A Word for Wednesday

 


chelon: a level of command, authority, or rank

As in: In my humble opinion, Charleston, SC is in the upper echelon in terms of bangin' restaurants.  See this post about Eating Our Way Through Charleston, SC.

And: According to this post  by Two Brunettes, as evidenced by her amazing graphic and typographic work, Jessica Hische is in the upper echelon of her field.

Illustration done by Jessica Hische for the Wall St. Journal's Summer Book Preview

Have a great Wednesday!

Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische.

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Eating Our Way Through Charleston, SC, Part I

Do you see a recurring theme here? I like to eat, and I surround myself with others that like to eat too.  Thanks, Austin and Collin for an amazing 36 hours in Charleston, SC--we dined at 4 restaurants in that time and all were superb.  Here goes:

Lost Dog Cafe- we ate brunch here Sunday morning.  It's a quaint little spot on Folly Beach, where dogs are welcome, as you'll see from some pics below.

Pretty darn good bloody; served in a Mason Jar with an array of accoutrement.

Mimosa, also served in a Mason jar.

Some doggie diners.

My black bean breakfast burrito.

Austin's lox bagel sandwich.

Amazing homemade cinnamon roll.  It was the size of my head.

Another cute doggie diner.

After a day of sun and sand at Folly, we packed it up and headed to Taco Boy, which was the only request I had made for the weekend.  Austin and Collin took me to Taco Boy last time I was in town and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

Nachos.  So yummy.

Margarita.

Cheese quesadilla, sidfe of black beans.  Some of the freshest, tastiest guacamole I've ever had.

Tempura fish tacos.

Saturday afternoon, after James and I arrived in Cuck-town, we headed downtown to this gem, Blossom.

Fish tacos with cheese sauce.  I particularly liked these fish tacos--most places do not serve cheese on fish tacos, much less amazing, warm cheese sauce, but since cheese sauce is one of my favorite foods, I loved this dish.

Amazing-looking bacon cheddar burger.

And when you eat these things with a side of fruit, it totally balances out, don't you think?!

Check back later for a post about Wild Olive--our Saturday night eating adventure.

What is your favorite dining spot in Charleston?

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It's June Already!?

It is really hard to believe that May is over, isn't it? It went way too fast, but now that it is officially the first day of June, you should start planning for these awesome upcoming June events:

image via here

June 4th- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo opens at The Nickelodeon. Based on a novel from Stieg Alarsson's best-selling trilogy, "Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and rebellious computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) team up to investigate the unsolved disappearance of wealthy Henrik Vanger's (Sven-Bertil Taube) teen niece (Ewa Fröling), only to uncover dark secrets about Vanger's powerful family." I've heard great things about this film, and plan to check it out myself. It runs through June 10th.

image via here

June 5th- Art in the Park: newly-refurbished Quinine Hill Park is located on the corner of Forest Drive and Beltline Blvd. The event is from 10 am- 4 pm this Saturday, and there will be food, drinks, live music and local art.

image via here

June 5th- See Spot Run 5K Run/Walk: This inaugural event will be held at Riverfront Park in downtown Columbia. All proceeds will benefit The Humane Society. There are lots of fun post-race activities, and dogs are welcome! Click here for more details or to register for the event.

And also June 5th, (wow, there's a lot going on in Columbia this Saturday!)- Ribs & Renaissance: I attended this event the past 2 years and it is really fun. There are street vendors, lots of live entertainment, tons of stuff for kids, and a Rib cook-off. There is also a juried arts & crafts show. I would go for no other reason than to hear the Hyatt Park Community Drum Line--I mean, who doesn't love a good drum line, for real?

image via here

June 7th- The Melting Pot Ladies' Night Out: Are you as enamored of the cheese fondue at Melting Pot as I? Or maybe it's the chocolate that does it for you--either way, this is an amazing deal: cheese, salad, entree and chocolate, plus 2 signature cocktails for ONLY $35 per person. This really is a deal! Follow them on Twitter to receive a coupon for free chocolate. Call (803) 731-8500 to make a reservation.

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June 11th- Pack Rats Grand Opening!: Pack Rats is the newest vintage and handmade store in Columbia. It is located at 2009 Greene St, between Sammi's Deli and 5 Points Tattoo. Click here to see their blog and here to see their Facebook page. I can't wait to check it out.
Some photos of things in the shop, via here-- (I'm loving the wall color!):

image via here

And June 13th- Township Auditorium Community Open House: everyone is welcome Sunday afternoon for behind-the-scenes tours, an art fair on the street, and entertainment from local groups; admission is FREE and free hot dogs and sodas will be served! Go check out the newly-renovated Township.

Whew-that's a lot. What else will be keeping you busy in June?

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Thursday's Thinking of Food

Hope everyone's having a great week--I am so excited for the impending long weekend, aren't you? James and I are headed to Charleston to visit a dear friend of mine from high school, Austin, and her awesome husband, Collin. We're going to traverse the city, eat really good food, and sun ourselves silly--posts next week!

