450’s generous servings make it a shoo-in for Sullivan’s success (Charleston City Paper) Sep13

450’s generous...

Filling in a notable dough/sauce/cheese gap in the Sullivan’s Island dining scene, The 450 Pizza Joint offers a casual, Italian-focused option in the former Taco Mamacita’s location. After triumphing over the nightmare that is parking on Middle Street, The 450 welcomes you with a...

1Kept’s menu is like a Top 40 list of twenty-teen hits (Charleston City Paper) Aug23

1Kept’s menu i...

Maybe it’s me, but 1Kept sounds like the name of a boy band, which somehow makes sense, as something about the restaurant reminds me of one. Occupying the space previously filled by Barony Tavern in the Renaissance Hotel, it’s hip, yet polished. There’s black silverware and...

Goulette plays it safe with a salad and duck fat frites formula (Charleston City Paper) Aug16

Goulette plays it sa...

While dining at Goulette, there is a consistent sense of being at the home of a gracious host, more than a stranger in a city restaurant. My first visit was on a slow Saturday night. When I inquired with the friendly, entertaining server as to ‘must tries,’ after a pause, he...

Coastal Crust offers creative offerings in a rowdy outdoor setting (Charleston City Paper) Aug02

Coastal Crust offers...

Originally just a food truck, Coastal Crust has set up permanent residence. Tucked behind Vintage Coffee & Cafe off Coleman Boulevard in Mt. Pleasant, there’s ample outdoor seating, a campfire smell in the air, and a boisterous playground vibe. If you’re looking for a place...

Juliet’s margherita pizza is the gold standard for purists (Charleston City Paper) Jul26

Juliet’s margh...

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...

Rappahannock Oyster Bar is so much more than an oyster bar (Charleston City Paper) Jul19

Rappahannock Oyster ...

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...

Workshop offers an around-the-world array of options (Charleston City Paper) Jul12

Workshop offers an a...

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...

Gentry Bar & Room packs flavor, but lacks focus (Charleston City Paper) Jun21

Gentry Bar & Ro...

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...

Stella’s is a gift from the Greek gods (Charleston City Paper) Jun14

Stella’s is 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...

The Granary offers rich, dense food en masse (Charleston City Paper) May31

The Granary offers r...

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....

Come to Rodney Scott’s for the ‘cue, stay for the catfish sandwich (Charleston City Paper) May24

Come to Rodney Scott...

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...

Pancito & Lefty’s unique flavors will delight with a portions-to-price adjustment (Charleston City Paper) May10

Pancito & Lefty...

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...

Sorghum & Salt is building a dedicated fanbase one scoop of “olive dirt” at a time (Charleston City Paper) Apr26

Sorghum & Salt ...

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...

Pier 41’s Southern/Asian fusion offers more than just a great happy hour (Charleston City Paper) Apr05

Pier 41’s Sout...

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...

Fish forgoes French past for Asian-influenced future (Charleston City Paper) Mar22

Fish forgoes French ...

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...

Poke Tea House offers a dizzying number of combinations on the classic Hawaiian dish (Charleston City Paper) Mar08

Poke Tea House offer...

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...

Familiar joins contemporary in a happy union at Pawpaw (Charleston City Paper) Feb22

Familiar joins conte...

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,...

goat.sheep.cow.north is the stuff of cheese-lovers’ dreams (Charleston City Paper) Feb08

goat.sheep.cow.north...

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...

Strong regional sensibilities are the focus at the Drawing Room (Charleston City Paper) Jan18

Strong regional sens...

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...

Smoked fish and cured meats are Scarecrow’s stock-in-trade  (Charleston City Paper) Dec21

Smoked fish and cure...

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...