Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

Hominy Grill

A Farewell to Greatness

Hominy Grill Bids Adieu

After a quarter century at the helm of Charleston’s culinary scene, Hominy Grill will serve its last platter of shrimp & grits and final slice of freshly whipped cream-topped buttermilk pie next week. For many, including me, it’s a very sad day, but in many ways a very understandable one.   Chef Robert Stehling, arguably one of Charleston’s most talented chefs, is also arguably one of her most humble chefs in a world where bravado and ego often stir their way into a muddled soup. He’s mastered and consistently delivered the perfect balance between the most important ingredients in any kitchen: using the freshest local produce and goods, clean technique, and restraint. That’s why things that may seem simple, say a chocolate pudding or a biscuit, become ethereal in his hands. Stehling’s biscuits, made fresh over and over every morning, are more like flaky, crunchy, layered southern scones than their oft served sweet, cake-like counterparts. They beg for butter, lots of it, and the fresh preserves presented in little ceramic pots on the paper-lined tables daily, blackberry please! Ask any chef worth his/her salt the most difficult meal to serve (in this case, all day long) and they’ll tell you it is breakfast. Eggs, unless they’re served in a custard or a cake, don’t do well served cold.

When I first encountered and fell in love with “The Hominy,” in 2000, it was still the little neighborhood restaurant in the medical district largely undiscovered by the world outside of Charleston.  A kind of Charleston Cheers, one frequently saw neighbors or the priest from the Episcopal church around the corner or doctors in scrubs.  The food was just as delicious then. In time, Stehling would get recognized with national press and a long-overdue James Beard Award in 2008.  Dinner service was scratched and replaced with breakfast and lunch, and wisely, breakfast all day. The space was enlarged and by now the masses gathered and hovering daily were served delicious cocktails bobbing with fresh herbs and ingenuity while they awaited their seat at the Hominy holy grail. Still, Stehling was nearly always there, in the kitchen, sprinkling his magic dust, long after having reached the success where many another chef might leave the trench work to others.  And, the food is still as remarkable as ever.

I felt compelled to drive by the other day after Hominy Grill’s imminent April 28 closure was made public. It was about 9:30 a.m. on a Wednesday. My heart ached for a quieter time, days not so long ago where I may be able to slip in and get a seat without a wait, without a lot of fanfare. Just a simple supper of buttery, mellow squash casserole or sweet/acidic tomato pie chased with the most authentic cup of she-crab soup in Charleston, perhaps the entire Lowcountry. But, it was not to be.  The crowds were already there and I decided to drive on by.

Stehling, in his sage, quiet way, pointed out in an exit interview that everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  As much as the crowds must have pleased, for an artist such as him, they must have been something of a drain. The masses that came to eat a celebrated Big Nasty, just so they could say they did it, as opposed to really settling in and savoring it. One wonders if some missed the pure love in the food here, the artistry, the perfect freshness of the ingredients.    Surely, most did not. I will miss Hominy Grill, but wish Stehling, his staff, and his family a future filled with wonder, joy and some welcome and well-deserved relaxation.  For indeed, every ending affords a new beginning.

Hominy Grill’s celebrated, silky, Buttermilk Pie.

 

Master Chef Robert Stehling, the magic behind Hominy Grill’s greatness.

 

 

 

Hominy Grill’s Shrimp & Grits were always made with plump, local, briny shrimp and coarse ground grits. Best in town. Bar none.

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Best Four Charleston Restaurants and Their Best Dishes

Absolutely Not-to-Be Missed Epicurean Delights in Charleston

At least once a week and probably more often than that during peak season, I get asked by friends, family, visitors, students and people on the street about the best restaurants in Charleston. The next question is invariably, “What should I order?” These are both tough questions to answer when you consider the broad range in taste, budget and even location these people usually represent. But, as a tough professional and personal food critic and trained chef, I always go to the ground rules. For me, these include chefs and kitchen staffs that utilize restraint, balance, and pristine technique in their dishes, use only the best and freshest ingredients, and execute both of these elements on a consistent (as in every time) basis.  In addition, the spaces need to  be immaculate and pleasant and have a professional and informed staff to make my must-do recommendation list.

