Charleston City Paper - Dish Dining Guide, Winter 2023

Welcome to another year, readers. Bundle up in the cool weather this season with a new edition of Dish, Charleston City Paper ’s quarterly magazine covering all things food in the city. In this wintertime edition, learn how to pair wine and food with sommelier Sarah O’Kelley and find out how to incorporate flavor and healthy living into your life with classic winter spices. Or check out photos of stews, gumbos and pozoles and discover new sweet potatoes dishes that will make your mouth water. As always, our Top 50 highlights the city’s best restaurants to take friends and family, plus our list of the popular new restaurants in Dish’s CP Hotlist. Whatever your reason for reading, there’s plenty to look forward to in this issue. —Michael Pham

inside

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Sweet and seasonal These restaurants find unique ways to incorporate sweet potatoes

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The CP Hotlist

Additions to the local food scene that are worth taking note of

(p10) A perfect pairing Sommelier Sarah O’Kelley offers tips for balancing wine and food

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The Dish Top 50

Our top restaurants in Charleston for Winter 2023

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Spicing things up Charleston chefs incorporate a variety of spices into their fare

(p18) Standout stews Hearty bowls that will warm you up

(p40) Charleston’s Takeout Favorites Great Local Grab & Go Favorites — a special advertising section

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A rising tide floats all ships Berkeley’s owners reflect on the F&B community

Editor and Publisher: Andy Brack Assistant Publisher: Cris Temples

editorial

Managing Editor: Samantha Connors News: Herb Frazier, Chelsea Grinstead, Chloe Hogan, Michael Pham, Hillary Reaves

Contributors: Elise DeVoe, Abby Tierney, Elizabeth and Marc Hudackso

sales

Advertising Director: Cris Temples Account Executives: Kristin Byars Ashley Frantz Mariana Robbins Shaelyn Toliver Gregg Van Leuven Sales Assistant: Melissa Veal

design

Art Director: Scott Suchy Production Director: Déla O’Callaghan Graphic Designer: Christina Bailey Staff Photographer: Rūta Smith

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Circulation Team: Chris Glenn, Robert Hogg, Stephen Jenkins, David Lampley, Spencer Martin, John Melnick, Tashana Remsburg, Tony Rhone

Published by City Paper Publishing, LLC

on the cover

Millers All Day’s braised okra and tomato stew, photographed by Rūta Smith.

Dish is a publication of the Charleston City Paper and is published quarterly by City Paper Publishing, LLC. All content is copyrighted and the property of City Paper Publishing, LLC

Charleston City Paper P.O. Box 21942 Charleston, SC 29413 (843) 577-5304 charlestoncitypaper.com

Sichuan Sunday at Kwei Fei

Rūta Smith

SWEET SEASONAL AND

These restaurants find unique ways to incorporate sweet potatoes

By Elise DeVoe

Fall and winter in Charleston usher in new, exciting seasonal produce. Hearty vegetables like butternut squash, brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes come to mind. During the holidays, sweet potatoes usually play a supporting role as a side dish whether in a casserole or just mashed in a bowl, but a few Charleston chefs are making this ingredient the star of the dish.

Sweet potato agnolotti

Church & Union

This New American restaurant is skilled at transforming dishes everyone knows and loves into something unique. Church & Union’s sweet potato agnolotti, a filled pasta from Italy’s Piedmont region, is a prime example.

“Doing an Italian take on an American fall favorite is exactly what we do,” said Adam Hodgson, chef-partner of 5th Street Group, which manages Church & Union. “Agnolotti normally has some sort of meaty filling, but instead, we are pairing it with fall flavors like sweet potatoes, mushrooms and chestnuts.”

Church & Union makes its agnolotti fresh daily, including the dough, filling and accoutrements.

A simple roasted sweet potato puree mixed with cream and salt is the base.

“Agnolotti makes chefs happy because they’re these soft pillows of excellence and on top of that they’re fairly easy to make in a high-volume environment like Church & Union,” Hodgson said.

Bloomed dried black cherries, mushrooms and leeks fried in butter are tossed with the filled pasta after boiling. The dish is served over pistachio basil pesto and garnished with brown butter, pickled fennel, toasted bread crumbs

Church & Union incorporates sweet potato into agnolotti

and micro herbs.

“The brown butter and fall ingredients make you feel warm, and then we cut it with the pickled fennel to balance it out,” Hodgson said.

Church & Union sources the sweet potatoes (and all of its produce) from local purveyors like GrowFood Carolina and Limehouse Produce. This dish is such a cool weather favorite that it will likely stay on the menu through February.

Sweet potato biscuits

Sixty Bull Cafe

Biscuit cravings are not uncommon while strolling around Charleston. Satisfy your taste buds on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with Sixty Bull’s unique take on this Southern classic.

The cafe’s sweet potato biscuit is the Southern hybrid you didn’t know you needed. Standard biscuit dough is made of flour, butter, salt, butter, baking powder and either milk or cream. Sixty Bull elevates this simple recipe by substituting some of the cream with roasted, pureed sweet potatoes.

The sweet potatoes don’t weigh down the biscuit, making these just as light and fluffy as a traditional biscuit.

“You can’t have sweet potatoes without cinnamon,” said sous chef Jason Lewis, so the cafe adds a pinch of this spice to drive home the warm, comforting flavor of the biscuit.

Diners can swap toast for the biscuit with the Harleston Green Standard Breakfast, which also includes two eggs, Heritage Farms bacon or linguica sausage and grits or home fries.

For a brunch plate where the biscuit is the main attraction, look no further than the fried chicken biscuit topped with housemade pimiento cheese. Diners can get one chicken biscuit for $10 or two for $19. The pimiento cheese is also made in-house with Carolina Mountain Cheddar from Asheville.

Lewis also told the City Paper that if enough people demand the biscuits after this article comes out, the restaurant may go back to serving them seven days a week. Let’s make it happen.

Sweet potato entree

Sorghum & Salt

Sorghum & Salt’s menu features a dish labeled “Sweet Potato.” But a lot more goes into creating it than just plopping a sweet potato on a plate. In fact, making the dish is a two-day process.

“We basically make a millefeuille (which means ‘thousand layers’ in French) out of it,” said Tres Jackson, the restaurant’s chef and owner. “We take the sweet potatoes and shave them, layer them, brush them with clarified butter, weigh them down, bake them, then press them again and cut them into squares.”

This process forms the potatoes into a “mock steak,” he said. The layers are pressed together so tightly that it forms one cohesive piece of sweet

R ū ta Smith file photo

Sixty Bull Cafe offers sweet potato biscuits

potato. But, when you cut into it, you can see all the layers — and, consequently, all of the effort that went into creating the dish.

The end result is a welcome replacement for a meaty entree. After the layered cube is formed, it is cooked just like a steak.

“We sear it in a cast iron pan and baste it with butter and thyme to get it nice and charred,” Jackson said. The chef equates the dish to a filet oscar because it is served with crab and bearnaise sauce. These thoughtful pairings help the vegetable hold its own as an entree. Vegetarian diners can order the dish sans crab, but the dish cannot be made vegan because the clarified butter is the key to the dish’s success.

“It’s easy to sell shishito peppers as an appetizer, but making vegetables substantial and function as the main dish is where the real challenge of being a vegetable-forward concept comes in, so that’s what we spent this year focusing on,” Jackson said.

The first iteration of this dish was inspired by Murasaki sweet potatoes sourced from Growfood Carolina. Jackson explained they are an Asian variety of sweet potato that has yellow flesh and a starch content that helps bind them together well.

When the Murasakis are unavailable, the restaurant can still produce the dish with different varieties, especially because sweet potatoes can thrive nearly year-round in Charleston.

Jackson noted that Murasakis are about to become available, so hurry in to try this decadent vegetableforward dish.

Located on Historic Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant, Red’s is the perfect getaway to enjoy what the Lowcountry offers us daily. Our diverse menu is ideal for fun family dinners and we’re consistently voted the best place to bring out - of - town visitors.

R ū ta Smith

Sorghum & Salt transforms sweet potatoes into a savory vegetarian “steak” as a main dish

A PERFECT PAIRING

Sommelier Sarah O’Kelley offers tips for balancing wine and food

By Michael Pham

P

roperly pairing wine with food can be intimidating, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the many varietals. Sarah O’Kelley, wine director at Edmund’s Oast Exchange, shared some simple tips to guide you.

“I have (and probably most other wine people in this town have) been trying to dispel the idea of wine being fancy and pretentious,” O’Kelley said. “It’s really fun to do pairings and not make it this pretentious thing.”

O’Kelley is a certified sommelier who has worked in the wine business for nearly 10 years with stints in the food industry. She owned and operated West Ashley’s Glass Onion with Chris Stewart for six years before departing on a wine journey. She is knowledgeable in both food and wine flavors.

Balancing acidity

“One of the most important things in wine to me, and I always say this, other than it tasting good, is acidity,” she said.

Think of the rich holiday meals you recently enjoyed with family or friends. Perhaps you indulged in dishes like oven-roasted turkey basted with butter or a roasted ham cooked in its own fat and served with mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, collard greens and cheesy mac and cheese. Acidic wine can help balance these deep, rich flavors.

“Acidity in wine is what makes it work really well with food to me,” O’Kelley said. “It cuts through the richness of dishes. It physically causes our mouths to water, which I think is what makes us want to keep going back for that next sip.”

Another thing to look for in wine is tannin, naturally occuring substances that create that kind of dry wine feeling in your mouth, O’Kelley said.

“It’s always easy to remember things like the

Sarah O’Kelley pairs acidic white wines with popcorn for a quick at-home snack

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most famous thin-skinned grapes, like pinot noir and gamay, have less of the tannin than the most famous thick-skinned grapes, like the Bordeaux family of cabernet, merlot and syrah,” she said.

Like acid, tannin can add complexity to a meal. The dryness tannins provide pairs well with rich, fatty foods (like a steak with a cabernet sauvignon).

Finally, O’Kelley recommends considering alcohol content. If you’re planning on eating a spicy dish, she said, a wine with high alcohol content isn’t recommended.

“Imagine something spicy [paired] with alcohol,” she said. “It just elevates everything, and you’re already hot.”

Alcohol content always appears on the bottle, but O’Kelley said the region the wine came from also hints at alcohol content.

“Climate is what produces the alcohol,” O’Kelley said. “More sunshine equals more sugar, which gets turned into alcohol. So warmer climate wines are just going to be bigger, richer and have more alcohol.”

