Let’s start with the obvious: The name is magnificent. At once self-deprecating and a clever nod to the area, Lowlife elicits a chuckle and covers a lot of sins. Like the Eggos in the chicken and waffles ($12). Eggos? By which you mean a locally sourced, hand-crafted, bespoke heirloom...

High-backed chairs, warm lighting — both natural and electric — and exposed brick accents make Revival a sophisticated space that belies our idea of a stuffy hotel restaurant. But looking a little more closely at the interior of Revival, one may note that every table in the dining room is...

When you first walk in, Chubby Fish is reminiscent of an Apple store. While both are white and airy, the vibe has little to do with aesthetics. Rather, there’s the same busy, buzzy energy and the feeling of too many people happily packed into a table-filled space. Once inside, a man...

In 1994, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction introduced the world to the concept of expensive milkshakes. “I’ll have the Durwood Kirby burger — bloody — and a five-dollar shake.” “Did you just order a five-dollar shake?” “Sure did.” “A shake?...

Before it was Fish, the Charleston single that now houses Parcel 32 was apparently the “peninsula’s highest volume bakery for 75 years.” Named for the original King Street block as noted on an 1888 map, the food, in kind, has an old-fashioned feel, with a focus on local,...

If I should think of love  I’d think of you, The Establishment,  Your arms outstretched,  Offering me a bowl of razor clams ($13). Adorned with delicate, yet pungent garlic blossoms,  I blush as my breath grows bad. In contrast, the sweet, light shellfish meat luxuriates in a fresh...

Daps Breakfast & Imbibe occupies a bright, Westside single renovated into something straight out of an Urban Outfitters catalog. Effortlessly trendy bordering on so-cool-they’re-not-even-trying, the menu similarly focuses on the breakfasts of champions: You know, English muffin egg...

On our first date, Balao stood me up. I’d made reservations under one of my ever-evolving pseudonyms and arranged to meet friends. But when we walked up to the hostess station at Burwell’s, the downstairs neighbor and gatekeeper of the rooftop location, we were met with a confused...

Tucked behind Whole Foods in Mt. Pleasant, Betty’s Eatery is a breakfast and lunch joint, with a promise to “take you back to your grandma’s kitchen.” It does not stink of boiling cabbage and there wasn’t so much as a single TV playing an overly loud game show,...

As you walk into Bistro A Vin ­— the sister establishment and next-door neighbor to pastry-focused Cafe Framboise — the sound of Frank Sinatra fills the air. In accordance, the olive oil shop-turned-wine-bar is elegant, but cozy, with two high-tops, a handful of tables, and a bar with seating...

As an introvert and an aspiring recluse, I first arrived at Uptown Social feeling a little … antisocial. Nonetheless, it was a mood that soon passed. Maybe it was the friendly waiter, with his go-getter hustle? Perhaps it was the late ’70s/early ’80s soundtrack, seemingly...

In a town teaming with establishments serving small, thoughtful, farm-to-table dishes, it’s hard to stand out. Renzo, employing a seeming mantra of originality squared, has found a niche. It’s the bastard child of a well-heeled Spanish/Italian chef and a mad scientist. Not...

Chef Joshua Walker of Tu began his career in design—working as an artist and designer in New York, prior to parlaying that creative vision to restaurants—and it’s a background that shines through at each of his establishments. The first, Xiao Bao Biscuit, a Pan-Asian eatery co-owned by...

There’s dog friendly, and then there’s Mainland Container Co. “Four-legged friends!?” my dining companion read aloud, visibly aghast. “Why would they write it like that? That’s horrible! And chickens don’t have four… Oh.” Yep. Mainland...

Walking into Cannon Green is like arriving at a perpetual garden party. With its moss-like chair cushions and charming country house facade, the bright, airy space is evocative of both a stage set and a putting green. The restaurant is undeniably beautiful, filled with reclaimed heart pine...

There are milestones in life that require a fancy steak. Or at least the kind of place where one can get a fancy steak. If you’re in the midst of such an occasion, Peninsula Grill has got you covered. At the same time, Peninsula Grill is also something of a local institution. If you...

In 2003, Chef Mike Lata and co-owner Adam Nemirow opened the now-iconic FIG. “What we stand for goes back to the beginning when we first started FIG,” Lata recalled. “We were in a city where the fine dining restaurants were very elite and exclusive, and their check average – as well as the...