Of course, in Charleston, there are many that do. But, there are only four that always do that I know of: FIG, Charleston Grill, Little Jack’s Tavern, and Hominy Grill. Each of these gems create the stuff of dreams, daily. Some of them inhabit my own, frequently. And, all of them are places I recommend without hesitation to anyone who asks. Everything is perfect at each of these places, but I’m going to tell you my favorites and why because I don’t want anyone to go through this life without sampling them, because life is too short to miss this kind of deliciousness – the kind that makes breaking any diet rule worth it, at least once.

FIG

A star almost since it opened in 2003, this now super star and James Beard-winning destination at the corner of Meeting and Hasell Streets in downtown is almost impossible to book, it’s become that famous.  A master of restraint and technique, Chef and Partner Mike Lata has curated some of the best talent and instilled the same crafts within, most notably with super talented and affable Executive Chef Jason Stanhope.  If you don’t think ahead to make reservations, try a seat at the comfortable bar (best bet is early or late to ensure seating) and order the silky chicken liver pate. Served with cool and sweet bread and butter pickles, imported French Dijon, and brioche toast points, it’s infinitely better than the very best foie gras, a more humane preparation, and a much better buy at $15. I never want the little square of French perfection to be finished. Add the Yukon Gold potato puree ($10) side to your go-ahead-and-do-it list. It’s smoother than butter and cream, and lovingly fortified with both, but the airy puree of golden potatoes spontaneously lifts every spoonful closer to ethereal heights.  In recent years, the restaurant’s made award-winning improvements to its wine list, too. Locally sourced pristine fish and produce all shine on the menu.

Charleston Grill

Leading the special event dining destination pack since I moved here in 2000 and before,  Charleston Grill remains that white linen tablecloth experience and more. It is jazzy, sexy, cosmopolitan, and subdued, and an ideal destination with  go with a group or all alone to enjoy the live jazz and outstanding service. You won’t feel alone. You’ll feel sublimely pampered in the expert hands of Executive Chef Michelle Weaver and General Manager Mickey Bakst. A star player on the dinner menu and the bar menu, the fluffy, crisp, and tender crab cake is the not-to-be-missed specialty here. As Weaver has described them to me, “One bite is like tasting a mouthful of the Lowcountry.” The golden cakes are all crab and taste all of that plus sweet and buttery and expertly dressed with creek shrimp and a lime tomato vinaigrette.  Sit and stay awhile. You may very well build up an appetite for another.

Exquisite Charleston Grill Crab Cake with Creek Shrimp and Lime Tomato Vinaigrette

Little Jack’s Tavern

This is the place I always take guests to when they’re in town, not only because it will please them, but because, like a greedy little lady version of Wimpy, I’m always craving their Tavern Burger, and really every single thing on their menu. Everything is perfect. The menu is abbreviated, but chock full of nostalgic American, Rat Pack-era bravado and friendly, neighborhood service. Parking is easy (and always welcome), but the “baby” burger as I call it, not the double version, is the number one (closely followed by the first-class service) reason to come here.  The 1/2″-thick patty emanates ground in-house freshness and just enough fat to enhance the sweet flavor of the “Tavern” sauce and tender, griddled onions. Nestled on a soft bun, custom made and baked daily in-house it, it drips with fully melted, wonderfully mild American cheese. It’s so sublime, it’s even on their dessert menu for those that want one more. Also outstanding here, steak tartar, all of the salads, baked egg, fries, and house cocktails, especially the Bee’s Knees.

Hominy Grill

Saving the best for last, Hominy Grill is my most recommended and favorite restaurant in Charleston. That’s because it possesses all the qualities I demand (and outlined at the top of the story), but adds elegant, authentic and homey Southern food (what most people come to Charleston to sample) for both breakfast and lunch in an adorable single house prepared by a man that has to be the one of the world’s most humble and hands-on and talented chefs, Chef/Owner Robert Stehling. His training comes from his childhood in North Carolina and later stints at celebrated Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill and some of Manhattan’s best before he brought it all home to Charleston.

