Best Local Places to Buy Fresh Organic Chicken

I wrote a review of the best chicken farms in the lowcountry. You can read it here at Apartments.com. These farms focus on providing the freshest eggs and meats without antibiotics, steroids or other unnatural additives. The best eggs in town are from Chucktown Chicken, and can be purchased at local retailers. Check it out and add these to your healthy food choices! Now you know.

The Mac Off - A Snappy Mac and Cheese Event

We had the opportunity to go to the recent Mac Off event at the Grove in Mt Pleasant. Read the full review here. It was a fun event, but there were so many people in lines that the small samples we got were rather cold. The ingenuity of the chefs was fun to see. In the end, I think we would rather head directly to the restaurants and try full size portions right out of the oven. I mean, who doesn't love good mac and cheese, right?

Restaurant Review - Five Loaves Cafe in Downtown Charleston

Photo of Eggplant and Goat Cheese Appetizer with a Light Vinaigrette

Five Loaves Cafe, founded by Casey Glowacki and Joe Fischbein and sister to Sesame Burgers, has a couple of locations. One is in Mt Pleasant on Hwy 17, and the other is on Cannon Street in Downtown Charleston. Five Loaves' concentration is to provide local food from South Carolina agriculturalists and farmers to their tables. The restaurants are vegetarian friendly with scores of menu options available for vegetarians, vegans and those who abide by stricter diets. All breads, nuts, meats and vegetables are brought in from local growers and farms. They roast all their meats in-house and even create their own mozzerella cheese.

While making mozzarella cheese sounds like an arduous task, it really isn't. Not everyone does it as well as Five Loaves though. Taking just the right amount of milk, citric acic, rennet and heat with a dash of salt, and they have devised the perfect accessory to many of their sandwiches and dinner items. Moist and delicious, the cheese adds delicate flavor to just about anything.

On Friday evening, we decided to stop by the downtown location and grab a bite before heading to the Sotille Theater for a performance by the Charleston Symphony. Ordering an Avery Brown to sip on and a cold glass of iced tea, we perused the menu and decided to try the eggplant with goat cheese appetizer. My tablemate ordered samples of the restaurant's famous homemade soups. The tomato with crab meat is one of their most popular, followed by the baked potato soup and chicken chili. His sample this evening included the first two with a vegan artichoke to complete the trio. As we waited for their arrival, our server brought out steaming hot bread. The hot bread was a nice surprise and suitable for this time of year, with hints of pumpkin and spices dancing on our tongues.

The eggplant appetizer was delivered first, and needless to say the portions were gigantic! This alone could have been my dinner. Slices of eggplant enveloped soft and sweet goat cheese in a warm embrace. A lovely arugula salad adorned the top and added a slight peppery flavor to the sweet underbelly. Sweet tomatoes hugged the sides, and each bite contained a taste of Heaven. The goat cheese, delivered from local farms, offered a nice tart accent to the sweetness from the eggplant. Overall, the appetizer was perfect. If only that was the only item we had ordered.



The owners of Five Loaves take great pride in their recyclable efforts, and even their To Go boxes are earth friendly. Everything from the glass they use to paper products is recycled. The care they take to ensure their customers may also continue the efforts can be seen in the above photo. Each box is carefully packaged with the name and date of the item on the box. After use, the boxes may be placed into a compost along with whatever is left inside.



For dinner, we enjoyed lightly fried chicken and pork loin. Both were paired with garlic mashed potatoes and contained an arugula salad. The Chicken Palliard, pounded out and given just a pan-fried kiss, laid gently upon the potatoes. Beets were added to the salad and gave the dish a nice fragrance. The simplicity of the chicken allowed the garlic from the potatoes to infuse each bite, and a flavorful drizzle of sauce gave it an extra polish.



Photo of the Pork Loin Dinner Selection with Tarragon and Garlic Mashed Potatoes and side of Asparagus

As with the chicken, the pork medallians were cooked with a kiss and laid over garlic mashed potatoes. Atop each medallion were slices of freshly made mozzarella and a slice of tomato. Bits of tarragon (?) flakes added an aromatic background of anise with each bite. Finishing touches of arugula salad completed the well done and tender dish. We were stuffed by the end of the meal and added yet another To Go Box to our take home bag of delicious food.

If you are looking for a great meal for under $20, this is your Go To Restaurant in Charleston. They are well known for their popular lunches, homemade soups, and fat sandwiches or rollups. Freshness is never a problem at Five Loaves, and you can be satisfied knowing that they and you are supporting our local farmers.

