Wild Olive

Wild Olive has been on my radar for years. I've always heard such good things about it but haven't ever committed to going. Once Will and I went to the Commune dinner where Jacques Larson was one of the guest Chefs, I knew we had to make it over to Wild Olive. Most of you who read my blog and those of you who know me on a personal level know about my love for pasta. If I had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life, it would be pasta. Needless to say, I was excited to try out Wild Olive's pasta dishes. 

My little sister came into town from Atlanta and wanted to try somewhere new. She has become quite the foodie these days. Will and I were wracking our brains with all the new places and the many options we had. Then Lindsay said she was craving Italian. Our first thought was Obstinate Daughter (Larson's other restaurant new to Sullivans Island) but we had just gone with my in laws and knew it would be impossible to get a table so last minute. Although Wild Olive was not new, it was new to all three of us and Lindsay was on board to give it a try. 

We started with the mushroom bruschetta and a salad. The bruschetta was made with mushrooms, parsnips, cheese, arugula, pecans and a truffle oil. It was as good as it sounds. The bread was the perfect texture so when you took a bite it all didn't completely fall apart. The flavors were earthy and it had a lot of depth, but the salad takes the cake. The salad was a special that night and didn't sound like anything I haven't had before but the waiter was raving about it so we decided to give it a try. It was your typical apple with gorgonzola pairing of flavors but the dressing brought it home. Instead of gorgonzola crumbles on top, the dressing was made with the cheese and it was so good. To this day, I cannot pinpoint what was so good about it but all three of us couldn't get enough.

Lindsay and I split two pastas and Will ordered his own. When the pastas arrived to the table, Lindsay noticed that we received a pasta that wasn't ordered. There was a mix up with the order, so long story short, we ended up splitting three pastas! Yes, we paid for all three, but it was worth it. For once, we left with leftovers!

Above is the pappardelle (my most favorite type of noodle!) with guanciale, mushrooms, arugula and parmesan. It was melt in your mouth good. The pasta was perfectly al dente. The mushrooms selected were meaty and held their own against the guanciale which added a nice salty flavor along with the parmesan. The arugula added some greens with a peppery note. Aside from wanting more arugula, this was the perfect pasta dish. I would order this again in a heart beat. 

Below is the traditional gnocchi, which we didn't oder but received happily. I was glad that I was able to try out their marinara which tasted similarly to what I would make. No sugar, just the basics. It was exactly what I expected which was refreshing. The gnocchi itself was pillowy and light. It was perfectly texturally as well.

Below is the short rib special gnocchi that we did order. It swiftly took the first place trophy, just by passing the mushroom tagliatelle by a hair. This is a perfect dish for a cold night. You could tell that the short ribs had been cooking for a long time with a lot of love. The gnocchi was just as I previously described but I loved it even more in this dish as it perfectly juxtaposed the short ribs. It was such a well rounded, perfectly flavored dish. I would love to TRY and replicate this dish one day. If you are at Wild Olive and are so lucky that the short rib gnocchi is a special that night, order it.

Will ordered the traditional bolognese which was made with tagliatelle (also one of my favorite types of pasta). The bolognese was made with ground pork and veal. The restaurant chose to note on the menu that the bolognese, as traditional bolognese does, contains white wine and milk which I thought was odd/interesting. I would love to know why they chose to list it that way. Anyway, The dish was delicious and Will ate every last bite feeling satisfied.

Do you think we ordered enough food??

The star of the night

 My sister, Lindsay and I - fat and happy! 

It was a delicious meal that I still think about. I can't get back soon enough. Saving money for future trips is really cramping my style because I could really go for some of that pasta right now! Anyway, if you're in the area, or even if you're not- go to Wild Olive. I can promise you that you will leave a happy customer. Ciao!

Commune Dinner- December

This was our second dinner with the Commune of Charleston. If you aren't familiar with the Commune, check out my other post first! The chefs for this dinner at Palmetto Brewery were Kevin Johnson of The Grocery and Jason Stanhope of FIG. With that line up, we knew this was a Commune dinner not to be missed!

The night started with a drink, (of course!) and a tour of the Palmetto Brewery. You could get one of Palmetto's draft beers or the specialty cocktail done by Cathead Vodka. It was called Fall'ing Down: Rayun Syrah Mulled Cider Sangria Spike with Cathead Vodka. It was a tad sweet but delicious and packed a mean punch! Two of these and you were feeling good and didn't notice how cold it was outside (maybe that was the goal). 

                       

                       

First Course:

A duck liver mezzelune, which is a semi-circular stuffed pasta- similar to ravioli, with a duck consommé with autumn vegetable and mushrooms.

It was a great way to start out the meal, because it was a seated dinner outside the brewery and it was a cold night. The soup warmed me right up.