Breaking the rules

While red wines like pinot noir seem like go-tos in fall and winter, O’Kelley said, textured white wines like chenin blanc or a dry riesling are her wines of choice because of acidity. She prefers to save light red wines for summer cookouts with plenty of red meats. When pairing wine with food, you don’t want one flavor over-

powering the other, but to complement one another.

“You want to make sure the wine has enough body to stand up to the meal,” she said. “You can obliterate a wine with something that’s just too much. Back in the day, it was red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat. But there’s so much in between, you know?”

Favorite pairings

On her blog, Grape to Table, O’Kelley suggests pairing a light red, low in alcohol and tannins, with her homemade chili recipe. But she offered some other suggestions for City Paper readers:

“My favorite thing is to take leftovers [from holiday dinners] and make gumbo,” O’Kelley said, who used to live in Louisiana, where gumbo was born. “Most people won’t even necessarily think of gumbo and wine because down in New Orleans you probably just have a beer, but it’s actually really good.” O’Kelley said she would pair gumbo with a gamay from the Beaujolais “which is very similar to pinot noir, and is a bright, fresh red with a slight chill.”

Though bold red wines hold up the flavors of a steak, acidic white wine can help add texture to a meal, cutting through the fattiness and richness and brightening the auxiliary flavors of garlic and rosemary.

“Rules are meant to be broken in this day and age, especially in the wine world,” O’Kelley said. “There’s so many different things from orange wine to crazy, funky natural wines.

“The lines have been blurred. And it really is just a bit more about having fun and not getting too caught up in the rules.”

But when in doubt, O’Kelley said to pair “sparkling with everything.”

Another hearty winter dish she loves is white Rancho Gordo beans and shrimp paired with chenin blanc, her personal favorite wine. “It’s a match made in heaven,” she said.

If you want to stay warm and comfortable under a blanket, O’Kelley suggested serving oyster soup in a mug paired with chenin blanc or chardonnay. “People think they hate chardonnay until they have chardonnay from France. That, with oyster soup, is so good.”

If you want something quick and easy to enjoy at home with your wine, try popcorn and a white burgundy, chardonnay, chenin blanc or riesling, O’Kelley said.

“When I’m getting home late at night or [at Edmund’s Oast] too late, that’s what I’ll eat for dinner,” O’Kelley laughed.

“Back in the day, it was red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat. But there’s so much in between, you know?”

Spicing things up

Charleston chefs incorporate a variety of spices into their fare

By Samantha Connors

Winter ingredients like butternut squash and sweet potatoes can transform a meal into a cool weather comfort dish. But deep, rich, earthy spices take seasonal fare to a whole new level — and may even have added health benefits.

Plant-based chef Louise Rakers, owner of Nordic Cooking, incorporates spices and superfoods into her cooking classes, catering and at-home meals.

“Right now, everything we’ve been doing has been on the heavier side,” she said, “like using cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamon — spices like that. It’s been heavy on those spices because of the season.

In the superfood world, we’ve been using chaga and reishi mushrooms and turmeric, because turmeric has such a warm flavor.”

Chef Louise Rakers educates people on the health benefits of spices and superfoods in her cooking classes

Sichuan peppercorns, chilis and ginger top Kwei Fei’s Sichuan Beef

The detoxifying power of spices

Though Rakers’ year-round goal is to educate people on the benefits of healthy, plant-based eating, she said incorporating spices and superfoods is particularly important in the winter months. Many of these ingredients help reduce inflammation, which she said strengthens the immune system, making it less likely you’ll get sick.

“There’s so many ways that you can use these spices and superfoods to detoxify your body [especially] after the holiday season when you might have had a little bit extra fat, extra alcohol — a bit extra everything,” Rakers said.

The chef, who grew up in Copenhagen before moving to St. Louis with her husband and together relocated to Charleston four years ago, said she is teaching a cooking class in January and March focused on incorporating naturally detoxifying ingredients.

She recommends cinnamon, turmeric, clove, curry and chaga or reishi mushroom powder to help capture a warm, delicious flavor in a winter meal while also reaping the health benefits.

An easy way to incorporate these into your diet is by topping off your coffee with cinnamon.

“Cinnamon is known to be a powerful spice to add if you feel sick or if you want to make sure your body is working extra fast. It helps you burn your metabolism.”

If you’re feeling adventurous, Rakers said adding reishi or chaga mushroom powder to your coffee is a way to help your body digest the caffeine without changing the flavor much.

One of her go-to home meals is a simple curry filled with vegetables, garlic, curry and turmeric. But, she said, be sure to add black pepper alongside turmeric as it helps your body absorb the turmeric.

You can find locally grown turmeric from Johns Island farm Spade & Clover, which also grows ginger and galangal.

“Ground ginger. That one can be added to so many dishes. You can make homemade curry with that and clove and cinnamon and really put some power in there,” she said.

Spice for spice’s sake

While some cooks use select spices for the health benefits, others use them to create unique flavors and fragrances to enhance a dish.

At Sichuan restaurant Kwei Fei on James Island, Sichuan peppercorn is the star spice.

“A Sichuan peppercorn isn’t even actually a peppercorn,” said David Schuttenberg, owner and chef. “It looks like pepper and so it’s kind of given that name, but the part that’s used is actually the hull for the seeds of a [prickly ash] bush, which is in the citrus family. That’s why you get a lot of the citrus notes both in flavor and fragrance.”

Schuttenberg incorporates this unique spice into many of his dishes, but it plays a role in perhaps Kwei Fei’s most essential asset — the chili crisp.

This aromatic condiment with a kick can be generously added to any dish. Schuttenberg’s recipe includes Sichuan peppercorn, dried chilis, shallots and garlic amongst other ingredients.

Schuttenberg’s spicy chili crisp sauce adorns house made ice cream at Kwei Fei

Though the chili crisp is typically used on savory dishes, Schuttenberg adds this spicy sauce to house made vanilla ice cream for an interesting dessert. Kwei Fei’s chef de cuisine, Greg Kurtzman, adapted his candied peanut recipe for the dish, layering additional Sichuan flavors.

“The chili crisp is just such a savory hit,” Schuttenberg said.

Sichuan peppercorn is spicy, but the ingredient isn’t added to dishes just for the sake of making you sweat. There is a compound in this spice that causes a numbing sensation, which can impact the flavor profile of a dish.

“I think it can be confusing sometimes because the Sichuan peppercorn reads

Photos by Rūta Smith

that way to the uninitiated,” Schuttenberg said, “whereas really it’s just that numbing quality. People don’t expect that, so they assume that it’s just so spicy it’s making their mouth go numb.”

Some dishes, like the Sichuan Beef, are topped with Sichuan peppercorns, chilis and ginger and covered in a hot oil wash to release flavors and smells. For other dishes, like the Shui Zhu Yu (catfish), Shuttenberg uses a house made eight-spice oil wash.

La Zi Ji (fried chicken with Sichuan peppercorns, Tianjin chili and ginger), also known as Chun Chang chicken, incorporates vegetables, fried Tianjin chilis and whole Sichuan peppercorn.

“The benefit of toasting all those spices in the wok is that the oil is now infused with that flavor profile, be it the spice or the numbing quality of the peppercorn and that transfers into the chicken,” Schuttenberg said.

Though Sichuan peppercorn is mainly used in Chinese cooking, in the Sichuan region specifically, Schuttenberg said it actually grows all over the world — including here in the Lowcountry on Bulls Island.

And, in Schuttenberg’s own backyard. Three pots of Sichuan peppercorn that were growing in McCrady’s rooftop garden were given to Shuttenberg after McCrady’s closing.

“One little peppercorn, you take a bite of it, and it will shut down your whole mouth,” he said of eating the fresh version of the spice.

But the many dry spices incorporated into his restaurant cooking brings interesting flavors to the forefront.

“The dry spice pantry in Chinese cooking is exciting. It’s interesting. It’s different.”

New applications

For Joel Lucas, owner and chef of Edison James Island, experimenting with new spices and flavors is what he likes to call “playing with food.”

“I love introducing new flavors and spices and inventive dishes,” he said. “Just taking a classic dish and turning it around.”

Which is exactly what he did with one of Edison’s star dishes — green curry meatballs. Lucas uses jalapeños, Thai green chilis, fresh ginger and garlic to create a base for the curry sauce, which is poured on top of the meatballs.

When working with spices to create innovative dishes, Lucas said fresh spices are key to enhancing flavor.

“Don’t use ground spices if you can. Just grab your coffee bean grinder and grind up some of these seeds and spices, things like that,” he said. “The amount of flavors that burst out — you can’t compare it.”

The fromage and fig appetizer is another popular item on the menu. In fact, Lucas said it is “hands down our best seller.”

Lucas and his cooks create a jam from dried figs that are cooked down with star anise, cinnamon and cloves to create deep, sweet flavors to balance the earthy whipped goat cheese.

Lucas said he finds inspiration in new food creations, and while he said he’s not a huge fan of TikTok, he loves to see the food trends that emerge on the platform and how people are inventing adventurous new combinations.

“I think people are really finding the knowledge of different cuisines and doing things differently with them,” he said. “It makes me happy, because that’s exactly what I like to do — introduce people to different ingredients that they’ve never heard of before.”

Courtesy Edison James Island

Joel Lucas, owner and chef of Edison James Island, created these green curry meatballs while experimenting with different flavors

Standout

STEWS

Hearty bowls that will warm you up

By Abby Tierney

The sight of a simmering stovetop meal on a brisk winter day is one of the season’s most welcome sights. Steaming bowls of hearty stew remind us of the comforts of home. But several Charleston restaurants are doing the work for you, beckoning diners in from the cold with the promise of a cozy dish. From simple braises to complex creations steeped in tradition, these standout dishes are guaranteed to warm you from the outside in.

New England-style seafood chowder

The Ordinary

Though the preparation changes slightly with the seasons, New England-style seafood chowder is a mainstay on this establishment’s menu. For chef Mike Lata, the dish relies heavily on nostalgia — and techniques that keep tradition in mind. “I’m a kid from New England,” he said. “And there’s nothing like a New England-style clam chowder. Between the home cooked version and ours, there isn’t much difference, and I don’t think there needs to be.”

