Tag Archives: charleston

American, Charleston, Restaurant Reviews

The Ordinary

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Our last meal of 2023 culminated with a seafood blowout in Charleston, at a joint called The Ordinary.

We started with a massive seafood tower, filled with all sorts of delicious raw and cooked goodies.

The best of the tower was probably the peel and eat shrimp, which was a shocker for me.

This oyster slider was superb too. Highly recommend it.

I also liked the smoked mussels here as well.

This clam toast was salty, and it ate more like a panzanella. But I did enjoy it.

This rock shrimp fried rice ate more like couscous or broken rice, and it wasn’t fried at all. That said, it was still very tasty.

For sides, we did the roasted squash and sweet potatoes. I could have passed on these.

Our two main fish dishes were roasted tilefish and mustard crusted flounder. Between these, the flounder was the easy winner. It was the best part of the meal.

This was a pretty good meal overall, and I would definitely recommend it to people heading down to Charleston and looking for good seafood.

THE ORDINARY
544 King St
Charleston, SC 29403

American, Charleston, Parms, Restaurant Reviews

Fig

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For our final meal of the trip to Charleston, we went to the often difficult to reserve Fig with a couple that I’m friends with who live nearby. I managed to score a last minute reservation at 9:15pm, and we ended up closing down the joint at close to midnight. It turned out to be our overall best meal of the trip. Let’s get into it…

We started with a bunch of items that we all shared. Broiled oysters aji dolce, chicken liver pate, raw hogfish (similar to snapper) with rice and popcorn (crazy!), lamb bolognese ricotta gnocchi, and wagyu beef tartare.

These were, each of them, all-star level dishes, and I am hard-pressed to pick a favorite among them. I would order each of them again in a heartbeat, but I think I was most surprised by the hogfish. It was so unique, and I’m a sucker for popcorn. The gnocchi was definitely meant to be a main dish, but we shared among the four of us.

For mains, we also went heavy with five dishes. Baked wreckfish, sautéed flounder, mustard crusted swordfish, Berkshire pork milanese and lump crab spaghetti with lemon and bottarga.

Again, everything really incredible. I think, though, what stood out the most to me was the swordfish. The capers and mustard crust really paired beautifully with the medium-rare cooked fish. Loved it!

For dessert, we went with these lemon curd cream puffs, which were really nice.

I highly recommend Fig if you’re in Charleston. Absolutely delicious!

FIG
232 Meeting St
Charleston, SC 29401

American, Charleston, Restaurant Reviews

Lowland Tavern

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This newly opened Charleston joint converts an old downtown townhouse into an elegant bar and restaurant space that serves up some modern American cuisine.

We started with some lighter bites, the tuna crudo (more like poke), and a celery salad.

Both were really nice and fresh, but the celery salad stole the show, of all things.

For entrees, we had a pasta dish consisting of a bolognese style sauce with shells, and grilled triggerfish with collards in broth.

Between these, the fish was the slight winner for me. While the flavor of the pasta sauce was delicious, the pasta itself was overcooked and a little mushy for my liking. The fish was a nice leaner style, tighter muscle flesh type of white fish. It reminded me of chicken breast!

For dessert, we had the banoffee pie, which was an absolute stunner, and easily the best dessert of the trip.

I would definitely go back here on future trips to Charleston, especially for the gorgeous bar in back.

LOWLAND TAVERN
36 George St
Charleston, SC 29401

American, Charleston, Restaurant Reviews

Oyster House

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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

American, Burgers, Charleston, Restaurant Reviews

Little Jack’s Tavern

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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

American, Charleston, Restaurant Reviews

Leon’s

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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

BBQ, Charleston

Home Team BBQ

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Our third BBQ stop in Charleston was Home Team BBQ, just around the corner from Lewis BBQ

Everyone I spoke to about BBQ in Charleston mentioned this place for their dry rub wings, so we saved some room after Lewis and gave them a shot.

The wings were indeed excellent, and far superior to Rodney Scott’s wings. The dry rub had a bit of spice and a bit of sweet. Very nice. We also tried the smoked meatloaf that was on special. It was okay, but not worth getting again in my opinion.

The best sauce was probably the mustard or the HT hot on the far left (not including the Alabama white, which was great on the wings).

HOME TEAM BBQ
126 Williman St
Charleston, SC 29403

BBQ, Charleston

Lewis BBQ

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Lewis BBQ is a fine example of Texas style ‘que nestled in the heart of whole hog heaven in Charleston.