Restaurant Review - CRAVE in Mt Pleasant

My friend Kim and I stopped by Crave in Mt Pleasant after attending a class at the College of Charleston's music department last night. Being consistently one of our favorite places, we were looking forward to discussing the evening and catching up on trips, life, kids and all of our favorite subjects. The bar area of Crave is lovely, nice and open and with high tables scattered throughout. Ordering a glass of wine and a beer, we settled into the menu like bees to honey, busily devouring each appetizer's description. We finally chose to share a salad on the specials menu and also wanted to sample the antipasto plate.



To begin with, our server brought a basket of warm bread. We each pulled out the steaming muffins first, as they looked incredibly tasty. Taking just small bites and were delighted at the delicate sweetness of what turned out to be sweet potato muffins. The slight cinnamon flavor was accentuated with a light maple butter. Nestled next to the muffins were pieces of french bread, crusted perfectly with fluffy middles. The muffins are made in-house with just a few simple ingredients and are just one of Crave's delicious treats. While the french loaves had a nice consistency and appeared fresh, we learned that they are not hand crafted by Crave's chefs but delivered by a food service.



Our salad arrived promptly, and we forked through the delicious bib lettuce, goat cheese with bacon crumbles, and dried apple chips. One fried egg was placed on top. As an aside, I believe a fried egg on anything makes it better, but on this particular salad, it was outstanding. A champagne vinaigrette drizzled the dainty leaves without drowning them, and the natural flavors blended well. The simplicity of dried apple chips with goat cheese was a nice surprise, and we enjoyed each bite. As our server came to remove the plate, we dryly suggested they take it off the menu, because we obviously didn't like it (the plate was basically licked clean). She laughed and brought out our second dish.



Kim and I are utterly baffled by this dish. There is no other way to say it. It was terrible. What is so surprising is that Crave is typically consistent. Our food choices in the past have included lobster and shrimp risotto, scallops, and salmon. Their dinners are truly wonderful and spot-on, but this.. this.. this plate.. ?? First of all, look at the plating. They are trying out for a rustic appeal with large chuckly blocks of what is supposed to be feta cheese on a wooden block. It looks ok, I guess, and in the dim lighting it's hard to show you just how boring it really was. The artichoke salad with black olives tasted medicinal and bland. The feta cheese blocks were chalky and dry. The charcuterie was simply disgusting! We couldn't eat it. The best thing on the platter was pickled beets, and they were straight out of a can. The pickled green beans were crunchy, yes, but so lightly pickled that they just tasted sickly (maybe they needed the artichokes for help!). Little drowned grape tomatoes dotted one section, but they were so sad looking that we couldn't enjoy them either. It was one of the worst food experiences I have experienced over the past few years, and that's saying something after my trip to North Carolina!

Overall, I cannot give Crave a bad review. Multiple experiences have proven they are a decent restaurant. One suggestion though, never put the antipasto plate on your specials menu again. Take it off, forget you tried that one, and stick to what you're good at. Everything else.

Fall Greek Wine Festival

Did you miss this year's Greek Wine Festival? See what happened here! You won't want to miss it again. Thankfully, we have two festivals a year now to appease your appetite for great gyros, baklava and more.

Greater Charleston Restaurant Association - a Weekend of Food and Cultural Delights

The Greater Charleston Restaurant Association (GCRA) hosted three great events this past weekend. Taste: Iron Chef was held at the Culinary Institute downtown; Southern and Sweet was staged at Harborside; and the annual Taste of Charleston soiree at Boone Hall rounded out the three day schedule. Being a big fan of our local food culture, I was excited to attend as many of these as possible. We were only able to attend two, and here is the drill down from the weekend.

Taste: Iron Chef

The Iron Chef competition was an unexpected treat. As we arrived, we were directed into the TV viewing areas where heavy hors d'oeuvres were displayed. Tables filled with chocolate truffles, mousse and bite sized desserts surrounded the entry way. As we pressed further into the dining hall, we discovered burners warming meats from the smoker. Schnitzel sandwiches, a simple combination of fried pork filets and Sriracha slaw, were the first bites that melted in our mouths as we meandered through the line. Beef brisket, so tender it was falling off the forks, sat alongside a fall vegetable salad, consisting of sweet potatoes, red and green peppers and white potatoes. Along the other side, a smattering of German themed dishes lined the tables. Sausages, German potatoes, corndogs and more were a nice welcome for the upcoming Oktoberfest festivities. The students had obviously expended a large amount of time preparing for this event, and it definitely showed.




The competing chefs arrived via limousine and were escorted into the ampitheater. Waiting for their secret ingredient to be revealed, the announcers introduced them to the judges. We watched from a televised viewing area, but there were many who bought tickets to watch the competition in the ampitheater seating area. Hosts offered swag bags to lucky attendees throughout the show. Sean Brock, chef at Husk, acted as one of the hosts and held us captive with his repertoire. Unfortunately, we did find it a little hard to follow the chefs' feats, as it was quite noisy in the outer areas. I can easily understand how the ampitheater sells out so quickly!