Practicality is another key component. “When your restaurant serves a lot of fish, you always have parts left — pieces that are perfectly delicious but aren’t used in a center-of-theplate fashion,” he said. In many cases, these scraps are bound for a seafood stew, such as this hearty chowder. The base recipe is one part clam broth and one part smoked fish stock, or

Rancho Lewis’ green chile pozole brings the flavors of the Mexico and West Texas stew to the Lowcountry

“fumet.” The dish calls for a small dash of flour, but Lata relies mainly on potatoes to thicken the stew. “We don’t boil many things, because it’s typically hard on the food,” he said. “But it cooks the potatoes from the outside in, adding starch that gives the chowder its body.”

The dish is finished with a touch of dairy, though not as much as the classic preparation (which is often milk-based rather than broth based). The day’s fish is simmered to order and added last along with finishing touches like fresh herbs, espelette and cracked black pepper. But Lata’s favorite accompaniment? Fresh sourdough crackers. “Typically you’d serve this with oyster crackers, but we have all this great sourdough from Tiller [Baking Co.], so we cook the croutons to order, like little pieces of toast,” he said. “It really lights up the dish.”

Green chile pozole

Rancho Lewis

Rancho Lewis chef and owner John Lewis also incorporates childhood memories into his recipes. “Our menu focuses on traditional cuisine from El Paso, where I grew up,” he said. “Pozole is a pre-Columbian, Mesoamerican dish, originating

before any of us ever got here.” The stew is made with nixtamalized corn: kernels with the tough outer husk removed, making them softer and more flavorful. The resulting product is akin to what Southerners know as hominy.

This isn’t just any corn, though. “We use Jimmy Red corn grown here in South Carolina by Marsh Hen Mills,” Lewis said. “Normally, you can only get it as grits or cornmeal, but we have a special relationship.” Part of an exclusive partnership, the restaurant gets its hands on whole kernels, later nixtamalized for use in the pozole and house tortilla chips. “We’re the only place in the world where you can get nixtamalized Jimmy Red corn,” he said.

Traditional pozole has several variations. Red pozole, for example, features pork and red chiles, while green pozole, which Lewis’ recipe closely resembles, relies on green chiles, tomatillos and chicken. “We decided to make ours veggie,” he added, “and I don’t miss the meat at all.

“We add flavor [to the corn base] by fire-roasting the tomatillos, as well as roasted Hatch green chiles for a little char.” Black beans are added for protein, alongside a heap of colorful garnishes

Lindsay Shorter

The Ordinarys serves New England clam chowder with sourdough crackers

— shredded green cabbage, radishes and sliced avocado.

Braised okra and tomato stew

Millers All Day

For the breakfast and brunch crowd, Millers All Day serves a warm bowl of Southern comfort: braised okra and tomato stew. According to chef Jeff Allan, the beauty of this stew is its simplicity. “We use berbere, an Ethiopian chile that has a lot of sweetness and a lot of spice to it,” he said. “We essentially just toast it hard in a pan with oil, deglaze with hand crushed tomatoes, add the okra and a bit of garlic and braise everything for a good 45 minutes.”

Available at Millers downtown location and its new James Island outpost (which also offers dinner), this dish is served atop a bed of the restaurant’s signature Unicorn Grits, a rosy-hued variety also cultivated by Marsh Hen Mills. “You get these really nice, bright colors — the bright red of the stew and the pink of the grits peeking out underneath,” Allan said. “We finish it with local benne seeds, also

Sullivan’s Fish Camp’s West African-style stew is perfect on a chilly day

Provided

popular summertime haunt, the restaurant rewards wintertime patrons with cozy dishes such as its Sullivan’s Island gumbo, the perfect companion for a chilly evening on the shore.

“Our gumbo is West African style, so instead of using a roux, we grind charred okra and jalapeños until tacky, and that acts as our thickener,” said chef Davis Hood. The flavorful paste is added to what the kitchen calls a “Frankenstock,” a delicate mix of chicken and shellfish stocks that comes together over the course of three days. “It’s a long process, and every stage adds a different level of flavor,” Hood said. “It’s a really complex stew.”

from Marsh Hen, and some microgreens, which help cut some of the acidity from the tomatoes.” On its own, the dish is a fully vegan delight, though blackened shrimp can be added upon request.

Sullivan’s Island gumbo

Sullivan’s Fish Camp

Since opening in spring 2022, Sullivan’s Fish Camp has drawn diners to the beach with the promise of ultra-fresh seafood and a cozy neighborhood atmosphere. A

For the seafood component, Hood is another proponent of the zero-waste mentality. “We try to use every part of the fish and be as sustainable as possible,” he said. “It also comes back to the origins of gumbo. When it was brought to America, it was basically peasant food, made from the scraps no one wanted.”

In this case, those “scraps” are good as gold, added to the stew alongside Tarvin Seafood shrimp and Bull’s Bay clams, served atop Carolina Gold Rice. The result is a richly flavored, deeply satisfying dish. “Gumbo can be really thick,

so I actually prefer this version,” Hood said. “It’s really light, but you walk away feeling enriched.”

Rūta Smith

Millers All Day’s okra and tomato stew is served over pink grits

CP Hotlist

Fresh to our quarterly Dish is the CP Hotlist, which shines a spotlight on notable, relatively new hot restaurants that impress our cuisine team. We encourage you to check them out and let us know whether you think they should be added to our Top 50 list. On the CP Hotlist (in alphabetical order):

Berkeley’s (2021), downtown Charleston. Soak in the North Central neighborhood from the front patio and escape King Street crowds at this spot that feels like going over to a friend’s home for dinner. Berkeley’s keeps its menu relatively simple but packs big flavor into each dish with plenty of options for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. Opt for a traditional or vegetarian cheesesteak (made with mushrooms) or select another savory sandwich. If you’ve craving something heavier, look to chicken or eggplant parmesan, cavatappi or hanger steak. One satisfied diner said, “The spicy shrimp polenta appetizer has been on my mind for weeks since I first tried it. It’s filling, flavorful and definitely more than enough to share. Pair it with the smoked salmon dip if you want to start your meal with a decadent seafood spread.” Moderate.

EatAtBerkeleys.com. Lunch, dinner, Wed.-Sun.

The Pass (2021), downtown Charleston. If you’re looking for an incredible sandwich experience, this is the joint. Every one of the “unapologetically interesting sandwiches” offer something unique and delicious. Among the other delights served up in the 700-square-foot space: the Cacio e Pepe, a sandwich served on sourdough bread filled with cheesy goodness mixed with the saltiness of prosciutto and a drizzle of truffle honey; Such a Nice Italian Boy, a classic Italian sandwich with pickled Calabrian chili relish on a ciabatta roll; and the LBC, the perfect breakfast sandwich with house-cured lox, housemade scallion cream cheese, cucumbers and pickled onions on an everything bagel. When you stop by, make sure to get a full plate of banter, too, with owner and chef Anthony Marini. Inexpensive.Thepasschs.com. Lunch, Wed.-Sun.

Philosophia (2022), Mount Pleasant. A new entry for East Cooper dining, Philosophia blends the joy of dining

with friendship and a menu that rocks Greek cuisine. “Amazingly good Greek food served in one of the most attractive new restaurants in the area,” one satisfied gourmand said. Favorites include starters of pesto hummus and Greek pimento cheese and main dishes of pastitsio, whole branzino and stuffed leg of lamb. Wow. Moderate to expensive. Philosophiamtpleasant.com. Dinner Wed.-Sun.

Pink Bellies (2021), downtown Charleston. From humble beginnings as a food truck serving hungry College of Charleston students to a stall in former food hall Workshop, Pink Bellies has now morphed into a bustling hot Vietnamese spot in midtown. Cult-followers enjoy Thai Phi’s spicy, decadent garlic noodles and other Vietnamese fare in a moody, yet vibrant dining room that brings a much-needed modern vibe to King Street. Other fan favorites include the spicy lamb dumplings and pho mai burger. Sample the cocktail menu’s Tres Coop Riff, a tequila-based cocktail with an orange creamsicle flavor that is smoked and topped with cinnamon chips for a s’mores flavor. Expensive. Eatatpinkbellies.com. Dinner, Thurs.-Sun.

The Quinte Oyster Bar (2022), downtown Charleston. The Quinte Oyster Bar is another addition to the exquisite seafood selection in Charleston. The 20-seat marble oyster bar and booths bring an elegant Parisian affair to King Street. Quinte maintains a small menu with delicate choices of a rotating selection of oysters from around the country, chilled lobster claws and caviar service for its raw bar menu. For the main course, browse a six-item menu of fresh, raw fish and scallops or steamed local fish. Pair the small menu of seafood with the extensive drink list of cocktails and wines. Expensive. TheQuinte.com. Lunch, dinner, Tues.-Sat.

Rancho Lewis (2022), Charleston Neck. Barbecue chef extraordinaire John Lewis, already known for bringing his tasty Texas brisket to Charleston, adds Tex-Mex to the mix with Rancho Lewis, where he uses his favorite Hatch chiles in many dishes. The tortillas are made fresh onsite, and, if you can stray from the tempting tacos, the burger — made with brisket — is terrific. Another diner raved: “Don’t leave without eating the steak fajitas. Period.” Moderate. Rancholewischs.com. Lunch, Wed.-Sun.

Rūta

Additions to the local food scene that are worth taking note of

Dive into Pink Bellies’ fan-favorite garlic noodles for a hearty, meal

LOCAL

THE GOOD BUSINESS SUMMIT

by Lowcountry Local First Thursday, Feb 9 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. at Charleston Music Hall

SMART PEOPLE

Thursday, Feb. 16 to Sunday, Feb. 26 at Cannon Street Arts Center

RAZOR BRAIDS W/ TBA Friday, Mar. 3

Doors 8 p.m. • Show 9 p.m. at Tin Roof

OHM RADIO VALENTINE’S DAY SINGING TELEGRAMS

Tuesday, Feb. 14 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. within the Charleston area

OYSTER ROAST TO BENEFIT BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF THE LOWCOUNTRY Sat, Feb 25 at 12 p.m. at Bohemian Bull

THE SLACKERS W/ FAINTEST IDEA AND WELL CHARGED

Tuesday, Apr. 18 Doors 7:30 p.m. Show 8:30 p.m. at Tin Roof

The apple pie at Slightly North of Broad

Making memories

Looking for a bite to eat in Charleston can be overwhelming. Simply searching the internet for “food in Charleston” can yield inconsistent results. Fortunately, we’ve narrowed down the list to the city’s Top 50 restaurants, a not-so-easy task. From steak and scallops to Japanese fried chicken and curry mac and cheese, there’s no shortage of classic and traditional foods that you can find in the Holy City. But what sets these 50 establishments apart isn’t price or location. It’s the dedication each establishment puts into providing a memorable dining experience. This is the list to give family or friends visiting the city. It’s the list to scan through when you’re undecided. It’s a list with options for every budget. And it’s the list that, like Charleston and the seasons, changes.

