Fat Hen, Johns Island, SC

Eatin' Fat on Johns Island

Brunch At The Fat Hen

Fat Hen was recommended to us by Dean Rommes from Charleston Security Systems.  He gave very little information only to say that it “was the best place for Sunday brunch, by far.”  We decided to give it a try.

As we drove out to Johns Island I remember thinking that it was probably silly to have made reservations. This place seemed so remote that it probably wasn’t going to be busy, especially on Halloween.  When we arrived we realized we were sorely mistaken. 

The parking lot was packed and there were people waiting outside to be seated. There is a small patio area in the front of the restaurant and three small rooms within.   We waited for a brief time for our table and were seated at a lovely spot on the enclosed porch.

Our waiter, Joshua was laid back and very knowledgeable about the menu.  We ordered the cheese plate and charcuterie as an appetizer. (Yes, we were with another couple, although these two items along could have easily been lunch.)

As we waited to order our lunch we saw many “liters” of mimosas. I have not seen a “liter” of anything in awhile.  Come to find out that Fat Hen offers $10.00 liters of mimosas to accompany their brunch and many tables were indulging, including a table that the “Tin Man” was seated at. (Did I mention it was Halloween?).

Cheese Plate & Charcuterie

The cheese plate and charcuterie that Joshua described in detail were outstanding.  The cheese plate had three 2” x 2” pieces of cheese accompanied with grapes and toasted French bread.  We learned that the Blue Cheese was from Australia, and the rind is orange, due to the wheat the cows ate.  The other cheese selection they called “drunken” as they marinated the rind in wine for three days.  The rind was a light burgundy and the taste, exquisite. The third cheese was a Pecorino, significantly aged with a nice, light bite.

The charcuterie had local sausage, handmade pate, salmon, mustards and currant compote. We were soon to find that the food here is so good that no matter how full you are, you just want to keep eating. Out of the corner of my eye I saw our lunch arriving and internally sensed – “doggie bag”.  Boy was I wrong.

Southern Chicken Crepe

Our entrees included a Southern Chicken Crepe with roasted chicken, pimento cheese, mushrooms, artichokes, caramelized onions, chili and hollandaise sauces and mixed greens. I have never seen a crepe as light as this one was. It looked as if it was wrapped in filo dough, versus a crepe and tasted wonderfully.

Short Ribs Au Gratin

The Short Rib Au Gratin was a bit of a surprise. Although the menu listed this item being served with homemade potato chips, we skimmed over that part. So when this dish arrived looking like short rib nachos, it raised a few eyebrows.  Its flavor also raised a few eyebrows.  It was perfect.

BBQ Duck Sandwich

My Pulled BBQ Duck Sandwich was a bit of a stretch for me, but I wanted to try something new.  The BBQ duck was served with a mound of blue cheese cole slaw atop of a toasted bun.  Fresh, hot French fries accompanied it.  I have a thing about French fries. You could call this pet peeve #8.  A lot of restaurants pre-fry French fries for the “rush”. So what you receive is tepid at best, fries, many of which have died in the window.  It’s difficult to send them back or ask for others as it ruins the dining experience for others, so I usually just eat them. But these were the Picasso of fries.  So fresh, hot and crisp, that you had to wait for them to cool down to eat them. A magnificent, art form of fries.

Our last entree was ordered by a brunch purist – two eggs with sausage, toast and fries.  It was odd to have “fries” with eggs, but we muddled through finishing them :0).  The sausage was from a local farm and had us thinking about where we could buy it after we left, it was that good.

Although the dessert menu seemed interesting we decided to pass.  Joshua informed us that the pastry chef is the chef’s wife and that everything was terrific.  But we were so full from lunch that I found myself to be my own “Fat Hen”.

This is a hidden gem (literally), that should not be missed. We look forward to dinner there.

We gave the Fat Hen 5 plates out of a possible 5!

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Mercato, Charleston, SC

One of the Gems of Charleston

Inside Mercato

A family wedding in New England has limited my restaurant visits this month. I’m back on track with a real gem.