As it were, Taste: Iron Chef is probably one of my favorite new events. I've always been a big fan of the original Japanese version, and this was an excellent and fun way to bring some friendly competition to our favorite local chefs. I can't wait to go again next year.


Southern and Sweet



We headed to Southern and Sweet at Harborside East on Saturday. Getting there a bit early, we were able to see the chefs prepare their amazing dishes of the day. Having had rain almost daily for the past month, we were a little concerned about having this outdoors. Luckily enough, we arrived to find the area covered with tents and just a light drizzle of rain. The view was spectacular of the harbor! Looking out, the Ravenel Bridge stood magnificently as a backdrop for the occasion. Music was provided by Hank Futch and Phillip Lammonds, and their fun and funky style was welcomed by all. There could not have been a better choice of entertainment for the occasion.



Delicious desserts were presented inside the main building and were crafted by the Culinary Institute's students. Bite sized carrot cakes, snickerdoodles and pecan diamonds didn't last long. The sweet treats were carefully displayed along delicate event decor arranged by Ooh! events. Tea candles lit up the room, and lovely flowers brightened up the wooden bar. Bartenders lavishly poured wine and beer, along with other non-alcoholic drinks, to the many people who flooded the event. Porters, browns and Oktoberfests with wines of all colors were available at the open bars inside and out.

Three tents representing local food fare were set up. We were lucky to sit with a nice couple of ladies who had ventured down from Spartanburg, so we compared notes with each sampling. Here is the breakdown of what we had.

- Middleton Place



Shrimp and grits were Middleton Place's dish of the day. Presented beautifully with a bread and butter pickled okra accessorizing the top, it was nearly perfect. I was at first a bit skeptical of the combination, as the chef blended tasso ham with a tomato base. I couldn't have been more wrong, as the grits simply kissed the grits while marinating in the delightful gravy. Taking bites of the okra, we were delighted to have sweetness develop on our tastebuds when we were expecting something along the lines of dill. The choice of adding pickled okra to the dish enhanced the sweetness from the tomato based gravy and enhanced the dish. Small bites of tasso ham snuggled up to the shrimp and added just the right amount of flavor.

-Graze



Graze offered catfish stew with homemade sausage and some of the best damn cornbread I've ever eaten. The stew was heavy on tomatoes, which I love, but my table mates didn't find it as delicious. There was little taste of catfish to the stew. In my opinion, that was perfect as it avoids the strong flavors that often accompany catfish. Hoppin John was served on the side along with a nice square of sweet cornbread. The Hoppin John was pretty flat but went well if added to the stew. Otherwise, it didn't really speak to us. Sorghum butter, made from sweet sorghum grass, added a lovely touch to the moist cake-like cornbread. A couple of hits at this table, but sadly we all agreed there was a miss with the Hoppin' John.

-Swig and Swine



The lines to this table were tremendous! Once we got to speak with the chef, we found out why. Swig and Swine brought out their powerhouse smoker and served beef brisket, patted with salt and pepper only, that had been smoked for 16-18 hours. Juicy pulled pork, on the smoker for 14-16 hours melted in our mouths. A dry rub of brown sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper gave the pork a sweet crust. Every bite was a little taste of Heaven, and we enjoyed every mouthful. A nice but heavy macaroni and cheese with collard greens made this a true meal. Many people enjoyed the macaroni and cheese, but I found it to be a little heavy. It was good though. The collard greens were a little too vinegary but still tasted all right. The lovely combination of meats with the generous sides were enough to make sure everyone in attendance left with a belly full of good food.

Would I go back to this event? Absolutely! Every year, we get to sample great food on the Harbor from some of the best chefs in town. You never know what you're going to get, and the entertainment is always spectacular. Having a great bar service, such as Snyder's, doesn't hurt either.

The Regatta Inn - A New Bed and Breakfast Opens on Folly Beach

Read about the new Bed and Breakfast that is opening on Folly Beach! The resort has 10 beautiful villas that will make your stay convenient and comfortable. Read more of my article at FollyBeach.com.

Cooking and Exploring Your Kitchen

You know those times when you peer into your refrigerator and wonder what you should do with the lingering items lying in your vegetable bins? What about the smoked apple bacon that is beckoning toward you, but you aren't ready to complete wreck your diet in search of a bite of the fatty breakfast meat. Sometimes, it's hard to figure out how to create a dish that incorporates these types of forgotten items. Today, I decided to experiment and see what I could concoct from a menagerie of things that just don't appear to match. And it's going to be delicious. Here is a basic recipe that you can try as well. Let me know what you think!