Organized in alphabetical order.

167 Raw Oyster Bar

SEAFOOD

Expensive

Downtown. 193 King St. (843) 579-4997

167raw.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Mon.-Sat.)

Surrounded by high-end boutiques, swanky inns, antique stores and art galleries, 167 Raw’s King Street home sits along a quiet stretch of storefronts. But fear not, it still boasts the same lineup of New England bivalves and lobster rolls that were much-lauded at its existing original (and teeny) spot at 289 East Bay St., which now operates as 167 Sushi Bar. The first floor of 167 Raw’s ever-socharming 19th century building is long and narrow, with original brick walls and a walnut bar. Even with four times (at least) as much seating as its original space, 167 Raw gets packed. Arrive early to tuck into your 10-hour carnita taco and tuna burger.

Baker & Brewer

PIZZA

Moderate Downtown. 94 Stuart St. (843) 297-8233 Bakerandbrewer.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (daily) Baker & Brewer is the brainchild of two great local joints: EVO Pizzeria and Holy City Brewing, both in North Charleston. The blended restaurant brings two things everyone loves together: pizza and beer. It’s a more casual spot than EVO’s Park Circle location but all of its renowned pizzas remain on the menu, such as the pistachio pesto pie (named one of the best pizzas in the country by Food Network Magazine) and the sinful Pork Trifecta. Pair fan-favorite pizzas with Holy Citybrewed and Baker & Brewer-exclusive drafts like Clyde’s Banana Split (a banana milk stout brewed by a College of Charleston student), and you’ll think you’ve gone to foodie heaven on Earth. There’s nothing like a Baker & Brewer sweet-and-savory meal in the middle of the work day. (And then again for supper!)

Basic Kitchen

CAFE

Moderate

Downtown. 82 Wentworth St. (843) 789-4568 basickitchen.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Mon.-Sat.), Weekend Brunch

In a city filled with hearty Southern cuisine, sometimes it’s tricky to find a flavorful, light meal. Not the case at Basic Kitchen. According to co-owner Ben Towill, that has been exactly the goal since opening the restaurant with his wife Kate in 2017. “We want to provide massive flavor and a meal that’s hearty but still feels light,” he said. Robin Hollis, who took over as Basic

OYSTERS? DID SOMEONE

Kitchen executive chef in July 2019, has honed in on this mission by creating more wholesome dishes that highlight vegetables from local purveyors. BK’s lunch menu is divided into small plates, bowls, salads, sandwiches and sweets. For dinner selections, it offers big plates like market fish with peach salsa, cilantro, avocado and lime or chicken or cauliflower schnitzel.

Bertha’s Kitchen

Inexpensive Downtown. 2332 Meeting Street Road. (843) 554-6519

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Mon.-Fri.)

Head up Meeting Street until you see a two-story robin’s egg blue building with purple trim and a line stretching out the door. The Southern soul food platters here are so tasty, generous and inexpensive, that the line starts forming well before it’s open for lunch. Businessmen, laborers and far-flung tourists alike shuffle through the quick cafeteria-style service counter loaded with a smorgasbord of meat and threes, such as fried pork chops, fish specials, yams, stewed greens, home-style macand-cheese, limas nestled with smoked turkey necks, dark roux okra soup, moist cornbread and fried chicken better than anyone’s Grandma ever made. Bertha’s building was announced for sale last year, but has since been taken off the market.

Bistronomy by Nico

Expensive Downtown. 64 Spring St. (843) 410-6221 bistronomybynico.com

Serving Dinner (daily), Weekend Brunch

One month after getting the keys to 64 Spring St., Bistronomy by Nico coowners Nico Romo and Dominique Chantepie opened the French bistro after revamping the space previously occupied by Josephine Wine Bar. The cuisine mirrors the vibrant atmosphere and draws on celebrated dishes from Romo’s 10 years at Fish, which closed in 2017 after 17 years on King Street. Romo calls Bistronomy’s menu approachable French cuisine with an Asian fusion twist. The menu changes seasonally, but at the time of publishing, it included items like frog legs,

24-hour short ribs, bouillabaisse and escargot rice dumplings. If you want to sample Romo’s fare in Mount Pleasant, his original bistro NICO sits right off of Shem Creek.

Bowens Island Restaurant

SEAFOOD

Moderate James Island. 1870 Bowens Island Road. (843) 795-2757 bowensisland.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

Don’t expect white tablecloth and maitre d’service at Bowens Island. It’s famously no frills, but it’s worth it. The nightly crowds are a testament to the family fish camp. Since its founding in 1946, it’s grown from a grimy, albeit quaint, cinder block outpost to a pluff-mud pantheon that offers up damn good fried seafood, hushpuppies and cold local beer in its upstairs

dining room. Follow your nose downstairs and elbow-out yourself a space at the all-you-can-eat oyster tables and slurp down tasty local oysters by the shovelful that were likely pulled off the marsh that day. Oyster season or not, we have a hard time passing up the Frogmore Stew, a pot full of potatoes, sausage, corn on the cob and shrimp steamed together as God intended it.

Butcher & Bee

MEDITERRANEAN

Moderate

Downtown. 1085 Morrison Drive. (843) 619-0202 butcherandbee.com

Serving Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (daily), Weekend Brunch Butcher & Bee is an elevated restaurant that belies its hipster hangout roots in its old dark, tiny space on Upper King Street. B&B’s menu features a range of

dishes with everything from falafel to crispy schnitzels and carefully crafted local seafood to veggie-forward dishes. B&B’s mezze selection is a collection of small plates with a Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influence, an excellent feature on the menu for brunch, lunch and dinner. It’s safe to say that pretty much anything you order from here will be incredibly creative.

Charleston Grill

MODERN AMERICAN

Very Expensive Downtown. 224 King St. (843) 577-4522 charlestongrill.com Serving Dinner (Wed.-Thurs.)

Amid ever-shifting culinary fashions, Charleston Grill has remained one of the city’s crown jewels by delivering a consistently flawless dining experience. Executive chef Michelle Weaver’s dishes can be decadently lush, like her beef tenderloin with a red wine gastrique or seared foie gras, spiked with a strawberry jam and balsamic vinegar. The dishes are balanced, ingredientcentric creations, while contemporary spins on Southern cuisine are bold and satisfying. The best way to experience the full sweep of the cuisine is to pick out items from each section of Weaver’s menu and sit back to enjoy the house jazz band tucked in the corner.

Chasing Sage

MODERN AMERICAN

Expensive Downtown. 267 Rutledge Avenue. (854) 444-3402

chasingsagerestaurant.com

Serving Dinner (Mon.-Sat.)

Focused on farm-to-table cuisine, Chasing Sage is always a delight because you never quite know what dishes will appear on the menu. The plates rotate regularly, depending on what’s in season and what local purveyors provide. You might indulge in small plates like corn dumplings with bacon and chili oil or blue crab lettuce wraps topped with avocado and watermelon. Plates are organized by price and designed to be shared. Dishes are often veggie-forward, but there are plenty of options for meat eaters. If you’re dining with a large group, opt for the chef’s choice and let the kitchen decide.

SOUL FOOD

FRENCH

Rūta Smith file photo

Baker & Brewer pairs EVO’s pizza with Holy City Brewing’s beers

Chez Nous

FRENCH

Expensive Downtown. 6 Payne Court. (843) 579-3060 cheznouschs.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Tues.-Sun.), Sun. Brunch

Most mornings before lunch, the Chez Nous Instagram feed (@cheznouscharleston) features a picture of the day’s menu, handwritten in black ink on a small white card in executive chef Jill Mathias’ eccentric and highly stylized script. Next comes a separate picture of each and every dish being served that day, taken from above in flawless light. Admittedly, it’s only seven pictures total, since Chez Nous serves just two starters, two entrees and two desserts, and the selection changes daily. The setting is charmingly old and the cuisine Europeaninspired, but it’s hardly a throwback to an older mode of dining. Chez Nous stands alone just as it is, an eccentric outlier. With such a dynamic menu,

any review of Chez Nous is by necessity a fleeting snapshot.

Chubby Fish

SEAFOOD

Expensive Downtown. 252 Coming St. (843) 222-3949 chubbyfishcharleston.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

Executive chef James London serves a hyper-local, daily changing menu at this vibrant Coming Street restaurant, which opened in June 2018. And while the fish selection may vary, London is known for a few signature preparations. Expect raw oysters, crudos and likely one small plate that incorporates caviar. We recommend ordering several dishes and sharing with the group before finishing off with sweets from Life Raft Treats’ Cynthia Wong, who supplies Chubby Fish with dessert. Chubby Fish doesn’t take reservations, but it’s well worth the wait for one of 30 or so seats inside a restaurant that prides itself on turning under utilized types of fish into dishes you’ll crave for weeks.

Coda del Pesce

ITALIAN/SEAFOOD

Expensive

Isle of Palms. 1130 Ocean Blvd. (843) 242-8570 codadelpesce.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

With Coda del Pesce, chef/owner Ken Vedrinski of former downtown mainstay Trattoria Lucca headed out to Isle of Palms to create a beachside Italian seafood restaurant. The beautiful second-story dining room has brick walls, reclaimed wood floors and, in a rarity for the Lowcountry, floor-to-ceiling windows offering a lovely view of the Atlantic. It’s an ideal setting for Vedrinski’s signature highend Italian fare, which offers plenty of bright flavors and unexpected twists. Masterful pasta anchors the primi selection, which includes ricotta gnudi tossed with mushrooms, guanciale (pork jowls) and vacche rosse parmesan cheese. The secondi highlights fresh fish like swordfish and wreckfish “marsala.” Pair any of these with an Italian wine from the impressive list,

and you’ll have one splendid fish tale to share with friends.

