Potlikker Film Festival: Charleston

Wednesday, March 2, 2011
5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Upstairs at McCrady's Restaurant
(2 Unity Alley, off East Bay Street)
$50/ticket

Charleston, SC - On March 2, on the eve of the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, the Southern Foodways Alliance will pitch its tent at McCrady’s Restaurant. On the menu: SFA-produced Lowcountry foodways films. Smart words. Good local drinks. Honest local foods. Cool music. Good company.

By way of Joe York-directed films, John Simpkins-crafted words, and the bass drum stylings of Mr. Jenkins, we will celebrate South Carolina food titans like Robert Barber, Buckshot Colleton, Emile DeFelice, Bertha Grant, and Glenn Roberts.

Sean Brock of McCrady’s and Husk, Robert Stehling of Hominy Grill, and Sarah O’Kelley of Glass Onion, will be our cooks for the evening. You’ll taste potlikker, squirrel gravy, and other delights. You'll sip oyster-flavored beer from local fave Coast Brewing. SFA founders Vertamae Grosvenor, Marion Sullivan, and Nathalie Dupree will hold court.

Tickets, priced at $50 per person, include food, drink, music, films, and, for a lucky few, a cool door prize. Available by advance purchase only. Click here to buy tickets.

O-Ku Opens for Lunch on Upper King

CHARLESTON, S.C.  – Lunch fare in downtown Charleston is about to get more interesting as O-Ku announces that it will open for lunch beginning Feb. 28, serving a diverse selection of Japanese cuisine and sushi from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Celebrating authentic Japanese cuisine with a contemporary spin, Executive Chef Sean Park’s lunch menu will feature appetizers, such as dumpling dimsum; sushi and sashimi selections, including Tasmanian salmon and Kanpachi yellowtail; specialty rolls such as the fire cracker roll and the salmon and lemon wrapped roll and a variety of combination choices. O-Ku will also offer a modern take on a traditional bento, a Japanese-style lunch box featuring an assortment of sides, salads, noodles and sushi for $10-$15.

As an added incentive to the neighborhood locals, O-Ku will offer a 10% discount to Upper King Street residents, students, and businesses on Mondays.

Appetizers:            
Miso soup
Edamame
Yellowtail carpaccio
Dumpling dimsum

Bento Box: 
Chicken Teriyaki Bento
Yakiniku (tender beef) Bento
Seafood Teriyaki Bento
Tofu Bento, with veggie roll
Sushi Bento, with 5 pieces of nigiri
Sashimi Bento, 6 pieces of sashimi
Sushi and Sashimi Bento, 4 pieces of nigiri, 6 pieces of sashimi

* Each Bento Box includes:
·        Mesclun salad with ginger carrot vinaigrette
·        Crab salad, avocado roll
·        Steamed glass noodle with sautéed mushroom, onion and carrot with a ginger garlic sweet soy    
sauce

Rolls: 
Potato Wrapped Roll
Fire Cracker Roll
Tuna Wrapped Roll
Salmon and Lemon Wrapped Roll
Rainbow Roll
Tuna Crunch Roll

Sushi Lunch includes ginger salad, choice of specialty roll and five pieces of nigiri.

Sashimi Lunch includes ginger salad, bowl of rice and 10 pieces of sashimi.

Sushi and Sashimi Lunch served with salad, choice of specialty roll, four pieces of nigiri and six pieces of sashimi.

For more information, please visit www.o-kusushi.com or call 843.737.0112.

Ovis Hill Farms Barn Raising

CHARLESTON, S.C.  – More than 400 people will fill the lawn of Lowndes Grove Plantation Feb. 20 as Patrick Properties, Lowcountry Local First and Keegan Farms host the Ovis Hill Farms Barn Raising event to benefit farmer Charlie Caldwell of Ovis Hill Farms, who tragically lost his barn and more than 500 of his prized animals in a fire this past December.

Guests at the event will enjoy an oyster roast prepared by Nico Romo of Fish restaurant from 1 to 4 p.m., as well as special dishes from 12 other Charleston chefs: Mike Lata of FIG, Sean Brock of McCrady’s and Husk, Ken Vedrinski of Trattoria Lucca, Frank Lee of S.N.O.B., Jeremiah Bacon of Oak Steakhouse, Craig Deihl of Cypress, Ricky Hacker of Evo, Fred Neuville of Fat Hen, Marc Collins of Circa 1886, Mike Lotz of Triangle Char and Bar, Ben Berryhill of Red Drum and Jacques Larson of Wild Olive. The afternoon will also feature live music by local singer Elise Testone.

