Restaurant Review: The Tattooed Moose

Sorry for the lack of photos-- they've disappeared from my iPhone :(

Walking into the Tattooed Moose you half expect to see the Royal Tenenbaums engaging in a hair of the dog brunch. The vibe is a touch hipster, a touch pub-- it’s a nice combination. As the name suggests, there is, in fact, a moose. It will greet you as you saddle up the the bar for some beer or, like I did, for some duck fat fries. 

They make grilled cheese sandwiches ($5.50) with slices of yellow American here-- the kind I, away from my mother’s health conscious gaze, scarfed down with impunity during my high school lunches. As I am sure you’ll agree, these delightful, greasy pieces of Americana are best dunked in a lot of ketchup. My only issue with The Tattooed Moose’s grilled cheese sandwich was that it wasn’t hot; the American cheese had begun to cool and to congeal. In a perfect world, all grilled cheese sandwiches are cut on the diagonal and as you pull apart the halves, the melted cheese stretches to the thinness of yellow Saran Wrap before breaking into strands. I’m sure, when it’s hot, the grilled cheese sandwiches at the Tattooed Moose do.

Ideally, the Tattooed Moose’s “Lucky #1” Sub ($8.25) would have tasted like a well balanced banh mi sandwich. Oh how I was hoping for those kinds of flavors. My sandwich roll was soggy, the seared pork belly was barely discernible. The flavors of the house made kimchi, wasabi mayo and sweet red chili sauce were muddled not complimentary. The crispy shallots were fried many minutes before and were far past crisp. The Duck Fat Fries ($1.75) were all they were quacked up to be (sorry, I had to). I had to gingerly slap hands away from the heaping pile. 

All in all, the food here was decent. I wouldn’t recommend the Lucky #1 Sub, but the grilled cheese and duck fat fries were good enough I’d give you the thumbs up if that’s what you wanted to order. From all the rave reviews I've read I think I hit the Tattooed Moose on a bad day. I'll definitely be back, if just for the duck fat fries and to give this neighborhood favorite a second chance. 

Restaurant Review: Two Boroughs Larder.

This originally appeared on my Patch.com weekly column.

I apologize for the lack of photos. I promise, they were taken (the food was too good to not document!) but due to computer and iPhone technical issues I only have one photo to show you! When you go (or if you've already made the trip) to Two Boroughs Larder, please comment with your photos!

Two Boroughs Larder is a restaurant and market located on the corner of Coming and Morris Streets in downtown Charleston. To label this new addition to Charleston’s culinary scene as anything more than a purveyor of great food would be a mistake.

The Atmosphere
The interior design of Two Boroughs Larder says it all: this is a restaurant where details are taken into consideration and taken seriously but not taken too far. The establishment has two rooms; both are for eating, though one room is clearly the ‘larder.’ I’ll be honest, all of my visits have been spent seated hungrily at one of TBL’s small four tops staring at the open kitchen hoping the next dish is mine. The refined yet rustic farm-style wood planks of the bar and dining tables gives the restaurant a chic yet cozy feel.


The Staff
Two Boroughs Larder’s attention to detail carries over onto the waitstaff. Everyone is happy, enthusiastic about the restaurant, smiling and all too ready to suggest menu items. You’re served with the same congeniality of a friend but still treated like a paying customer.

The Food
Like so many great Charleston-area restaurants the menu at Two Boroughs Larder changes with the seasons and ingredient availability. So, when you go, you have to start your meal with The Oxtail-- that is if it’s still on the menu.

The Szechuan Ox Tail ($11) comes served in a while porcelain bowl with a beige smear around the lip of the vessel. One taste of the beige paste and immediately you’ll recognize the distinct earthiness of boiled peanuts. A sunny-side up egg sits atop braised oxtail, ginger, peanuts, scallions, red chili flakes and the most delicious and texturally intriguing fried rice this side of the Orient. The rice is, of course, pan fried with oil and spices rendering it nutty and flavorful. The best part? There are bits of rice that are, however, truly fried and they snap and crackle like pop rocks providing a fantastic textural surprise with every bite. A word to the wise: use your fork and knife to cut the runny egg so the yolk binds the dish and adds a delightful creaminess.