Dave’s Carry-Out

SOUL FOOD/SEAFOOD

Inexpensive

Downtown. 42-C Morris St. (843) 577-7943 facebook.com/Daves-CarryOut-111720082197029/

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Tues.-Sat.) This soul food joint offers a true taste of Charleston. For under $10 you can get a takeout box filled to the brim with the best of Lowcountry cooking like pork chops, crispy chicken wings and fingerlickin’ ribs. The selection of sides is small but tasty — try the lima beans, thick steak fries, or rice. The lunch specials change daily, but your best bet is to go with a seafood platter, which ranges from $10 for a generous portion of shrimp to $20 for shrimp, fish, scallops and deviled crab. If you want a true local experience, opt for the lima beans and rice. It’s meaty and filling. A few tables allow customers to dine in, but most folks get their Dave’s to-go, whether for lunch or a greasy late-night snack.

Delaney Oyster House

SEAFOOD

Expensive Downtown. 115 Calhoun St. (843) 594-0099. delaneyoysterhouse.com

Serving Dinner (daily)

The Neighborhood Dining Group — owners of Husk — have converted an old single house on Calhoun Street into a stunner of a seafood restaurant. The raw bar offerings range from local oysters and clams to hackleback caviar, and executive chef Shamil Velazquez’s inventive small plates are stylish and intensely flavored. The menu has featured rich poached lobster tossed with mayo and lemon and a golden tilefish served with roasted carrots, apple and collard green salad. Each dish is finished with a precise visual style that befits the picture-perfect setting. Grab a seat out on the second floor piazza, order a glass of chilled red wine and dig in.

Edmund’s Oast

Moderate Downtown. 1081 Morrison Drive. (843) 727-1145 edmundsoast.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Daily), This hip gastropub has a laid-back vibe. There are communal tables, as well as a chef’s counter and an expansive outdoor patio. Chef Bob Cook’s menu highlights include the house-made charcuterie and cheese plates, plus upscale bar food like barbecue escargot, port skirt steak or spicy Korean meatballs with pineapple and Carolina gold rice. The drink menu is every bit as compelling, rife with small batch cocktails, meads and a host of inventive beers brewed on-site. And happy hour in The Bower when the weather’s nice, well, the price and vibes cannot be beat.

Estadio

TAPAS

Moderate Downtown. 122 Spring St. estadio-chs.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

Estadio, which opened on Spring Street in October 2019, is technically the second outpost of a successful Washington, D.C., Spanish-style bar and tapas restaurant. The decor and the deep sherry and gin selection echo the D.C. original, but executive chef Alex Lira’s impressive menu is unique

to Charleston. The pintxos and tapas — grilled shrimp on skewers, deviled eggs and caviar and matriano hash browns with black and white anchovies — offer beguiling little bites. Fresh local crudo and flat iron steak cooked with a poblano romesco and served with caramelized leek mashed potatoes are offered on the heavier side. With a slate of sherry cocktails, “gin tonics” made with rare Spanish brands and porróns of wine, Estadio brings a brilliant taste of Spain to the heart of downtown Charleston.

Felix Cocktails et Cuisine

Moderate Downtown. 550 King St. (843) 203-6297 felixchs.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Mon.-Sun.), Brunch (Sat.-Sun.)

If you’re looking for a bright, comfortable French bistro in which to relax with delicious food with small plates and a soothing glass of wine or a cocktail, this is the place. We like a lot of what’s on the menu of this French-style bistro and bar, but will direct you to three classics that won’t disappoint – French onion soup, lobster deviled eggs and steak frites. “Everything is exceptional,” said one patron who returns time and again. “If you are hungry and want a burger, get the Raclette Burger. Do not add any condiments, eat it as served. Be prepared to have a food orgasm.”

FIG MODERN AMERICAN

Very Expensive

Downtown. 232 Meeting St. (843) 805-5900 eatatfig.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

In 2003, chef Mike Lata set out to prove that “food is good.” After blazing

COMFORT FOOD MADE WITH CARE

FRENCH BISTRO

Andrew Cebulka

Butcher & Bee’s whipped feta is one of its most popular appetizers

a trail for the robust local farm-to-table restaurant scene, FIG still stands out, winning awards and creating devotees year after year. Although snagging a reservation can be a challenge, the seasonally inspired cuisine and impeccable service are worth the effort. Change is a constant, but stalwart menu standbys, like the pillowy ricotta gnocchi alla bolognese, never fail to satisfy. Be sure to check out the wine offerings, as — along with two nods for Best Chef Southeast — FIG is also a national James Beard award-winner for Outstanding Wine Program.

The Glass Onion

NEW SOUTHERN

Moderate West Ashley. 1219 Savannah Hwy. (843) 225-1717

ilovetheglassonion.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Mon.-Sat.), Sat. Brunch

Since 2008, the Glass Onion has exemplified the “neighborhood favorite” category — a restaurant less formal and ambitious than a fine dining spot but still delivering seriously delicious meals. The offering blends the home cooking of chef/owner Chris Stewart’s native Alabama with dishes and styles he absorbed while working in fine dining kitchens first in New Orleans and then in Charleston. That means hearty, savory gumbo brimming with okra and sausage and Cajun fish cakes made with shrimp and catfish, served with Charleston red rice, collard greens and a red remoulade. Pristine local seafood makes for fresh, satisfying plates, like pan-roasted trout served over tender braised beans and thick mashed potatoes. While some have become staples on the menu like the shrimp po’boy, others rotate daily, with a new menu available every day at 11 a.m. on the website.

Halls Chophouse

STEAKHOUSE

Expensive

Downtown. 434 King St. (843) 727-0090

Hallschophouse.com

Serving Dinner (Mon.-Thurs.), Lunch (Sat.-Sun.) Sure, there are newer and “hotter” restaurants, but Halls Chophouse is a special occasion classic for a reason. You can’t get better service with your

The Tomahawk Steak at Halls Chophouse is a 34 oz. dry aged delicacy

steak, the wine list includes some unexpected offerings and the cocktails are generous. And the steak, of course, is fabulous. Pro tip: order the giant tomahawk cut and split it. One diner told us to order any of the dried aged steaks, especially if you need a reason to cry tears of joy. “While I have only eaten there a few times for dinner,” he said. “I dream of the next opportunity to go back.”

Hannibal’s Kitchen

SOUL FOOD

Inexpensive Downtown. 16 Blake St. (843) 722-2256

Hannibalkitchen.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Sun.-Sat.)

Hannibal’s Kitchen is a no-frills soul joint on the East Side of downtown Charleston that, according to owner L.J. Huger, has “been feeding the soul of the city” for more than 40 years. After serving the community for so

many years, Hannibal’s has become an institution in the Charleston food scene. It was even listed on The New York Times 2021 top 50 restaurants in the country. Try the signature dish “crab and shrimp rice.” Salmon, shrimp and shark steak are three other hot items at lunch time. And don’t skip out on the traditional Southern sides including lima beans, okra soup, fried chicken, pork chops and collard greens.

Husk Restaurant

NEW SOUTHERN

Expensive

Downtown. 76 Queen St. (843) 577-2500 huskrestaurant.com

Serving Dinner (daily), Weekend brunch Husk has outposts in Nashville, Greenville and Savannah, but this location — housed in a white mansion on Queen Street — is the original. Here, the kitchen creates must-try marvels with a

frequently changing menu like Southern fried chicken skins, “Kentuckyaki” pigs ear lettuce wraps or the hulking Carolina heritage pork chop, while dessert offerings include such innovations as the savory-sweet cornbread pudding. There’s a welcoming, rustic atmosphere indoors, but if weather permits, sit out on the upstairs porch and enjoy what is, without hesitation, Southern food at its best.

Indaco

ITALIAN

Moderate

Downtown. 526 King St. (843) 727-1228 Indacorestaurant.com

Serving dinner (daily) Sat.-Sun. Brunch If you’re looking for classic Italian pizza and pasta in a chic but laid back setting, Indaco is the place to go. Choose from classic Italian antipasti like polpette (meatballs) and prosciutto di parma; wood-fired pizzas, including a spicy soppressata; and handmade pastas

Andrew Cebulka

like the staple tagliatelle with pork teas and black pepper, topped with a Storey Farms egg, chives, parmesan. For the full Indaco experience, order the “for the table” chef’s choice, which includes a three-course meal for $50 per person. One frequent Indaco diner said, “This is comfort food your Italian grandma would make if she kept up with food trends. You can’t go wrong with the pizza, which changes seasonally, or the evergreen tagliatelle.”

Jack of Cups Saloon

INTERNATIONAL

Inexpensive

Folly Beach. 34 Center St. (843) 633-0042 jackofcupssaloon.net

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Wed.-Mon.)

Jack of Cups Saloon describes its cui-

sine as “globally inspired comfort food made with love,” and anyone who has dined here understands why. Jack of Cups co-owner and chef Lesley Carroll puts creativity and care into every dish she develops. And she’s always quick to offer a smile or share a laugh with diners. Menu offerings rotate with the seasons and incorporate unique, unexpected flavor combinations like the ever-popular red curry mac and cheese. Other unusual and delicious offerings that have popped up on the menu include Tom Kha Gai gnocchi, a traditional Vietnamese coconut brothturned-sauce blended with a classic Italian dumpling, and Cap’N Crunch deviled eggs. Check the menu

soulful food

Rūta Smith file photo

Jackrabbit Filly serves up tasty iterations on quintessential Asian dishes

ahead of time to discover the latest Jack of Cups creations. One diner is particularly fond of the ever-changing menu. “The seasonal menu brings new, exciting changes every quarter,” she said. “This summer’s Cashew Korma was hands down the best curry I’ve ever put in my mouth. Sweet and savory, I couldn’t get enough. I felt like I died and went to curry heaven.”

Jackrabbit Filly

CHINESE

Moderate North Charleston. 4628 Spruill Ave. (843) 460-0037

jackrabbitfilly.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Wed.-Sat.), Sun. Brunch

The menu at Jackrabbit Filly — Shuai and Corrie Wang’s brick-and-mortar jump from their popular Short Grain food truck — takes quintessential Asian fare, and adds some vamp. The pork and cabbage dumplings are where Yangtze meets Ganges, with a

rich mix of pork, cabbage, ginger and coriander encased inside the perfectly cooked pasta wrapper. Topped with a pungent chinkiang vinegar and Lao Gan Ma chili crisp sauce, the first bite is like suddenly finding something in life you hadn’t even realized was missing. Short Grain’s beloved karaage endures — the meat is juicy, the coating crunchy and the drizzle of lemon mayo and ponzu, along with some togarashi-induced heat, should be presented with the following disclaimer: “The karaage is a small structure made of chicken. It is delicious, and you are not ready for it.”

