If I could live off of seafood and soul food, I would.
Nana's Seafood & Soul in Charleston, South Carolina, focuses on Gullah-Geechee cuisine.
"In 2011, Carolyn McNeil went for a routine mammogram and was later diagnosed with breast cancer. This wasn't her first bout with this often life threatening disease. She had an earlier encounter with the same disease fifteen years prior. Kenyatta McNeil, then 14, had no complete understanding of the disease. His only question to his mother was, "Are you going to die?" Carolyn assured her son that she would not leave him and that she was going to fight the disease to the end. Carolyn fought and she survived. Unfortunately. the disease would return but this time Carolyn had reinforced support from her son and daughter, Benia. Kenyatta, a merchant mariner, decided that he could not continue his career at the time knowing that his Mother was in a fight for her life for the second time. He decides its time to invest in a business so that he could still care for his family and be at his mother's side during her ordeal. In that Summer, Carolyn became a two-time breast cancer survivor and Nana's Seafood and Soul was founded. Named in memoriam of Elizabeth McNeil (Deceased), Carolyn's Mother And Kenyatta's Grandmother, who was affectionately called Nana, Nana's Seafood & Soul has grown to become a household name among others in Charleston's seafood, soul, and Gullah-Geechee cusine. We pride ourselves in serving the freshest seafood the waters of Charleston and the surrounding areas have to offer. Daily specials are offered so there is always a spread of delectable goodness. Stop in and give us the opportunity to fill your soul!"
I started with pineapple lemonade - oh my goodness!
And garlic shrimp that were so hot, but I braved it to peel them and taste all that freshness. Absolutely delish!
Located in Somerville, Celeste is known for its ceviche and Peruvian cuisine.
It is a tiny little restaurant and only has a single sign indicating its location, but it's been named to multiple best-of lists: Esquire's Best New Restaurants in America, Eater Boston's Restaurant of the Year, and more.
Luckily, we had reservations so we were seated right away and served with this little bite of salted corn nuts.
As for my meal, I had a tough time deciding because everything sounded so good.
But I started with the "causa de shrimp" which is a spicy potato terrine with shrimp. Mmm!
And for my main dish, I ordered "scallops con pasta a la huancaina," which was scallops with squid ink fettuccine and huancaina - a delicious creamy sauce.
Have you been?
The Glass Onion focuses on locally grown food and natural ingredients.
This Charleston, South Carolina, restaurant makes simple southern dishes - soups, salads, sandwiches, plates and sides.
This was one of many stops for me on this day, so I wanted to keep it simple. First, you order at the counter, find a seat and wait for your food. You pay afterward.
I went for the fried green tomatoes with pimiento cheese.
You just can't go wrong with this classic dish. I could eat these year-round!
Have you been?
My last fun Bow Market taste test was at Buenas Maxi Kiosko to try an empanada.
They feature a variety of rotating flavors that are both traditional and unique.
On this day, they had Spanish tuna, buenas beef, chicken & cheddar, root medley, humita (with corn, mozzarella and red pepper) and ham & cheese.
They all truly sounded good, but the ham & cheese just sounded different to me. Like an American mash-up with an empanada.
So tasty!
Typically, breakfast is my least favorite meal (mostly because I don't love eggs). But that changes when I can get shrimp & grits for breakfast.
At The Early Bird Diner, I did just that - smokey tomato bacon gravy with sauteed shrimp was calling my name.
This place was like a punk rock diner, and the food had a little bit of kick, too.
Another delicious find at Bow Market was Saus.
The small restaurant focuses on their fries and ton of sauces, as well as sandwich, hot dogs, bowls and an Impossible burger.
Kaitee and I split some fries and tried some sauces - my favorite was the roasted garlic. Here are some of the others they offer:
THE MAYOS
ROASTED GARLIC
SECRET SAUS
SMOKY CHIPOTLE
SPICY SAMBAL
GARLIC CHICKPEA MAYO (V)
THE CLASSICS
HERBED RANCH
HOT BEER MUSTARD (V)
CURRY KETCHUP (V)
TRUFFLE KETCHUP (V)
SWEET BILL'S BBQ (V)
WARM CHEDDAR ALE
GREEN + HERBY
SWEET CHILLI (V)
AVO-GODDESS (V)
COMPLIMENTARY
HOUSEMADE KETCHUP (V)
HOT SAUS (V)
Which is your favorite?
The Grocery is a very cool, trendy restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina.
It has a really cool vibe, with lively banter all about and low lighting for intimate conversation.
The menu features really creative produce, seafood and meat dishes.
To start, I had a spring water in the biggest glass bottle ever.
And then, it was some simple bread and butter.
Then onto the main dishes. First: Roasted Beets and Summer Berries with Arugula, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, Spiced Hazelnut.
Then, NC Squid & Spaghetti Nero - Calabrian Chilies, Lemon, Parsley, Spanish Chorizo.
Have you been?
While on my Boston trip this time, Kaitee and I ventured to Bow Market - an amazing little place full of pop-up restaurants and shops.
And when I saw a dozen little restaurants all next to each other, I was overjoyed at tasting bits from each of them. I didn't make it to all of them, but I did try a few!
Jaju Pierogi is one such restaurant that focuses on unique pierogi flavors made in a traditional Polish way.
I tried three different flavors: cabbage & mushroom, fig & goat cheese, and potato & cheese. Yes, give me all the pierogies all day. I really enjoyed the fig and goat cheese. But it's hard to beat a traditional potato & cheese.
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