Here, we tried the brisket, the pork spare ribs, the hot guts and chili cheddar sausages, and come green chili corn pudding.

The brisket was the best here. Smokey, flavorful, juicy and tender.

The links were nice, but they had a bit too thick of a casing around them. Too chewy.

The corn pudding was interesting and unique. I liked it.

From what I tried in Charleston for BBQ, this was the best spot.

LEWIS BBQ
464 N Nassau St
Charleston, SC 29403

Burgers, Charleston, Full Points for Flavor, Other Cuts, Porterhouse, Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews

Hall’s Chophouse

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Hall’s Chophouse overall score: 90

I finally got down to Charleston, SC, and, of course, a top priority was to check out Hall’s Chophouse. I went down to visit a law school friend with some other guys from law school, so we went big here!

Also: quick caveat – I think the score for this place would climb with multiple visits. I’d need to get back and try more meats and some seafood, but I can see this place getting in the 95-point range.

Flavor: 9

We tried three cuts: the porterhouse, the tomahawk, and the prime rib. All were excellent, but I think the prime rib took the victory.

The prime rib was a 10/10. It’s wet aged, but rubbed with a Montreal seasoning that really added a ton of flavor.

Both the tomahawk and porterhouse are dry-aged a minimum of 45 days after two weeks of wet aging. These packed a lot of funk, both 9/10.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 10

There’s a great selection of dry-aged beef from Allen Brothers in Chicago. Everything is aged off site, first wet-aged and then dry-aged for 45-days (except for the prime rib – that’s just wet-aged). All prime, and all delicious.

Portion Size & Plating: 9

The meat board plating was really nice for our massive order of three steaks. Portion size is definitely on the large side, especially for sides, apps and desserts.

Price: 8

Don’t expect a cheaper bill just because you’re outside of the NYC insanity! Beef prices have gone up lately, and top notch quality like Allen Brothers being shipped from Chicago to Charleston means you’ll be paying a premium. That said, I thought the prices were all kinda fair, with the exception of the martinis at $26ea.

Bar: 9

The bar here a great spot to hang out. My buddy is there all the time, and I would be too.

My martini was great (blue cheese olives) despite being pricey.

Specials and Other Meats: 8

There were some specials off the menu that all sounded delightful. They have quail and duck for non-beef meat items. One stand out was the bison filet, which you can see here in this short video at the beginning (the very dark colored lean cut, top right). We didn’t try it, but I’m sure it was good.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 9

We started with the bacon; really nice. The tomato on top was a nice twist on this.

The tartare was slightly over worked but it was still really delicious. The table was impressed!

We split a burger for our appetizer, which was really delicious. It reminded me of Peter Luger and Red Hook Tavern – a distinct dry aged flavor that eats more like a steak than a burger. It’s definitely a top five steakhouse style burger for me.

The sautéed spinach was a nice light side.

Loaded mashed potatoes – of course.

These fried okra were a fun change up for side dishes as well.

For dessert we tried the skillet cookie, the lemon cheesecake, and the whisky bread pudding. All were awesome, but the bread pudding was my favorite.

 Seafood Selection: 8

I gotta be honest – I didn’t even bother looking at the selections. But the she crab soup that we tried in between courses was fantastic. If you have room, get it!

Service: 10

Service was amazing here. You really can’t beat it. The staff knew everything there was to know about the meat when I pried them, too. Our waiter even asked if we’d prefer a chuck side or loin side cut of prime rib, which I don’t think I have ever experienced before. I was impressed (and of course I went with chuck side).

Table bread was warm and toasty, with a great whipped butter. You know I always have to mention it!

Ambiance: 10

Great spot. There is live music in the main bar room, which is more lively and loud, while the side rooms and upstairs are a bit more private and cozy.

While walking around, I saw Walter Goggins and Danny McBride having a meal, so I sent them a bottle of wine and had the pleasure of chatting with them for a bit. If you don’t know the names, they are the headliners for great shows like Eastbound and Down, Justified and The Righteous Gemstones.

Oh yeah – nice little Michters bottle in the bathroom filled with mouth wash.

This place is the real deal, and if you plucked it out of SC and dropped it into NYC, it would still be a wild success and I’d rank it among the heavy hitting stars here, easily. I can’t wait to go back.

HALL’S CHOPHOUSE
434 King St
Charleston, SC 29403