Basic Kitchen serves up pleasing, mindful eats (Charleston City Paper)

by Vanessa | Jan 3, 2018 | Legacy

In the common vernacular, to call anyone “basic” is pretty much an insult, indicating that one is an Uggs-wearing, pumpkin spice latte-loving simpleton content to try to keep up with the Kardashians. Although there’s house kombucha ($5), a smattering...

At NICO Oysters + Seafood, stick to the the fruits de mer (Charleston City Paper)

by Vanessa | Dec 20, 2017 | Legacy

Last January, roughly six months after leaving his near decade-long post at Fish, Chef Nico Romo announced he would be launching his own venture in the spring. Spring turned to summer and the “Coming soon!” sign continued to tease — if not torment — anyone...

Wood & Grain is pizza heavy, but it’s the seafood that shines (Charleston City Paper)

by Vanessa | Dec 13, 2017 | Legacy

Whoever first said ‘location, location, location’ probably didn’t have Wood & Grain in mind. Formerly the site of a nail spa in a strip mall off Shelmore, the restaurant has been strikingly transformed into a chic, sophisticated space. Set two...

What Ink N Ivy lacks in charming decor, it makes up for in solid bar fare (Charleston City Paper)

by Vanessa | Nov 29, 2017 | Legacy

Having heard such foreboding utterances as “it’s like Ed Hardy threw up in there,” I must say I was quite relieved by my own first venture into Ink N Ivy. Where I had feared a schizophrenic, technicolor tattoo hallucination, the open space is...

Southern Roots Smokehouse in Park Circle lacks the heat to compete (Charleston City Paper)

by Vanessa | Nov 22, 2017 | Legacy

The restaurant business is very, very difficult. It demands the right combination of location, ownership, and staff, not to mention menu, ambiance, and dozens of other intangibles. Although it’s hard to put a finger on the exact elements that will lead to...