Served with unctuous roast pork, house made soba noodles (impressive in its own right), and a soft boiled egg in steaming hot aromatic broth, the Bowl o Noodles ($9) is a lesson in style and substance. Sesame greens, pickled mushrooms, kimchee and extra pork are available as additional add-ins. I highly suggest the pickled mushrooms ($.50 extra), kimchee ($1 extra) and extra pork ($2 extra). I can’t speak to the sesame greens ($.50 extra), but if they’re like anything else that comes out of Two Borough’s kitchen they’re sure to be good. The broth is salty, but in a good way. It balances the umami grandeur of simply roasted pork, fatty and crispy all at once. The noodles are perfectly cooked and toothsome as only beautifully made soba noodles can be. The pickled mushrooms possess just a touch of sweetness and the kimchee a needed crunch to the soup, making it a palate lifting dish.

The Rice Pudding ($8) here is absolutely divine. Custard-like in taste but risotto-like in texture, this rice pudding is simple and beautiful. The smoked maple syrup adds a subtle smoky earthiness, and who doesn’t love golden raisins? The generous portion is suitable for two and served burn-your-mouth-hot but the pain is oh so worth it.

The Chocolate Budino ($5) is good desert option, too, but not my favorite. Somewhere between a mousse, a pudding and a ganache, the chocolate budino is very chocolatey but not overwhelming. The olive oil and sea salt drizzle are intended to add a bit of richness and cut the sweetness, respectively. A word to the wise: stir the olive oil and salt into the budino. Though small, this dessert is decadent enough for two.

The Verdict
Run. Go. Quickly now! Try Two Boroughs Larder before becomes everyone else’s favorite restaurant, too, and a small four top is as rare as a parking spot on King Street on a Saturday. This place is perfect for any meal, though my favorite is lunch. Regardless, you can order breakfast all day. The restaurant offers beer and wine and fun nonalcoholic bottles, too. Prices range from $5 breakfast sandwiches and à la carte sides to $30 for an entrée. Keep in mind, the menu does change, so prices probably do as well.

Two Boroughs Larder
(843) 637 - 3722
186 Coming Street
Open: Tues to Sun, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Follow TBL on Twitter and Facebook

October Bucket List

My attempt at carving a pumpkin this weekend. It's supposed to be a witch stirring a cauldron...

For the past few weeks, the sky has been an ombré of slate blue, dingy white and gray clouds. Buckets of rain have thudded from the sky like fists on a table. Summer's final afternoon thunderstorm tantrums are approaching an end. The landscape is changing—the once verdant landscape is now tinged with bronze. Autumn is coming--and today it’s sunny.

I've always found the changing of the seasons both comforting and invigorating. Change, in every form, has always been welcome in my life. I'm energized by the challenge of all things new. The transition into a new season only reinforces my love of change. Though this isn't my first autumn, Halloween or year carving pumpkins, all these things are new again, which make me love them again and anew.

Lately, I've been behaving like a Paris transplant who's yet to visit the Louvre. There's so much to see, to do, to eat, to experience here in this beautiful Southern city and all I've done is work, work, work. My antidote? A bucket list. October is halfway over and I'm not going to waste the remaining two weeks. 

October Bucket List

1. Experience Boone Hall Plantation's corn maze
2. Eat a doughnut (or two) from Glazed downtown
3. Carve a pumpkin.
4. Try Two Boroughs Larder from Lunch
5. Go for a run downtown (like I used to)
6. Decide on a Halloween costume
7. Concoct a healthier version of pumpkin bread
8. Try a new recipe-- I've got my eye on this Thai Shrimp Halibut Curry
9. Get the sh*t scared out of me at Boone Hall's Fright Night
10. Find a great sushi place in Mount Pleasant 

Am I missing anything? What else should go on my bucket list for October? What about November?

The Dock Days of Summer

To say I’ve been stressed out lately is like admitting the U.S. needs a solution to the deficit. I haven’t had a chance to work out a single time this week and I haven’t meditated or gone for a run. I have turned my back on all of my normal stress-releasing activities during one of the most stressful workweeks I’ve had since I started my new job. I’ve had trouble sleeping and I’ve been weirdly short of breath—even lying in bed. I may or may not have broken down in tears twice this week.

