Thursday, May 14, 2009
Eat at Manny's, give back too
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Thu, May 14, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Here's a public service announcement: Manny’s Neighborhood Grille in West Ashley will give 10 percent of its pre-tax Sunday Brunch receipts to a different nonprofit or local church each week.
To sign up your organization as a beneficiary contact:
Matthew Spath
(843) 437-5067
Food + Wine Fest hits strong numbers, in a recession
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Thu, May 14, 2009 at 11:00 AM
The College of Charleston's Office of Tourism Analysis completed its annual Economic Impact Study of the Food + Wine Festival and came up with some big numbers.
- The Festival welcomed over 15,000 guests, up 2,000 from 2008, at more than 50 events throughout the weekend, almost all of which sold out.
- Of those 15,000 guests, 44 percent were non-local and 13.6 percent had never visited Charleston.
- The average non-local visitor spent $610 per person locally and the average travel party was four adults, up from three adults in 2008.
- Based on information supplied by the festival's hotel partners, 241 hotel packages/rooms were sold.
- Total ticket sales were $772,929 which is up from $562,335 in 2008 and $82,904 over the 2009 ticketing budget
- The labor income is $876K, up from $817K in 2008, with generated tax of $322K up from 290K in 2008.
- The total economic impact of the Festival to the Charleston area was estimated at $2.36 million, up from $2.21 million in 2008.
Eat bacon, it's good for you and America!
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Thu, May 14, 2009 at 8:20 AM
Remember the swine flu? That pig pandemic that was supposed to sweep the world, killing babies and grandmothers from here to Montezuma? Yeah, well, it didn't, but it did devastate the pork industry, costing American pork producers $17.69 per hog just during the April 24 through May 1 period. Total losses for that period reached $7.2 million a day, according to the National Pork Producers Council.
In an effort to help the pork industry, Faces of Agriculture has launched a "Pork on the Fork" contest, encouraging you to take pictures of you and your loved ones dining on swine. What do you win? Well, you get an all-expense paid trip to the World of Pork, er, the World Pork Expo in Des Moines on June 3. 
Sounds like a place not many would want to go, but I can think of a few chefs in this town who would totally dig going to a pork expo. Find out more about the Pork on the Fork contest here.
In related news, bacon is good for you!
Bon Apetit has included it in their list of "10 Surprising Health Foods."
According to a new book out called Fat by Jennifer McLagan, bacon's fat is a lot like that of olive oil: "45 percent of the fat in bacon is monounsaturated, the good-for-you fat that can help lower bad cholesterol levels. Better still, bacon's monounsaturated fat turns out to be oleic acid, the same fat found in olive oil. So that means that some could argue that bacon is about half as good for you as olive oil and about 100 times more delicious."
Finally, some good news.
We'll be doing a feature on bacon soon, so send us your favorite bacon dishes in town. We already know about the bacon dessert at Shine and the one at Center Street Kitchen. Suggest some others, please!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Call to Action: Beer bill needs beer lovers' help
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Wed, May 13, 2009 at 1:34 PM
Beer lovers (and progressives everywhere), here's your chance to help update South Carolina's archaic alcohol laws, which reflect a deeply anti-drinking bent.
A bill that would allow microbreweries and licensed premises to hold beer tastings is stuck in the House judiciary committee, thanks to the concerns of one Rep. Kenneth Kennedy from Williamsburg County, according to
www.southcarolinabeer.org:
Our bill sponsor Rep. Herbkersman brought bill 3693 in front of committee yesterday for a "unanimous consent" vote. ONE Representative voted against it. We need to educate him on the facts. Rep. Kenneth Kennedy from Williamsburg County. ... Remind him that this is craft beer (not 40's of Schlitz) and tastings foster an appreciation, exactly like wine (wineries in SC can already do this).
The Charleston Beer Exchange has already sent out a plea for their supporters to send messages to Kennerty and so has Coast Brewing Co in North Chuck.