I break all the rules here – diet, budget, restraint. If I had the foresight to know what my last meal on earth would be, I would make sure it was here and I would order a cup of  she crab soup, a bowl of the shrimp and grits, a high rise biscuit with butter and house made preserves and for dessert, the chocolate pudding or the buttermilk tart, or both. Each of these are examples of some of the best food in Charleston, and arguably, the world. The shrimp are utterly Lowcountry local, rife with the sweet, briny flavor for which they’re known and settled on a bed of stone ground cheese grits with a simple, slightly lemmony mixture of mushrooms, scallions and bacon. The chocolate pudding, as a North Carolina- bred friend of mine used to say, is the best thing I ever put in my mouth. Dark, deep chocolate and silky smooth it (like the tart/sweet heavenly buttermilk pie) comes topped with a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream.

All of this ambrosia comes with a price – fame, and ensuing long lines. Best time to come is just before 9 a.m. on a weekday morning. You’ll likely get in the queue in short order and you can make an excuse to sip one of Hominy’s also delicious house Bloody Mary’s on the front patio.

Hominy Grill’s world-class and utterly authentic shrimp and grits is served all day. Get some!

Quite possibly the world’s best biscuit. Feel free to slather with the succulent house made preserves.

Now you know my list. Go out and make your own when you’re in town. Charleston is full of the good stuff! I’ve featured each of these four in my latest cookbook, The New Charleston Chef’s Table Cookbook (Globe Pequot Press, May, 2018). along with many others. You can find recipes for Michelle Weaver’s crab cakes and Little Jack’s steak tartar, too. But, even better to go in person.

Bon appetit! Enjoy Charleston and don’t hesitate to write and tell me about your favorites, too.

Holly

 

 

 

 

 

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Seeing Charleston with New Eyes

A Fresh Take on an Old Friend

No matter how wonderful, perfect, or beautiful a person, place (i.e. Charleston), job, relationship, or just about anything starts out, it’s easy to take any of these for granted and fail to really see or recognize why you fell in love with them in the first place. Stress, rushing, bad attitude and plain old not stopping to smell the roses can take its toll on perspective.  As wonderful as the last two years have been in my life, they have been very busy. So busy, I was starting to feel grumpy and rushed about too many things, including the city I fell in love with at first sight and have called home for nearly twenty years. Recognizing this, I made a personal vow to take some time to recharge my spirit, mind, soul, take better care of my health, and more time with family, friends and my pets.

Nearly two months into my self-prescribed recharge initiative,  I’ve lost seven pounds, am sleeping better than ever, feeling extra creative and productive, and enjoying life and Charleston with renewed vigor. The other day, while walking down East Bay Street near Broad, the morning sun lovingly cast upon the mostly 19th-century roof lines, it seemed as if I had never seen them, really seen them, in their purest and most tangible form as I did at that moment. Later that same week, a friend I haven’t seen in thirty years came to town for a visit.  Turns out, Deb and I are in the same place; re-assessing our lives and priorities. She’s looking for potential new places to live (at least part time), so thought she’d give Charleston a whirl. Naturally, I found myself wanting to show Charleston off, and in a most unexpected and delicious turn of events,  ended up with a renewed appreciation for my hometown.

Friday morning began with a brisk walk on the beach with my dog Rocky and a spin by Bowen’s Island restaurant to show Deb the tumbledown seafood shack that embodies Charleston and especially Folly Beach with mollusk and hush puppy aplomb. She spied something I never had before, Charleston Outdoor Adventures and kayak tours. I’d never been on a kayak and had never even known about this location for taking them So, we signed up! I felt as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve.  Next stop, was a walking tour downtown, and lunch at one of my personal favorites, Little Jack’s Tavern. I felt compelled to introduce Deb to the justifiably famous Little Jack’s Tavern Burger and the cool vibes of this neat little cosmopolitan spot with cheerful Charleston charm.  All juicy and packed with flavor and glazed with its signature, secret sauce, it somehow seemed to taste better than ever as we laughed our way through thirty years of memories, some shared and some lived individually and shared over the meal and throughout the weekend.