Luckily, my boyfriend had a solution for us (he’s had a tough week, too): the dock. His family has property on a creek that flows into the Cooper River. It’s quite possibly the best place in Charleston. Friday after work we took tail-wagging Emma and headed for paradise. Walking down the long dock to the creek is like time travel. With every step the weight of the week, or perhaps the world, falls away. By the time you’ve reached the water you’re standing a whole lot taller. 

Post-work Paradise

We swam and caught up on our reading (him: Entertainment Weekly, me: The Happiness Project) in this:

My kind of recliner.

Saturday afternoon my mom and I headed to Trader Joe’s. To no one’s surprise, it was busy. I found some fantastic stuff, but I’m most excited about:

Mango Chile Fruit Floes and Raspberry, Lemon, Strawberry whole fruit popsicles!

The Anatomy of the Perfect Lunch Spot: the Square Onion

When I worked as the public relations intern for a company in Jacksonville, Fla. I always bitched lamented there wasn’t a better selection of perfect lunch spots nearby. The perfect lunch spot has three components: it’s fast, it’s good and it’s close to your office. Easy enough, right?

Most employees have between 30 minutes and an hour for lunch, so wherever you’re headed has to be close. The ideal lunch spot is within walking distance or is reachable by car within 5-7 minutes; otherwise you’re wasting your freedom time in transit. Bringing your lunch doesn’t count. You never left your desk, which makes you a loser.

Lunchtime is one of the best parts of the day! Wherever you’re headed to satiate your midday hunger should be delicious. A good lunch spot serves good food and has a menu that you won’t get tired of too quickly.

What’s the point in going to a good place that’s close to your office if the service is always slow? Exactly. Your boss will only accept the “The service took forever!” excuse so many times. Besides, rushing through your meal is not good for you and counterintuitive to going out to lunch in the first place.

Luckily, I don’t need to look much farther than the Square Onion in I’On for a perfect lunch spot—it’s fast, it’s close and it’s tasty.

My first time to this delectable and quaint lunch spot was fantastic. My friend, Mark, told me to order the Goose, a warm roast beef sandwich with melted mozzarella, fresh basil and tomatoes with a balsamic drizzle atop rosemary foccacia. The sandwich arrived within 5 minutes.

So often foccacia can be a heavy bread choice, but this wasn’t. It was sturdy enough to handle the heft of the lean roast beef and light enough that I didn’t return to work feeling like I’d consumed too much. The roast beef was, well, beefy—a good thing. The melted fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatoes ended each bite with a flavorful summertime zing that balanced what could have been an otherwise heavy sandwich. Delicious!

I ate the edamame salad in two seconds. With every bite I wondered, “I wonder if they’ll give me the recipe for this?”

In short, I plan on going back. You can follow the Square Onion on Twitter @SquareOnion

Do you know of any great local lunch spots?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Yep, I'm giving in and doing one of these "What I'm Loving Wednesday" posts.


1. Tonight my boyfriend and I went to the Bar Jam at Awendaw Green to see our friend, George, play. He was great-- as much as he doesn't like to hear it he really does sound like John Mayer! I suggest anyone in the Charleston, S.C. take a trip to this fantastic, laid-back and nostalgic venue for a visit. As soon as I sat down, I realized how perfect a sweet iced tea would be sitting beneath the old oaks listening to the singers and songwriters soundtrack the twilight. The boyfriend left "to use the restroom" but came back instead with two of my favorite things: peanut M&Ms and, yes, a sweet iced tea. 


2. I had Kraft macaroni and cheese for dinner. It was a throwback to my college days and, man, was it gooooooood.


3. I wish you all could have seen the face my boyfriend made when he saw that I was reading the following article. (FYI: It's not what you think.)

That's all for tonight, folks! What are you loving this Wednesday?

Restaurant Review: Eurasia

It took us most of Saturday to decide on a place to eat. We tossed ideas in the air and shot them down like a marksman blasting clay pigeons. We wanted someplace quintessentially Charleston and yet new. Our solution? Eurasia.


Located off of Houston Northcutt to the left of Whole Foods in Mt. Pleasant, Eurasia is delicious. Its menu changes from time to time (the seafood stew that drew us there initially wasn’t offered during our visit) focusing on regional Southern fare with Asian influences.