It was paired with a glass of Roc du Manoir Cotes de Castillon (2011)

Second Course:

Pancetta wrapped Amberjack (a local fish), with Pilsner scented seafood chowder

Charred broccoli in a green olive vinaigrette and anchovy bread crumbs

Ragout of field peas and farro

This was paired with the Palmetto Pilsner

The second course's highlight was the ragout of field peas and farro. It was perfectly seasoned and was nice and hearty. The Amberjack was also perfectly cooked and the seafood chowder was unique and created a more interested dish than just being served the fish. It was creative and beautiful. 

Third Course:

Righteous Ranch Mulefoot Whole        Hog Bo Ssam 

Raw Oysters

Paired with Palmetto Ghost Rider

Bo Ssam is a Korean dish of slow cooked pork, highlight being the pork belly, that is served with many sides including garlic, onion,  ssamjang (wrap sauce), saeujeot (pickled, fermented shrimp) and kimchi (spicy/sour fermented cabbage). You eat the meat and sides in the leaves of lettuce, in our case bibb lettuce. Bossam literally means  "wrapped". 

This was my absolute favorite. For those of you who follow my blog, this probably doesn't surprise you, as you know I love Asian cuisine. The flavors that were created when making these deliciously packaged lettuce wraps from Heaven cannot be justly described. Will and I couldn't stop eating them.

          Fourth Course:

Kitchen sink sundaes with Espresso Porter Ice Cream

Paired with Palmetto Espresso Porter

This dessert was good and the ice cream was very well made and tasty, but I felt it was little bit of a "cop out" dessert. I understand they made the ice cream and that is a process in and of itself, but the rest was "the kitchen sink". It was good, but nothing that left me inspired.  

Unique to our first experience, there was a band performing throughout the event which was so fun. They were great and amped up the atmosphere of the dinner.

It was yet another great night hosted by the Commune. It was a little cold to be in an outdoor venue but that did not take away from the deliciousness that was served. At times it was hard to see what you were eating due to the venue being dimly lit, but that goes along with the creative venues that these dinners take place in. I am waiting with great anticipation to see the 2015 schedule for the Commune dinners and hope they don't wait too long before hosting the next dinner.  

Wings & Alabama White Sauce

Was there ever a more perfect Superbowl meal than chicken wings?! For Christmas Eve, my Mom has always done heavy h'orderves. Will and I were put in charge of the wings this year. Our favorite wings are the wings from Hometeam BBQ. If you haven't had them, you should. I'm not a big wing person, but I cannot leave that wonderful establishment without having at least one wing. And the Alabama White Sauce- oh boy! Finger licking good. 

So anyway, Will made the wings and I found a recipe for the Alabama White Sauce. For a first try, we did pretty good, but it will take a lot more experimentation to even come close to the Hometeam wings. So for now, this is a delicious recipe, but will need more tweaking to reach the standards of our favorite. 

Hope you enjoy them!

The brine (post draining the liquid)

After the brine, before the rub

Grilled Wings

The Alabama White Sauce

Chicken Wings and Alabama White Sauce

Ingredients

For the brine:

1/2 cup of salt

2 tablespoons of peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1 quartered orange

1 quartered lemon

2 cups of Apple Cider Vinegar

4 cups of WARM Water (or enough to cover the wings)

For the chicken wings:

2 dozen wings/drumsticks

1/2 cup of brown sugar

4 tablespoons of ground mustard

4 tablespoons of Cumin

4 tablespoons of Tarragon

4 tablespoons of Cayenne Pepper

1/2 cup of salt

For the Alabama White Sauce:

1 cup of mayonnaise

1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon of hot chili paste

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon of celery seeds

1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 cup of water

S + P

Directions

1.  Combine all of the ingredients of the brine (salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, orange, lemon, apple cider vinegar and warm water) in a large container. Stir until the salt dissolves, then add in the chicken. Brine the chicken overnight (or a minimum of 4 hours).

2. Drain the brine from the wings and lay them out on a flat surface. Pat each wing dry with paper towels.

3. Stir together the brown sugar, ground mustard, cumin, tarragon, cayenne pepper and salt. Half the spice mixture and set aside.

4. Put a dozen wings in a brown paper bag with HALF of the spices/rub and shake. Do the same for the other dozen. They are now ready for the grill.

5. Set up the grill for indirect heat. Smoke the wings at 225 degrees F for about 90 minutes, turning them once halfway through.

6. While the chicken wings are grilling, make the Alabama White Sauce simply by combining all ingredients. 

Enjoy!

Adapted from: Bon Appetit 

The Mason Jar : Lowcountry Cooking

Recently, my friend went home to Maryland and was sending me pictures of crab cakes. Crab is my most favorite seafood. I looooove a good crab cake, so when I read in the City Paper that The Mason Jar serves up some hefty crab cakes, my mind was made up to head there asap. I had never heard of The Mason Jar before I read about it. 