Little Jack’s Tavern Burger, petite but packs a powerful flavor and texture punch.

A warm summer Friday night for two baseball fans seemed like a fitting way to wrap the afternoon at Joe Riley Baseball Park for some all American fun and (as Deb was hoping) a possible Bill Murray sighting.  Well, the latter didn’t happen, but a magnificent pink and purple and blue cotton candy sunset did over the marshes at the rear of the park and we watched the likes of players with names like Gage Cunning (fodder for my novel’s lead character’s name) smash the ball around the park and mascots bumping into each other and acting silly. Beer and brisket sandwiches provided sustenance for our bellies, while the charming little park, feel-good sports fans, a rocking fireworks display, and witty banter fed our souls.

Good times at The Joe.

Saturday arrived in a flash and I was up before dawn preparing the our kayak tour with Charleston Outdoor Adventures.  A quick tutorial with our handsome guide Josh and we were in the saltwater estuary waters behind Folly Beach. A rocky glide across open water went fairly well until our group of five kayak pros and kayak virgin me tried to negotiate our way through a narrow, serpentine slip of water. I felt like I was leaving an aorta and entering a capillary as my poor boat lined itself up horizontally in the flow, nose and tail firmly plugged into the marsh grasses. I was motionless, breathless, and slightly scared.  None the less, I was not too proud to flail my oar in the air and meekly cry “help” to the group three turns farther down the path.  Josh arrived like the kayak savior he was, pulling out a large hook and line to attach to the tip of my kayak.  “Oh my God, you’re not my own personal kayak tugboat are you, Josh?” Yes, was the response, but don’t worry it wasn’t the first time.

Seriously humbled and blushed with shame and exertion, eventually I was able to figure out how to negotiate the rudder pedals and re-joined the group in the open waters, just in time to catch a grounded old shrimping boat and a pod of dolphins.   Josh explained that female dolphins (what we were witnessing) typically live sixty years, while males live only fifty. The pristine world where we were watching them play was custom made for their lifestyle and playground, largely created and protected by the barrier islands that surround Charleston. It was a morning I’ll not soon forget and my arm and shoulder muscles, three days later, still possess significant recall.

Charleston Outdoor Charleston Outdoor Adventures is an eco-friendly outdoor activities resource center located on Folly Beach.

Later that day, we headed back into town for a ride with Ross of Palmetto Carriage through the French Quarter and lower peninsula.  Probably my 20th carriage tour, I learned some things I didn’t know, such as how a boat had smashed into two houses on East Bay during the hurricane of 1911, completely destroying them, and reminded myself again how beautiful the old mansions look in the ebbing light of day, cool afternoon breezes refreshing our spirits anew. There was more on our robust to-do list that got done, such as a “sip and stroll” to The Pavilion Bar, Anson, and The Blind Tiger, and breakfast at The Hominy Grill Sunday morning, enjoying what surely must be the best shrimp and grits and she crab soup in town, if not the entire world.

After eating Hominy Grill’s exquisitely simple and pure shrimp and grits, Deb declared she’s never eating farm raised shrimp again.

Three nights, two and a half days, several great meals, a massive lightning storm, Thursday night book club with delicious food and great gals, even more great adventures, and I don’t know how many laughs later,  I’d re-found two friends. A Charleston I had partly forgotten and a friendship of thirty years refreshed.  And, Deb made a new friend in my little puppy, Rocky Rocken Roll, who practically would not let her go home.

Rocky giving hugs to his new best friend.

 

Lesson learned – remember to savor life and take no moments, no place, or no one for granted. And, when  you come to or visit Charleston, savor all she has to offer.

Bon appetit!