To start, we ordered cocktails. I ordered a Firefly Fuzzy Fly—which is basically a skinny version of a fuzzy navel. My friend, Amanda, ordered the Blueberry Mojito. My cocktail was sweet as can be and went down way too smoothly. This is where things begin to get a little bit fuzzy.


Our waitress raved that the vegetable spring rolls were “outrageously good!” and “the best in the world.” So, of course, we had to have an order. Served with a spicy nostril-clearing Chinese mustard and another dipping sauce (I told you—things got fuzzy) the bias-cut veggie rolls were gone in a flash. From what I recall, they were good but not the best in the world. It can be easy to oversell a product when you’re an enthusiastic employee but it’s always better to undersell than under deliver.

On to the entrées (and a dark and stormy for me)! I ordered the green curry seafood bowl. I’m a sucker for seafood and curry, so this was an obvious selection for me. I wish I had ordered something else. The green curry was overpowered by what my drunken palate told me was sweetened coconut milk. I couldn’t taste the delicate nuances of the green curry itself. The seafood was cooked beautifully and so was the rice (no small feat!) but the saccharin curry was just too much. So, I didn’t finish my entrée and drank more.

Amanda ordered something with fish and really good mashed potatoes. Her dish was by far the winner that night. At this point she handed me her unfinished second beverage.

As it was a celebratory meal we couldn’t pass up dessert. By this time my friend Lauren had popped in for a cocktail and to join us for the sweet ending to our dinner. Amanda and I both wanted the doughnuts and coffee crème brûlée but our server told us we’d be better off splitting the dessert—the crème brulee was pretty big. Not big on sharing (we are only children) we ordered another dessert, an inside out s’mores bombe that came with a campfire: a flaming pile of salt.

The clear dessert winner was the crème brulee. Two orders would have just been fine with everyone. The doughnut holes were hot and freshly fried (YUM). The inside-out bombe was… interesting. The glaring problem with the s'mores-inspired bombe was its consistency. There were too many similar soft textures and no crunch to break up the smoothness. 

On a final note, I have to applaud how nice and helpful the staff is at Eurasia. Our waitress was clearly excited about where she worked, something that's great to see anywhere but especially in a service industry. The owner remembered my friend, Lauren, who hosted her birthday dinner this year at his restaurant. We'll definitely be back.

The Best Sandwich in Charleston

Some of the best places to eat in Charleston, S.C. don’t have tables or chairs. Case in point: Street Hero, a food vendor that sells Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and tacos downtown every Saturday at the Farmers’ Market in Marion Square from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Street Hero serves up sandwiches and tacos so good they will change your mind about what ‘street meat’ means.

I first tasted Street Hero’s fantastic fixings a few weekends ago with an out of town guest and I have been dreaming about their food ever since. I should have known that a line so long was a very good sign.

“I’m torn,” I said, “between the ginger lemongrass chicken banh mi and the traditional Vietnamese pork and pâté banh mi.”

“Well, I’d go with the ham and pâté,” said one of the owners. (Regrettably, I cannot remember his name.)

“Sold!” I said. My friend ordered the lemongrass chicken.

We stood to the side of Street Hero’s yellow tent. Plates of tacos and French baguettes brimming with Vietnamese fare flew into hungry hands rapidly. We watched as careful hands assembled each sandwich attentively and piled on refreshing pickled carrot-cucumber salad and fried shallots.

After a liberal squirt or two of sriracha, I bit into my monstrous baguette. My mouth waters, even now, out of both respect and jealousy for the memory of that first bite. Creamy-earthy pâté danced with the refreshing crunch of a pickled carrot-cucumber salad. The Vietnamese ham (not sweet like most American deli ham—much more subtle yet still distinctly porky protein) and the salty crispy fried shallots hit it all off. I can’t do the sandwich justice; you just have to taste it for yourself. It will be the best $8 you ever spend.

There’s something to be said for street food. Without the use of refrigerators your ingredients have to be fresh and they have to be the best; especially when you’re working in 85ºF heat! There are no fancy sauces or foams or complex preparations for street food to hide behind. If it’s good, you’ll know; there will be a line.

