The menu focuses on traditional Italian flavors, and the asparagus and eggs ($10) is a straightforward presentation of the simple Milanese classic. Three sautéed spears of asparagus are topped with a pair of sunny side up eggs and a generous grating of Parmigiano cheese. Uncomplicated, yet...

If you like oysters, then the odds are pretty darn good you’ll be satisfied at most places with “oyster bar” in the title. Rappahannock Oyster Bar in the Cigar Factory on East Bay is no exception. Offering five or more varieties shucked to order and served atop freshly...

For starters, counter service at all five food-driven concepts was tip-top. Everyone was friendly, patient and helpful when required. The space itself is roomy, with ample indoor and outdoor seating (not to mention parking), plus free ice water and eclectic music overhead. That leaves the...

From the minute you walk in, it feels like Gentry Bar & Room is grappling with dissociative identity disorder. Is it a sports bar? Is it an upscale restaurant? Is it a rock concert? A man staring at one of the many television screens suddenly screams out in a calamitous manner, while a...

When I think about the meals I’ve eaten in Greece, a few stand out. But none so much as a single grilled tentacle of octopus, served in a small, family-owned restaurant overlooking the sea on the remote island of Anafi. Seeing as that was eight years and a very long ferry ride ago — and...

Whether through coincidence or intent, Chef Brannon Florie’s revamped Granary menu seems to be living up to the dictionary definition — a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. The new location — located along busy Coleman Boulevard in Mt. Pleasant — is spacious and contemporary....

Despite the two-hour drive from Charleston, pitmaster Rodney Scott’s eponymous barbecue joint in Hemingway, S.C. has long been considered a must-try for foodies and ‘cue enthusiasts. With coverage in everything from The New York Times to Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, the...

It’s easy to overlook Pancito & Lefty, a chic, cantina-style joint on upper King Street. From the outside, the windows still advertise “pizza by the slice” and it’s not entirely clear where the entrance lies. But just let your ears be your guide, and follow the...

During the first quarter of this year, while most of us were busy failing at our New Year’s resolutions, Chef Tres Jackson moved up from Alabama and opened his new restaurant Sorghum & Salt. Situated in the space that once held the beloved Two Boroughs Larder, Jackson inadvertently...

When you pull up to Pier 41 restaurant in Mt. Pleasant, it’s not the Atlantic Ocean or even Shem Creek that greets you. Rather, a wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tubeman all but shouts “Ahoy!” Set in a strip mall on Highway 41, the outdoor ambiance puts new meaning in...

Previously helmed by French Master Chef Nico Romo, King Street’s formerly French-Asian influenced Fish Restaurant is now in the hands of Chef David Schuttenberg, and with this change, most of the French has been dropped from the equation. Some things remain the same, of course. DIY-ish...

When talk turns to Hawaiian cuisine, most people think of teriyaki chicken or pizza with pineapples. Predominantly influenced by travelers and laborers from Japan, Portugal, Korea, and the Philippines, Hawaiian kitchens offer a veritable U.N. conference for the taste buds. But the Polynesian...

Named for the all-but-forgotten heirloom fruit, a cousin of the papaya and part of the tropical custard apple family, Pawpaw restaurant occupies the former home of Wet Willie’s. Devoid of the colorful wall of spinning frozen daiquiris and accompanying spinning, drunken revelers,...

Perhaps in the future there will be a specialty restaurant for everything. But for now, if your dreams have involved bellying up to an elegant bar and demanding the barkeep bring you a side-splitting amount of cheese, then goat.sheep.cow.north (henceforth GSCN) is your new Cheers. For the...

The hearts of palmetto salad ($13), however, hits on all notes. Bright and acidic, there’s a vibrant freshness to every bite. The palm itself is firm, yet luxe, though be certain to thoroughly distribute the olive tapenade throughout the mix of tomato, avocado, pickled onion, and butter...

In whatever vague fantasies of sudden windfall/retirement I may have, one thing is consistent: A sunshine daydream, can’t stop, won’t stop diet of ceviche, poke, and chirashi bowls … and now Scarecrow’s calamari salad ($12).Whoever thought of this? I love you. Bits of...

There’s a new 492 in town. Elegant as ever, the space is a knockout both inside and out. Between the open kitchen, the outdoor patio, and the enviable collection of stylish lighting fixtures, I would like to live in the house version of 492, should that ever be an option. During brunch...

Getting to McCrady’s Tavern requires that one head down an unassuming, narrow alleyway. It’s just the kind of place where you’d expect Harry Potter to stumble upon the entrance to Diagon Alley. And while there were occasional moments of wizardry while at said tavern, this is...

joint noun \joint\ a shabby or disreputable place of entertainment Granted, Merriam Webster may be coming down a bit hard on the genre, but first-time visitors to the new Blues Burger Joint on Folly Road should note the large clue dropped by the name. Upon entry, the joint is dark and a bit...

Take, for example, the Instant Vacation ($12). Tasting exactly like those Gin Gins chewy ginger candies you can get at Trader Joe’s, it’s sweet and spicy with house-made ginger beer and a zippy finish. Imperceptibly alcoholic, plan to have a spotter cut you off as this could prove...