The Lee Brothers - Recommendations - Find. Eat. Drink.
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COOKBOOKS
232 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401 (view map)
T: 843.805.5900 (make a reservation)
Straightforward French-Mediterranean with a local-fresh-seasonal bent.
Downtown
Seafood
GAULART & MALICLET “FAST & FRENCH”
A bar-height, communal-table French cafe, circa 1983, that’s a block away from our office, and a great place to stop in for a slice of pate and a bowl of gazpacho if you’re walking around downtown south of Broad. We go there virtually every day when we're in Charleston; super cheap (7$) lunch specials include a glass of wine!
Downtown
French
HOMINY GRILL
For their shrimp and grits. Robert Stehling (James Beard Best Chef Southeast 2008) is doing great, updated Southern classics with a deep respect for tradition (and technique). Weekend brunch is mobbed, there’s a nice outdoor terrace if the weather's good, but we love dinner here, too--but note if you go for dinner that they close their doors to new arrivals at 8PM prompt, so it has to be an early dinner! Super-casual.
Downtown
American / Southern
2 Unity Alley, Charleston, SC 29401 (view map)
T: 843.577.0025 (make a reservation)
Charleston's WD-50 with the avant-garde slightly toned down.
Downtown
New American
PENINSULA GRILL
112 North Market Street, Charleston, SC 29401 (view map)
T: 843.723.0700 (make a reservation)
Full-on Southern food with a decadent, high-end spin.
Downtown
Southern
PO PIGS BO-B-Q
2410 Route 174, Edisto Island, SC 29438 (view map)
T: 843.869.9003
It's attached to the only gas station on the main road (Hwy 174), which leads from the bridge to the beach. It's owned and run by Jasper Johns' brother (Robert E. "Bobo" Lee and his wife Pam) and is the highest quality southern cafeteria in creation, open Wednesday thru Saturday. Bobo grew up in Orangeburg, SC and has all the classics on the line there, pork barbecue, fried chicken, amazing veggie (but not vegetarian) dishes. Beer and iced tea. If you need to walk it off, drive further on to the beach, park anywhere and pray that it's low tide! Shark's teeth and prehistoric deer bones are often found among the shells here. Hint: they're coal black.
Edisto Island
Southern
POE’S TAVERN
2210 Middle Street, Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482 (view map)
T: 843.883.0083
Great pub with terrific burgers, Sullivan’s Island, which is just past Mt. Pleasant, about 15-20 minutes’ drive from downtown. It’s a beautiful beach, with lots of public parking. (it’s one of the only places in SC where you can order a hamburger rare; state law mandates that if you serve hamburgers less than well-done, you have to grind the beef to order, and most places don’t go to the trouble!).
Sullivan’s Island
American
TRATTORIA LUCCA
Ken Vedrinski, who formerly cooked at the Relais & Chateaux Woodlands Inn. Super-casual, small room in an emerging neighborhood. We've had great meals there. Simple fresh Italian food. Superb antipasti, house-made pastas all with local ingreidents. Go here when you've had your fill of Southern-fried and sweet-tea.
Downtown
Italian
THE WRECK OF THE RICHARD AND CHARLENE HOME (“THE WRECK”)
106 Haddrell Street, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 (view map)
T: 843.884.0052
A real local joint, just ten minutes from downtown but feels like another world, in a sandy lot on the shrimp boat docks of Shem Creek (warning: the other restaurants along Shem Creek are cut from a different cloth, avoid them). The Wreck is basically a porch on the slab of an old shrimp refrigerator. It's Spartan as heck, but the platters of shrimp, oysters, flounder, etc. are impeccable and boiled peanuts are on every table for nibbling. The #7 seafood platter with grits cake and sieva beans rocks. Anchor Steam and the very decent local Palmetto Ale are what to drink here. Cash and checks only.
Mount Pleasant
Seafood
WHO
James Beard Foundation Award-winning cookbook authors, travel writers, and co-founders of The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanut Catalogue.
WHY
These Charleston, South Carolina natives have become two of the most respected ambassadors for Southern Lowcountry cuisine.
November 22, 2010
THE LEE BROS.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Lee Bros.’ recommendations on where to eat and shop in Florida, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Toronto.
COOKBOOK AUTHORS & TRAVEL WRITERS
Photograph courtesy of The Lee Bros.
RESTAURANTS - CHARLESTON, SC
RESTAURANTS - CHARLESTON AREA
ARTISAN MEAT SHARE PROGRAM
Call 843.937.4012 ×265 to reserve in the Artisan Meat Share program.