We were referred to Mercato by a golfer we met during a ride-along. He had said it was some of the best Italian food he’d ever tasted and we decided to give it a try. Other than knowing Mercato was voted the Best New Restaurant in 2007, I didn’t know anything else about it.

I couldn’t decide if it was “fortunate” or “unfortunate” that the restaurant is on N. Market Street abutting the “Historic Market”.  Tucked in between t-shirt, candy and jewelry tourist traps lies Mercato.  The street itself is somewhat touristy, but the restaurant is far from it.

When we arrived we noticed signs for “live Jazz”, which was a nice surprise. The hostess could not have been nicer. She asked where we’d like to sit and described the different seating venues available. We chose to sit upstairs.

As we walked up stairs the hostess talked about the traditional Venetian painting of the walls – which were a dark red. We were seated at a lovely table near the center of the room. In our view were other patrons, of course, and an open-air “station” that made various menu items – slicing things to order. A nice, made to order touch.

Assorted Cheese Plate

Our waitress, Natalia, was very attentive, and yet, unobtrusive.  The restaurant works via a “team approach” and we did not want for anything the entire evening.  Plates came and went, water glasses were kept filled, and questions were asked about our satisfaction, all effortlessly, yet perfectly timed.

For our appetizers we chose the Tuscan Bean Soup and the cheese plate. Prior to this we were served hot Italian bread along with some of the best olive oil that we have ever tasted.

White Bean Soup

One thing that I have to say about Mercato is that the food and its’ presentation were exquisite. Everything we ordered was fresh, served as requested and beautiful.

The Tuscan Bean Soup was a nice warm blend topped with a light wild mushroom truffle oil.  The cheese plate was served with three cheeses – one was similar to Brie, a Pecorino and a Gorgonzola. All were served at room temperature allowing the flavors to burst through.  Accompanying these selections were small slices of dark raisin bread, a date and fig compote, fresh honey with toasted almonds and a fennel/apple mixture to cleanse the palate after the tasting. We tried not to eat too much of it as we wanted to save room for our entrée, so we set it aside assuming that we’d have it for dessert (the cheese, that is).

Pork Osso Bucco

Our entrée selections, Pork Osso Bucco and Veal Saltimbocca did not disappoint. The Osso Bucco was a pork shank served with Anson Mills polenta, citrus gremolata (I had to look it up, but it was fabulous chopped herb condiment typically made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley”)and rosemary pork sauce (this, I understood).  It came to the table looking like a large, beautifully seared pear.  It was spectacular.  The kind of meal that you feel like you should smoke after. Seriously.  The meat fell off the bone. The dish was simply, perfect.

Veal Saltimbocca

The Saltimbocca’s veal and accompaniments were hot and incredibly tasty. My mistake was that I forgot to ask for something other than the garlic and olive oil spaghetti that is served with it.  It wasn’t something that I usually would order, but it was piping hot with a hint of garlic. The only thing and I even hesitate to mention it, that could have been better was the prosciutto that was cooked with the Saltimbocca.  It was very tough, similar to beef jerky. BUTTT… Veal Saltimbocca was not on the menu, Chicken Saltimbocca was, and the chef accommodated my special request, which was also something not many restaurants do.

Our waitress recommended some desserts and even though we were full and still eyeing my cheese plate, we decided to take her recommendation and split the Blood Orange Sorbet.  We thought that everything else was spectacular, so the desserts had to be great – it was.  Colorful as well as flavorful, we fought over it to finish it. Alas, the cheese plate went by the wayside as we were just too full.

As I walked in the restaurant I was uncertain if I thought the location was appropriate for the caliber of the restaurant.  I’m still on the fence about this, but what I did like was that they catered to everyone. There were couples "dressed up" on dates, casual businessmen and women and tourists in jeans. The music and the atmosphere made everyone very comfortable.

I would highly recommend Mercato and can’t wait to go back to try more of the many things that they offer. I vow that next time I’m taking on the cheese plate like Grant took Richmond. 

We give Mercato our highest ranking, 5 plates out of a possible 5! 