Parmesan Roasted Vegetables with a Twist

1 bunch of broccoli
1 cauliflower
1/2 pound bacon (your choice)
Garlic to taste
Kosher Salt
Italian Seasoning
Fresh Ground Pepper
Parmesan Cheese
Drizzle of a GOOD Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut up pieces of the broccoli and cauliflower into small pieces and arrange in a single layer on a roasting pan. Make sure you have enough room and don't bunch the vegetables up too much, as they won't brown correctly or evenly. Also, make sure the pieces are of a similar size, as cooking times will affect them differently. You want to maintain consistency.

Dice garlic cloves to taste and mix into the vegetables.

Cut bacon into small pieces. I use scissors, and then layer the pieces over the vegetables. Not all pieces will be covered, but that's ok.

Add fresh ground pepper and Kosher salt to taste. Then shake some basil/oregano/Italian Seasoning to taste. I use a liberal amount.

On top, sprinkle a generous amount of shredded Parmesan cheese. I probably used 1/2 cup.

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil around the roasting pan, but don't soak the vegetables. You just want to add a little flavor in addition to the bacon to help sear the vegetables.

Cook for 45-60 minutes or until cauliflower is golden brown. The cauliflower will be 'caramelized' at this point with a light sweet flavor.

Enjoy!

Review - Holly Herrick's "The French Cook - Soups & Stews"

Oh, the joys of French foods! There is nothing I like better than delving into a rich French dish that arouses your senses. Close your eyes and imagine the last time you smelled the delicious scents of Coq au Vin cooking, or allowed the heady aromatics of a freshly opened bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape to linger on your nose before taking the first sip. Allow yourself to relish the memory of a creme brulee that passed your lips with the lightly caramelized tops melting in your mouth. The beauty of the dessert lies in the torched crust. It makes you giddy as you guide your spoon into the crust and hear the crackle when the top first breaks into the custard below. Most of all, consider the best onion soup that passed your lips. The rich aroma of the broth, made with a stock of beef or chicken, hit your nose before you laid the spoon on your tongue. The first course in a traditional three course French dinner can be the most important, as it introduces you to the style of the chef who has prepared the meal.

Holly Herrick, a local award winning travel and culture writer, has created a cookbook highlighting the wonderful soups and stews that are integral to French cooking. Her book, The French Cook - Soups & Stews, is third in a series and her seventh in total. Her background at Le Cordon Bleu in France, where she received her Diploma in Cuisine and Pastry, is apparent throughout the book. The esteemed school is well known for using hands on teaching methods using traditional techniques, and Holly's book is a fabulous example of her training. Her book, well laid out with beautiful photographs, portrays much of what a French chef would in a fine dining establishment.

The beginning of the book opens with an arrangement of equipment that any French chef (or chef want to be) should maintain - ladles, whisks, roasting pans and more. With each piece, an explanation of its importance and use offers the reader insight as to how it will be used to create the magnificent dishes within the book. After making sure you have the basics of what you need to get started, she then jumps into how to make the perfect stock. Vegetable, veal, beef, chicken, seafood and fish stocks are slowly cooked with the French mantra of "avoid waste" (or "avant tout! (before all)". In layman's terms, the recipes are laid out so that the general reader may make stocks using the same techniques that Herrick uses.

Next, the book delves into the intricacies of making complex soups. Growing upon the stocks earlier described and building the soup with layers of flavor, she takes you through each step with amazing grace and agility. Simple, yet important tips such as how to core fennel or how to remove garlic cores, help to establish the success of recreating her vision. The Aigo Bouido (Garlic Soup) requires proper garlic preparation, as it uses two whole heads of garlic. Understanding how garlic flavors influence an infused soup such as this is imperative, as leaving a green garlic core can ruin the dish and make it bitter. The Soupe au Cantaloup et au Champagne avec Prosciutto et Basilic sounds incredibly hard to make and complex. However, Holly's delicious combination of cantaloupe, champagne, prosciutto and basil is surprisingly easy to make. The creamy soup, served chilled, is wonderful with a bit of ham in the middle.



Classic bisques, stews and what might be the best French Onion Soup recipe I have encountered, are described in terms that will enhance your confidence when trying the recipes on your own. Beautiful photography by Chia Chong allows you to see how each dish should appear. Stylist Libbie Summers, also a photographer, styled the dishes into beautiful arrangements. The nice gloss of each page should help to repel slight spills, because you're going to want to keep this book close by when you're in the kitchen.

