A Weekend of Food in Charleston

If you want good food, you should book the next flight to Charleston, South Carolina. My whole time there, I saw only a handful of fast food restaurant and everything else was locally owned restaurants. Most of the restaurants feature local seafood, but you can find just about anything. Below are reviews for one restaurant I visited each day.

Day One:
Dinner: Pearlz Oyster Bar
Pearlz is a small, old restaurant in downtown Charleston that offers a wide variety of seafood. To start, I had a cup of New England clam chowder that was creamy and filled with clams and thick cut potatoes, possibly the best clam chowder I’ve ever eaten. The restaurant features about 8 different types of fresh fish that change each day. I chose grilled swordfish for my main dish which came with grilled asparagus and red rice. The fish was thick and tender; however I found the rice to be a bit overpowering and spicy. When eaten with the fish or asparagus, it was really the only thing I tasted. Overall, I would recommend Pearlz if you like seafood as you can find most types of fish and other sea foods on the menu.

Website: www.pearlzoysterbar.com/


Day Two:
Dinner: Joe Pasta
Situated on the corner of one of the main roads through downtown Charleston, Joe Pasta is a rare Italian restaurant in the seafood-dominant city. I ordered baked penne
which was penne pasta baked with a creamy marina sauce and a blend of various cheeses. Personally, I thought it lacked flavor and I was tired of it about halfway through. The sauce had little flavor and the pasta was covered in baked cheese, which I ended up scraping off to the side because I was eating more cheese than pasta with each bite. It’s not like the food was inedible, but I have had much better pasta at other places.

Website: www.joepasta.com


Day Three:
Breakfast: Toast
Toast isn’t hard to locate like many other restaurants in downtown Charleston because of the constant swarm of people waiting outside. It’s one of, if not the, most popular breakfast restaurants in downtown yet it only has two small dining rooms. I got there around 10 and they said it would be about a 30 minute wait. An hour and half later we were seated for breakfast. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a morning person, so I was angry at the world for having to wait an hour and a half to eat breakfast when it was only supposed to be 30 minutes. I ordered the traditional French
toast breakfast which came with two slices of thick French toast and several pieces of bacon. I also ordered a side of scrambled eggs because I figured this would probably be my breakfast and lunch since it was already 11:30. The food came out fairly quickly but I’m not going to lie, there wasn’t really anything special about it even though Toast has been recommended by the NY Times and has rave reviews online. My breakfast was good and extremely filling, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t think it was worth such a long wait. The staff, however, was extremely courteous and let us know how many people were ahead of us and took our drink orders while we waited. I would recommend Toast if there is little to no wait and you’re looking for a quick, good breakfast.

Website: www.toastofcharleston.com


Day Four:
Dinner: Hyman’s Seafood
Like Toast, there is swarm of people outside Hyman’s at most hours of the day. After 5:30, you can expect at least an hour’s wait. Unlike Toast, Hyman’s is actually worth the wait. It’s rated the best seafood restaurant in the southeast and there are two floors of dining rooms after dining rooms to accommodate the crowds each night. One unique feature of the restaurant are the metal plaques
fastened to each table that tell you what celebrities ate at the table you ate at. Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, and The Beach Boys were among those that ate at the table I did as well as Jasmine Guy, James Brown, and David Lee Roth. There are a slew of celebrities who have eaten here and are featured on the walls of the restaurant including Oprah, AC/DC, Michael Phelps, and Sandra Bullock. Half the fun is just seeing what celebrities ate at the table you did. To start, I ordered two appetizers—calamari and crab dip (there are coupons galore for the crab dip which gets you it for free). The calamari was tender and not the least bit chewy and as an added bonus was only $5. The dip was refreshing and had a bit of a tangy flavor to it. My sister and I decided to split the shrimp dinner. You can choose how you want each dish cooked—fried, broiled, steamed, etc—but the restaurant recommends fried, so we chose fried shrimp. With each meal you receive hush puppies, coleslaw, and an additional side of your choice ensuring you will definitely not go hungry. The shrimp was crispy and didn’t taste oily or over-fried like some foods that are fried can. I'm not sure the food would taste as good if it weren't fried as that seems to be their specialty and they even hint that other preparations won't taste like anything on the menu, but I could be wrong. As long as you like seafood, you are guaranteed to find something you will like. They feature about 10 fresh fish that change daily as well as four pages of different entrees. Go before 5:30 to avoid the wait and you won’t leave the least bit hungry.

Website: www.hymanseafood.com


Erin with Restaurants

Images from:
merecat.org
charlestoncitypaper.com
blog.imabug.net
www.hymanseafood.com

One Night in San Francisco

Last night, I decided to attend a startup event in San Francisco with one of my roommates (whose name I won’t mention). It was about a 50 minute train ride into the city from where I’m staying, and we arrived downtown around 7:30. We stopped at the grocery store to pick up some food and drinks for the event, and despite all of my requests for heartier food, my roommate insisted on buying tortilla chips and guacamole. I figured this was a bad idea, considering most of the people at this event were college kids, and I was pretty hungry but it wasn’t worth arguing about. Please keep in mind as you read that I was already hungry at this point in the story.