Tickets for the event are $50 per person and include all food and entertainment (beer and wine are not included), and free for kids ages 10 and under, in the hopes of raising $20,000 to rebuild the Ovis Hill Farms barn and replace the lost livestock. 100% of the proceeds benefit Ovis Hill Farm! http://ht.ly/3W3cs

Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit at Fish

I just saw the menu for Fish's Chinese New Year Dinner next week, and I felt obliged to share! Make your reservations early to enjoy this quintessential Chinese meal that is sure to impress even the most jaded palate. I will definitely be in attendance.


Chef Nico and his team have created a special prix-fixe 4-course menu for $35, which will be offered in addition to the new winter menu.

First course - crab spring roll, fresh mint, noodles, carrots, daikon
Second course - pan-seared tilefish, sweet soy glazed noodles, local wok veggies
Third course - homemade peking duck, cashews, shiitakes, jasmine rice, cilantro, moo-shu pancake, sweet and spicy hoisin sauce
Dessert - basil rice milk ice cream, sweet red bean puree

Diners can also pair their meal with specialty sake and sake-inspired cocktails.

And, Fish will have a Chinese money tree in honor of the New Year, where guests can make donations to benefit local non-profit AFFA, the Alliance for Full Acceptance.

Reservations are highly recommended so call Fish at 843-722-3474. I am looking forward to partaking in the festivities!!

Better Than Crack Brownies

I tried these "Better than Crack" Brownies on Saturday. Ah-mazing. I'm not sure whether to thank my friend for introducing this recipe to me or hold it against her forever! No other brownie will ever hold a candle to these.

Better Than Crack Brownies:
1 box (18.25 Oz. Box) Brownies
Additional Required Ingredients Specified In Mix Package (typically Water, Eggs And Oil)
½ cups Salted Peanuts
1 cup Chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
1-½ cup Milk Chocolate Chips
1-½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter
½ Tablespoons Butter
1-½ cup Rice Krispie Cereal


Instructions:
- Mix brownies according to directions (you’ll typically need water, eggs and oil, as directed in mix package), and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Remove and top with peanuts and peanut butter cups, and bake for 4-6 minutes more.
- While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over the top.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Best Week of the Year! Charleston Restaurant Week January 14-22

It is that time of year again! Charleston Restaurant Association has announced the dates for Restaurant Week, and menus are up. I have done plenty of perusing already, so here is what I suggest based on the menus posted. Let me know what you try! I will follow-up with details about where I end up.

Tristan - http://www.mycharlestonrestaurants.com/cra/pdfs/tristan3for30.pdf

Circa 1886 - http://www.mycharlestonrestaurants.com/cra/pdfs/circa.pdf

Rice Market - http://www.mycharlestonrestaurants.com/cra/pdfs/ricemarket3for30.pdf

Carolina's - http://www.mycharlestonrestaurants.com/cra/pdfs/carolina.pdf

O-Ku - http://www.mycharlestonrestaurants.com/cra/pdfs/oku.pdf

Belgian in the District

Washington, D.C. is a melting pot, which aptly applies to all of the District's moving parts. From the people on the Metro, to the neighborhoods and restaurants, to the open air markets, our nation's capital provides a plethora of some of the best and most diverse eats and treats in the country.

If you crave it, you can find it. We wanted a hearty brunch, and Belga had it. Located on Barracks Row in Capitol Hill, I am not sure I could have named a famous Belgian food other than chocolate and waffles before eating at Belga. But who needs more than chocolate and waffles? Stuffed pastry cigars, mussels, duck confit, lamb burgers and more served in a style that is both old and new world. Belga is true to its roots, while infusing enough creativity to keep things interesting.

I had a chicken pita with garlic sauce that was extraordinary. That is rare to say about a chicken pita. For one, the presentation was gorgeous and the flavors were multi-dimensional. How? I'm still not sure. I tasted lots of fresh garlic and hints of nutmeg though. It was served with a yogurt-cucumber sauce. Other menu hits included a Croque Madame and a savory cornbread waffle with pulled pork and a poached egg. And of course, strong European coffee helps every hangover... =) They were slammed due to the Rally to Restore Sanity at the National Mall, but it was well worth the wait. It should also be noted that despite the fact they had been swamped all morning, our service was excellent. 

We also strolled through the Eastern Market in Capitol Hill near where my friend Anna lives. I am so jealous of cities that have farmers markets open daily. So, so much amazing stuff all in one place including fresh cheeses, meats, seafood, pasta, produce, flowers and on the weekends, handmade wares and local artisans. City of Charleston, this is my plea. 

We ate at We, the Pizza too, which is a favorite of the First Family and owned by Top Cheffer, Spike Mendelsohn. His burger joint next door is also a local favorite. I can't wait to venture back. Roaming the streets of Washington makes me want to try it all!

Belga Cafe

tin can art at Eastern Market

Country Funk (love)

Blowfish at Eastern Market (also on the menu at Hominy Grill!)