I am not the type to crave a meat & 3 but I definitely appreciate good, southern cooking, especially when it involves seafood.  The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" definitely applies to this situation. When Will and I pulled up in the car, we were second guessing our decision to check out The Mason Jar. Its in a strip mall type area and is nothing to look at from the outside. 

   

The inside is nothing to get excited about either, but its fitting for a "diner" type setting. But let's be honest, we didn't come here expecting anything but good, southern cooking. We were greeted by a very friendly staff who's mission was to make sure you were on the receiving end of a delicious meal. 

There were so many things I wanted to try. I ended up going with the seafood platter, with fried fish and a crab cake. I knew it was going to be a lot of food so I skipped the shrimp, which could be added on. The fish was flaky and perfectly cooked- it wasn't greasy at all. The crab cake was perfect. It was exactly what I was wanting and was served with a remoulade sauce, that had quite the kick to it. It was delicious and really hit the spot. It was a really good portion, too. 

The platter will come with either corn bread or hushpuppies. As you can see, I chose the hushpuppies which were nicely done with corn kernels on the inside- very savory and delicious with their homemade tartar sauce. Lastly, you get TWO sides on the platter as well. The cole slaw I ordered was the cole slaw you expect and it was crunchy, fresh and had the perfect balance with the mayonnaise dressing. The potato salad was bland- don't order that. 

Will ordered the Hog Dog - a hot dog with bacon, pulled pork and topped with slaw. The bacon was crispy, the bread was toasted and it hit the spot for him. I had a bite and thought it was as delicious as it sounds. The slaw is a must as it breaks up the texture of the three meats, adding a cold, crunchy freshness. He got the fries as a side which were ok- standard french fries, nothing special.

                  

Will we go back? If we are in the area, yes. It was delicious, traditional Lowcountry cooking that was executed really well. It was nice to eat this type of cuisine without all of the grease associated with it. If you are in the area, its definitely worth stopping by! They have an all you can eat buffet Thursday nights and a seafood buffet on Fridays. Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

Boxcar Betty's - The Ultimate Chicken Sandwich

I've been hearing such good things about Boxcar Betty's. It been on my radar for months and months. Living downtown, it's too easy to stay on the peninsula and never go to the same place twice. Today, Will and I committed to heading to Boxcar Betty's (New Years resolution or NOT!) and we are happy we did so! 

We had a late lunch and are having a big dinner so we decided to split (gasp!) the Boxcar Chicken Sandwich. We also ordered the hand cut fries and fried pickles. 

I would like to note that when we got there around 1:45/2pm almost all of the tables were full and when we were leaving, people were pouring in. The word is definitely out on their delicious, antibiotic free fried chicken. The restaurant is eco friendly, too, which I love!

We left feeling full, but I wanted so badly to taste more of that delicious sandwich SO I will most definitely be back for the full monty soon! 

It's a very lightly fried piece of chicken with spicy mayo, peach coleslaw, pickles and pimiento cheese. Crunchy, sweet, salty, savory, cheesy and delicious! It is the ultimate chicken sandwich. I was so surprised by how light the batter was on the chicken (and the frickles!). I didn't leave feeling like a grease ball. I wish I had ordered a side of the peach salsa to analyze it further. The bites I had of the not-too-sweet peachy slaw left me with a desire for more.

The bread was light and fluffy and also had a sweetness to it. The proportion of chicken and filling in the sandwich to the bread was perfect. It was enough bread to keep the sandwich together but not an overpowering amount. 

The frickles and fries are worth mentioning as well. Not too greasy and full of flavor. The fries were exactly what I was hoping they would be. The ranch served with the frickles was delicious and someone even came by to check on us and brought us more- please and thank you!

Perfection.

If you haven't made the trip, I strongly urge you to do so! It was worth it. I will definitely be back- no halfsies next time!!

Prohibition

My friends and I had a girls night recently. We wanted to try somewhere we had never been together. We try to go to a new place each time we all eat together. My friend Susanne had been to Prohibition for her birthday recently and enjoyed it, so we decided to head back. This would be my first time eating at Prohibition. It has a pretty good bar scene at night and I had been a few times for drinks but never to eat.

All of us like to eat (a lot) so naturally we started out with an entree to share. (Isn't that how you start your dinners?) We ordered the macaroni and cheese which is cooked with chorizo, bacon, mushrooms and is finished with brioche breadcrumbs. It was good. It was different than your standard mac and cheese, but not too different that it didn't satisfy the craving. I'm not sure I would order it for my entree, but it was tasty. 

