Brunch With The Boys

Last Thursday and Friday I was siiiiiiiick. It felt like I had strep throat mixed with the flu. Thankfully, by Saturday morning, I was back to life and ready to EAT! Two of my good guy friends from my old gym, Justin and Noah, suggested that we go to Poogan’s Porch. They had gone before and really enjoyed it but I had never been. I’d heard plenty of great things about this restaurant, so I was eager to cross it off my list.

Apparently the last time the boys went they each ordered multiple entrees. I guess they think this is normal. Noah, after deciding that he would order 5 items said, “Eating is a sport, Christina.”

And then the games begun. Although we were seated within minutes of arriving, it took the longest time for them to bring the biscuits to the table. Not only that, but they were terribly dry. This is the South – you can’t screw up biscuits! Come on.

Soon after, our server brought out our appetizer. I knew alligator meat was chewy, but these were chewy and greasy. Bleh.

For some reason, we were then given one of Noah’s main entrees, long before the others came out. Okayyyy. It looked pretty but tasted rather plain. Even after dousing it in maple syrup, the French toast was still just average.Quite a while later, the rest of the food was delivered to the table.

Noah’s two main dishes were:and more biscuits & gravy.

Justin also ordered the biscuits & gravy and

The boys thought I was wacky for ordering one entrée.

The plate arrived with a ton of extra liquid around the grits. I immediately asked what it was and the server told me it was excess water from the spinach. Really!? They couldn’t have drained that off the plate? Gross. The grits were pretty tasty, but I picked at the salmon, only eating the parts with barbecue sauce.

Honestly, with slow service and mediocre food, I am unsure as to why people like this place. The only point I was really happy was when I found this okra at the bottom of my Bloody Mary.

Maybe it’s just that I don’t love Southern food as much as many of my native friends. Regardless, Poogan’s needs to step up their game in the friendliness and speed department.

After so much food, the three of us could barely walk the three blocks back to Noah’s apartment. We all wanted to just put on bum clothes, lay on the couch, and be miserable, but it was so pretty outside. Solution? Bring an air mattress outside.

Yup, that’s the middle of Queen Street.

Other ridiculous photos from the weekend…That night at The Macintosh, Ashley and I attempted to lift the humongous pumpkin on display in the bar’s window.

We really love the pumpkin beast.

Sunday Funday

In case you missed it, I had quite the blog failure of a weekend. Sunday was a much better day. I slept in later than normal, but woke up just in time to get ready for church. We had a very special speaker today. Tim Scott!

That was a nice surprise. He was quite the animated speaker and it was nice to have a Charleston celebrity in the house. Tim seems like such a great man and I was impressed that he has been with the church for over 14 years.

After church, Matt insisted that we go to See Wee restaurant, an old shack of a place that I had never been to. See Wee is pretty deep in Mt. Pleasant, on the way to Awendaw. It’s right off 17 – you can’t miss it.

The inside of the front room looks a bit like an old convenient store with candy, fresh pies, and glass soda bottles. We ate in the back room where everyone else was and were immediately served fresh hush puppies. Yum. They were piping hot and delicious. If they weren’t just a ball of fried goodness, I would have eaten them all. My arteries were happy sampling one and a half.They serve strictly Southern food, most of which is not healthy. I was relieved to see that grilled chicken and steamed vegetables were an option on a menu full of fried food. Along with my grilled chicken, steamed squash, and butter beans (love!), I could not resist a side of fried pickles.

Believe it or not, their fried pickles were just as good as Midtown’s, which are my very favorite! The pickles tasted very similar to Charleston Pickle Company’s pickles.

Matt had a very traditional southern meal: fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, fried eggplant, and butter beans. His poor arteries.

I wasn’t in love with this restaurant, but mostly because it’s not my favorite cuisine. The service was excellent though! We were checked on multiple times by the very friendly staff. I also love that they had fresh homemade pies. The sign out front makes me laugh too, “Y’all come!” Oh, South Carolina.

Our next stop was at Marshall’s to check out some home stuff. I was ecstatic to find this plastic cup. It looks just like my blog header!! Totally meant to be.

I also snagged this salmon pink & grey blouse. The picture doesn’t do it justice – it’s adorable and I can’t wait for cooler weather so I can wear it.

Well, I’m off to a booze cruise with some friends. Matt’s trying to recreate the cocktail we had at Biggie’s, and then we’re taking the boat out to watch fireworks. 

Happy Labor Day my friends!

Husk – One of The Best Restaurants in Charleston

Last night, Santo and I finally made it to Husk for dinner. We had been planning on going ever since its opening last November and after hearing many positive reviews, we were psyched to finally go. Husk’s cuisine is modern and playful and only local ingredients are allowed through the restaurant’s doors. “If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the door,” says Chef Sean Brock. Typically, Southern cuisine is not my favorite, but it’s always fun to be daring with new foods.

Husk is not only known for its creative dishes, but also for their innovative cocktails. Again, cocktails are not my usual beverage of choice, but I could not resist trying one. I ordered the Champagne and Strawberries - Classic elegance with a modern twist - Champagne, Domaine de Canton-soaked strawberries, lemongrass and lavender simple syrup with black pepper.
Loooooooved this. I was worried that it would be too fruity, but it was perfect. The lemongrass was what gave it such dimension.

Santo opted for the The Southern Screwdriver - Not Just For Breakfast anymore - Jalapeno macerated vodka, basil syrup, fresh squeezed orange juice and orange bitters.

This was the spiciest drink I’ve ever tasted! I could not have finished it, but Santo really enjoyed it.

While deciding on appetizers, we were served four fresh yeast rolls with bacon butter.

As usual, we ordered two appetizers. First we had the Glazed Blueridge Bison Short Ribs with Parsnip Farotto and Pickled Mushrooms. These were incredible. They were placed in a barbecue teriyaki sauce that was just divine. And the pickled mushrooms were no joke – sour!

Our second appetizer was Dave’s Wood Fired Clams with Surry County Sausage, Spinach and Spring Onions, Crispy Bread. How cute is this serving bowl? The clams were equally delicious with a really lovely, light broth.

While we were looking at the entrees, I told Santo that I wished there was another fish option other than catfish. He replied, “There is. The Sheepshead.” I looked at him, puzzled, and said, “Oh gosh. I thought they meant an actual sheep’s head.” I couldn’t have been more wrong.
My chosen dish was the SC Spear Caught Sheepshead with Sweet Pea Big Grit “Risotto”, Charred Baby Vidalia Onions and Ramp Broth.

This might be my new favorite fish – very light and moist. The risotto was perfectly tender and the fresh peas added a nice crunch.

Santo ordered SC Beef Tenderloin, with Red Creamer Potatoes, Mepkin Abbey Oyster Mushrooms, Broccoli and Spring Garlic Cream. Although he ordered the tenderloin medium, it came out nearly mooing. It was a bit on the chewy side and the sides weren't too exciting.

And of course we ordered dessert. Within 2 seconds of seeing the dessert menu, we both knew we wanted the bread pudding with orange crème. It wasn’t bad, but different than what I was expecting. Neither of us cared for the orange crème sauce, but that’s not a favorite flavor of either of us.

Overall, I was very happy with my experience. Our server, Graham, was wonderful. He was attentive, extremely helpful, and remained cheerful when we asked him many questions about the restaurant. The inside of the restaurant was gorgeous, and the mood very relaxed. I was worried that the staff may be pretentious, but this was not at all the case. I would go back in a heartbeat and am very excited to try their brunch! More cocktails, please!