Holly

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Turnips, Parents, and the March of Time

Every spring, my parents make their annual trek from their winter home in Naples, FL to their summer home in Kansas City. Along the  winding Amtrak railways they make a stop first in Charleston to visit me for about a week, and then head up to Boston to do the same with my twin sister, Heather. It’s a familial tradition that always includes lots of laughs, a few tears, lots of delicious food, lots of wine, lots of long walks, and countless hands of Hearts.

Mom and Dad, affectionately known as Hen and Herb, completed the Charleston leg of their journey two days ago.  All the usual suspects were at play, including lunch at two of my mothers favorite restaurants, Hominy Grill and Magnolias. And, even though she is loathe to deviate from her preferred Charleston restaurant path, Hen (and less reluctantly, Herb) agreed to try some of my newer favorites, including Zen Asian Fusion and Martha Lou’s Kitchen. Of course, there were many meals at my kitchen table, which Hen and Herb, sweetly, declared “the best of all.”

Enjoying lunch in my kitchen with my sweet, hungry dog Tann Mann, Hen, and Herb.

 

But, there was a new,  sad element at play on this occasion. It was evident in my Dad’s and dog’s slowing gaits, my Mother’s increased nap time, and my own aching shoulder. It was even more evident in conversations, many heavily peppered with memories of those long passed, like my Nanna, and those of recent passing, like several of Hen and Herb’s friends. But, it was most evident to me as I sat with my father at a Riverdogs game and watched my nearly 80 year-old father beam with the joy of the small boy he was almost as many years ago when he met his idol, Babe Ruth, and began a life-long love of baseball.  He loved explaining the game to me, and even as he did, I realized with powerful clarity that I wouldn’t always have my Dad or Mom. Tears seeped from my eyes as he described the job of “The Closer,” even as I squeezed my Mom’s hand that much tighter during the fireworks she so loves.

Of course, I’ve always known we won’t always be together in this life, but it really hit home on this trip. Father Time is catching up with all of us. All the more reason to appreciate what we have while we have it, and boy, do I. The house has been painfully silent the last few days as I’ve re-lived the many memories of this past visit both while waking and in dreams. Reality struck this morning, again, when I finally decided to get on the scale after all of that indulgence. The numbers told a cruel, three pound weight gain story.

Small matter, nothing that salads and lots of veggies won’t cure. The recipe that follows is one of my favorites from Southern Farmers Market Cookbook that is the perfect seasonal ticket for light and delicious eating, using two of spring’s sweetest, onions and fresh, creamy turnips, one of my Nanna’s favorites. Both elegant and simple, it’s perfect for early spring entertaining. And, it’s so healthy, it will help stave off Father Time and create memories to last a life time, like my past week with Hen and Herb.

Creamy White Turnip Soup with Spring Onions and Roasted Garlic. Photo by Rick McKee.

 

Creamy White Turnip Soup with Spring Onions and Roasted Garlic

(Serves 4 to 6)

1 head roasted garlic

1 bunch (about 4 cups) white turnips, peeled (outer layer discarded), and cut into 2-inch cubes

1 medium spring onion, root and green top trimmed to 1-inch lengths from the bulb and cut into 8 wedges

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 slices prosciutto, cut into thin strips and 1-inch lengths

1/4 cup creme fraiche or whole cream

Green onion tops to garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim the top of the garlic and wrap with foil. Place in the middle of the oven and roast until soft to the touch, about 30 to 45 minutes. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out the soft pulp by pressing the blade of a chef’s knife against the bulb to release the roasted flesh; discard the papery casing.

Place the garlic, turnips, onions, and chicken stock in a large saucepan. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the turnips are tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the stove and puree until smooth with a handheld blender or food processor. Return the soup to the pan. Add the nutmeg, prosciutto, and creme fraiche. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring to blend. Taste and adjust seasonings as required. Garnish with a sprinkling of freshly chopped green onions and serve immediately.

Note: This soup can be prepared in advance and frozen or stored in the refrigerator. However, if you plan to do so, add the cream just before serving, not before storing.

Bon appetit!

 

 

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