The bill has already sailed through the Senate and needs this guy's vote to help move it along to the governor's desk for a signature (before the session ends in June).
Representative Kenneth Kennedy
District 101 - Williamsburg Co.(H) 140 Society St., Greeleyville, 29056
Bus. (843) 426-2259 Home (843) 426-2492(C) 328B Blatt Bldg., Columbia, 29201
Bus. (803) 734-2986 Home (803) 252-2000E-Mail Address: KK@schouse.org"
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
What Kind of Cookie would Charleston be?
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Tue, May 12, 2009 at 12:14 PM
Last year, Circa 1886 held an ice cream flavor contest, and the winner’s flavor — Seersucker — was featured on the menu during the summer. To view video of last year's ice cream contest (full disclosure: I was one of the judges) visit the restaurant's YouTube channel .
This year, they’re looking for a cookie that embodies Charleston. Will it have boiled peanuts? What about grits? Perhaps some pralines and benne seeds.
f you’ve got a clever idea for a cookie, go to their website and make your suggestions. Or submit a video tagged CharlestonChristmasCookie on YouTube.
If you win, your cookie will be featured on the dessert menu in December and, more importantly, you’ll get a free dinner for four at Circa 1886.
Vickery's robbed last night
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Tue, May 12, 2009 at 8:36 AM
From the P&C's website:
Vickery's Bar and Grill on Beaufain Street was robbed at gunpoint shortly after 2 a.m. Monday, Charleston police said.The robbers put two employees into a walk-in cooler, a police report said.
The employees freed themselves after about 10 minutes and called police, the report said. The amount stolen during the robbery was not released by police.
Monday, May 11, 2009
New spring menu at Circa 1886
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Mon, May 11, 2009 at 12:03 PM
Chef Marc Collins at Circa 1886 wants you to come to his restaurant and eat, and not just on your anniversary or your birthday. To that end, he's streamlined the offerings, ditched the jacket requirement, and put more organic meat and sustainable seafood on the menu. And you can even park for free.
Menu items to make your mouth water:
organic beef shoulder
wild American salmon
antelope loin
seared sea scallops
terrine of green asparagus
seared Labelle Farms foie gras
24-hour pork belly
boiled peanut bisque
tomato carpaccio salad
BBQ blue crab salad
Lowcountry bouillabaisse
white sturgeon
fried catfish
Or you can opt for the chef's tasting menu for $75; paired with wine, it is $110.
Siduri Pinot wine dinner at Halls Chophouse
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Mon, May 11, 2009 at 11:33 AM
The new family steakhouse in town, Halls Chophouse, will be hosting Californian winemaker Adam Lee on Tuesday night.
Coming to Charleston for an exclusive dinner and intimate evening of sharing stories of his life and his love for vinification, Lee, who is the founder of Siduri Wines in Santa Rosa, has received much attention from wine critics for his famed pinot noir (of which he makes 20 different kinds per year).
Pinot is both his passion and his topic of conversation for Tuesday night. Even Eddie Vedder, who keeps himself going with bottles of Siduri Van der Kamp Pinot in hand on stage, can agree that Lee has a great thing going over at Siduri.
And if you’ve have yet to stop by Halls, you should take this unique opportunity to do so and enjoy yourself some Pinot. The experience is bound to be a sensual one. Reservations are required, so go make some. —Hadley Lyman
Friday, May 8, 2009
Letter Carrier Food Drive on Saturday
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Fri, May 8, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Help feed the hungry. It may be warm and sunny outside, but people are still starving right in our neighborhoods.
On Saturday, the postal service will be accepting food donations all day as part of the country's single largest annual food drive. Simply put nonperishable and canned food in a bag out at your mailbox, and the local letter carriers will pick up your donations and take them directly to the Lowcountry Food Bank.
Most needed items are peanut butter, canned meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains (in the form of cereals and pastas).
The Lowcountry Food Bank says the need for food assistance has recently risen by 30 percent, and they are hoping every household will participate. The Food Bank will distribute food donations to Charleston area pantries and shelters.