You can follow Street Hero on Twitter at @CharStreetHero

Restaurant Review: La Fourchette

For Mother’s Day I took my mother and my godmother to La Fourchette. Located at 432 King Street in downtown Charleston, S.C., this bistro is my new favorite spot for authentically prepared French food. Seemingly, every menu item is delicious. If you want your mother to love you take her to this restaurant.

La Fourchette is by no means a large restaurant. In fact, it’s quite small and I like it. There’s an unequivocal connection between the table, the wait staff and the kitchen this way-- it's all very intimate. You know when the kitchen is frying duck-fat fries.

To start, we ordered two appetizers. Both of our selections were specials that evening; a duck liver pâté served with crisp French bread and homemade preserves and sautéed sweetbreads. The pâté, as it ought to be, was undeniably creamy. The sweetness of the homemade preserves and the crunch of the toasted French bread complimented the pâté’s inherent richness allowing you to eat every bite without feeling over-indulgent.

La Fourchette’s sweetbreads were an exemplum of the ingenuity and hallmark balance true French cooking exhibits. Leave it to the French to take an otherwise useless “leftover” and turn it into a savory and phenomenal item. Served with a cream sauce and sautéed spinach hinted with lemon, the perfectly panfried sweetbreads were by far my favorite of the two appetizers. This needs to be a permanent fixture on La Fourchette’s menu.

For the main event the three of us chose very differently. My mother, true to form, ordered mussels. These phenomenally large bivalves tasted of the ocean were perfectly cooked and perfumed with white wine.

I ordered Le Steak Frites Salade: a refreshing side salad of butter lettuce (my favorite!) in a lemon vinaigrette, duck-fat French fries (oh, honey) and medium rare hanger steak dripping with garlicky butter. Délicieux!

My godmother ordered the highlight of the meal. If you go to La Fourchette you simply must order the Vélouté de Tomate au Romarin (chilled tomato and rosemary soup with cucumbers). It is absolutely jaw-droppingly good and yet mind-numbingly simple. This soup is one of those fabulous creations you wish you could replicate (and due to its identifiable flavor profile you feel you could) but know your version will never quite live up to the valor of the original. This is better than any gazpacho you have ever had. I don't have a photo, but that's because we all dove right in and gulped this masterpiece down.

In addition to her chilled tomato soup, my godmother (en français: ma marraine) ordered Les Crevettes et Coquilles à la Nage et Pistou (shrimp and scallops in a light broth with French pesto, provençal tomatoes, puff pastry and asparagus), which was light and perfect for a hot day.

I'll definitely be returning to La Fourchette. This place is fantastic. Although for the restaurant's size I recommend reservations. 

A Dinner That Cooks Itself

Wednesday night, I came across a dinner that made itself. I’m a busy woman and despite my love of cooking and eating, sometimes after a spinning class I just don’t want to spend time in the kitchen. I want to take a long shower and watch How I Met Your Mother or Community…

..and then I remembered a fabulous French way of cooking, that for a butter-loving and labor-intensive culture, is surprisingly effortless: roasted en papillote.

When I was in high school and living back in Jacksonville (obviously at home) my mother only bought her fish from one person: a French fishmonger. He made the best mango salsa, but he also sold fresh catch of the day in parchment paper pouches atop julienned summer squash, lemon zest, garlic and tomatoes. Popped in the oven for 15 minutes the fish emerged flaky, flavorful and perfectly cooked. This is my homage to him.

In parchment paper, I placed a filet of puritanically white halibut, gave it a cherry tomato necklace and topped it with three thin slices of lemon, some salt and some pepper. Oh, and I dashed some rosé wine in there, too.

Into the oven my package of fish went, alongside two fennel bulbs, sliced, on a sheet pan covered in olive oil and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Yeah baby.


Did I mention that I took a shower while this was in the oven?  Hell yes.

Meet Virginia's

Virginia’s is located downtown at 412 King Street a block or so north of Marion Square and catty corner to the church next to the Francis Marion Hotel. This is an important location because on Sundays this brunch spot can’t serve alcohol—that means no Bloody Marys or Mimosas for those of us hungover after our late night shenanigans on Saturday. My most recent visit wasn’t on a Sunday. Be that as it may, I wasn’t about to drink at 9:30 a.m. It isn’t college football season yet.




