 30-35 minutes.
10. Bake the larger loaf for 45 minutes to an hour

There are no photographs of these meatloaves because, in fact, they are gone. You'll know these meatloaves are done when they appear cooked, the bacon is crispy and the juices run clear. DO NOT OVERBAKE. You can always put the meatloaves back in the oven.

Chew

The boyfriend and I both work in downtown Jacksonville (as of last Monday) which means we're finally able to take lunch together. As today is a special day, our one and a half year anniversary, I chose a restaurant I've heard so many great things about for lunch: Chew.

Though Chew is about 10 minutes from my office I am still unsure if the walk was worth it. I ordered the banh mi sandwich, boyfriend ordered the hot brown sandwich and we split the fried green tomatoes with gorgonzola fondue. The fried green tomatoes were good and boyfriend's hot brown sandwich was delicious. For those of you who do not know what a hot brown sandwich is you're missing out. My banh mi sandwich, on the other hand, was another story.

My banh mi sandwich arrived with a side salad dressed in a delightfully light and lemony vinaigrette. "This is gonna be good," I thought. One bite into the sandwich, and I was disappointed, firstly, with the pork was absolutely far too dry. Secondly? There was too much bread, not enough pickled vegetables and not enough chili lime dressing. I sent the banh mi sandwich back.

Round two of the banh mi sandwich was significantly better. The pork was crispy outside, tender, hot and succulent inside. While banh mi sandwich number two did not have more pickled vegetables than the first it did have more chili lime dressing, which helped to create a more flavorful sandwich overall.

Next time, I will not be ordering the banh mi sandwich, but I will be returning to Chew. All in all I am not quite sure I have made a decision as to whether or not Chew is as good as everyone else says it is.