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30th Annual Taste of Charleston, October 2010

A little slice of Americana…

If someone would have told me last year at this time that I would have spent this past Sunday with 10,000 plus people on a picture perfect fall day in South Carolina enjoying the 30^th Annual Taste Of Charleston, I would have never believed them. But, there I was, smack in the middle of the Taste.

Although I was a little turned off when the event was being advertised, “Terrible traffic jams”, “20,000 people”, “Avoid Hwy 17”, we still decided to give the Taste Of Charleston a try.  We arrived at about 11:00 a.m. and snaked our way with many others to our parking spot through Boone Plantation enjoying the view of beds and beds of wild flowers along the way.  It took awhile, but considering the size of the crowd, it really moved very well.

It was a tad confusing when we first arrived. It’s $15.00 to get in (proceeds help various charities), and then when we went to our first booth we realized that you needed tickets to taste the samplings.  Tickets were $2.00 apiece with many items either one or two tickets.  

Once that was behind us, we quickly got started. There were forty two restaurants listed on the brochure, a live band and various stations at which you could buy beer, wine, water or soda (including a Beer Garden). The restaurants were more than prepared and although there may have been a small line at some of the booths, it moved very quickly.  This was a time for them to shine!

In the two hours we were there we sampled the following.  As I compiled the list it seemed staggering, and I might mention that it was nearly the end of our eating for the day, possibly the week.

• American Culinary Federation – Shrimp Spring Roll with Autumn Salad and Red Runner Sauce
• The shrimp rolls were a bit bland.  Chef Ramsey would have said “More Spices!”
• Charleston Cookie Company – Sublime Dirty Pies (Frozen, chocolate dipped slices of Key Lime Pie); Chocolate Chip Cookies
• The frozen chocolate covered key lime pie was awesome
• Jim ‘ Nick’s Bar-B-Q – Spare Ribs with Cole Slaw
• The slow smoked pork ribs were delicious
• Langdon’s Restaurant and Wine Bar – Spicy Jumbo Lump Crab and Mango Salad with Avocado, Red Chili Oil and Cilantro
• This dish was excellent.  We’ve had both good and bad experiences at Langdon’s so we were pleasantly surprised.
• Mellow Mushroom – Slice of Pepperoni Pizza
• It’s pizza, but pizza done well.
• Sunfire Grill & Bistro – Seared Tuna Salad
• This dish was a delicious to eat as the picture is pretty to look at.
• The Ocean Room at the Sanctuary – Mibek Farms Braised Beef Slider with Heart of Palm Slaw and Black Truffle Oil

• This was our first tasting and as expected, The Sanctuary did not disappoint
• Virginia’s on King – Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
• There wasn’t a whole lot of flavor in the gumbo.  A bit disappointing.
• Wild Wing Café – Hot Chicken Wings
• With all the things to try, I had to give the wings a whirl.  As expected, they do wings right here.  Being a Buffalo native, that’s saying something.
• Phew, I’m exhausted just listing the choices, let alone eating the “samples”.

There were really only two “duds” in the lot 1) The Chicken and Sausage Gumbo was thick and flavorless, 2) The Shrimp Spring Roll was also very bland. But with my luck I am commenting on the Shrimp Roll and in this sea of people one of the chef’s from the Culinary Federation is standing in earshot of me and asks for more detail. Talk about having an elephant in the kitchen and not wanting to talk about it!!

As evidenced by the video, the team at Grindz couldn't get burgers off the grill fast enough to meet demand.

The other comment that I would make is that trash was not handled very well. There were many overflowing trash receptacles and many recycling bins stuffed with trash as there was nowhere else to put it. This aside, the event was a lot of fun…

When we first walked in we saw a lot of people with folding chairs and blankets. This being our maiden voyage, we weren’t sure what they would be using them for.  It was nice to see a lot of families of all ages making a day of it as they sat in the shade under the trees and enjoyed the music of “Homemade Wine”. 

As the afternoon drew to a close for us I found a small spot next to a shaded Winnebago, laid some napkins down and was about to embark on my last dish.  Suddenly a gentleman came over. As he approached me I thought that I was probably encroaching in his parking area. Fully ready to move I looked up at him. “Mam,” he said. “We’re going to walk around awhile. Why don’t you sit in our chairs? You can move them to the side you’re on if you like.”