Craig Diehl of Cypress Restaurants offers a CSA of cured meat products, fresh from his own meat locker.
Charleston
Meat
FOOD PURVEYORS - SOUTH CAROLINA
SCOTT’S BAR-B-QUE
They're doing real, midlands-SC style barbecue, whole hog. Rodney Scott takes no shortcuts.
Hemingway
Barbecue
SHRIMP SHACK
1925 Sea Island Parkway, Saint Helena Island, SC 29920 (view map)
T: 843.838.2962
For the shrimp burger.
Saint Helena Island
Seafood
MARVIN’S MEATS
5314 Highway 162, Hollywood, SC 29449 (view map)
T: 843.889.2225
Frank Marvin is a classic country butcher of the old school, with decades of knowledge. You can buy oxtails, liver, a dressed whole hog for smoking, or have him cater you a barbecue for 300 people. Whatever you get here, you'll be happy.
Hollywood
Meat
POSEY’S (Posey Up the Creek Steam Room & Oyster Bar)
1506 Coastal Highway, Panacea, FL 32346 (view map)
T: 850.984.5243
For smoked Mullet.
Panacea
Seafood
RESTAURANTS - FLORIDA
RESTAURANTS - KENTUCKY
MOONLITE BAR-B-Q INN
2840 West Parrish Avenue, Owensboro, KY 42301 (view map)
T: 800.322.8989 / 270.684.8143
Kentucky burgoo and mutton barbecue.
Owensboro
Barbecue
BAOHAUS
Except for the boiled peanuts at Baohaus; sumptuous, tasty flavors we can’t find down South!
Lower East Side
Taiwanese
RESTAURANTS - NEW YORK
FANELLI CAFE
94 Prince Street, New York, NY 10012 (view map)
T: 212.226.9412
First thing we eat when we return to NY - the burgers from Fanelli Cafe.
Soho
American / Burgers
OH! TAISHO
Any of the yakitori places on St. Mark's, whichever has a table soonest.
East Village
Japanese / Yakitori
YAKITORI TAISHO
Sumptuous, tasty food at an excellent price, and flavors we just can't find in Charleston.
East Village
Japanese / Yakitori
KALUSTYAN’S
A must for spices of any kinds, all different manner of hot sauces. The gold standard.
Murray Hill
Specialty Food Market
FOOD PURVEYORS - NEW YORK
PRINCE’S HOT CHICKEN SHACK
123 Ewing Drive, Nashville, TN 37207 (view map)
T: 615.226.9442
For Nashville Hot Chicken.
Brooklyn Heights
Southern
RESTAURANTS - TENNESSEE
KREUZ MARKET
For Texas-Style BBQ.
Lockhart
Barbecue / German
RESTAURANTS / MARKETS - TEXAS
ALLEN’S
We love the food there, but it's also an insanely appealing place to drink for the spirits list alone: literally hundreds of whiskeys, scotches, bourbons. We always end up sipping something mind-blowing and soul-warming--important since it's bone-chillingly cold there for most of the year!
Riverdale
Irish / Gastropub
RESTAURANTS - TORONTO, CANADA
TEJ
Available at these retailers
It’s honey wine from Ethiopia and you drink it at bars that aren't much more than dark rooms with low pews along the perimeter. The tej poured from teapot-like vessels into small cups. There's typically some communal singing going on and the whole experience is very unique and transporting. Tej is a magical beverage, which makes sense.
Honey Wine
PRODUCTS - DRINKS
SORGHUM SYRUP
Available at Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue
For a passionate baker, sorghum syrup is a superb gift around the holidays, because it makes the most spectacular pecan pies.
Sorghum Syrup
PRODUCTS - SYRUP
AMERICAN COOKING: SOUTHERN STYLE
It's the volume on southern cooking from Time-Life's Foods of the World series. It's a tour-de-force: we don't think there's been any book since that reveals the breadth of southern food as richly, in narrative, photos, and recipes.
Purchase at: Amazon.com
Author: Eugene Walter
ATHENS FARMERS MARKET
1000 East State Street, Athens, OH 45701 (view map)
T: 740.593.6763
Market Manager Cell: 740.972.2780 (during market hours only)
Of all the U.S. farmers markets we've experiences, this is one that gives us hope that organically grown, heirloom produce of the highest quality could be within the reach of everyone, regardless of income level.
Athens
Farmers Market
MARKETS - OHIO