Kwei Fei CHINESE

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

Set next door to Charleston Pour House in the space previously occupied by The Lot, Kwei Fei’s interior looks the same-ish, except now the chairs are yellow and you’ll find some Asian

knick knacks scattered about. But the updates are the only understated thing about Kwei Fei. Pretty much nothing else — from the food to the music to the chef himself — can be described as subtle. Kwei Fei’s menu is an equally wild ride, offering an array of appetizers, entrees and veggie-based sides sorted into blocks labeled “Loud,” “Hot” and “Vibes.” The crescent dumplings are an outstanding way to give your tastebuds a crash course in the events to come. Made with ground pork and redolent Sichuan pepper, the five plump dumplings are served in a soy-based, vinegary sauce and topped with fresh cilantro and chives. Hot, sour, salty, sweet: everyone’s here. On the “vibes” side of things, vegetarians are well-taken care of with the dry-fried green beans. Here some rice makes sense and adds bulk to the dry, fried shiitakes and peppers, which are coated in sichuan peppercorn and fermented bean paste, served with mushrooms and of course, peppers.

Le Farfalle

ITALIAN

Expensive Downtown. 15 Beaufain St. (843) 212-0920 lefarfallecharleston.com

Serving Lunch (Mon.-Sat.), Dinner (daily), Sun. Brunch

Led by celebrated chef Michael Toscano, Le Farfalle is certain to delight. The bright, upscale space is generously laid out with an elegant bar suitable for a quick lunch of agnolotti pasta or a relaxed after-dinner conversation over craft cocktails. Dinner service starts with a slice from the restaurant’s ginormous wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, but matters are then in your own hands. Seasonal appetizer stand outs have included a veal tartare toast served with shoestring fries and a sublime octopus carpaccio. You can’t go wrong with the housemade pastas, and other memorable dinner selections have included a vibrant whole branzino with pine nuts and a tender fried chicken picatta.

Moderate

James Island. 1977 Maybank Hwy. kweifei.com

Downtown. 68 Wentworth St. (843) 534-9031

Dineatlenoir.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sun.)

Chef Vivian Howard’s first restaurants outside Eastern North Carolina opened in Charleston in the first half of 2021. After PBS’ A Chef’s Life introduced Howard to audiences far from her first restaurant, Chef & the Farmer in Kinston, N.C., she now has two concepts open in the Wentworth-facing side of the downtown Renaissance Hotel. Handy & Hot checks the boxes as the hotel’s quick-service lobby cafe (with the addition of snackable hand pies and knockout biscuit sandwiches), but Lenoir is where Howard will make her mark. Tables ring the cozy dining room around a central bar, and a steady stream of reinvented Southern specialties flow from the kitchen. With dishes ranging from cornbread fritters and blueberry barbecue chicken wings to the K-town patty

melt, Howard’s touch as a chef is apparent without taking things too seriously.

Leon’s Fine Poultry & Oysters

SEAFOOD

Moderate Downtown. 698 King St. (843) 531-6500 leonsoystershop.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (daily)

The chargrilled oysters at Leon’s embody the restaurant’s approach to food: unfussy and delicious. The “Fry-Up” platter is a choice of oysters, shrimp, catfish or clams battered and delicately fried and served with a tartar sauce so good we sometimes just dip a fork in it in between bites. If we know anything about restaurateurs Brooks Reitz and Tim Mink, it’s that they know how to design a restaurant that both looks and feels good. This is the kind of place that gets in your regular rotation because it’s comfortable, delicious and reliable.

Lewis Barbecue

BARBECUE

Expensive Downtown. 464 N. Nassau St. (843) 805-9500 lewisbarbecue.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (daily) Lewis’ building houses four custombuilt smokers and a sausage smoker that can cook 1,600 links at a time, all hand-built by Lewis and his father. Once inside, you’ll queue up to have meat hand-sliced by one of two meatcutters stationed behind a long counter directing you to opposite ends. Lewis’ “life changing’’ beef brisket is definitely the star. The infinitely tender meat has a salty, peppery crust and shines with melted fat. But there’s also juicy smoked turkey, pulled pork, pork ribs and Texas sausage called “hot guts” available and priced by the pound (or hot guts by the link). After your tray is filled with your order of meats, choose your sides from mustardy potato salad, lemon slaw, cowboy beans and rich green chile corn pudding.

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Baxter Miller

Chef Vivian Howard’s Lenoir offers reimagined Southern classics

Little Miss Ha

VIETNAMESE

Moderate

Mount Pleasant. 915 Houston Northcutt Blvd. (843) 388-7251 Littlemissha.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Mon.-Sat.)

Janice Hudgins’ elevated fast casual Vietnamese restaurant grew from humble beginnings. What started as a family endeavor, doing private dinners and pop-ups, turned into a booth at former food court The Workshop, which morphed into the current full-service restaurant Hudgins opened in Mount Pleasant in early 2020. Hudgins’ brother Ryan is the executive chef but their mother (Miss Ha) was the inspiration behind the restaurant. So it goes without saying, “mom’s egg rolls” are a standout on the menu. We have a special affinity for the dumplings, spicy green curry and beef pho (though you can swap beef for chicken or veggie). But, you can get a taste of authentic Vietnamese from any of the offerings at Little Miss Ha, where every dish tastes like a home cooked meal.

Maison

FRENCH

Expensive Downtown. 708 King St.(843) 990-9165 maisoncharleston.com

Serving Dinner (Mon.-Sat.)

Maison shares a low, unassuming King Street building with a climbing gym, but step inside and you’ll find an immaculate invocation of a stylish French bistro. There’s a pewtertopped bar, hexagonal white and black floor tiles and Parisian-style bistro chairs with white and black woven backs. The menu options — escargots, steak frites, rabbit en croute — seem to hew to traditional bistro standards at first, but chef Vandy Vanderwarker gives each a creative, flavorful spin. The thick wedge of the monkfish chop has a smooth, buttery bite beneath its golden brown sear, heightened by the unexpected richness of roasted chicken butter sauce. With deep, intense flavors and a playful sensibility, Maison’s daring interpretations of traditional French plates are a welcome addition to the Charleston scene.

Malagon

TAPAS

Moderate Downtown. 33 Spring St. (843) 926-0475 malagonchs.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Tues.-Sun.) Even experienced tapas lovers may find themselves a bit wide-eyed at Malagon — the comprehensive menu isn’t fooling around. Rather, it gets right down to some sweet tapas tenderness, starting with familiar snacks like marcona almonds and dates wrapped in ham. The mojama (cured tuna belly) is a classic treat. Firm and salty, it’s often referred to as the jamón of the sea. Accompanied by roughly a dozen baby potatoes, tender chunks of octopus have a silky texture similar to that of a rare scallop. The mild flavors of the two soft ingredients are dominated by the sprinkling of smoked paprika on top. Despite being “small plates” and probably owing in part to all the potatoes, your meal

can be surprisingly filling and notably affordable. Malagon is not only doing something different, it’s doing it extremely well.

Malika Pakistani Chai Canteen

PAKISTANI

Moderate

Mount Pleasant. 1333 Theater Drive (843) 897-5727

Malikacanteen.com

Serving lunch (Fri.-Sun.) and dinner (Tues.-Sun.)

Owners Maryam Ghaznavi and Raheel Gauba have taken Charleston by storm with their authentic Pakistani comfort food. First starting out as a pop-up in 2019 as Ma’am Saab (which will be opening in the old Jestine’s Kitchen on Meeting Street), the couple introduced a new cuisine to the market, bringing to the table dishes like chicken biryani or aloo gobi. When the couple opened up Malika, they expanded their flavors and brought Pakistani street food to the

fold, introducing samosa chaats, aloo tikki, dhamaka burger and chicken tikka rolls. Wash down the spices with local beers, selected wines and house-made cocktails at one of the few Pakistani restaurants in the country to serve alcohol. But if you’re looking for something traditional, Malika also offers Pakistani staples like mango lassi, a creamy mango shake or Pakola, a rosewater cream soda.

Melfi’s

ITALIAN

Expensive Downtown. 721 King St. (843) 513-0307 eatatmelfis.com

Serving Dinner (daily) Named for the family who once ran a pharmacy in the same space, Melfi’s menu offers updated takes on Italian staples. The polished, old-school dining room is warm and buzzy, providing a welcome backdrop to get your carbs on. Slip into a leather booth and proceed

Andrew Cebulka

The Obstinate Daughter’s short rib gnocchi is a mainstay on the menu along with other pastas and pizzas

to feast on house-made linguine tossed with clams, or “Roman-ish” pizza, like the Mr. Wally, made with vodka sauce, Fresno peppers, sliced salami and meaty hen-of-the-woods mushrooms. Don’t miss the delicate tuna crudo with buttery pine nuts and Calabrian chile vinaigrette.

Oak Steakhouse

STEAKHOUSE

Expensive Downtown. 17 Broad St. (843) 722-4220 oaksteakhouserestaurant.com

Serving Dinner (daily)

Located in a restored 150-year-old bank building, Oak is a long-running favorite for a big Charleston night out. Hefty prime ribeyes and strips are the main attractions, with luxurious family-style accompaniments like creamy whipped potatoes and lobster mac and cheese. Within the traditional steakhouse format, there is always a twist or two, like a daily local seafood special or beef belly with sorghum barbecue sauce. The deep wine list focuses on California reds, and the service is reliably top-notch, regardless of whether you eat downstairs in the bar area, with its exposed brick walls and clubby red leather booths, or at the white cloth-draped tables in the second story dining room, its high windows looking out over Broad Street.

The Obstinate Daughter

SEAFOOD/SOUTHERN

Moderate

Sullivan’s Island. 2063 Middle St. (843) 416-5020 theobstinatedaughter.com

Serving Lunch (Mon.-Fri.), Dinner (daily), Weekend Brunch

At The Obstinate Daughter, executive chef Jacques Larson’s big, open kitchen has a plancha and a wood-fired oven, and he uses it to create a beguiling array of pizzas, pastas and small plates. The pizzas bear tempting toppings, like guanciale, white anchovy or pancetta. The dishes on the rotating “plates” menu range in size from griddled octopus with crispy potatoes and black olive tapenade to swordfish siciliana with green olives, capers, tomatoes, raisins and currant. Fluffy ricotta gnocchi are topped with an intensely flavorful short rib ragu with tender strands of beef in a pool of reddish orange tomatotinged jus. OD boasts a cheery, casual environment for enjoying Larson’s

impressive parade of delicate but flavorful dishes. And that makes it one of the best upscale dining destinations not just out on the beaches, but anywhere in town.

