Out and About on Sullivan's Island

When I was a little girl, my mom subscribed to Southern Living and after reading an article about Sullivan's Island, I determined that I wanted to live there when I grew up....

Although I do not live there, I did eat dinner there last week, at Atlanticville - so totally worth it!

We were supposed to go to Fig but we weren't all that taken with the menu that night so we cancelled that and went to Atlanticville instead....

If you are staying out on the Isle of Palms or in Sullivan's Island or if you just want to take a cool drive across the bridge... 

Go!  Eat!  Thank me later....

Husk

Due to Hurricane related cancellations, we were able to score a lunch reservation at Husk in Charleston.

Score one for Irene!

For those of you who haven't heard, Husk was recently named the 'Best New Restaurant in the Country' by Bon Appetit Magazine.  I also was particularly proud because their chef (and apparent culinary wunkderkind) is up from my neck of the woods in Southwest Virginia.... 

In a word - Oh. My. God.

I know - it's three words but I couldn't do it in one. 

First of all - they brought us homemade rolls with sesame seeds on top and little bites of salt and the butter!  The butter was mixed with rendered bacon fat...  That's right - they mixed butter and bacon together!  Genius!  Why had I never thought of that???

Then for lunch we had a 'cheeseburger'  but that title really doesn't do it justice. 

Y'all - they grind up bacon and mix it in with the hamburger meat and then fry it... bacon IN the hamburger!  Again - Genius!!!

It was so, so good.  A bacon extravaganza!

I can't stop thinking about it....  I also basically haven't stopped oozing bacon out of the pores in my face since last Friday.  It's a good thing Charleston is 200 miles away - is all I am saying.

But I would eat one every day if I could do it and still, you know, not weigh 400 pounds.

Also, the building was absolutely lovely.  Just beautiful -

And the service was amazing.

Go!  As soon as possible! 

And make sure you make a reservation - well in advance....

Boudreaux's

I went to Boudreaux's last night with my lovely friend, Sarah, and had the Cajun Carbonara and a lovely pinot noir. 

We split a chocolate bombe for dessert. 

And we had a lovely, gorgeous, handsome, wholesome little waiter - to whom I wanted to do unwholesome things. 

I love it when young men make me feel lascivious. 

Rooster's

We ate at Rooster's on Saturday night.

I am not really qualified to do much in the nature of restaurant reviews, but I enjoyed this place and I'm always on the lookout for a good place to eat in Charlotte.

First, it had a really good vibe.  The energy was great and everyone was having a good time.  I'm not sure whether it's always like that because the CIAA Tournament was in town and Charlotte gets a little more fun when it's inundated by sports fans, but I can tell you that it was loud (in a good way) and people were having a good time.

We waited at the bar and I enjoyed it.  I think if you need to be somewhere you'd definitely be advised to make a reservation, but if you don't mind waiting they have a great bar.  The bartenders were awesome and took care of us.

The menu was really nice.  I will make a little side note that it was an ala carte menu which kind of aggravates me.  I think if you're going to charge $14 for a little piece of salmon, you ought to throw the green beans in with it, ya know? 

But it is an ala carte menu so we paid extra for the green beans and the potatos.

They have a really nice wine list, a really nice cheese course and the service was all around excellent, including our server, Tim.  We did not have dessert, but I saw other people with it and I will definitely try some the next time I'm there.

So if you're looking for an excellent meal and a good time, check out Rooster's in South Park.  I think you'll be happy.

Sante'

I don't know if y'all have noticed, but I love to eat.

The thing with lots of Charlotte restaurants is that they are often pretty slick in terms of decor but only mediocre in terms of food.  I've been searching for the true gems out there. 

I had heard good things about Sante' down in Matthews so on Saturday night, my friend and I cruised down there and had dinner.

It was so, so good.

It's not a big place - small, warm, and perfectly lit - it was the perfect place to hole up for a warm meal on a cold, damp February night.

First, I had a french martini garnished with blackberries.  I was in HEAVEN.  And the martini glass was particularly beautiful -  'cause I notice things like that.

Then, I had a warm red cabbage salad, with goat cheese, balsamic and sugared pecans.  Our server recommended it and I have to say that although I never would have otherwise ordered it, it was fabulous.  I can't believe that I lived without it for this long!

Then, for my entree, I had mushroom crusted grouper and my friend had crab cakes.  Both were excellent.   Oh, and the freshly baked warm rolls were just perfect with sweet butter. 

We split the profiteroles for dessert and they gave us the best coffee to go with them.  It was just good coffee and you can't always say that.

In short - excellent food, a happy atmosphere, great service and well stocked bar and a very nice wine list.  If you are in the Charlotte area and you want a meal that meets the hype, try Sante'.  I think you'll be happy.

I Ate The Whole Thing

The first time I have ever eaten an ENTIRE steak. It was incredible.

Thank you Blossom Cafe!

Lupie's Cafe

I cruised over to Lupie's Cafe and had chili and beer for dinner on Saturday night.

If you've never been there, what are you waiting for?

I have to say that I don't know why I don't go over there more often.

Supper and Vacation

We ate dinner tonight at Pisces.

It was pretty cool and very expensive, although, frankly, we've done more damage.

I started out with a peach bellini. I love bellinis, even though I don't so much love the champagne. It was cold and crisp and I limited myself to one, even though I could've gone for another.

I had the grouper special, with a dijon sauce, lobster and pancetta.

Now. For the information you've all really been waiting for: the waiter was a biscuit. I could've just smooched him up.

The decor was a little spotty. The place was small and the original Warhol prints cost a fortune, but then they had cheapy cheap curtains from KMart. I love the 'high end/low end' mix, but there is an art to it and the lovely people at Pisces missed the mark. I know I'm a design snob but would have a nice simple drape from Pottery Barn been asking too much?

I don't think so.

Tomorrow we are headed into town to have lunch at Blue Heaven, shop around for a while and then catch the sunset at Mallory Square.

And Then I Walked Into A Palm Tree

I think I picked a good place to come on vacation.

This seems like a good place to go away, get lost, fall off.

I feel like a very small person on a very small island in a big world.

My life seems really far away, which isn't necessarily good. However, for the next few days it isn't really bad.

I am happy to report that I have done nothing for the past three days except lay around and eat. That's not really true. I have walked four miles every day since I've been here and yesterday I had a massage. But then I went right back to laying around.

We have had some really good meals so far. Sunday night we went to Michael's where we had great service, good food and some really expensive martinis. I had rack of lamb and a lobster tail. We also had beef carpaccio as an appetizer. There was a time in my life when I would not have been excited about raw meat, however, that time has now passed.

Last night we ate a Cafe Marquesa, which was beyond lovely. The dining room was just so beautiful and I enjoyed by yellow tailed snapper. My darling friend had lamb again and pronounced it not as good as the lamb at Michael's. I didn't so much care, thanks in large part to the French Martini that I had.

Yeah, I ordered it just because of the word "French" but trust me, my enjoyment level was not hindered in any way. It was quite tasty.

Tonight we have a reservation at Pisces, about which we've heard good things.

We are committed to getting up in the morning and spending the day in town. I'll let you know if we make it.

Sweet Potato Love

Have ya'll been over to The Counter? I avoided it for a while. The Bee Charmer has always successfully limited red meat. Once a month. TOPS.

Well not anymore. The Counter has turned me into a raging carnivore. I couldn't practice law today because my brain was fixated on The Counter.

In case you haven't been, you should run over there. The toppings! The cheeses! THE FRIES! Whatever you do, get the sweet potato fries. Don't think. Just go.