Chef's Kitchen Tour - a Culinary Tale

We had a chance to attend a Chef's Kitchen Tour and led by Hoon Calhoun. Hoon, a local resident who has grown up in the area, guided us through the Upper King Street menagerie of great eats to introduce us to the chefs that have developed a reputation for some of the best food in town. We were running late and had gotten turned around, so we met the crew at their first destination of the day, Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts.

At first sight, to look at Hoon Calhoun, you recognize one of the reasons that Charleston is considered the friendliest city in the nation. His giant smile with glistening eyes are topped with a straw hat that only serve to highlight his genial nature. As we were all parched from having marched along King Street to reach Glazed, he affably served water and coffee while introducing us to Mary Smith, manager of the store and mother of founder Allison Smith. As she begins to tell us about the origin of the shop, she offers us samples of an Apple Bacon Fritter, a Chocolate Glazed Doughnut, and an Orange Cardamom cake style doughnut with imported Belgian chocolate sprinkles dotting the top.

Amazing. As you can imagine, the fine doughnuts made with only 7 ingredients are made fresh every day. Bakers arrived between 2-2:30am to begin the long process of mixing, folding, letting the yeast dough rest, then cooking, filling and glazing the final products. Two bakers create 12 flavors each morning and use only fresh ingredients with no preservatives. It takes 4-4 1/2 hours for the doughnuts to be processed, and the store will close once the doughnuts are sold out. "We can't make any more," Smith explains. "It takes too long. Once we're out, we're out!" The sweet treats are so good that Rachel Ray requested a sample for her magazine, Every Day with Rachel Ray. The story Ms. Smith tells of how the sample gets delivered is comical, and you can see far a mother will go to protect her child's prized possessions on the New York City subways.



Saying goodbye to Mary, we traveled just down the street the The MacIntosh. Chef Jacob Huder describes how he came to work with Chef Jeremiah Bacon, one of Charleston's leading chefs and James Beard Award winner. Huder grew up in Atlanta and headed out to Yellowstone National Park after graduating from high school. Eventually, he came to Charleston and attended the Art Institute's Culinary program. Once finished, he approached Bacon at Carolina's and begged to work with him. Bacon took him on, and they have moved on to work together at various Indigo Road restaurants. Jeremiah Bacon oversees all the Indigo restaurants, while Huder is the head chef at the MacIntosh. Being that Upper King Street is a fairly new destination for high end restaurants, the MacIntosh has an impressive 3 year anniversary coming up.

Huder shows us the large round kitchen set up in a French style brigade system that was made famous by Chef Georges Auguste Escoffier in the 19th century. The garde manger, saucier, patissier, entremettier, and rotisseur chefs are arranged in a circular pattern to maintain continuity and eye contact. A well-oiled system allows the chefs to create appetizers within 5 minutes of an order, and entrees usually are ready 5-7 minutes after the appetizer has been consumed. He describes some of the more interesting items the kitchen is known for, including but not limited to, seafood dishes such as fish bologna and other seafood charcuteries. An important note is that the Indigo chefs work closely with the Sustainable Seafood Initiative, and they are focused on providing fish purchased from sustainable farms.

"Working in the restaurant industry is a lot of hard work and is a passion," say Chef Huder. "I work about 90 hours a week. We offer dinner and brunch of Sundays...and will do a 3 (course meal) for $40 during Restaurant Week." All that hard work shows, and as we leave we take a final look at the interesting decor at the MacIntosh. Le Creuset is a sponsor of the restaurant, and deep blue pots and pans line the shelves of the open kitchen. Every table is created by reclaimed doors that have been fashioned into shiny tabletops. As Hoon says, "Charleston looooooooves its doors." Yes, we do. It's an unusual setting, but it works for this restaurant.



As we head to Prohibition, Hoon makes a "surprise visit" to Jeni's Ice Cream. We all pile in and eagerly look into the bins, as he cajoles the owner to let us sample an ice cream that was made with Charleston in mind. The Sweet Cream with Run Molasses and Peanuts ice cream we were offered was a sweet concoction of caramel goodness. One small bite teased you with peanuts and creamy ice cream with just the right amount of the rum molasses. Happy to have the unscheduled tasting, we happily skipped over to meet Chef Stephen Thompson, head chef at Prohibition.

When we walk into Prohibition, we were immediately overwhelmed by the sheer cleanliness of the place. Stools sat upon tables, and everything was spotlessly clean. The scent of antibacterial cleaners hit us directly in the nose, and as we worked our way back to the kitchen window, it became apparent that this was going to be a little different from the rest. Chef Stephen Thompson appeared behind the window to greet us, and he described how his very tiny kitchen works. It's shaped like a chute. Imagine cramming 7 or 8 people into about a 10-12 foot long working space, and you start to have a clue. We learn from Thompson that he actually attended the Art Institute with Chef Huder, and they have a high regard for each other's work.