The Ordinary

SEAFOOD

Expensive Downtown. 544 King St. (843) 414-7060 eattheordinary.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sun.)

In December 2012, a historic King Street bank building found new life as an upscale oyster hall. The Ordinary — second child of Adam Nemirow and chef Mike Lata — opened with soaring 22-foot ceilings, the promise of locally sourced seafood and lots of buzz. The Ordinary was the first of its kind. While regularly packed and filled with an upbeat ambiance, The Ordinary’s high ceilings diffuse the jovial noise to a pleasant buzz. Along with six daily varieties of raw oysters on the half shell, the house-smoked oysters are not to be missed. Presented in an oil and vinegar-filled preserve jar and spiked with slices of crisp pickled celery, the six oysters are so gently smoked that they are still raw. As a result, each is tender and juicy, the delicate hint of ocean flavor touched with woodsy smoke. Served with fancied-up saltines (brushed with

We invite you to join us for a communal dinner dining experience where you’ll have the best seats in the house. The five -course chef’s table experience is a traditional Mexican menu, created by Chef Raul Sanchez, and changes weekly to reflect seasonal ingredients.

For dinner reservations, visit us at raulsmayadelsol.com 1816 Reynolds Ave. Suite B • North Charleston • 843-225-2390

Rūta Smith file photo

Peninsula Grill is a go-to restaurant for special occasions

butter and Old Bay), rich, cold creme fraiche and vibrant hot sauce, the combination is outstanding: cool, crisp and smoky all at once.

Peninsula Grill

NEW SOUTHERN

Very Expensive Downtown. 112 N. Market St. (843) 723-0700 peninsulagrill.com

Serving Dinner (daily)

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. Even after more than two decades, Peninsula Grill continues to impress with its luxurious fare. Executive chef Kalen Fortuna has taken the helm, bringing with him over a decade of fine dining experience with plans to change the restaurant’s course. “We’re trying to take it in a much more refined aspect,” Fortuna said about the restaurant’s new direction. “A lot less meat and the stuff that’s been there for a long time. It’s really just trying to put nice, beautifully composed plates on the dish and working a lot with local farmers & seafood.”

Post House Restaurant

MODERN AMERICAN

Expensive

Mount Pleasant. 101 Pitt St. (843) 203-7678 theposthouseinn.com

Serving Dinner (daily); Weekend Brunch

Post House Restaurant opened in Mount Pleasant in August 2020 after undergoing significant renovations led by Kate and Ben Towill of design and hospitality firm Basic Projects. Post House is a reincarnation of The Old Village Post House, which closed in February 2019 after 16 years at 101 Pitt St. The Towills completely redesigned the circa-1896 space, moving the main dining room to the back of the restaurant and the bar to face Pitt Street. The space is adorned with antiques, vintage rugs, local art, archival wallpaper and handcrafted fixtures. You’ll find seasonal snacks, raw bar options, fresh pastas, local seafood and an assortment of vegetarian dishes at Post House. Local seafood massaman curry, Carolina

heritage farm pork with creamy kimchi collard greens and a “backbar” cheeseburger are some of the main dishes that pair with starters like lamb wraps or Anson Mills cornbread. Post House also features an expansive wine list with bottles from around the world, and those looking for a staycation can grab a room in the quaint inn connected to the restaurant.

Renzo

PIZZA

Moderate Downtown. 384 Huger St. (843) 952-7864 renzochs.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

This former storefront-turned-hip neighborhood trattoria has a woodfired oven and knows how to use it. Along with tempting starters like ricotta gnudi, charred broccolini or cavatelli, the menu features a trio of pastas, plus an array of creative Neapolitan-style pizzas. Feeling adventurous? The Cheli offers a tomato base with lamb sausage, tangy pickled peppers, honey and za’atar. There’s a bagel brunch on Sundays, plus Renzo

offers one of the area’s largest selections of natural wine.

Rodney Scott’s BBQ BARBECUE

Inexpensive Downtown. 1011 King St. (843) 990-9535 rodneyscottsbbq.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (daily) Rodney Scott made waves in 2017 when, after two decades of cooking hogs at his family’s acclaimed operation in Hemingway, he brought his traditional burn barrel style of barbecue down to Charleston. That splendid whole hog — basted in a pepper-laced sauce and pulled into long, succulent strands — remains the foundation of Scott’s offering on King Street, but he’s added a few new options for the city crowd, like meaty spareribs, crisp fried catfish and craft beer on tap. The flawless collards and the ribeye sandwiches, made from pit-smoked steak sliced thin and piled high on soft rolls, are must-try sleepers.

Royal Tern

SEAFOOD

Expensive Johns Island. 3005 Maybank Hwy. (843) 718-3434

theroyaltern.com

Serving Dinner (Mon.-Sat.)

Set on Johns Island between Wild Olive and Minero, The Royal Tern is a welcome and well-positioned addition to that existing pair of successful Maybank Highway restaurants. With a focus on fish, the menu offers an aquarium-full of options. Along with a raw bar, there are a handful of sandwiches, a half-dozen seafood entrees and a hat trick of wood-fired steaks. The building is also glorious. Outside, it’s effortlessly stylish and would look just as appropriate nestled amongst a row of upscale beachfront estates. Inside, the chic, airy space boasts wood floors and high ceilings adorned with dramatic lights that resemble giant clusters of white grapes. The interior incorporates a number of current trends, including an open kitchen, marble-topped bar and miles of banquette seating. One of the best-looking joints in the area, The Royal Tern offers a hip place to scratch a variety of seafood itches on Johns Island.

SHIKI

SEAFOOD

Moderate Downtown. 334 E Bay St. (843) 720-8568 shikicharleston.com

Serving Dinner (Mon.-Sat.)

One of downtown’s longest standing restaurants, SHIKI delivers fresh sushi rolls, nigiri and more in a cozy, recently renovated dining room. Owner Hae Gon “David” Park opened SHIKI at 334 East Bay St. in 2001 after moving to Charleston from New York City, where he worked at esteemed sushi restaurants like Yuraku, serving as head sushi chef for five years. The chef prides himself on sourcing the highest-quality fish and his technique when making rolls, sashimi and nigiri that is second to none. Patrons who want to go big can order the chef’s choice “omakase,” which translates to “I’ll leave it up to you” in Japanese. Chef Park will bring out a seemingly endless assortment of sashimi and nigiri bites, allowing guests to try a little bit of everything. For less devout sushi enthusiasts, there are approachable options like tempura

Rūta Smith file photo

The poke at Royal Tern incorporates fresh flavors

shrimp and avocado rolls, teriyaki beef, pork katsu and more. Shiki’s menu hasn’t changed much over the years, but why would it, as the restaurant helps fill a void in a city that has very few sushifocused restaurants. Next time you’re in the mood for high quality sushi, give this family owned and operated restaurant a try.

Slightly North of Broad

NEW SOUTHERN

Expensive Downtown. 192 East Bay St. (843) 723-3424 snobcharleston.com

Serving Lunch (Mon.-Fri.), Dinner (daily), Weekend Brunch

Slightly North of Broad is the perfect place to take visiting friends for their first taste of Charleston cuisine, for it embodies so much of what makes the city’s dining scene special. Since taking the reins in 2016, executive chef Russ Moore has deftly balanced the restaurant’s traditional dishes with more forward-looking fare. Pristinely fresh seafood gets an elegant Southern touch on plates like New Bedford scallops

with tomato ham hock broth or seared tuna topped with crisp fried oysters and tart yellow “mustard Q” sauce. SNOB was a local charcuterie pioneer and a platter of hearty country pate, savory pork rillettes and lush chicken liver mousse is the perfect evening starter.

Stella’s GREEK

Moderate Downtown. 114 St. Philip St. (843) 400-0026 stellascharleston.com

Serving Dinner (Mon.-Sat.)

It’s hard to say what’s most striking about Stella’s on St. Philip Street. Is it the hip, yet boisterous vibe? The large portions at an incredibly reasonable price point? Or the vast, authentic and consistently delicious menu? Regardless of your ultimate conclusion, this is a trifecta worth a visit… or five. The grilled octopus and spanakopita are simple perfection, while the saganaki is a visual showstopper and continued on page 38

WILD FOREVER. Wild Now.

The Departure RYAN KIRBY SEWE 2023 Featured Artist

Rūta Smith file photo

SHIKI offers fresh nigiri (above) in addition to sashimi and sushi rolls

Top 50

an excuse to pig out on cheese. Stella’s own recipes — namely her calamari and braised lamb shank with No. 5 noodles and brown butter shank sauce, are at once comforting and elevated, testimony to the woman who inspired it all.

Vern’s

NEW AMERICAN Expensive Downtown. 41 Bogard St. vernschs.com

Serving dinner (Thurs.-Mon.), Weekend Brunch Tucked on the corner of Bogard and Ashe streets, Vern’s is the definition of a friendly neighborhood dining spot. And boy, is it popular. This New American restaurant offers familystyle meals, which allow everyone at a table to enjoy dishes like gnochetti sardi, a rich and creamy gnocchi dish with arugula and walnut pesto, or the bavette steak with a sweet-tart balsamic glaze. If you get the chance to stop by for weekend brunch, don’t miss the sesame seed pancakes that embrace slices of local fruit and whipped ricotta for a delicate balance of sweet, creamy and nutty flavors. This, however, is a dish you might not want to share.

Wild Common

MODERN AMERICAN Expensive Downtown. 103 Spring St. WildCommonCharleston.com

Serving Dinner (Wed.-Sun.) The experience at Wild Common is different every time. Executive Chef Orlando Pagán changes the menu daily for a one-of-a-kind dinner. Items on the menu may start with crab rice and kimchi for some funk or a baked oyster. And if you’re feeling fancy AND funky, throw in a caviar course to liven up the night. Other past menu items include the delightfully pink “Unicorn Grits” from Marsh Hen Mill with yeasted cultured butter or a robust duck breast with mushroom quiche. For dessert, expect something playful like the chef’s elevated take on a Fig Newton or the chocolate and blood orange terrine with a citrus marmalade, hazelnut and dark chocolate. No two experiences are ever the same. How cool.

