Sarah Grimke

Angelina Grimke

The Invention of Wings

Sue Monk Kidd

As a fan of Sue Monk Kidd's books, The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair, I anxiously awaited the publication of her newest book, The Invention of Wings.  Ms. Kidd is a skilled storyteller, as evidenced in her historic treatment and compelling fictionalization of the daily lives of Charleston abolitionist sisters, Sarah and Angelina Grimke.  Related to the Draytons (of Magnolia and Drayton Hall Plantations) the Grimke girls were raised on East Bay Street in Charleston, SC.  Their anti-slavery views made them pariahs in their own city and heroes to northern abolitionists.  A contemporary of Elizibeth Cady Stanton, William Lloyd Garrison and John Greenleaf Whittier, Sarah Grimke discovered and embraced the northern abolitionist movement soon after she moved to Pennsylvania in the 1820's.  Sarah's younger sister, Angelina, who shared her anti-slavery views, traveled north to join Sarah in the 1830's.  Angelina became a spirited writer and speaker for the abolitionist cause.

Ms. Kidd's description of the lives of Charleston house slaves in the early 1800's adds depth and a sense of purpose to the Grimke narrative.  The Invention of Wings is a great read. It illuminates the story of the Grimke sisters for history lovers and especially for those Charlestonians who have had to be satisfied with mere snippets of information about these brave sisters.

THE LOT

At the risk of being trite, The Lot has a lot to offer...for anyone who enjoys an expertly prepared meal, genial atmosphere and skilled waitstaff.  

Located at 1977 Maybank Hwy, James Island, next to the Pour House, and directly across from the best little movie theater in SC, The Terrace.  Could you choose a better location?  

I think not.

Our group arrived at 6:30 on a Wednesday night, and had our choice of tables.  By the time our meal arrived, every table was full of animated diners.  It was an eclectic mix, one that added to the festive mood.

The Lot is a sustainable restaurant, with each item utilized fully, snout to tail; consequently, the menu changes daily. 

Our server described each menu offering in detail- one chicken dish, one beef, two pork, one fish, and so on.  Our starter choices were varied- Pickled Vegetables (slightly crisp, thin sliced radishes were my favorite among the green beans and farro- also quite good), New England Clam Chowder, Chicken Pate' (Which, I'm sure, went hand in hand the the other parts of the chicken we would order for our meal.)and a lovely Pork Trotter Cake served beneath a creamy-yolked local fried egg.

The table favorite was the pate', served with grilled bread.  Our server was kind enough to bring us extra bread, so that not a dab of pate' was wasted.

Two of us chose the smoked Keegan Fillion Farms chicken for our main course.  Served over a bed of my favorite Geechie Boy grits, surrounded by crispy edged, braised kale, the meat was moist and full of smoky flavor- Delicious.

The other choices served at our table were Pork Croquette and Gnocchi in Bolognese meat sauce.  The first, prepared with flaky pork, was amazingly light and the second, the Bolognese Gnocchi, was quite rich.  All of our meals were prepared with a minimum of interference with their natural flavors and textures.

We finished with two perfectly portioned desserts- Toasted Hazelnut Pots de Creme and a tart and tangy Lemon Curd Pudding cup, served with a delectably buttery shortbread cookie.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the drink menu, which offers a wide variety of beer, wine, cocktails and non-alchoholic choices.  My spouse's favorite craft beer brand, Frothy Beard, a locally made and hard to find variety, was happily available.  The Palmetto Espresso Porter was also tried and enjoyed, as was a lovely, bubbly Italian Prosecco wine.  I was tickled pink to find Goya's Ginger Beer on the menu, which had a sharp bite of ginger...just the way I liked and remembered it from my youth, many years ago.

All in all, The Lot offers lots of culinary treats, tied up in a local package.  

We WILL be back.

  

THE GROCERY

I recently revisited The Grocery for a celebration dinner, and what a feast it was.  Located at 4 Cannon St.,  The Grocery prides itself in house-made pickled vegetables, local produce and meats.  This restaurant is one of my favorites on the peninsula.  

At The Grocery, you enjoy expertly prepared, delicious food, and great  service from their friendly staff.  Our waiter, Zachary, assisted us with menu choices, answered questions about each dish and chatted with us like an old friend.