If you can't leave food at your mailbox, log onto lowcountryfoodbank.org to take part in the virtual food drive option.
Sea Island Farmers Market celebrates grand opening
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Fri, May 8, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Get your groceries where they're grown.
The Sea Island Regional Farmers Market arrives on the scene just in time for the bounty of summer. Today marks its official opening, and a handful of state officials, including organizers Charlie Lybrand and Curtis Inabinett, are out at the Savannah Hwy. site celebrating the moment.
The Sea Island Market at 4246 Savannah Hwy. (near Hollywood/Ravenel/Meggett) will feature local fruits and vegetables, fresh local beef and pork, fish and seafood, and other locally-grown or produced products. In addition, proceeds from hand sewn aprons will go to the women’s shelter downtown.
The market operates Fridays, 2-7 p.m. and Saturdays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
For more information, contact Curtis Inabinett, 843-509-1051 and Charlie Lybrand, 843-991-4689.
Greek Festival cookies and pastries: a ranking
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Fri, May 8, 2009 at 11:00 AM
Greek desserts are legendary and a big draw at the Greek Festival. Here’s a list of what’s available at the fest, ranked from most favorite to least. Order a piping hot Greek coffee and get busy.
1) Baklava: My first experience with baklava came as a child when my brother was dating a Greek girl in New Jersey. Her mom (Una) invited us over for dinner and we watched in fascination as she rolled out large sheets of filo and brushed an entire stick of melted butter on each layer as she folded them up with nuts and cinammon. As it baked, she basted it with honey. The end result is one of the most amazing desserts on the planet. So rich, gooey, and delicious. It even comes in a chocolate version.
2) Loukoumades: Greece’s version of the beignet, zeppoli, and funnel cake. Essentially, dough deep fried in oil, dipped in honey, and sprinkled with cinnamon. You get seven for $3 bucks. The best deal of the festival, by far.
3) Kataifi: These look like birds nests dripping with pine sap. In reality, they’re shredded filo dough with chopped nuts and spices, “basted” with butter and honey. The honey soaks into the shredded pastry and the combined texture is unlike any dessert you’ve ever had. Very sweet and sticky. It’s hard to eat more than one.
4) Kourambiethes: An almond flavored butter cookie that’s covered in powdered sugar. Similar to a Mexican wedding cookie and just as tasty.
5) Koulourakia: An antidote to the richer desserts, this plain Greek pastry cookie is made from buttery twists of dough and baked until golden brown.
6) Pecan Blossom: Like a mini Greek pecan pie. Nuts stuck together in honey and nestled in a crust of filo. Yum-o.
7) Finikia: A classic Greek cookie that’s served during holidays. This is spicy and semi-soft flavored with cinnamon and dipped in honey and rolled in nuts.
8) Paxemadia: A Greek version of biscotti. Crispy toasted buttery dough that pairs perfectly with a cup of strong Greek coffee.
A Guide to Greek food, or what you need to know before you go Greek
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Fri, May 8, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Charleston’s Greek community has set up its annual festival on the grounds of the Orthodox Church on Race Street this weekend, and it’s a highlight of our year in food. We’ll be heading there today for a big lunch and then we’ll stock up on Greek pastries and spanakopita to get us through the weekend. To help Greek food novices navigate the scene, I’ve put together a little guide to what’s what.
Gyro: Let’s say it together, shall we? ‘YEE-roh.’ Not ‘JIE-roh’ or ‘JEER-oh.’ ‘YEE-roh.’ It’s probably the most familiar of Greek dishes — a spiced lamb and beef mixture that’s been rotisserie cooked, shaved into a pile and wrapped in a soft, warm pita and topped with zaziki sauce (see next entry). At the Fest, they’ll have gyro plates for $7. They’ll also have a chicken version, but it’s never as good as the blamb (beef+lamb), so don’t bother.