I was stunned.  THAT would have never happened in Boston.  Welcome to the sunny South!

We gave the "Taste" 4 out of 5 plates.

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FIG, Charleston, SC

FIG – Three letters that spell a near perfect dining experience.

Friends of ours from the neighborhood, LaVon and Rick, invited us to join them for the 75^th anniversary concert of the Charleston Symphony. We chose FIG as our place for dinner beforehand.

I had no knowledge of FIG only that another neighbor challenged me on my blog saying that FIG was by far the best restaurant in Charleston, and that the chef was a James Beard Award winner and why hadn’t I gone there? I can also say that prior attempts to make reservations were difficult.

As you would imagine, our reservations were early because of our time constraint to make the concert.  Our server (whose name was not mentioned, does anyone introduce themselves anymore???), was very sensitive to this, and asked us if we had to be somewhere at any given time… Nice.

The restaurant bills itself appropriately as a local neighborhood eatery serving seasonally-inspired cuisine with a commitment to using local and sustainable foods, which is spot on. It’s also a non-pretentious, warm, casual place that is very welcoming.

Chicken Liver Pate

The menu is small, seven entrees to choose from and about a dozen appetizers.  While pursuing the menu we all commented on this and then thought that this was a place that did a few things exceptionally well, and we were right!

Fresh French bread and butter were quickly served to the table after our cocktails were delivered.  Some of us felt like it should have been served warm, but it was fresh nonetheless.

First let me say that our server was excellent. He could answer any and all questions about the menu. I only wish that I had his name so that I could give him the proper recognition.  He was very helpful as we decided upon our appetizers and he did not disappoint.

John's Island Tomato

Our appetizer selections all varied. The chicken liver pate that I ordered was the best that I have ever tasted. I didn’t finish it because I thought it would ruin dinner, but I did think of where I could store it to take for a snack during the concert.

The heirloom tomato salad was beautiful, the John's Island tomato tarte tatin superb and the mushrooms with polenta, second to none. Could this be our second 5-plater rating???

As we waited for our entrees, the food runners and helpers in the dining room were terrific. Carefully removing plates in a nonintrusive way: “Are you still enjoying this?” It was as if they weren’t even there.

Caw Caw Creek Pig Confit

Our entrees arrived fairly quickly.  The Caw Caw Creek Suckling Pig Confit  was exquisite. It was methodically described by the waiter and it did not disappoint. Two of us ordered the trigger fish over rice and I was somewhat disappointed in that it was not very hot, tepid ate best. We had a discussion about the temperature of entrees at a restaurant and although we landed on the fact that it was about as good as it was going to get, it still bothered me. We have had entrees served to us (see McCrady’s), simply perfect, so it can be done.  These feelings though, should not take away from the entrees themselves, which were just to die for!

My friend ordered her salmon well done. Being a person also with specific taste buds, I completely understood this. The waiter questioned her about this and she politely repeated her request. What a disappointment to realize upon delivery that it was very rare, not even CLOSE to well done.

Sauteed Triggerfish

 I firmly believe that how a restaurant recovers in a situation like this is important.  What a restaurant should also understand is how an incorrect entrees somewhat ruins the dining experience for the entire group. Although we didn’t want to, it is natural to feel awkward as we waited for our fourth entrée to return. We pushed around our dinners a bit as our friend encouraged us to eat. Although perfect upon its’ return, we all had to wait (although we were not rushed), for her to eat.  And I’m certain that that was also awkward.

This dropped what was easily en route to being a perfect dining experience down a few notches. It was like hitting a speed bump and your tire fell off.  Disappointing, but not a calamity, and we would return.

I gave Fig 4 out of 5 plates.  Sooo close, but sadly not a 5.

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17 North Roadside Kitchen Mt. Pleasant, SC

Color Me Disappointed....

Just past Charleston National Golf Course lies 17 North Roadside Kitchen, Chef Brett McKee’s (formerly of Oak Steakhouse), newest innovation and a big disappointment at that.

If you don’t know where it is you run the risk of driving by it. The design of a “distressed” logo makes it difficult to read and see. But it’s not stopping people from coming, as the parking lot appeared to be somewhat full.

