Charleston Cuisine

Bar Rollins – Bar Rollins will eventually be a brick & mortar restaurant and wine bar, sometime in 2021, helmed by chef Evan Gaudreau, formerly of Renzo. Until it officially opens as a restaurant, Bar Rollins has been popping up around town to share exceptional natural wines and bites with in-the-know Charlestonians. Their next pop…

Enjoying seasonal drinks is easily a favorite feature of the holiday months in Charleston, where sipping on spirited beverages is the local favorite pastime, year-round. While all of our eateries and watering holes get into the holiday swing one way or another, a few spots really stand out with extra-festive decor or extra-yummy seasonal menu…

In honor of Indigenous People’s Day, October’s Ingredient Spotlight lands on an agricultural mainstay with an enduring history in South Carolina that predates the white colonizing powers for whom Charleston is named. Today, we’re talking about corn.  As a contemporary commercial ingredient, corn is arguably overused in the American diet, and to that end has…

With its subtropical climate and colorful streetscapes reminiscent of islands like Barbados, many visitors to Charleston make the assumption that Charleston has long been a rum-producing city. Those visitors are often disappointed to hear that, despite appearances, their assumption is incorrect. Sugar cane failed to take root as a major crop in South Carolina the…

The history of peanuts in the United States in general, and in the Southern states specifically, is inseparably tied to the African diaspora; as is the case for many foods for which the Carolinas are now famous. Peanuts find their native footing in ancient South America, where their nutritious, substantive character seemed to be as…

“This okra is cooked perfectly, and I’m pretty snobby about my okra,” quips food celeb Padma Lakshmi to Bill Green, chef and co-owner of the Gullah Grub restaurant of St. Helena Island, in the fourth episode of Padma’s newest show, “Taste the Nation”. Through the series, Padma explores the multicultural, multi-ethnic origins of America’s favorite…

Welcome to the first installment of our series that focuses, each season, on a different exciting ingredient that’s being utilized in restaurants and bars around Charleston! Sea Beans (a.k.a. Salicornia Virginica), are our first Ingredient Spotlight – specifically, sea beans grown by lowcountry hydroponics star, Heron Farms. Sam Norton, a College of Charleston biology grad,…

The dishes that define Charleston by Erin [email protected] Sep 28, 2017 Lowcountry Boil — very classic Charleston Ashley Mitchell Those looking for staples of Charleston’s culinary scene, take notice. This is a roundup of food that defines the city’s cuisine. From okra soup to country captain to oyster stew, relatively new to old standbys, these are the 16 most iconic dishes in the city. Seek out these single food items and eat them often. These are the dishes that define Lowcountry cuisine. The food reflects the environment of the rich oceans and lands of Charleston. Note: Items and restaurants not ranked.  1 Bowen’s Island Restaurant Folks can’t seem to agree if it’s Frogmore Stew, Beaufort Stew, Beaufort Boil, or Lowcountry Boil, but the heady combo of shrimp, sausage, corn, potatoes, and Old Bay seasoning garners plenty of interest among Charleston visitors. If you…

By Hannah Raskin Aug 25, 2017 Critics are forever being asked to name the city’s best restaurant. It’s an impossible question to answer, since at best it is an ambiguous concept (and I’ll spare you the rest of the spiel for now). But the following restaurants are the sources of some of Charleston’s peak eating experiences….