The hi-lite of our meal was the incorporation of winter vegetables into each dish.  The Salad of Wood Roasted Carrots was a delicious mixture of flavors and textures.  The roasted and glazed carrots were served over Greek yogurt and sprinkled with pistachio crumbles, feta cheese, and dates.  

The vegetable side dishes here are large enough to share with the table, or enjoy with dinner and take home in a "doggie" bag.  We ordered roasted cauliflower, brussells sprouts simmered in vinegar and creamy farro, as additions to our meals.  Our favorite was the farro, which had a pleasant, nutty taste and the consistency of risotto.  

All of the main course choices were delicious, and have been reviewed by me in the past, so I will move on to the desserts.  Our server found it amusing that I ordered ice-cream during an ice storm, but I couldn't resist their Coconut Lime Ice Cream, with graham cracker crumbles- creamy and crunchy, with a nice coconut flavor and lime scent.  We also tried the Banana Pudding Parfait.  Layered with thin slices of banana, the pudding was light and tasted of both banana and vanilla.  The average sized portion was just right, as this dessert tends to be quite filling.  

Another wonderful meal at The Grocery, where local ingredients rule.

TRISTAN IS CLOSED

Acclaimed restaurant Tristan is closed.  Located on the ground floor of the French Quarter Inn,  Tristan backers have let their lease expire.   The good news is that chef Nate Whiting is still involved with Tristan Catering and is developing a new restaurant at 492 King St.  The new restaurant will benefit from Chef Whiting's input in both menu selection and dining/kitchen arrangement.  I have high hopes that the new venue will reflect the talent and attention to detail that those of us who frequented Tristan's have come to expect and enjoy.  A fall 2014 opening is expected.

Stars Rooftop and Grill Room

Another newcomer to Upper King is Stars Grill Room and Rooftop Bar.  Offering a large first floor dining room, second floor function rooms and a rooftop bar, Stars has a little something for everyone.  The dining room is paneled in walnut, with high ceilings and a handcrafted walnut bar.  Stars serves not only craft beer and cocktails, but sixteen types of wine, on tap.  They will even make you a mocktail, with fresh fruit juices.
As it was barely over 30 degrees on the evening we dined there, we did not venture up to the rooftop bar, but many others did.  We arrived at 5:45pm and had our pick of tables and seats at the bar, but within an hour, the entire restaurant was full, with folks waiting to be seated….so go early for a quiet dinner, or after 7pm for a large, fun crowd.

Our choices for appetizers were the Oysters Bull's Bay and the Sweet Potato Bisque.  The oysters, served in the shell over wet salt, were baked with spinach, asiago cheese, garlic and brandy.  The flavors were blended in such a subtle way that each ingredient was tasted, but did not overpower.
The Sweet Potato Bisque, garnished with three sage-flavored marshmallows, chopped pecans and a swirl of cream fraiche, was smooth and savory.

For my main course, our server, Cory, suggested the Pan Seared Diver Scallop "Chowder", which was a deconstructed fish chowder.  My dining partner chose the Stars Grill Room Steak.
My scallops were cooked at 750 degrees, which gave them a crispy outside and a soft inside; a nice combination of textures.  They were served with sauteed mussells and roasted root vegetables, accented by a mild, sweet onion bisque.
The steak was an Angus beef shoulder tenderloin, thin sliced and so tender that you could cut it with a fork.  It was served with black truffle grits and braised mushrooms.

Our desserts, Smoked Chocolate S'mores Pie and Charleston Pluff Mud Pudding, were generously sized and delicious.  The pie was topped with a warm meringue; the cookie crust was flaky and quite good.
The pudding, a milk chocolate mousse, was topped with dark chocolate ganache, pecan toffee bark and salted caramel sauce.  The toffee was firm, buttery and crunchy; a great addition to the dish.

The meal was ably prepared, the service prompt and friendly (Thank you, Cory!) and the atmosphere lively. On our next visit to Stars, we will visit the rooftop bar and perhaps try a few of the small plate items - the bacon tator tots and the mushroom bruschetta looked very good. 
Our only suggestions for Stars would be to offer bread or rolls with dinner and cream, rather than milk, with the after dinner coffees.

