My first bite during my second visit to Charleston was Oyster House. We just stopped in for a drink and a snack before getting onto a horse-drawn carriage tour of the city. We tried a nice variety of both local and northeast oysters. I think we liked the Lady Fingers the best (long ones).
The shuckers were awesome, and it was a nice treat to sit at the raw bar instead of the regular bar or a table.
OYSTER HOUSE
35 S Market St
Charleston, SC 29401
This is the one spot in Charleston that I wish I could do all over again.
We had just eaten two meals, but we had to pop in to try the burger (shaved among four people).
The burger was simple, and small. It was also, however, delicious, as were the garlic fries. I wish I had more of an appetite, because I would have liked to try the steakhouse bacon, the coulotte steak, and a few other items. Next trip I will definitely go back here.
LITTLE JACK’S TAVERN
710 King St
Charleston, SC 29403
Leon’s is a popular fried chicken joint in Charleston. We popped in there for a taste of their chicken, as well as their broiled oysters, for which they are equally famous.
We ate a shitload of oysters while we were down in SC. These were nice, but not our favorite of the trip. I think we tend to lean more toward raw than cooked though. These, however, were still good.
The chicken was the real star here. The skin was super crisp on the outside, with nice, tender and juicy meat beneath. The spice on the skin was just right. A little heat – red pepper type – creeps up on you at the end. Awesome.
They also do a nice frozen gin and tonic.
LEON’S
698 King St
Charleston, SC 29403
Veronika is the restaurant inside the Fotografiska photography museum on Park Avenue near 23rd street. My wife took me here for dinner, and I have to say, everything was pretty great.
We started with two tartares: uni and tuna, and wagyu. I liked the wagyu better but both were really nicely executed.
This German style veal shnitzel with a fried egg on top was the perfect shared course for the middle of the meal. I think the batter could have used a bit of salt after it came out of the fryer, but the capers with anchovy in them definitely added salt to the bites we had with them.
For our mains, we did the bone in strip and the lamb saddle.
Between the two, the lamb was much better. Nice and roasty. Perfect. The strip was dry aged but again it could have used a touch more salt. Perfectly cooked though. 8/10.
For dessert, we had an interesting take on strawberries and cream, served inside a meringue tube of sorts. Here are the before and after pics.
I would definitely go back here again! The food was great, and the ambiance was absolutely stunning.
VERONIKA
281 Park Ave. South
Second Floor
New York, NY 10010
First, check out my awesome Ride & Review video for this joint HERE:
Ama Raw Bar has two locations. I met my wife here for happy hour at the alphabet city location to try some of their cocktails and discounted bites. Everything was good. We started with oysters ($1.25ea).
Then we moved on to this nice batter-fried shrimp.
This rice paper chicken quesadilla was unique, but I think it would be excellent if they fried the rice paper wrapper.
The cod cake was nice, a different sort of take on a crab cake using salt cod.
The Szechuan dry rub wings needed a hit of salt and some of that mala numbing spice to really make them perfect. Otherwise, good cook and crunch on them.
“Luscious Mussels” come with a broiled lobster tail and nori fries. These were probably our favorite dish of the night.
Definitely would go back to try the lobster ramen, and also perhaps to try their other west village location.
AMA RAW BAR
190 Avenue B
New York, NY 10009
This new sandwich joint and bar slings some great sandwiches. We ordered for delivery, but it was good enough to mention as a restaurant review here.
We tried a spicy mortadella, a Korean rib sandwich, a meatloaf banh mi, and a chicken Caesar salad sandwich. They have funky names and I forget which ‘wich is which.
The bread is great here, and if I had to choose favorites, I’d go with the banh mi and the mortadella.
CLUBHOUSE SANDOS & SUDS
22 Orchard St
New York, NY 10002
Allure is the new restaurant inside the Belleclaire Hotel on the upper west side, right on the corner of 77th and Broadway. The dining room has a beautiful skylight atrium overhead, almost like an old timey greenhouse.
My wife and I started with a round of delicious cocktails, my favorite of which was the smoked old fashioned, made with pistachio infused spirits.
Next, we had a trio of apps: prawns, tuna tartare and grilled baby cuttlefish. Of these, the prawns were definitely our favorite. The mole-esque sauce and spice levels were absolutely incredible.
For our mains, we had the rainbow trout with charred kale, olives and artichokes, along with the prime NY strip, which comes from Golden Packing.
Both were excellent, but, as predicted, the steak was the winner for me. The reverse was true for my wife.
The steak was a juicy and perfectly cooked center cut gem, smothered with a peppery au poivre cream sauce that I could drink every day. 9/10.
Served with florentino, a sort of broccolini meets cauliflower green-stalked flowering veggie, this is a steal of a composed meal at just $55. The steak was about 12oz. That’s blue cheese or gorgonzola on top, not butter.
We also did a side of mushrooms to go with this. Delicious.
For dessert, we had the “Nutella Kiss” with pistachio ice cream and merengue, and a creme brulee bread pudding. Both were top notch.
I would 100% go back here again. What a beautiful and delicious restaurant!
ALLURE
2175 Broadway
New York, NY 10024
First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:
This 13-course omakase joint is a pretty great deal for just $75. It starts off with a few really awesome pieces like the medium fatty tuna, the shima aji and the tuna with truffle.
Then in the middle you have some really unique stuff like the salmon with tomato, and a real banger with the ebi (shrimp).
And toward the end, you get the otoro fatty tuna with caviar, hand rolls, and the delicious Hokkaido uni on toast. Those were definitely some really great pieces.
I would go back here again, for sure. I just wish they allowed you to bring your own bottle of wine. A corkage fee is totally fine – we just have a lot of wine to get through here! That said, they have a great selection of sake and Japanese imported beer.
THIRTEEN WATER
208 E 7th St.
New York, NY 10009
This little seaport waterfront bar/lounge/restaurant is a great spot for a snack and a drink on the water in nice weather.
We tried the fish and chips, and the fried zucchini chips. Both were good. The fish and chips is not authentic. More like nuggets. But they were good, and so were the fries. Zucchini was nice and crisp too. I would definitely go back!
COBBLE FISH
89 South St Pier 16
New York, NY 10038
First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:
My wife and I just walked by this place a few weeks ago and we were wondering if it was any good. Then, a few days ago, some friends of ours organized a lunch here. We were psyched to go.
This place is really known for their “blossom chicken,” which is basically a chicken that has had all the meat removed, chopped up, and mixed with shrimp paste to form a sort of chicken-shrimp sausage. Then it’s stuffed back into the skin and cooked until that skin gets golden crisp. It’s amazing!
We also had a really tender, delicious and savory braised pork belly dish. Make sure you order some rice to soak up those amazing juices.
The stuffed tofu (stuffed with pork sausage, I think) was good, but it was my least favorite of the main dishes. It just didn’t have the powerful punch of flavor like the others.
This stir fried white fish or bait fish dish was really tasty. I think this would benefit from a pop of spice, but the ginger in it was really refreshing.
If you’re looking for a big shared appetizer, get the sliced conch on ice. It’s heavy on the wasabi, but if you’re like me, that’s a good thing!
Last, we had some pea shoots with fried baby shrimp on the side. This was more soupy than I expected, as opposed to stir fried. It was still delicious though.
I will definitely be back here to try more dishes. Our waiter showed us a few more items that they consider specialties as he was bringing them to other tables (egg custard with clams, and lobster fried rice).
HAKKA CUISINE
11 Division St.
New York, NY 10002
