Black Bean Company–Mt. Pleasant location

Late July, Black Bean Company opened a third location in Mt. Pleasant. Though the restaurant is right up my alley, I’d only been to the James Island location once because it’s a bit far. When I heard the news about their location in the new MUSC East Cooper building, I was excited to give it a second try. Black Bean specializes in fresh wraps and salads and has many vegetarian and vegan options.

Last Friday, Amanda texted me saying she had just picked up a wrap. I knew there was no way I couldn’t go after hearing her tell me how great her Black & Blue wrap was. So an hour later, there I was inside MUSC, thankfully only for a wrap and not hospitalization.

I debated between several options, but ultimately chose the Southwest Chicken wrap – Roasted chicken, black beans and Jasmine rice, fresh local sweet corn, roasted tomatoes, southwest chipotle sauce, shredded carrots, parmesan cheese, mixed greens.

This was one of their pricier wraps, at $9.95; that’s a bit steep for my taste. The wrap itself was fresh and flavorful. The Greek yogurt and granola that I chose as a side (other options include potato or macaroni salad) was incredibly thick and creamy. Addictive. My only qualm was that they skimped on the corn and tomatoes. There were only a few kernels of corn and TWO tomato chunks. Odd. The spicy dressing had a nice kick to it.

Over the weekend, I was wishing Black Bean was open, but this particular location is only open Monday-Friday, 8 to 5 pm. Luckily I work from home on Mondays, so, you guessed it…I went back on Monday.

This time around I ordered The International – turkey, hummus, guacamole, artichoke hearts, pico de gallo, goat cheese, Spicy Goddess sauce, mixed greens.

I really liked this wrap as well, but it had the same issue with lack of ingredients. There was ONE artichoke and ONE chunk of guac in the entire wrap. Sad! They were pretty liberal with the cheese though, and I didn’t mind that.

Last year when I attended the Best of Charleston party, I was given a coupon for a free order of Vegan spring rolls, so I redeemed that.

The spring rolls are simply purple cabbage, carrots, and greens in a soy wrap served with a spicy sauce. They’re good, but kind of boring. Had it not been for the sauce, I wouldn’t have really cared for them.

Overall, I’m happy with Black Bean and will continue to try new wraps. I just wish they wouldn’t be so conservative with the fillings! If a menu says something is in a wrap, it should be in there, and not just a small amount. I read reviews on Urbanspoon, and a lot of people commented saying they had issues with missing ingredients too. Hopefully they’ll work on that!

Have you ever been to any of the Black Bean locations? Which is your favorite wrap or salad?

Do you typically choose wraps or salads when dining out1?

Restaurant Review: Uno Más

Last week when I was at the Mustard Seed for dinner, the owner, Sal Parco, asked if I’d like to review one of his other restaurant’s new menu. Of course I was happy to oblige!

Monday night, Matt and I met Sal at Uno Más, the Dine With Sal Restaurant Group’s Mexican-themed restaurant. Uno Más’s menu contains some traditional Mexican items and other South of the Border dishes with a twist. Like all of the Dine With Sal restaurants, the menu relies heavily on fresh, local ingredients. Another positive aspect of Uno Más’ menu that differs from your average Mexican restaurant is the addition of lighter options, including several salads and vegetarian items.

In my opinion, one of the most important things a good Mexican restaurant must have is good guacamole. Good guacamole must use fresh avocadoes, not be over salted, and be a bit chunky, with a hint of lime juice. This guacamole epitomizes my perfect recipe. It is hands down the best guacamole I’ve had. I could have easily eaten it work a fork. Matt agreed that it was also the best he’s had. The portion, served in an authentic Mexican mortar is huge, to boot!

We also had a side of Queso fundido: Chihuahua cheese, fire-roasted peppers, and onion, served with tortillas. This was incredibly rich and creamy.

A lighter appetizer option is the Uno Más Salad – avocado, tomatoes, red onion, fresh cilantro, lime, and sea salt. Again, the avocado was very fresh, as was the sliced tomato. I’d be happy with this as a meal!

One of my favorite items on the menu is the Grilled Shrimp Quesadilla with cilantro pesto, arugula, cheese, tomato, and avocado. I loved the arugula on top – there’s a nice twist! The shrimp, which were seared perfectly, were delicious. Qué sabor!

The next entrée we sampled was a new addition to the menu. Here are the Carnitas: slow-roasted pork, cilantro, and onions served on corn tortillas with guacamole, tomato salsa, and salsa verde.

My favorite entrée of the evening was the Spicy Coconut Shrimp: red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, chilies, an shrimp, simmered in a coconut milk over a crispy cheese grit cake. I thought the grit cake gave this dish a bit of Southern flair. We Southerners love our grits!

Don’t think for a second that we didn’t take advantage of the excellent happy hour specials. What else would we wash all this food down with? The Happy Hour menu features $4 appetizer specials—your choice of  guacamole, queso fundido, nachos, or veggie taquitos. The drink specials are bottles of beer for $2 and margaritas for $3-6 depending on the liquor.

We decided to try two cocktails. Shown below are the Cactus Pear: cactus juice, fresh lime juice, and a house made citrus blend and the Mojito Anejo: Bacardi 8 year, fresh mint, and soda. Guess who ordered the pink drink?

Matt did! How pretty is this cocktail?