After walking for almost half an hour, we finally found the place, which was a really awesome, old, 4 story, brick factory building. We walked through the door and I discovered that entrepreneurs are apparently really worried about building fires, because the entire group of 75 to 100 people was crammed into a really small area right by the entrance even though we were in a huge open building.

My roommate and I, carrying our chips, waded through the crowd to the food table, and to our great surprise, it was a table full of uneaten bags of tortilla chips. I think a few expletives were announced, but I will give my roommate some credit. He didn’t buy just any tortilla chips. He went to Whole Foods and bought the fresh overpriced ones. Since he did that, everyone there ate all of our chips first, and then despite buying the only “decent” food, we had only a couple bites of it.

I was in a good mood though, so I didn’t care too much until much later in the night when I got really hungry, and I was focused more on practicing my networking skills. My roommate on the other hand seemed more focused on practicing his womanizing skills. We split up pretty early and every time I looked over at him, he was talking to a different girl. I found this amazing considering there were only about 5 there. My only question was, “Why would you come to an event that you know is going to be a “nerdy sausage fest” (trust me, that’s really the only way to describe it) to meet chicks?” So, while I’m talking to hardcore programmers about their next big iPhone app or social networking site, roommate is talking to “hot” Indian programmer about his hot tub or something. Definitely an effective use of the event, roommate. Way to go.

I didn’t want to pass judgment though, and I let him be until it was time to leave and he wanted to go to a bar with the group of people. I think my exact words were, “Aw hell no.” Then we started walking back towards the train stop, with the intention of getting something to eat. My roommate, however, decided it was a good idea to drink at the networking event with no food in his stomach, and despite not drinking very much, he was moving pretty slow and had to go to the bathroom pretty urgently. Yet, every place we passed as we were walking wasn’t good enough for him to use to relieve himself. Finally, after about 15 minutes of walking past girls in tutus and strange stores, we came across a Shell station, where a homeless man was administering bathroom keys. Obviously this was the best place to go according to my roommate so he went to the bathroom while I was left alone with homeless guy.

At first, I talked to him about where to eat cheap in San Fran, which is really difficult to do. He recommended a donut shop about a block away. Then he asked why I was in California, and I told him I was an Intern from OSU. Then he asked me my major, and I told him I was in engineering. Then he asked me what kind of engineering and I told him aerospace. Then my roommate finally came out of the bathroom. Then he proceeded to go into his theory of Nazi reverse engineering of UFOs in WWII for about ten minutes. And he was serious. So here’s a really great history lesson for those of you that don’t know too much about where all of our technology came from. In brief, the Nazis found a UFO in the Black Forest with a live alien inside, and the alien taught them how to reverse engineer the UFO, which then allowed the Nazis to create their two greatest inventions of WWII: the V1 rocket and the flying saucer. When the great Nazi scientists came to America after WWII, they gave us their plans for the flying saucer, but we didn’t know how to fly it so we crashed it at Roswell. Then we figured out how to make stealth planes. By the way, we taught the Japanese all of our technology but all they can do is make it smaller. This guy should lecture at MIT.

At this point, we basically ran from this guy because he was crazy, and I suggested we go to the donut shop he recommended. But again, the donut shop wasn’t good enough for my pretty boy roommate, so we kept walking towards to the train station. We kept passing all of these great looking restaurants, but they were all closed. Every. Single. One of them. Now it’s around 10:20 and we’re at the train station and we still haven’t eaten. And our train leaves in 20 minutes. I thought I saw a sign for an open place down the road and started walking that way, but yet again, roommate with his fancy phone says we should go to this place that’s in a different direction. I bet you know what happened next. Yeah, it was closed. And I was pissed.

Finally, I was about to kill my roommate, and I stormed off in the direction of the other place I saw. What do you know; it was a donut/sandwich shop that’s open 24/7. Hallelujah. But this is where I was really retarded. My roommate came in and suggested we go to the Irish pub next door to get fish and chips. Why I listened to him, I have no idea. We walked over there only to find out their kitchen was closed. So we walked back to the donut place, and ordered sandwiches. Unfortunately, I think the owner of the shop had some pretty severe OCD, because he would only make our sandwiches if we each alternated telling him one ingredient at a time, and when we switched places at the counter, he freaked out. I legitimately thought he was going to start over. Meanwhile, the train was boarding…

We grabbed our sandwiches to go, and booked it to the train station. Luckily it hadn’t left yet, otherwise I wouldn’t have a roommate anymore. At least I got a good sandwich that satisfied my hunger.

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Carlin with Experiences to Avoid if Possible

Apollo's

I’m a relatively new Greek food fan having only eaten Greek food from three different places during my life. I’ve tried gyros from each restaurant and only one gyro really stood out from the rest—Apollo’s. Located just across the street from The Ohio State University, Apollo’s has a steady flow of traffic at all hours of the day regardless of its physical condition.