As he is talking with us, he begins pulling out ingredients that will be used to the night's special, a rabbit roulade. Cutting up an entire rabbit, he enthusiastically describes what he is doing as he filets the meat, then stuffing it with a pepper and manchego cheese. He wraps each of them up into a tightly wound cylinder and sets them in the fridge to set. As we watch the dish form, he pulls one out, rolls it in flour, dips it then into an egg wash and covers it with bread crumbs and tosses it into the fryer for a few minutes. Once it has cooked thoroughly, he proudly presents to us 7 pieces of the most succulent rabbit I've ever put in my mouth. Unknowingly, we would again get to sample this completed dish later in the evening on the Mixology Tour that would also take us to Prohibition.



The tour leads us to Callie's Biscuits, which has only been open on King Street for about 5 weeks. This restaurant boasts selling and shipping over 600,000 biscuits a year for the past 9 years. As it has grown, the owner, Carrie Morey, decided to open up a shop in the ever growing Upper King Stret location. As we squeeze into the tiny restaurant, we jostle past servers and cooks delivering mouthwatering dishes to hungry lunch patrons. Chicken biscuits were the special of the day, and huge chicken breasts filled out the biscuits that have made Morey famous. Since it was approaching the busy lunch hour, we didn't stay long, but we tasted her famous Fiery Pimento Cheese on Buttered Biscuits before heading off to enjoy lunch ourselves.



Our last stop landed us at Virginia's on King. We were taken upstairs and seated at a long table with water promptly served. The staff was a little overwhelmed, as a wedding party had arrived early and had taken over the bar. Cheers and hoots were heard downstairs, but were forgotten quickly as Hoon began regaling us with stories from the south. His candor and knowledge of foodie history was entertaining and informative, and we hardly noticed the time as our lunch was served. Broccoli infused cornbread was sent first, and as we bit into the moist morsels, we learn that they are made with cottage cheese. Cottage cheese? Although surprising, the little bites were tasty and not too sweet. If anything, they seemed a little healthier than most, and the broccoli was a refreshing variant on an old favorite. We were served Chicken and Dumplings and Shrimp and Grits family style, with each of us getting a nice taste of the hearty dishes. Hoon grinned his quirky grin as we finished our plates, and he completed his intricate stories of intrigue, gossip, and tales about the flavors of South Carolina.

All in all, this was one of the most fascinating and thoughtful tours I have been on in Charleston. Hoon couldn't have done a better job, and the tour would be fascinating for tourists and locals alike. For true foodies who enjoy a good meal and appreciate a clever chef, it's a great way to learn the planning and processes that make the dishes so complex yet tasty.

Loukoumades, gyros, ouzo. OPA!

Do the words baklava, paximadia or loukoumades make your mouth water? Can you taste the buttery honey soaked goodies by just thinking of them? How about that little gooey bit of sweet syrup that lingers on your fingers just after picking up one of these delicious goodies? Close your eyes, come on. Think of licking that little bit off your fingers and savor the memory from this past spring's GreekFest, located at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Race Street in downtown Charleston. There's good news to be shared, folks! The 2nd Annual Greek Fall Festival is happening again this year from October 4-6th!

The gyro tent will be rocking out with 10 registers open and serving the best gyros in town. A lamb/beef blend, served on a warm pita straight from the grill, topped with onions, tomatoes and the freshest tzatziki sauce in Charleston can be paired with seasoned Greek fries or a homemade Greek potato mixture. Greek potatoes are grilled with onions and peppers then tossed into some special flavorings that you will only find at either of the Church's festivals during the year. Tender chicken or shrimp gyros are also available, and you can always try a pork souvlaki skewer on the side. Hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken fingers will also be available for those more interested in traditional American fare.

Spend your day listening to some of the best Greek music on the East Coast. Nick Trevalis, along with George Antonopoulis and Joanna, will have you dancing with the Greek Dancers. Trevalis spins his mandolin skills into a fun and energizing set, and you can watch the young dancers perform their well practiced routines in traditional Greek dress. The folks at the Gyro tent are always having a good time and can often be heard clapping, yelling and singing along with the musicians and in support of the kids. (Ouzo might have something to do with that, but then again - it could be the Greek wine or beer that serves to keep us hydrated in the long hot days.)

Speaking of Greek wine, did you know they do wine tastings? Stop by the tasting tent and try each of the Greek wines and learn how to pair them with your favorite meals. Try the Agiorgitiko, a nice red with black cherry undertones. Or perhaps, taste a Xinomavro, another red with firm tannins and a fruity punch. An Athiri or Assyrtico, iighter white wines, will refreshen your palate before heading back to decide which of your favorite desserts you'd like to take home.

