Charleston Chews, Brews, and Views Pt. 1

I have no need to describe my affinity for the Atlantic. I'm fond of the culture (both above and below the Mason-Dixon line), the food, the history, and the cities which define the East Coast as somewhere other than the home of New York, and more regrettably, the point-source pollution that Long Island and north Jersey relentlessly produce.

Principle: Eat local as often as possible, especially whilst travelling.
Reasoning: Support local business? Sure. Search for heritage, tradition, and integrity through local flavors, ingredients, and culture? Definitely.

Provide a domestically-produced superior (or at least competitive) product or service and I will be forever loyal; it's about heritage, tradition, and integrity. It's why I wear and prize my Aldens and Made in USA shirts by the Brethren and J. Press.

Last week I had the opportunity to spend four days in Charleston, SC. I jumped at the chance and ~550 miles later stepped out of the car and into (unexpected) southern heat. Thank you Weather Channel, you were only off by 10+ degrees. Not so funny when I come expecting to continue breaking in new denim all week and have just one other pair of (red) shorts in my bag.

Remedy Roses

Lunch: The Remedy Market on Spring- Owned by a young couple with a retriever mix named "Charles Barkley", they offer a light menu of sandwiches, salads, natural drinks, and craft beers. It's a small place, conducive to speaking with other customers and the owner. Victory's Hop Devil IPA and fresh roses kept my tuna melt with gouda company.

Dinner: Gilligan's. Uninspired, but acceptable seafood. Dinner wasn't so much a failure as an exercise in mediocrity, but we ran into some excellent advice while there. After asking a local for the dive-iest, dirtiest, most hole-in-the-wall seafood place around, he told us about a place that his family used to run out by Folly Beach.

The good news is that it's still open and doing quite well, the bad news is that his family no longer has any connections to the restaurant,  "They got a sign now, but that's only been up a few years. You know you're on your way when you hit the dirt road." 

Drinks: The Gin Joint. Apologies for being camera-less at the time, but if you're ever in Charleston, the $10 is well worth the artfully mixed cocktails they have on their menu. This brief mention really doesn't do the place justice; you'll just have to go for yourself.

Bacon and toast are the stars of this meal.

Breakfast: Halo. I must admit, while I enjoy toast, I've never been excited about it. Breakfast at Halo changed this. The multigrain loaf from the nearby Ashley Bakery produced the best toast I've ever had. Ever. Good prices and service after the breakfast cutoff time mean I'll definitely go back next time I'm in town.

Lunch/Dinner: The Crab Shack. Slow service. Free peanuts. Beware the Charlie Melt or bring Tums and Lipitor. Fortunately I don't need either, but some might.

In any town, I seek out places that locals know about and visitors try to keep secret; a true hole-in-the-wall or dive is worth its weight in gold.

To be continued...