As a side note, I’ve watched plenty of tables get up and leave the moment they understand they won’t be served hair of the dog. Save the servers the time of resetting your table and move on to a brunch spot that’s not so close to a church.




Though not my first visit to Virginia’s, this place has done a lot of work on itself. Some of my first experiences with this southern kitchen weren’t as good as my most recent. I told you I didn’t have it in for Holy City Hospitality. The server this time was very attentive. I never lacked for coffee. The food was out to us in what seemed four minutes. I was impressed.

My friend and I both ordered one of Virginia’s egg benedicts. I am an egg slut by nature. If the eggs are poached we can even skip foreplay. I ordered the tomato, spinach and bacon eggs benedict. Virginia’s, being a southern restaurant, swapped the traditional English muffin for a big biscuit. For some, this might be too much bread to handle. It was for me. I like the crispiness of a toasted English muffin. For others, this twist might just be perfect. Regardless, everything else was cooked very well, especially those poached eggs!

Farmers' Market Treasure: Diana Lauderdale

The Charleston Farmers’ Market is something locals and tourists alike enjoy every Saturday morning downtown in Marion Square. By 8:00 a.m., Marion Square smells almost good enough to eat. Doughnuts are fried right before your eyes. Crepes are made to order. Later in the day, bahn mi sandwiches make their appearance after you’ve worked up an appetite selecting your produce for the week. If you haven’t yet made this a Saturday morning tradition you are missing out.

For me, as a local, I’m there for the food vendors, like Roots Ice Cream, and the fabulous local produce. Artists’ booths normally don’t catch my eye. Yesterday, my mother and I stumbled across the work of a photographer, Diana Lauderdale, and we walked away with quite a bit of her work.

Lauderdale’s artwork is distinctive. She simply sees things that you or I wouldn’t. There’s a degree of rawness to each snapshot that brings you to the very moment it was taken—and in some instances the birth of the object itself. The pieces I selected are part of her This and That of Thine Eye,  Americana and In Other Words projects. Lauderdale finds a way to bring the subject of each photograph to life. She’s particularly gifted with color photographs.

I’m very excited to have two of my four photographs already framed. I’m even more excited to be supporting a local artist. In speaking with Diana, she’s absolutely a character. A wounded bird with gumption and an artist’s personality.

Mustard Seed: An Epic Sandwich

With a spice as it's namesake, it comes as no surprise that Mustard Seed is a restaurant dedicated to flavorful food. Located at 1036 Chuck Dawley Blvd. in Mt. Pleasant, this eatery is worth any wait and the limited parking.

One bite of Mustard Seed’s focaccia and I knew we were in good hands. I am surprised I had room left for the amazing sandwich I ordered: a Fried Green Tomato and Grilled Salmon BLT.

In college, I used to make a salmon BLT all the time. Mustard Seed’s version far outranks my creation. Crispy salty bacon, perfectly pan fried acidic green tomatoes, grilled salmon and pesto mayonnaise all atop bread that somehow never got soggy. Can you blame me for eating every single bite?

Everyone else at the table loved their meals. Mustard Seed has something for everyone. As a foodie with lots quirky friends (vegans, vegetarians and gluten-intolerants) it’s great to have a place where everyone can find something flavorful. In summation, do not hesitate to try Mustard Seed. I highly doubt you'll regret your visit.

Bluffin' with My Muffin: 56 Meals For $67

Thursday was payday and Friday rent was due. On Monday the remaining bills must be paid. I’m in the juice. I’m in the weeds. However you want to say it I am lacking funds. Two weeks from now I’ll be comfortably “back in black”, but for now the purse strings are knotted.


And yet I still have to eat. With approximately $67 my budget can allow for groceries, can I make it two weeks only spend that much? Can I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack every day for two weeks? I’ve done the math for you and that means spending $67 on 56 meals. That’s $1.20 per meal.


Challenge accepted.


I went to Publix this morning and spent exactly $67 on groceries. I went to Whole Foods (which my boyfriend has newly named “Whole Paycheck”) and used part of my gift card to buy my animal products. I refuse to forgo organic beef (meat of any kind), eggs and dairy products.