Inside 17 North

We had early reservations and were seated at a nice table by the window.  The restaurant is deceiving. It’s much larger than it looks – about 80 tables including two dining areas and an outside patio. Parking is free, but tricky.  I felt like I was parking at a church lawn fete as folks were everywhere!  Be that as it may, we began our journey.

We were warmly greeted by the hostesses, although one was so inappropriately clad it made your head spin…  Upon being prompted our waiter, Jonathan, said that he had been there about a month and that business was good. The waiters wear white long sleeve oxford (or similar), shirts and jeans, very casual.  That’s where the confusion started for me.  17 North seems like it’s in search of a theme.

Patio at 17 North

There are two moderate sized dining areas and a deck.  The satellite music is an odd choice (Don Henley, Billy Joel, to name a few…) and LOUD, very loud. But the outside deck has live music. The restaurant is somewhat a mix of old and new (an oddly placed old fireplace mantel), and contemporary furnishings.  Very odd.  Props though, for the outside seating area which looked warm and inviting.

Now on to our meal… we started with a cocktail and a large bottle of Pellegrino.  I had asked for plain water but since we were getting a large bottle, I decided to share. Imagine our surprise when we were served two bottles of Perrier.  Our waiter explained that they were out of Pellegrino.  I said that I would just have regular water. He then stated that he could only “ring it up one way and we had to have both bottles.” Hmmm, interesting.

We were quickly served warm, cheese and herb biscuits with honey butter. These small, bite size morsels looked great but had zero flavor – zip, zilch, not worth the calories.

Gnocchi

We then split the gnocchi with duck and spinach appetizer.  Five gnocchi swim in a small dish filled with delicate (not gamey) duck, spinach and great seasonings. But the gnocchi were more like packing peanuts than gnocchi.  Jonathan explained that they were “quickly charbroiled” to sear in flavor. I am certain my Italian grandmother would have liked to know she was missing something in the gnocchi cooking process.

For dinner we decided to order each one of the two evening features - a filet and flounder special.  To me, the specials of the evening usually represent “prom night” – the restaurant puts its best foot forward and they are usually very fresh.  Two thumbs up for freshness, but the rest of the experience was a bust.

Filet & Potato Scoop

The filet arrived undercooked, very rare.  The mashed potatoes were a #10 scoop (who thinks this is kitschy?) and cold.  The four grilled asparagus halves were also cool, can they spare them, they have a garden out back!  The worst thing about the meal (yes, after all of this), was that the steak tasted like it was cooked on a grill that needed to be cleaned. Bleech.

The flounder also floundered. Three nice pieces of flounder were grilled and placed over a bean succotash with lobster. Sounds inviting, right? That’s what we thought. The flounder was covered in black pepper, the succotash was tepid at best (a common theme throughout the meal), and the lobster was downright cold as it must have been added the very last minute. I get that, but really… The restaurant was not busy at all when we were there, could some attention been paid to our meals?

Floundering Flounder

Perhaps the hype has been catching up with the chef.  On a menu of 25 items plus side dishes his name is mentioned specifically on three dishes. “Brett’s Calamari”, “Brett’s Eggplant”, “Brett’s Whatever”. Of course they are his dishes, he’s the chef!!  Were we to expect “Chuckie’s Calamari”?  Seriously.

The biggest disappointment was the bill. The menu displayed on line is very, very vague. It does however, state that the entrees run between $13.00 - $19.00, which they do. At $25.00 and $28.00 for the tepid specials, we felt completely ripped off.  The manager did obligatorily stop by to see how things were going – with zero eye contact and zero real interest, so why bother telling him what we really thought as he buzzed by our table?

So if you’re on 17 North, keep driving.

PS. Our waiter noticed that our second bottle of Perrier remained unopened and about 3/4 of the way through the meal he scooped it off the table saying "it doesn't look like you're going to drink that". “Magically” he was able to ring in one Perrier for $3.00 versus the full bottle price. We called that “Brett’s b.s.” 

We gave 17 North Roadside Kitchen 2 out of 5 plates.

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