Zaziki (also tsatsiki, tzatziki): This stuff is so delicious I could chug it. Pureed cukes mixed with strained yogurt, garlic, salt, olive oil, pepper, lemon juice, and dill. It’s the ultimate sauce for dipping a warm chunk of pita bread and it’s also the perfect dressing for that aforementioned gyro. It can also be low-fat if you use a light yogurt.
Greek spices: The spices you’ll typically find in Greek food are familiarly exotic like allspice, anise, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, nutmeg, and saffron, and peculiar ones like mahlab (ground cherry stones) and mastiha (mastic tears). Greek fare has the spices of the Middle East mingled with the flavors of the Mediterranean like basil, dill, parsley, and fennel.
Mezes: Greek appetizers. One popular meze is dolmades, grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat and usually drizzled with avgolemeno (egg and lemon sauce). The Mezethaki Plate at the Greek Fest has meatballs with sauce, dolmades, feta cheese, olives, Greek pepper, and a pita wedge for $8. It’s my favorite deal.
Greek salad: the most beautiful salad in all the world. Crisp lettuce tossed with a simple dressing of olive oil and sometimes herbs like oregano and basil and topped with a pile of creamy feta cheese along with tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, and pepperoncini peppers. Or, if it’s the Greek Country Salad version, you won’t get lettuce and instead of crumbled feta, you’ll get a big rectangular slice of it served alongside wedges of tomato and slices of cucumber. Either version is good enough for me. A small plate at the festival is $4 and a larger one is $6.
Kalamata olives: ripe Greek olives that are usually cured in red wine
Greek chicken or lamb: could be roasted or grilled and will most likely be seasoned with lemon, garlic, and oregano. Get a 1/4 of a chicken for $10 served with rice pilaf, Greek-style string beans, Greek salad, and bread. A plate of grilled domestic lamb is $12.
Greek-style string beans: Green beans with sauteed onions and garlic stewed with tomatoes, peppercorns, and parsley until soft.
Moussaka: The most famous of Greek casserole dishes. It layers eggplant with ground meat spiced with cloves, cinammon, and allspice and tops it with a classic bechamel (a creamy white sauce flavored with nutmeg). The Greek fest version uses beef instead of lamb and is (as is everything at the festival) made by church members. Get a plate for $5.
Pastichio (pastitsio): Kind of a cross between Italian lasagna and Southern mac and cheese. The Greek baked pasta dish uses tubular noodles and a meat and tomato sauce, topped with thick bechamel, a creamy sauce spiced with nutmeg. Plates go for $5.
Spanakopita: Spinach and feta pie! What could be more beautiful than countless layers of buttered filo (phyllo) dough interspersed with tangy feta cheese and fresh spinach and baked until shatteringly crisp. A worthy use of your caloric budget. $4 per triangle.
Filo (phyllo): Greek pastry dough (think strudel) that takes the basic flour and water mixture and adds a touch of vinegar, lemon, and olive oil to the proceedings. The result is the perfect basis for savory and sweet pastries and pies like spanakopita and baklava.
The festival also has authentic Athenian Beer ($4) along with Greek wines by the bottle ($15) or glass ($4). They’ll be offering tastings of Greek wine this afternoon and throughout the weekend. The festival runs Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and on Sunday from noon-5 p.m.
Next post: Greek desserts, a ranking
UPDATE: Went to the Festival for lunch Friday afternoon. Enjoyed a big-ass gyro with Greek potatoes served to me by none other than Akim Anastapoulo. The potatoes were probably the highlight. Perfectly mushy and studded with tomatoes, peppers, and onions and turned over and over on the hot flat top grill. Mm. Mm. Good. Brought home a pastry sampler, but haven't dare to open it. So sticky and sweet! I'm still full from lunch.
J'Paulz gets a new head chef ... and it's a girl!
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Fri, May 8, 2009 at 9:17 AM
Showing a modest burst of progress, Charleston has gotten another female head chef.
J. Paul'z sous chef Tracy Little is sous no longer. Little has moved up after former head chef Daniel Caruso moved to Rochester, N.Y. with his new bride and took a position at a Wegman's Grocery Store restaurant called Tastings.