Wild Olive

ITALIAN

Expensive Johns Island. 2867 Maybank Hwy. (843) 737-4177

wildoliverestaurant.com Serving Dinner (daily)

Right off Maybank Highway sits Wild Olive, chef Jacques Larson’s haven for exquisite Italian fare. Since 2009, it has served as the go-to place for anniversary dinners and reunions with old friends. A comfortable bar greets those looking for a casual bite, but don’t let that relaxed atmosphere deceive you. Larson’s food is anything but. Incredible (and decadent) risotto fritters stuffed with sausage, spinach, Parmesan and mozzarella are a great way to start. And always ask about the specials, of which there are plenty. A past highlight was a pappardelle with prosciutto, pork and escarole. Larson is a firm believer in local and his conviction permeates everything on the plate.

Zero Restaurant + Bar

MODERN AMERICAN

Very expensive Downtown. 0 George St. (843) 817-7900 zerogeorge.com Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sun.)

On the grounds of the elegant Zero George Street Boutique Hotel, Zero Restaurant + Bar’s romantic dining room is set in a former carriage house built in 1804. Here, chef Vinson Petrillo whips up innovative tasting menus with the option of four or seven courses, plus optional wine pairings. Selections vary with the seasons, but anticipate such treats as lightly grilled mackerel served with foie gras and local citrus, or venison prepared with vadouvan curry and taleggio cheese. Hit up happy hour for a craft cocktail; whether wielding a lead pipe or the candlestick, the bourbon-based Colonel Mustard is sure to pack a punch.

CHARLESTON’S FAVORITES

TRIED AND TRUE HOLY CITY EATERIES

A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

ELEVE AT GRAND BOHEMIAN HOTEL

Inventive coastal cuisine with Southern heritage and rooted in French culinary techniques

BOHEMIAN BULL

Build your own burger, wings, classic Reuben, Southern fried chicken sandwich.

1531 Folly Road, James Island (843) 225-1817 • bohemianbull.com

55 Wentworth St, Charleston (843) 724-4144 kesslercollection.com/bohemiancharleston

HOLY CITY BREWING

Holy City burger, chicken wings, soft pretzels.

1021 Aragon Ave., North Charleston (843) 459-2948 • holycitybrewing.com

MEX 1 COASTAL CANTINA

Taco Tailgate Box, Mex 1 margarita mix, guacamole and quesadillas.

817 St. Andrews Blvd., West Ashley (843) 751-4001

2205 Middle St., Sullivan’s Island (843) 882-8172

1109 Park W. Blvd., Mount Pleasant (843) 352-9699

BOWENS ISLAND RESTAURANT

Locally harvested raw and steamed oysters, seafood platters, shrimp & grits and ceviche.

1870 Bowens Island Road, Charleston (843) 795-2757 • bowensisland.com

EL MOLINO SUPERMARKET

Taco Box, birria tacos, aguas frescas and tortillas.

1610 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., West Ashley 5900 Rivers Ave A1, North Charleston (843) 225-8244 facebook.com/elmolinosupermarket

LEWIS BARBECUE

El Sancho sandwich, Texas hot guts, beef brisket, pork spare ribs, green chile corn pudding, mac & cheese, brisket nachos, banana pudding.

464 N. Nassau St., Downtown (843) 805-9500 lewisbarbecue.com

mex1coastalcantina.com

OYSTER HOUSE

Oyster shooters, whole crispy flounder, snapper, coast seafood special, she crab soup, roasted beet salad.

35 S. Market St., Charleston (843) 853-2900 • oysterhouse.menu

DARLING OYSTER BAR

Stylish spot with vintage appeal for creative seafood dishes, fry baskets and raw oysters.

513 King St., Charleston (843) 641-0821 • thedarling.com

GABRIELLE AT HOTEL BENNETT

Bold and flavorful dining overlooking Marion Square.

404 King St., Downtown (844) 713-0404 • GabrielleDining.com

GENE’S HAUFBRAU

EAST BAY DELI

Chief Reuben, The Citadel, buffalo chicken wrap, crunchy salad.

1120 Oakland Market Road, Mount Pleasant • (843) 216-5423, 334 E. Bay St. Suite H, Downtown (843) 723-1234, 405 Dorchester Road, North Charleston (843) 747-1235, 858 Savannah Hwy., West Ashley (843) 571-2244, 9135 University Blvd., North Charleston (843) 553-7374

2519 N. Main St. Suite B, Summerville (843) 471-2444 • eastbaydeli.com

Buffayaki or Southern fried wings, hand breaded chicken tenders, the motherload burger, fried pork chop sandwich, chicken quesadilla.

817 Savannah Hwy., Charleston (843) 225-4363 • genes.beer

LOCALS

Laid back, late-night hangout offering sushi, cocktails, beer and a roster of live entertainment.

1150 Queensborough Blvd., Mount Pleasant

1680 Old Towne Road • Charleston localssushi.com • localsraw.com

PEARLZ

Lump crab cakes, Pearlz fried shrimp dinner, Pearlz signature burger, shrimp & grits, New England lobster roll, cod sliders.

153 East Bay St., Downtown (843) 577-5755

9 Magnolia Road, West Ashley (843) 573-2277

PearlzOysterBar.com

THE GLASS ONION

Upbeat spot serving refined, locally sourced soul-food favorites in charming environs.

1219 Savannah Hwy., Charleston (843) 225-1717 • ilovetheglassonion.com

MAYA CHARLESTON

Aguachile, tuna tostada, al pastor taco, pollo en mole negro, enchiladas de calabaza.

479-B King St., Charleston (843) 789-4299 • mayachs.com

PINK CACTUS

Don’t miss our killer tamales, tacos, enchiladas, tortas, quesadillas and most importantly — margaritas!

100 A Spring St., Charleston (843) 764-9343 • pinkcactuschs.com

RANCHO LEWIS

Beef enchiladas, chiles rellenos, chile con queso, coctel de shrimp, fajitas, sopapillas, margaritas, rattlesnake milk.

1503 King St., Downtown (843) 996-4500 • rancholewischs.com

THAILICIOUS

Authentic Thai dishes by Thai chefs created from imported ingredients. Savory noodles to stir fries to fried rice to noodle soup to hot pot. Come take your taste buds on a journey to Thailand! 1975 Magwood Drive, Charleston (843) 501-7167 • thailicious.com

MAYA DEL SOL KITCHEN

Five course chef table dinner experience by reservation only. Thu-Sat 1813 Reynolds Ave., Suite B North Charleston (843) 225-2390 • raulsmayadelsol.com

TRIANGLE CHAR & BAR

Triangle Char + Bar’s menu features killer burgers, a sweet selection of tacos, eclectic entrees and an array of tasty bar snacks all available for takeout!

RED’S ICE HOUSE

Bubba shrimp platter, smokehouse platter, palmetto burger, Old Bay shrimp salad, wild buffalo chicken wrap.

98 Church St., Mount Pleasant (843) 388-0003 • redsicehouse.com

828 Savannah Hwy., Charleston (843) 377-1300 • trianglecharandbar.com

RED ORCHIDS CHINA BISTRO

Beef a la Sichuan, Singapore Pancit. and Dragon Wings.

1401 Sam Rittenberg Blvd, Charleston (843) 573-8787 • redorchids.com

VICKERY’S

Lowcountry sauté, shrimp, sausage and grits, classic Cuban sandwich, mahi club, cashew encrusted tuna salad.

1313 Shrimp Boat Lane, Mount Pleasant (843) 884-4440 • vickerysmtp.com

SUNRISE BISTRO

Breakfast burrito, open faced omelets, grits bowl, shrimp & grits.

1039 Johnnie Dodds Ave., Mount Pleasant (843) 856-7796

1797 Main Road, Johns Island (843) 718-1858

110 Miles Jamison, Summerville (843) 225-6201 • sunrise-bistro.com

WILD COMMON

Wild Common’s culinary experiences feature Executive Chef Orlando Pagán’s custom tasting menu in one of Charleston’s most inspired spaces.

103 Spring St., Charleston (843) 817-7311

A RISING TIDE FLOATS ALL SHIPS

F&B community

By Elizabeth and Marc Hudackso

When we first came to Charleston 10 years ago, we knew immediately that it was home. There was so much that made it special. The architecture. The beaches. The incredible restaurants.

But what truly stood out was an unbelievable sense of community and hospitality, particularly within the restaurant industry. We were amazed by the warm and genuine way we were treated.

Simply by dining out and chatting with servers and bartenders, we were made to feel so welcome. By our third day in town, we were running into people we “knew” on the streets!

There are many cities with great restaurants and stellar service. But nowhere else has ever had a sense of an entire city being on the same page.

Every single place we dined, we were asked, “Where else have you eaten? Where else are you going?” Suddenly, a pen and paper were pulled out and a list was being written. “Go here for oysters, here for brunch. Order this, drink that. Ask for so-andso at the bar … tell them I sent you.”

The philosophy that “a rising tide floats all ships” feels ingrained into the fabric of the Charleston restaurant community. For so many of us in the industry, the goal is to make sure both locals and tourists have the best possible experiences. We want you to fall in love with all of Charleston, not just our little corner of it.

When we opened Berkeley’s, being a part of that community was important to us. So many people have helped and supported us along the way. So many neighbors and peers embraced us and lifted us up. We try our best to do the same.

The Charleston restaurant scene could not be more supportive of each other. We host one another as pop-ups and takeovers to help launch new concepts. We keep lists of favorite

spots behind the bar to give to out-of-towners. We sing each other’s praises on social media. And, of course, we eat at each other’s restaurants … a lot.

The restaurant industry is a hard one to succeed in, and the last few years have provided some unique challenges. But, instead of fighting each other over customers, we share them happily.

When building our team at Berkeley’s, we look for people that share this ethos. We don’t really mind how much you know about wine or where

you’ve worked before. We care about how you will welcome people into our home. New and old friends alike.

Berkeley’s is often thought of as a “neighborhood” restaurant, and we embrace that. Our servers and bartenders have turned into dog walkers and house sitters for guests who have become more like family. We are watching babies turn into toddlers and families grow. And we are excited to help our “neighborhood” grow, as well.

Berkeley’s owners reflect on the

The Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College offers a wide array of in-person and online program offerings to meet the diverse training needs of the culinary and hospitality industry.

Tuition-free thru ‘24! Most S.C. residents can get FREE tuition for all culinary and hospitality credit programs.

Noncredit courses and community interest sessions are also offered as well as specific industry training workshops.