Apr 21, 2010

Earl v. Food: Charleston

Got to check off another grub joint that I'd been drooling over since I saw it on Man v. Food on The Travel Channel.


We went to Hominy Grill (starting at 1:40 on the video) back in October for breakfast and it was incredible. I had some eggs and the sausage gravy over biscuits. I have to say that while it was great, it wasn't my favorite breakfast that I've had down there. I had breakfast at a place called Charleston's Cafe (in Mt. Pleasant, actually) that served fried eggs over fried green tomatoes smothered in sausage gravy with grits and biscuits. Holy crap! I need to have that once a week.

But for this trip we went to Bowen's Island Restaurant for the oysters that are shown starting at the 6:20 mark of the video above.  I loved the whole experience, but I was in the minority.  No one else in my party was overly thrilled with the joint.  They are in the process of remodeling and the place is kind of a wreck.  Crappy tables, crappy chairs, didn't look very clean and the band wasn't very good either.  And it's not overly clear what the ordering process is to a newcomer.  You head into one shack to order, another shack to eat (remembering to tell the oyster guy what you had ordered) and back into that first shack to pay once you are finished.  Same thing if you wanted another beer or two while eating dinner.  The joint was packed and there was no way for them to know whether or not we paid, but we did anyway.  I don't get it.

But the oysters were delicious!  I'm not a fan of oysters generally.  Gia loves them raw and I can have a few if they are small, but these steamed oysters were delicious.  They were very similar to steamed mussels in texture and taste.  Very clean, no sand at all in them.  And the whole process of eating them in clusters was unique and fun.  They served them with a watery cocktail sauce, but I just ate them right out of the shell.  They didn't need anything at all to fancy them up, although the rest of the gang thought some lemon or hot sauce would have been nice.  I finished up dinner with the frogmore stew, a batch of peel and eat shrimp with some steamed potatoes, corn and sausage.  Very good, but way too much food.

I would definitely go back, now knowing a little something about the joint.  Maybe bring some of our own lemons, hot sauce and oyster knives.  I would skip all the rest of the food and do all-you-can eat oysters.  A few cold beers to go along with them and I'd be just fine.  Yes, sir.
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Note: Remember to play the Bug-Eyed Trivia Challenge every day. Good gravy, that's good gravy!

20 comments:

Barlinnie said...

Raw oysters are best consumed by those familiar with winter colds, or ladies of a certain ill repute.

RW said...

I had to stop watching that show, though I know I could do the habanero wings one (I KNOW it), because I've got 19 more pounds to lose and this is a bad, bad, VERY bad influence.

Verdant Earl said...

Jimmy - It is an odd thing to eat, now isn't it?

Mrs. Hall said...

it was in the south, new orleans to be exact, that I first tasted sea food. before that I had been all girly and "I don like fish' about it.

it was there my attitude was rightly adjusted I tell you what!

YAY OYSTERS!!!

Verdant Earl said...

RW - Yeah, these food shows are the devil! And I probably couldn't do the hot wings challenge. I tried some atomic wings at some joint several years ago and I thought I was gonna die. The ones he tries on this show use ghost chilies...hawt stuff.

Verdant Earl said...

Holly - New Orleans is a great place to try new food, seafood in particular.

RW said...

I got some ghost chilies for Christmas! They're from India I think. Hottest known. Excellent in salsa. Just be careful.

hello haha narf said...

so glad you're having a blast!!!

Verdant Earl said...

RW - I'm a-scared of ghost chilies! I dig heat, but not that much.

Becky - Well, I had a blast...but I'm back to the real world now. :(

Slyde said...

i loves me some oysters....

the highlight of Key West for me (aside from you making a drunken pass at me), was all the great oysters

Heff said...

PAINFULL HUNGRY now. Thanks.

Verdant Earl said...

Slyde - All the fellas in Key West loved watching you slurp down those bad boys. Why do you think you kept getting hit on? Besides your come hither stares, I mean.

Heff - Better than the problem I got from looking at your site today. ;)

sybil law said...

Oysters aren't too bad, but that place sounds like a place I went to in Cape Cod? I don't really remember, now!! Maybe Ocean City?

Mrs. Hall said...

Wasn't Key West the place where Slyde wore the half shirt and short shorts?

Because seriously, you gotta reprint that.

it was awesome!

Verdant Earl said...

Sybil - could have been any place along the Eastern Seaboard and the Inter-Coastal Waterway, in particular.

Verdant Earl said...

Holly - Why reprint it when it's so much fun to re-read all my archives? ;)

Mrs. Hall said...

because the post of which I speak, it is tooo special to be hid in he archives.

you should print it for his birthday. because lord howdy that's good stuff.

and it would be done with love I say!

Verdant Earl said...

Holly - Reprinting posts is the sign of a lazy blogger. Hello! ;)

Bruce Johnson said...

You actually admit to watching the Travel Channel.......have you no shame?

Verdant Earl said...

Bruce - none.