A full schedule of events follows. Mark your calendar! This is always a good time.

Friday Oct. 3rd

4pm-10pm
Food Service / Pastry Sales

4pm-10pm
Live Music – “A Night in Athens” featuring Nick Trivelas, George Antonopoulos & Joanna

7pm
Greek Dancers (Hellas, Icarus)

4pm-9pm
Greek Wine Tastings (two locations)



Saturday Oct. 4th

11am-10pm
Food Service / Pastry Sales

11am-10pm
Live Music – “A Night in Athens” featuring Nick Trivelas, George Antonopoulos & Joanna

1pm & 4pm
Greek Dancers (Hellas, Icarus, Kyklonakia, Pegasus)

12noon-9pm
Greek Wine Tastings (two locations)

7pm
Greek Dancers (Hellas, Icarus)



Sunday Oct. 5th

10am
Greek Orthodox Church Service

12noon-4pm
Greek Wine Tasting (two locations)

12noon-5pm
Live Music – “A Night in Athens” featuring Nick Trivelas, George Antonopoulos & Joanna

12noon-6pm
Food Service / Pastry Sales

1pm & 4pm
Greek Dancers (Hellas, Icarus, Kyklonakia, Pegasus)

Festivals of Fun - Celebrating Charleston's Culture

Charleston is full of culture, and we celebrate just about anything! Here are a few events that you'll want to know about. Soooo, mark your calendar for the following events!

August 23rd - Festival of Beers at the Joe Riley Stadium. Stroll through and taste over 100 craft brews while sampling some divine dishes from the food trucks that will be available at the ball park from 6-9pm.
http://www.rileyparkevents.com/BeerFest.html

August 24th - The Reggae Jerk and Wine Festival will be held at Magnolia Plantation from 12-6. Spend the day learning about Jamaica Jerk tradition, eating great food, and participating in a pepper eating contest! Great reggae bands will hit the stage throughout the day and include The Dubplates, Carifest Dancers, Dream Merchants and more.
http://www.screggaejerkfestival.com/

August 30th - What better place to celebrate Charleston's delicious food culture but at Shrimp and Grits Festival? The event will be held at the Bus Shed from 7-10pm. Chefs from many prominent restaurants will compete for the title of Best Shrimp and Grits in Charleston.
http://www.shrimpandgritscharleston.com/

Dragon Palace Chinese Bistro Has a Dim Sum Brunch

Enjoy small tapas style food? Dim Sum is a popular tradition in China, and Dragon Palace Chinese Bistro on Daniel Island offers a Dim Sum Brunch on Saturdays.

Read more about their brunch here at Apartments.com.

Review - The Rusty Rudder

The Rusty Rudder is a new restaurant on the outskirts of Mt Pleasant on your way to Awendaw. The restaurant sits in the old 17North location and has a lovely patio area with games and lots of room to enjoy the live music that's played weekly. Inside, the decor is simple yet inviting. The woodsy feel of the place and long bar, serviced by a pretty female bartender on this day, is an inviting establishment with a hopeful future. Landing in Charleston after having large success in the Charlotte market, the owners are hoping to achieve the same in their new location.

We took the liberty of ordering a couple of appetizers with our meals. Our choices were she crab soup, which was pretty good, and Oysters Rockefeller. To their credit, the oysters were plated nicely and looked appetizing enough. The tops were nicely browned, had a heaping amount of spinach on the salty oyster beds, and they seemed scrumptious. Unfortunately for us, they simply - weren't. They were OK. The oysters seemed unfresh and cold but edible, so we ate them anyway. Looking forward to our meals, we hoped that the BBQ sandwich and mahi mahi tacos would prove to be a little more appetizing than the previous dishes.

The meals were delivered promptly and HUGE. The tacos were filled with big pieces of fish, a pineapple slaw with a jalapeno mango sauce. The BBQ sandwich was piled high with pulled pork, and they gave us two choices of sauce. One was a tomato-vinegar based, called the Rudder special, and the other was a spicy mustard sauce. As things seem to go, the food looked delicious! Tasting it was to be a little less exciting, as they simply didn't convey what they promised. The tacos were a little bland but not bad. There didn't seem to be a hint of anything spicy, and we didn't even realize that there was supposed to be any on them until we were informed by the server. (She was great by the way. One of the best in Mt Pleasant.) The BBQ sandwich was, well, a BBQ sandwich. The fries, on the other hand, were outstanding. We ended up dipping them into the sauces. Fat yet crunchy on the inside, their soft middles blossomed with the sauces' sweet and spicy undertones.