High Cotton, Charleston, SC
It's Charleston Restaurant Week, one of my favorite culinary events in Charleston.  To me, Restaurant Week is not about price deals, although it does offer prix fixe menus for either $20, $30 or $40 per diner.  It's about trying new dining venues, or revisiting ones you've neglected lately, to taste what they specialize in and check out their service and atmosphere. 

My first Restaurant Week choice was a revisit to High Cotton, on East Bay St.
I attended a special 3 course tasting, with wine pairings, sponsored by The Post and Courier.  The dinner celebrated the newspaper's redesigned Food Section, which debuts on January 29th.  The guest speaker was Hanna Raskin, food writer and critic for The Post and Courier.  
Interesting and informative talks were given by Joe Palma, head chef at High Cotton, Jill Maynard, General Manager and Maverick Kitchen's Beverage Manager, Tony Norton.  All were gracious and well versed in their fields.

The meal consisted of an appetizer, main course and dessert.  The first course, Foie Gras Torchon, was a chilled foie gras, prepared by wrapping it in a towel, poaching it, then rubbing it with coffee, cocoa nubs and powdered sugar.  The foie gras had a smooth, creamy texture and a smokey flavor that paired well with the lightly pickled grapes and white turnip slices that garnished it. Spread on pieces of a warm orange craquelin (brioche, cooked with a sugar cube inside…what could be better?), it was my favorite part of the meal.  The wine pairing was Karl Erbes Riesling Spatlese, from the Urzig wine region of Germany, on the banks of the Mosel River.  This sweet riesling is made from light-skinned grapes which are considered by many to be the world's finest white grapes.
The main course, Rabbit Haunch, was served with Charleston Gold rice and Sea Island pea pirlou (a Lowcountry version of rice pilaf), pickled mustard caviar and a grenache reduction sauce.  Two perfectly cooked, cumin glazed baby carrots shared the plate with the rabbit.  Each bite of the tender rabbit, prepared in duck fat, chilled, quick roasted  and then oven warmed, was complimented by a swirl of grenache reduction sauce.  ( I do love a good wine reduction!)  The pirlou was thick and loaded with field peas, which gave it a pleasant, nutty flavor.  The wine pairing was a Silvio Grasso Barbera D'Alba red wine, with medium acidity, a perfect match to the woodsy flavor of the rabbit.
For dessert, Chef Joe prepared a Talisker Scotch Whisky Butterscotch Pudding.  
Garnished with cinnamon whipped cream and a piece of caramel sugar glass (which was a bit too thick to break apart with your spoon), the pudding was a perfect match of sweet and salty, with a hint of smokiness from the peat distilled Talisker and smoked sea salt.  A glass of Ferriera Tawny Port, a sweet oakwood-aged dessert wine, completed the meal.

Served in High Cotton's large, main dining room, by a friendly and helpful wait staff, with a view of the kitchen, the meal was definitely a four star event.
I recommend a visit to High Cotton for those with an adventurous palate and a love of local meat, grains and produce.  I will certainly be returning there soon!

Don't let the renovations and construction in progress at the Mills House Hotel deter you.  Their lovely restaurant, the Barbadoes Room, is still open.  I dined there for lunch yesterday, and it is still a quiet, plush oasis from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season.  I stopped by for a break from shopping and a museum visit (The Gibbs has a fabulous exhibit of Civil War photography, but more on that at mavierecommence.blogspot later today).

The Barbadoes Room, at the Mills House, located on the corner of Meeting and Queen, serves the local  lunch crowd from the Four Corners to the Market, and tourists lucky enough to discover this comfy little gem.  I ordered my "usual", She Crab Soup with sherried cream.  It is, far and away, the best she-crab soup in Charleston.  Creamy, rich and redolent with sherry, it is served with two corn muffins and creamy butter.  The corn muffins are sweet, moist and perfect crumbled into the soup.  I ate and enjoyed every bite.  The price is right, too.  Where else can you fill up on the finest Lowcountry soup for just $8.00, including tax??

The only disappointing note to my luncheon was the fact that The Barbadoes Room no longer serves their wonderful peach iced tea.  Why?  I have no idea, but perhaps if we ask them nicely, they will bring it back!