Little has been working at J. Paul'z for the past year and joins maybe three other head female chefs in our male-dominated culinary scene. With former positions at The Mustard Seed and Fat Hen, Little will be crafting a seasonal menu with tomato pie, pan-seared grouper, and truffle mac 'n' cheese. You go girl.
What's next, Charleston? Equal pay?!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Charleston's Ciaran Duffy: Not Dead
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Wed, May 6, 2009 at 2:29 PM
At Monday night's James Beard Awards, Ciarán Duffy —Â former chef of Tristan — was memorialized in a slide show as being deceased. Trouble is, the dude ain't dead.
From Sean Brock twitter feed: "It was weird seeing 'in memory of' ciaran duffy, complete with a picture of him sitting outside tristan. spoke with ciaran after the awards"
As soon as it happened, Duffy says his phone started blowing up. Plenty of friends and colleagues were at the event to witness the confusing slide show and called him to find out if he was still alive.
Michael White was one of those friends. He said he couldn't believe it when he saw Duffy's picture. "I had just talked to him five days ago." White was at the awards with his friend Bob Waggoner, who reassured him that it must be a mistake. "I called him and I just kept hoping he would answer that cell phone, and he did."
After the ceremony, White says he ran into the Jeremy and Deanie Fox, the chefs from Ubuntu who cooked at Tristan with Aaron Deal during the Food & Wine Festival. They had no reason to think Duffy hadn't passed away, until White told them, no, he's fine. That was a mistake.
The next day, Duffy posted on his Facebook page: "It was announced late last night during the James Beard Awards Ceremony that I Died! Nothing could be further from the truth. With the exception of some residual IBS from my trip to China and a little ManScaping incident I feel great! That isn't to say there couldn't be something wrong, all that mountain dew cant be good for the body. But at the end of the day It was truly an honor just to be mentioned, Thanks JB."
According to Janie Schneider, the assistant to the director of promotions and special events, it was simply a dumb case of mistaken identity. Apparently, another Ciaran Duffy, who worked at Namibia Breweries, died of cancer last September.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Beard & Lata: Happy Birthday
Posted by Stephanie Barna on Tue, May 5, 2009 at 7:27 PM
In an amazingly weird coincidence, our own Mike Lata, who took home the James Beard Award last night for Best Chef: Southeast, is celebrating his birthday today.
It's also James Beard's 106th (were he alive).
Things that make you go, hmmmm.
- By the Numbers — The Failed War on Drugs and It's Impact on South Carolina7 comments
- Hippodrome to host marathon New Moon viewing2 comments
- McGowan enters Senate race, wants results5 comments
- Pennsylvania Avenue Whores5 comments
- The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act criminalizes thought13 comments
- Federal security dollars flow to Charleston3 comments
-
Carolina Crust Gourmet Pizza
The food is great, the atmosphere is great and the service is great. The owners…
-careaboutpeople
-
Langdon's Restaurant & Wine Bar
My wife and I went there last week and it was amazing! The food was…
-richardlmorris
-
D'Allesandro's Pizza
I agree...they definitely need to win best of charleston this year!
-CHS291
-
Tokyo Bistro
This is the restaurant i am going everyday...
They have Fresh sushi in town...
And… -SUSHI LOVERzz -
D'Allesandro's Pizza
It may be a dump, but they do deliver too if you prefer to not…
-Berkley
-
The Lee Bros. new cookbook takes an easy weeknight approach to Southern food
Get Fresh with Matt and Ted
-
Smoky Oak Taproom days from opening
New barbecue restaurant on James Island
-
La Tabella takes over old Lombardi's space
Harbor View Road to get new restaurant
-
Lee Bros face Bobby Flay on Throwdown Wed. night
Cookbook authors launch book tour this week
-
Midtown Grill opening soon
Upper King gets a new neighbor
Powered by Foundation
© Copyright 2009,
Charleston City Paper