After we indulged a little in the above, we decided to take most of it home and try one of their unusual desserts. The cheesecake stuffed strawberries, dipped in chocolate, should be a nice end to our meal. They weren't bad, but the "cheesecake stuffing" was more of a mushy filling that tasted like it was born out of a can. You can't beat a strawberry dipped in chocolate though, so we ate a couple and took the rest home.

Overall, the restaurant is OK. It's definitely not one of the best in town, but it's not bad either. If you don't mind spending a little too much for food that is of average quality, this is your place. The convenience of having it so close to home (for us in North Mt Pleasant), the lovely outdoor patio with live music, and a family friendly atmosphere make up for a lot of the issues we have with the food. It's a cool place to kick back with a few of their craft beers and specialty cocktails after work. Just, maybe skip the oysters and head straight to the meat of the place.

North Carolina in the Summer

We had an opportunity to travel up to North Carolina for a quick weekend of fun. The weather was a little sketchy here in Charleston, so we wanted to get away and do something different. Heading to the hills sounded like a great option! Cooler weather, a nice breeze, maybe catch a play in Brevard - the options were limitless. Off we went! We made reservations at a bed and breakfast in the outskirts of Hendersonville and got tickets to see Sweeney Todd at the Brevard Music Center.

We left around 7am on Saturday in an attempt to avoid traffic. That was probably a good idea, because the play started at 2pm and we wanted to grab a bite to eat before going into the theater. Our experiences in North Carolina in the past have been excellent, so we were really looking forward to trying out some new places during this trip as well. As we wound our way through the densely forested mountains, we ran into a neat looking little restaurant just outside of our destination. Hungry and tired from being in the car for over four hours during the early morning drive, we finally settled into a booth at the Mills River Restaurant.

The menu was extensive and included almost anything you could imagine. Steaks, hamburgers, seafood, lasagna, everything! The prices ranged from $8 to $20, and there was an intimate little salad bar also available. Since we live on the coast, we decided to skip the (probably) frozen seafood to order something hopefully more fresh. My partner in crime got a hamburger steak covered with gravy and served with a baked potato. My choice was the lasagna lunch special. Why not, I surmised, as I have been avoiding carbs for the most part and thought I'd indulge on this day. Both of us hit the salad bar with gusto and created little nests of rabbit food to snack on while we waited for our meals to arrive.

Boy, that simple little salad was tasty, and it's a good thing too. The rest of the food was TERRIBLE. I'm not talking just bad. It was TERRIBLE. The hamburger steak literally looked like dog food on a plate and smothered with a grey glue-like mush of what was supposed to be gravy. The baked potato, the size of a softball, sat in the middle of the sludge and, like a drowning rat, appeared to be screaming for help in order to escape the mush that stuck it firmly to the plate. The lasagna was OK, but I would be surprised if there was a noodle in it. Either the noodles were overcooked to the point of becoming liquified, or they simply didn't exist. The sauce and cheese were baked into a small dish and served with a roll on the side. If you dipped the roll into the mixture, it was fairly edible. However, three bites in, and I was done. Neither of us ate our food, so we packed it up to take home to our pets - two days later. Even our pets didn't want to have anything to do with the food!

Hitting the road once again and slightly nauseated, we headed on to find our play at the Scott Concert Hall. More about that soon! First, we have to digest the experience at a little "family restaurant" that may have been the true location of the play's nemesis. *burp*

Check out my review of the Hominy Grill in Charleston

We visited the Hominy Grill last week, and it was amazing! Read my review at Apartments.com here

What are your thoughts about Hominy Grill? Have you been there?

Welcome - Day 1 of The Wandering Eye

Welcome!  The Wandering Eye is a blog that will take you through popular attractions and destinations to give you the most current and up to date information about your adventures while traveling.  Topics will include dining, hotels, beaches, secluded islands, and thrilling experiences with travel partners.  Being that I live in the Number 1 Destination Spot in the world (According to Conde Nast), many of my posts will originate in the Lowcountry.  Charleston is loaded with award winning restaurants, with several of our local chefs participating and winning the James Beard Award.  Currently, Sean Brock from McCrady's is holding the honor of being one of the most outstanding chefs in the United States.

Upcoming adventures will include: a visit to the beautiful Great Smoky Mountain National Park; ziplining through leafy canopies of trees and flying in the heavens at 350 feet on a lines nearly a mile in length; whitewater rafting down the French Broad River; and attending the play Sweeney Todd, a tale of a fictional murderous fiend who was originally created for Victorian penny dreadfuls.  Sweeney Todd eventually became a film, starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, and directed by Tim Burton.

I hope that you enjoy my musings and insights.  I would love to hear feedback as well.  If you would like for me to visit your establishment, let me know!  The world is an open book, and I plan to read as many pages as possible.  Cheers, and thanks for reading!