From the outside, it looks like a one way ticket to food poisoning or a gastrointestinal infection (it just looks that way, it actually isn’t) and once inside, it improves slightly, but not drastically. However, the fact that it is slightly run down shows just how long the restaurant has been able to stay in business, so they must be doing something right inside even though it doesn’t appear that way on the outside.

Though specializing in Greek food, Apollo’s offers a little bit of everything. They have a wide variety of subs, gyros, salads, and dips to choose from with some being typical Greek cuisine and others that have been Americanized. Being a college student, my favorite thing about Apollo’s is the prices. Spreads and dips are no more than $3 while gyros are around $5, depending upon which gyro you choose. The best deal by far is the lunch combo (though you can actually order it anytime) which includes a gyro, fries, and fountain drink for $5.

Every time I go to Apollo’s, I order the exact same thing. I get the lunch combo and split the spicy feta cheese dip with my boyfriend. The gyro has a thick layer of moist lamb and beef topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce all piled on a fresh piece of pita. I tried tzatziki sauce the first time I had a gyro and it just wasn’t for me, so I go sans sauce now. Even without the tzatziki sauce, the gyro is still flavorful and juicy.

The fries are cut thick and are better than most fries I’ve received at other gyro shops, though they can be a bit too thick and thus mushy at times. To accompany the gyro, I would highly recommend the spicy feta cheese dip. With it you get two pieces of warm, soft pita bread that you can layer the spread onto. Though the dip is called spicy feta cheese dip, it is not that spicy and that’s coming from someone who could barely eat Chipotle chicken at first, so don’t let the name deter you if you don’t usually like spicy food. In fact, I find it somewhat refreshing and cooling especially in contrast with the warm pita. The spread is also decently sized and has never been finished every time it has been ordered, so it’s definitely worth the $3.

Apollo’s is a great family owned restaurant to have a quick lunch or dinner at. I’ve been there on several occasions and have yet to be disappointed (they have even been known to throw in a free gyro on occasion). For the price, you get decent-quality food that’s both filling and satisfying. Don’t let the appearance of Apollo’s keep you from going inside because they have lots to offer at college student prices.

Location: 1758 N High St, Columbus, OH 43201

Erin with Restaurants



Images from:
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chefmoz.org

Barcelona

Several nights ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Barcelona. No, not the beautiful Spanish city unfortunately, but rather the restaurant located in German Village that features entrees with a Spanish influence. Upon entering the building, you can’t help but notice classic, worn hardwood floors and high tin ceiling. Though the restaurant looks small at first, it opens up into a single large dining room with subdued orange walls and a patio towards the rear. While all diners are in the same room and each table is located as close as possible to the next, the dining room is surprisingly ambient. There is noise, but I by no means felt like I needed to raise my voice to talk to the people sitting at my table, making for a comfortable atmosphere.

The menu offers a variety of options each featuring traditional Spanish cuisine and also includes an extensive list of appetizers. There is a main dish for any diner with options ranging from filet to chicken to scallops. Spanish rice or potatoes and vegetables accompany most entrées. There are also a number of appetizers including, but definitely not limited to, soups, cheese, and calamari.  

A cheese plate and tray of Spanish cured sausages was the perfect introduction to Spanish flavors for someone who had never had Spanish food. The cheese plate consisted of three cheeses—Rosemary Manchego, Olive Manchego, and Cabra al Vino. Queso Ibericho and Covadanga were additional options that could be added to the plate. A small triangle of each of the semi-hard cheeses was topped with a thin slice of a baguette. Alone, the plate would not have been satisfying. Pairing the plate with the tray of Spanish sausages allowed for unique combinations and added some depth to both appetizers. The sausage tray featured around 10 different sausages, each varying greatly from the others. Accompanied with the sourdough bread provided at each table (3 loaves in total for my table. Hey, I’m Italian, what can I say?), the cheese and sausage could almost have been a meal for those with smaller appetites. Though delicious and satisfying together, I’m not sure the cheese and sausage were completely worth the $15 price tag apiece.

The main dish, Filet con Queso Azul, was both pleasing aesthetically and generous in portion. A large piece of filet cooked to a perfect medium and topped with bleu cheese lay over a bed of mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. The filet was tender and juicy and went well with the mashed potatoes as they kept the smoky flavor from the grill from becoming too overpowering. All entrées ordered by the others at the table were presented well and would fill up any hungry diner.

Barcelona provides a relaxing dining atmosphere and good service, especially considering the size of the restaurant. Though expensive, the restaurant offers generous portions and flavors you’re not likely to find anywhere else in Columbus. It is a good choice if you like unique flavors and just want to enjoy a nice dinner.

Location: 263 East Whittier Street, Columbus, OH

Website: http://www.barcelonacolumbus.com/

Erin with Restaurants

Images from:
www.barcelonacolumbus.com