I, on the other hand, ordered the less frilly, but still delicious Mojito. Rest assured that the lethargic look on my face was due to intoxication by delicious food, not the beverage. Please also be amazed by the fact that there are no stains on my white shirt! I made it through the entire meal without spilling on myself. This is quite an achievement.

Our very helpful and attentive server insisted that we not leave without trying dessert. Per her recommendation, we tried the Churros topped with whipped cream and dulce de leche. Um, yum. They were very crispy and sugary! And cinnamon all over? Of course I loved it.

And because my heart flutters when I see a dessert with bananas, I had to try the Banana Walnut Torte with crispy tortillas, whipped cream, and honey. I immediately dug out all of the banana slices – you can’t see them, but there were a bunch in there!

If you are still reading (thank you!), I insist you give Uno Más a try. I suggest you skip on over after work for Happy Hour. The food and drink specials will take all your workday stresses away. And for your vegetarians out there, be sure to check out the Vegetable Quesadilla or the Spinach & Mushroom Enchiladas.

Thanks for having us, Sal! Big thank you to our server and manager as well! You guys were awesome.

Getting Dirty on the Dance Floor and Clean in the Kitchen

Weekend Recap...with very little words. Pictures tell a lot. 


Friday night:
MUSC Back to School party. Pretty faces:

 Several drinks later, this happened. Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" was our song all night. 

Yes, that is a pirate sword in my sash. I have no idea how I acquired it.


Saturday:
Beach attempt with Nancy and Heather. An hour in, a hurricane occurred.

So gross.


Saturday evening:
Adventures in grilling. Making fire!!

Margaret knows how to work a grill. I'm just scared of them.


Good, clean Summer eats:

And lovely Summer night treats:

Drool.


Sunday morning. Breakfast feasts:


OOPS.

Very sweet pancakes.

Low and slow scrambled eggs with fresh mozzarella.

Yum!

Sunday afternoon. Clothes shopping. Margaret got stuck in her jeans. I had to pull them off her. 

Sunday evening. Homemade pizza.

Sneak peak for Wednesday's post:

Yep, I'll be blogging/cooking at Chick-fil-A of Centre Pointe, North Charleston on Tuesday at 6pm. Come visit!!

Out With the Old, In With the New

This morning Nikki and I went to Hominy Grill for brunch. The restaurant, located downtown on Rutledge St., is in a shabby old building dating back to the 1880s. The clapboard walls, tin ceilings and hardwood floors give the former barbershop a very homey, antique feeling. 

The menu has traditional Southern fare, with pancakes, french toast, eggs, buttermilk biscuits, and of course, grits. You may recognize Hominy Grill from Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations when he devoured the "Big Nasty Biscuit": a buttermilk biscuit with fried chicken, cheddar, and sausage gravy.

Aside from the regular menu, the restaurant offers daily specials which are written on chalkboard menus.

If I hadn't just had french toast last weekend, I would have definitely ordered the cinnamon french toast. I instead chose one of their daily specials: black bean, salsa & cheddar omelette with avocado sauce, home fries, and corn bread. 

Hominy Grill has traditional Southern corn bread that is on the drier side with just a hint of sweetness. "Yankee corn bread" is sweeter and more like cake. (Reason #922958725 why I don't mind being called a Yankee. I like my food sweet!) The omelette was pretty good but the avocado sauce kind of freaked me out. I'm 100% sure this was avocado pureed with sour cream. Ick. Here's a picture of the inside:

Nikki had a buttermilk biscuit with egg and cheese and a side of grits.

 

I was in l-o-v-e (ok, maybe lust) with her biscuit. I think I ate more of it than she did. It was so moist and crumbly. We both thought the grits had a great texture but needed salt. Here is a picture of us outside the restaurant, photographed by a stranger who obviously doesn't know the rule of thirds. Our poor hands got chopped!

After brunch we stopped by Dillard's to exchange my beloved Michael Kors watch. I used to own this baby:

Pretty, right? Well, that "gold" you see started wearing off after only 2 months. Not so pretty. I exchanged it for the all silver so I wouldn't look so ghetto-fab.

This watch means serious business. Not only is it about as large as my head, but I could probably clock someone with it....haha GET IT? Oh and did you guys know I was a magician?
Now you see it...

Now you don't! 

I've got tricks.


News in my boudoir: nope, not a man, just new paint & furniture. A couple weeks ago I decided to paint my wall green. Are you at all surprised that I chose a color called Guacamole green?

 A week later, my bed arrived. Reason #298579284 why it's cool to have muscles: you can put beds together! 

I started this project the other night and good heavens it was a chore. So many nuts, bolts, and washers.

My roommate walked in right as I started and pointed out that I was building it upside down. Thank goodness he wanted to help. It took us about 30 minutes to do the frame:

Another 30 minutes later we were done!

Now I'm off to take a nap on my favorite food book. I hope that by some miraculous diffusion process I absorb some of this information. According to Boding, diffusion is "the transfer of particles, specifically ions and nutrients, from one permeable membrane to another permeable membrane." Sure. Let's just hope that diffusion is real so I wake up a better cook. 

OH YES I sleep smiling!! No wine like last time. After my diffusion nap, my friend Kelly and I are going out to dinner where we will hopefully run into 5-10 available men. That should be enough! ;)