Brunch at Carter’s Kitchen in I’On, Mt. Pleasant

This past Sunday, the lovely Sarah Jones of All Over It invited me join forces with her and review Carter’s Kitchen. Nestled in the I’On neighborhood, this charming little restaurant is a great spot for dining. My first impressions of the restaurant were how pretty it was inside and how welcoming the staff was. It was a beautiful day so we decided to sit on the porch and enjoy the sunshine.

Before we were seated, we ordered drinks from the bar. While waiting, I glanced over the menu and noticed one of my biggest pet peeves: the unnecessary apostrophe. Urrrgghhhh.

I let my pickiness for grammar go as soon as the bartender handed us the Bloody Marys.

The darker one to the left was made with a local product: the Charleston Bold & Spicy Bloody Mary mix. It’s thick and has a really nice kick to it. It made the second Bloody Mary taste watered down.

Then the ordering of multiple dishes began. We started with two recommendations from our server. Bruleed grapefruit with vanilla sugar:

This was as delicious as it was beautiful! The ratio of tart to sweet was perfect and I’m now inspired to make this at home.

Biscuit Sliders with country ham, bacon, sausage:

I had high hopes for these but the biscuits were very dry and the ham was extremely salty. The concept is cute though!

By this time, we were ready for round two: mimosas. We had a grapefruit and St. Germaine mimosa and a cranberry and Amaretto mimosa.They were both excellent. I now want only cranberry and Amaretto mimosas for brunch. See ya, OJ!

Out of all the entrees, my heart was set on the Seafood omelet with shrimp, crab, scallops, and lobster sauce with a side of grits and toast.

Both the texture and taste of the eggs made me question if they used eggs from a carton. Boo. The seafood stuff inside, however, was incredible. There was so much crab meat and the lobster sauce was divine. I’d eat this every weekend. The grits were fantastic – some of the best I’ve had in Charleston because of their perfect consistency.

We also tried the Orange-Vanilla French toast.

YUM! It had a slight hint of citrus and was perfectly crispy with a soft middle.

As odd as this sounds, one of my favorite parts of brunch was the home fries. They used red, white, purple, and sweet potatoes. So colorful and so tasty.

Carter’s Kitchen has really great brunch items at fair prices with an even charming atmosphere. I insist you sit on the porch! The food was prepared and plated well, aside from the dry biscuits and disappointing quality of eggs. My only gripe about our experience overall was that our server was inattentive and not very friendly. Maybe I should have given her one of my mimosas…

What’s your favorite brunch item? Do you prefer salty or sweet in terms of breakfast items?

Charleston friends: Where is your favorite spot for brunch?

Weekend Happenings

After a work project was completed on Friday, Rachel and I were given gift cards to Bottles for helping out. Woohoo! I managed to scoot out of work by 5 pm and headed over to find a delicious red wine.

I highly recommend this! It’s a full-bodied, fruity red with hints of strawberries and cherries. With a glass in hand, I finished Fifty Shades Darker. It left me wanting to jump into the third book immediately, but sleep was more important.

Saturday morning I took my 16th Pure Barre class in April. I’m so close to completing the 20 class challenge! During the day, I met up with my friend Courtney for lunch and shopping. That evening, a few of us went out for drinks and dancing at Closed for Business and Oku. Much later, somebody (no, not me) had a wise idea of going to IHOP. After being convinced they had “healthy options” on their menu, I went along with the gang.

My friend Dodd ordered probably the most disgusting thing on the entire menu. Country fried steak with um, “gravy.” It was just awful looking…

And I had the face to prove it.

I ordered one of the healthy menu options (egg whites, toast, fruit, and “bacon”) and it was terrible. Just terrible. Now I know why I don’t eat here. We did have a lot of fun though. The people watching was incredible.

Sunday Funday was much more delicious! For brunch, Steve, Ryan, and I went to Butcher & Bee. This place is BYOB, and Steve surprised us with beer, champagne, and orange juice. The pineapple o.j. is money in a mimosa! The shark that Steve is holding is actually a bottle opener.

To eat, I had the Shaksuka, an Israeli dish of poached eggs in a tomato sauce with onions, garlic, cilantro, and a dollop of tahini served with crusty bread.

It was really good. We also shared a cream puff for dessert.

Yum and yum.

Sunday night, a bunch of us went bowling. And by a bunch of us, I mean Lauren and I with eight boys. She and I really enjoyed that ratio. We also kicked their behinds. I definitely dominated my lane on the last game.

I swear, it’s because I’m left-handed.

What was the best thing you did this weekend?

SEWE, Granville’s, and Photo Day #7

Photo Day #7: A picture of your most treasured item: When I was 6 years old, the day before we left for Disney World, Grammy surprised both my brother and me with stuffed animals. She gave me the Gund Muttsy dog, shown here.

Twenty years later, here is that same dog that I (so originally) named “Puppy.” This dog has been through it all: vacations, malls, suitcases, purses, you name it. It has lost its nose and the top of its head was badly burned on a lamp near my bed. Here is a pic of how I found him one day that my exbf made my bed. Hilarious.Did you guys have a stuffed animal that you clung to growing up? Do you still have it? Laura, I know you do!

Last Sunday, Matt took me to brunch at Granville’s, one of his favorite Charleston restaurants.

Located downtown at 730 Rutledge, this unassuming restaurant is gorgeous inside. Apparently it had been closed for a while for renovations and Matt was very happy they were back in business. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of the inside, but trust me when I say that the décor and ambience were just as awesome as the food.

We were pleasantly greeted by our server, Shea, who was very friendly and accommodating. The brunch menu is very reasonably priced, with dishes ranging from $8-$12. We started the morning off just how Matt and I like it, with alcohol. We got grapefruit mimosas which are so much better than orange juice because they aren’t as sweet. To eat, I ordered the omelet of the day with prosciutto, Fontina cheese, and grilled onions with a side of grits.Matt got a huge portion of the Shrimp & Grits which were delicious. I’m not even kidding when I say that these were best grits I have ever had – and I’m talking about my plain ones too. They were just the perfect thick and creamy texture. I probably told Matt three different times that I couldn't wait to come back to which he responded, “I told you.”

A couple mimosas later, we were ready to frolic around SEWE, aka Redneck Paradise. For those of you not from Charleston, the Southeastern Wildlife Exhibition is the largest wildlife/nature exhibition in the nation. This just means there are a lot of random animals and guns.Matt likes to take my camera and embarrass me in public, acting like he is a paparazzo. I tell him to stop, he clicks more, and I almost pee my pants laughing. Every single time.Towards the end of the exhibit, we found a giant blow up slide. Matt says we need it for the backyard.And because he always gets to embarrass me, it’s my turn. Look at this face! Hahah I love him!

What are you up to this weekend? I am hanging out with my brother all day, and tonight I am watching Rick’s children. THREE CHILDREN. Two little boys and a newborn baby girl. I’m actually really excited! See you tomorrow!