For my main squeeze (entree), I ordered the Carolina Roll. It was a brioche roll stuffed with a blue crab and shrimp salad, which was given a kick with a chile aioli and was then topped with fried oysters. This is my heaved and it was awesome. All of the seafood was cooked perfectly and the salad was perfectly balanced and didn't have too much mayonnaise. They delivered to me exactly what I was hoping for. And for the amount of seafood given in this roll, I though the price was on point. It also came with a pip (side) in which I ordered the bell pepper hash which was also very tasty. The potatoes were cooked perfectly through and through, and their was a nice balance between them and the bell peppers. It was served with a Sriracha hollandaise- YUM! I was very pleased with my meal. 

My friends ordered the fish tacos and duck quesadilla. Both were thoroughly enjoyed. 

We were surprised with complimentary desserts. A vanilla creme brûlée and a blueberry basket. The creme brûlée was good, standard. The blueberry basket was superb- a creme brûlée french toast, stuffed with blueberry ice cream. I would recommend it if you're wanting to top of your meal with something sweet!

With a name like Prohibition, you can't skip over the drinks. Their specialty is the cocktails, and they have a wide selection. I had two different cocktails and they were both great. I'm a vodka drinker- so I had the Itty Bitty, which was a tad sweet, followed by one of the cocktail specials for the night. 

 Its a great place to go for some drinks to start out your night. They usually have a band playing on the stage and have a swing band parading through the restaurant on the weekends! The atmosphere is perfect for a pregame, happy hour after work or a night out for dinner.

If you're looking for a good meal and great spirits with a great atmosphere, I would recommend Prohibition. I've only been once, but it was a great experience and I'll definitely come back. Its not the first place I would take out of town guests, but its a great place to throw into the mix of places to go eat and enjoy some inspiring cocktails. 

Lee Lee's Hot Kitchen, just a regular Chinese restaurant?

Comparing Lee Lee's Hot Kitchen to Red Orchid or other Chinese establishments in town is easy for me to do. I've read articles and reviews of people saying that Lee Lee's is nothing special. I could not disagree more.

Walking into the restaurant itself is enough to set it apart on looks alone. The decor is beautiful and the atmosphere lively. Once you have some of their dishes I don't know how someone could call it "more expensive Chinese American food". Lee Lee's is authentic and it is very apparent that they are utilizing high quality ingredients, which are skillfully crafted and were thoughtfully put together. Their drink menu is nothing to overlook, either.

I thoroughly enjoy Lee Lee's. Actually, that's probably an understatement. I seem to find myself eating it every Sunday. It has become quite the Sunday night ritual. Whether its eating in or taking out, I enjoy it every time. Lee Lee's Hot Kitchen opened early this year by way of Karalee Nielsen Fallert (remember Park Cafe?). She reconnected with an old friend, Chef Lily Lei and they came up with the concept together- thank goodness!

Again, it is in the neighborhood of Wagener Terrace which makes me happy. In addition, if you haven't noticed I love the Asian cuisine. It has the Chinese classics that everyone loves but they are always creating specials and actually just made some menu additions! I haven't had anything I didn't like here but there are definitely some stand-outs that I cannot stop ordering.

Check them out on Instagram for weekly specials and updates. Or don't because you'll want to go in all the time.


Favorite Starters

The Sichuan dumplings - these are my absolute favorite. They've got some kick and are steamed, not fried. The Sichuan sauce is to die for. I think these are perfect <3

Scallion pancakes, chicken lettuce wraps and the crab rangoons (made with real crab) are delicious as well....if you can stop ordering the Sichuan dumplings.


Favorite Entrees 
(listed in order)

Singapore Noodle

1. Singapore Noodle- rice noodles, pork, shrimp, and vegetables in a yellow curry sauce- its seriously perfect.


2. Hong Sho Ro- pork belly in a 5 spice sauce. A delicious specialty!

3. Salt and Pepper Chicken- I've never had anything like it. Its fried chicken - the breading is deliciously peppery- with onions and peppers. The seasoning is SO good.

Pan fried pork dumplings & Salt and pepper chicken

4. Mu Shu Pork- This is a past time favorite of mine. Whenever my family would order Chinese, this was always something we ordered. Lee Lee's does a great job with it (pork & vegetables with pancakes and hoisin sauce) but its what you expect. Nothing over the top, I just love this dish and it brings back memories.

Mu Shu Pork

The Bok Choy in a sesame garlic sauce is a favorite of the Veggies- a delicious side to any dish. I absolutely love bok choy and they do a great job of cooking it perfectly.







These are my absolute favorites. I have tried most of the menu and with choosing from this list, I can promise you won't be disappointed! Go check out Lee Lee's Hot Kitchen today. I think this restaurant has a lot to offer. Decide for yourself and let me know what you think!