Exciting foodie information today--here goes:

image via here

*Panera, the national soup, salad, and bread chain, has opened a "pay-what-you-can" store in a suburb of St. Louis. How freakin' cool is that!? The menu is exactly the same at this nonprofit location, but there are no prices. Customers are encouraged to pay what they can, and a price is suggested, but nothing is required. The motto that hangs over the counter of the store reads: "Take what you need, leave your fair share." The store just opened this month, but similar models have worked in the past. Click here to read a Washington Post article on the venture. I first read about the nonprofit Panera store here.

image via here

*A newly-released study published in the journal Pediatrics, indicates that "Children exposed to higher levels of a type of pesticide found in trace amounts on commercially grown fruit and vegetables are more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than children with less exposure." Wow. This is the largest study of its kind to date, and it seems pretty well-conducted. The lead author of the study, Maryse Bouchard, Ph.D., states: "Organic fruits and vegetables contain much less pesticides, so I would certainly advise getting those for children. National surveys have also shown that fruits and vegetables from farmers' markets contain less pesticides even if they're not organic. If you can buy local and from farmers' markets, that's a good way to go." And buying organic or from a farmer's market is so easy these days, why not?


*The Big Shebang at City Roots, Columbia's urban farm, last weekend was really fun! There were local artisans selling their wares, a potluck lunch sponsored by Slow Food Columbia-all dishes included at least one local ingredient, and City Roots was giving farm tours. There was also plenty of locally grown produce, herbs, and plants for sale. I got some basil:

which I later turned into a homemade pesto to go on toast with mozzarella for my sister's baby shower last Sunday:

City Roots also has a tilapia tank and free range chickens, along with their 30 varieties of vegetables and fruit.

Go visit City Roots--the Farm Store is open Monday-Friday 9- 5:30 and Saturday 10-2.


*And, if you're planning a cookout for Memorial Day-here's a deal for you: get a FREE bottle of Earth Fare Organic Ketchup with any $5 purchase and this coupon.

Have a great weekend! I would love to hear what you're doing for the holiday.

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A Word for Wednesday

olutioning: the process of creating a solution.


As in: "After some solutioning, we will present some technical approaches to your business needs."

Now, if you look this word up in a regular dictionary, it does not exist. However, my friend Jaime introduced me to the word and I quite like it. Urban Dictionary actually defines it, and gives the same definition as Jaime.

What are some made-up words that you fancy? I have always been a fan of "funner."

Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische.

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Eating Our Way Through Pawley's Island, SC

I returned home from the SC coast last week, and this is a review of the amazing local fare we dined upon while there.

The first night of our trip to Litchfield beach, just north of Pawley's Island, SC, James and I sat down with my parents to plan our eating for the rest of the week. This is how our family operates--entertainment and planning often revolves around eating. So, thus began our gluttonous and glorious trip to the beach.

First up- Bistro 217.

This restaurant has become a staple beach restaurant for the Smith family; we often eat there twice in one trip, (which we did last week). The staff is consistent, the food is consistent and very high-quality, and the atmosphere is beach-chic, and casual enough for my 2 1/2 year old nephew to dine with us for dinner.

Here's what we ate on our first trip to 217:

Everyone starts with this fun basket of carrots, celery and various breads.

I get this salad every time I eat here-- the Warm Pistachio Encrusted Goat Cheese Salad with spinach and balsamic.

Red Snapper special, served atop a seafood risotto with local sliced carrots, micro-greens and Parmesan cheese. My brother-in-law and I both got this and it was yummy.

Dad's filet served over creamed spinach--(sorry, can't remember anything else about this special dish, but he loved it).

The hubs' Eggplant Treasure Chest, a fried eggplant stuffed with shrimp, scallops, and grouper in a basil Parmesan sauce.

OK, on to beach restaurant number 2- Quigley's Pint & Plate:

Quigley's is located literally right across Highway 17 from Litchfield by the Sea, so it is a perfect spot for a quick bite and a pint of house-made beer, like their Swamp Fox IPA or Nut Brown Ale. Plus, out back there is a pond filled with turtles, fish and an alligator that are just waiting for tourists to feed them from the turtle food machines--great entertainment for kids!

The fare is pretty typical pub fare, but with a low country twist.

Mahi Mahi Tacos

All-you can eat Fried Shrimp & Fries.

Dad and Ben spying turtles.

Saturday night-Chive Blossom Cafe.

This was the first time we dined at Chive Blossom, but we will be back--the food was awesome. The atmosphere is pretty loud, as the "line," where the food is pushed out and prepped for table-delivery is actually in the dining room, but it's a cool experience. I really liked it.

Chive Blossom Chopped Salad with candied pecans, dried cranberries, boiled egg, red onion, bacon and a citrus vinaigrette.

The "line"--right in the dining room. Loud, and probably off-putting to some, but really kinda cool in my opinion.

Grilled Vegetable Goat Cheese Ravioli special with a pesto broth--very tasty.

James' HUGE bone-in ribeye with a shallot butter and shoestring potatoes.

And finally- Sunday night- High Hammock Maverick Seaside Kitchen.

This place is a little pricier than the others, but they were also really accommodating with Benjamin, and the service was excellent. The desserts, (of which I have no pictures), were insane.

Wedge Salad (sans bacon, for me) with watermelon radish--beautiful, no?

Delicious local vegetable plate.

OK, enough, enough...I'm tired and feel full after this post, so I'm calling it done.
Bottom line- Pawley's has some awesome local fare and I'm very grateful to be able to go down there with my parents so that I can taste everything it has to offer.

Anyone have other Pawley's favorites?

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