My menu for the next two weeks includes:


• Golden Raisin and Bran Muffins
• Spinach Salad with Roasted Portobello Mushrooms, Poached Egg and Blue Cheese
• Spinach Salad with Golden Raisins, Almonds, Red Onion and Homemade Vinaigrette
• Thai-Style Beef Tacos with Mango Salsa
• Thai-Style Beef Salad with Leftover Mango Salsa
• Avocado and Watermelon Radish Salad with Red Onion
• Banana Bread Smoothies
• Fresh Herb Caesar Salad with Roasted Tomatoes
• Blanched Asparagus with Hollandaise


My plan is to use last night’s leftovers as the next day’s meal building blocks. I’m also relying heavily on cruciferous vegetables to fill me up. We’ll see how it goes.


The Golden Raisin and Bran Muffins are immensely delicious yet healthy. I adapted the recipe from the January 2011 issue of Bon Appetit magazine:

Golden Raisin Oat Bran Muffins


Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/3 cup mild honey
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 cup golden raisins


Equipment: a muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups


Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter muffin pan.


2. Whisk together flour, oat bran, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice and cinnamon in a large bowl.


3. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, honey, butter, and eggs. Add to dry ingredients along with raisins and stir until just combined.

4. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

A Sad Farewell to 39 Rue de Jean

For the past five years collegiate nostalgia and fond memories have encouraged my patronage of 39 Rue de Jean, a French-inspired bistro located at 39 John St. in downtown Charleston. Considering my dining experience on Wednesday evening it will be a very long time before I visit again.

The start to the evening was unexpected and fabulous. The three of us arrived slightly before our 6:45 p.m. reservation to a bottle of rosé champagne chilling tableside. Lauren, one of Rue de Jean’s hostesses, had noticed (and remembered) my mom’s penchant for pink bubbly on our previous visit. That kind of service and attention is rare. Our server for the evening, Bobby, was exceptional. He was personable, boyishly charming and attentive. Before we had even ordered our meals our service had reached a five-star level.

My mother, true to form, ordered the Salade Frisée and the Moules Meurnière, her order every visit to Rue for the past five years. My friend, R, ordered the Braised Rabbit with white wine, crème fraîche, whole grain mustard and potatoes dauphinoise. I opted for the Duck Confit with Mediterranean rice, roasted beets, mache and orange balsamic reduction, although I substituted potato purée for the Mediterranean rice.

Our food arrived during our second bottle of rosé champagne, and our happy buzz wore off within the first few bites of our entrées. Out of the three my dish was by far the worst. The first bite and I was dying for water—did I order a salt lick accidentally? I took two more bites. As much as I hated to do it, I sent my Duck Confit back. Bobby handled the situation as well as one could imagine. He recommended that I try the Coq au Vin as a substitute and assured me that he would tell the kitchen to not be so heavy handed on the salt.

Moules Meurnières, when done well, are beyond fabulous. Shallots are sautéed until translucent and buttery, the pan deglazed with white wine and mussels added until the tender bivalves open. Though the mussels themselves are delicious, what remains at the bottom of the bowl is my favorite part. I have no shame in tearing pieces of crusty French bread to sop up and uncouthly slurp the intensely aromatic and flavorful broth that remains after the mussels are all gone. For a restaurant like 39 Rue de Jean to assault their mussels with salt, which come from the ocean, is going against French chef law. My mom didn’t touch a drop of the broth at the bottom of her bowl of mussels.

R’s Braised Rabbit was the least overly salted, but he still drank the most water that evening. His rabbit was pretty good, but his potato dauphinoise were raw. The first few layers were cheesy and properly cooked but the bottom half were cold. He left most on his plate.

It pains me that my favorite restaurant is no longer my favorite. Quite honestly it makes me angry more than anything else. Being heavy handed with salt is inexcusable. You’re a chef, taste your food! You should have confidence in every dish that leaves your kitchen—it is your livelihood and your trade. If you don’t think that your food is overly salted you should probably quit smoking (it dulls your palate) or simply trust that there is a reason your customers are habitually sending back their duck confit or duck confit hash. To the chefs of 39 Rue de Jean, please stop over salting your food. I want to come back. Your service is superlative, but your food, frankly, leaves much to be desired, except for salt.

 

Restaurant Review: Charleston's Café

If you're not looking for it you might drive right past Charleston's Café. Located off of Highway 17 in Mt. Pleasant, this little hole in the wall joint has joined my list of "Best Places to Eat When You've Got a Hangover." Though neither hungover nor in the mood for breakfast this visit I will definitely be returning to devour some of Charleston Café's breakfast fare. If my Crab Melt Panini  was any indication as to the flavor wizardry occurring in the kitchen I am sure there will be nothing but pleasant surprises in the future.


The first bite into my Crab Melt Panini was like taking the Concorde to Flavor Town. Crab! Tangy goat cheese! Sweet roasted red bell peppers! Earthy wilted spinach! Warm, crusty Italian bread! Winning! "If this is a lunch special," I thought, "I can't imagine how great their tried and true regular menu fixtures are!"


I brought a man-sized appetite but couldn't finish but half of the monster melt. I have no doubt it will be equally magnificent for dinner, if I ever am hungry again.

Doing the Charleston

For some of us particular places hold special weight and significance-- the beach where you learned to surf the summer you turned 16, the bar where you took your first (legal) shot on your 21st birthday or maybe the backseat of the car where you kissed the first boy you ever loved. One of those places for me is the town I spent my college years: Charleston, South Carolina.

I regretted moving away from Charleston the moment I unpacked the first box. I missed tripping on the charmingly disjointed sidewalks, walking from my studio apartment down King Street past chic boutiques to the farmer's market on Saturdays, even stumbling home after a wild night down on Market Street. I missed running down by the Battery in the warm afternoons, taking in the grandeur of antebellum homes south of Broad Street and, of course, I missed the culinary destination that is Charleston. Jacksonville, Fla. just could not compare.

Friday I officially bid farewell to Florida and moved myself back to Charleston. I could not be happier to be here, to be back. It doesn't feel like home. It is no more my home than Paris was to Hemingway-- it is far better. Better because Paris, its lifestyle, its culture and people, for Hemingway, were sources of inspiration. Charleston is no different for me.

I'm ready to do the Charleston.

Restaurant Review: Husk

Husk serves southern food made with local ingredients-- a concept with which, you, I am sure are familiar, but not the way executive chef Sean Brock does it. The menu changes regularly reflecting the seasons and produce availability (again, nothing new) and practically every item includes it's components place of origin. You won't be bored to find southern-fried chicken or fried green tomatoes on this menu like you will on so many others that claim to specialize in southern cuisine.  Husk's menu is far more original as it pulls recipes and inspiration from your great-grandmother's table and seasons it with a hip perspective. 


At first glance, the February 24 lunch menu made my deep-pit-of-the-stomach hunger only more intense. It was difficult to choose between the fried (homemade) bread and butter pickles with tarragon cream, pork rillette with pain de mie, pear butter and other accompaniments and Caper’s Inlet Blade Oysters with Husk muscadine vinegar and shaved fennel to start but my love of bivalves won me over. 


The fine people at Husk (almost) understand when you start with a superlative product you don't need to gussy it up with fussy, competing flavors. The oysters, plump and pruriently juicy, slid nonchalantly from their pearlescent shell slides urged into my mouth by the accompanying muscadine vinegar, a nice foil to the oysters' refreshing oceanic saltiness. To that end, the shaved fennel must have been an afterthought. The texture of a raw oyster should not be meddled with. Even the subtle crunch of a small, translucent piece of shaved fennel detracts from the fabulous softness of a raw oyster. Luckily, the fennel was easy enough to remove. 

For my second course, I selected the salad of Kurios Farm butter lettuces with shaved turnips and watermelon radishes tossed in a peanut vinaigrette. The salad was phenomenal. For the first time I understood why this type of lettuce includes butter in its name: from the moment my knife touched the spring green leaves they almost tore themselves as they were so tender. The beautiful pink of the watermelon radishes and the sharpness of the turnips provided visual interest and a palatable balance to the butter lettuce and the peanut vinaigrette. My one and only complaint is that a salad of this size was $10. The flavors were exceptional but the price was unacceptable.

Would I return to Husk? I suppose I will. In retrospect my biggest issue with the restaurant was it's pricing and not its offerings. To that end, if there's a long line at Husk, you won't find me in it.