Monthly Archives: September 2012

Shrimp tacos – Henry’s House

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Shrimp tacos - Henry's House
Flour tortillas filled with grilled shrimp topped with a chipotle lime slaw, pico de gallo, pepperjack cheese, and sweet chili infused sour cream. $10
Henry’s House, Charleston SC

The shrimp usually comes fried, but I requested them grilled. They were OK, but what really annoyed me was that they were supposed to be half-off for happy hour but we were still charged full price. Super lame! I guess it was also pointless to order the shrimp grilled since the tacos are covered in sour cream anyway.

Fleet Landing Restaurant, Concord Street
Fleet Landing Restaurant, Concord Street. I haven’t been here yet, but would like to since it’s one of the few waterfront restaurants in downtown. People seem to enjoy their shrimp and grits as well as the fried green tomatoes.

Potluck: Salad and appetizers

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Salad and appetizers
Dungeness crab salad, on pea panna cotta, yellow curry tuile, curried spiced crab vinaigrette.
Warm pig feet, sweetbread and lobster terrine, on a lentil salad with bacon and hazelnut vinaigrette.
Triple T Ranch tempura duck egg, on sweetbreads pancake, frangelico almond pesto, wild mushroom salad, truffle vinaigrette.
La Folie, San Francisco CA
Alan C.

Charleston shrimp – McCrady’s Restaurant

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Charleston shrimp - McCrady's Restaurant
Heirloom cauliflower, field peas and pole beans, vegetable and saffron emulsion foam, sorrel. 4 course dinner $60
McCrady’s Restaurant, Charleston SC

Charleston shrimp - McCrady's Restaurant
I’m used to having shrimp and grits when I visit Charleston, but this was a nice change. The shrimp were beautifully cooked, and I was surprised at how much I liked the vegetables underneath. While this dish could have veered toward the heavy side, the individual flavors remained delicate and unmuddled. I will say that the dish as a whole was on the salty side. I think the sauce underneath could have been the culprit. 😦

Dining tables opposite bar - McCrady's Restaurant
Dining tables opposite the bar. These tables are in a sort of alcove which provides a little privacy.

Enchiladas pobalanas – Santi’s Restaurante Mexicano

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Enchiladas pobalanas - Santi's Restaurante Mexicano
Two chicken enchiladas with brown chocolate mole sauce, melted cheese, and sour cream. Served with Mexican rice, refried beans, and salad. $7.50
Santi’s Restaurante Mexicano, North Charleston SC

Mmm, this was so tasty and the service was fast and friendly. The mole was very flavorful and I really liked the refried beans too. There was so much food on this plate and all for less than eight bucks, heck yeah! I couldn’t even finish everything.

Chips and salsa - Santi's Restaurante Mexicano
Chips and salsa. Complimentary. Noms, more please!

Charleston Waterfront Park Fountain
Charleston Waterfront Park Fountain. One of my favorite locations in Charleston!

She crab soup – Henry’s House

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She crab soup - Henry's House
This thick, rich and creamy soup was pretty good but definitely on the salty side. I’d have to say that I prefer Anson’s version more; it has more finesse and depth of flavor. Henry’s she crab soup is more homey and rustic. Cup $4.95
Henry’s House, Charleston SC

Daughters of the Confederacy Museum
Daughters of the Confederacy Museum. This historic building sits on the corner of Market Street and Meeting Street at the western end off covered market area. One of these days I’ll finally take the tour, hehe!

Strube Ranch wagyu beef tartare – McCrady’s Restaurant

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Strube Ranch wagyu beef tartare - McCrady's Restaurant
Egg yolk, cress and ramps. 4 course dinner $60
McCrady’s Restaurant, Charleston SC

This was such an exciting dish! The pork skin was so freshly fried that it was still crackling on the plate, and the cress looked beautiful on top of it. (I’m guessing that it was pork skin and not beef skin, hehe.) The egg yolk was cleverly presented as a solid “log” beside the tartare instead of mixed into it. I’m not sure where the ramps were, unless they were chopped into the beef. Everything tasted amazing, even down to the grilled piece of bread!

Tuscan white and multigrain breads - McCrady's Restaurant
Tuscan white and multigrain breads with olive oil and butter. Complimentary. Noms!

Strube Ranch wagyu beef tartare - McCrady's Restaurant

Charleston sweetini cocktail – Wentworth Grill

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Charleston sweetini cocktail - Wentworth Grill

Signature drink with Firefly sweet tea vodka, sour, triple sec. $10
Wentworth Grill, Charleston SC

Firefly is a local distillery that’s known for their sweet tea flavored vodka. Most of the restaurants in the Charleston area have some kind of drink that uses it. I liked this sweet tea martini at the Wentworth Grill. It was on the sweet side, but was nicely made and super cold. Heck yeah!

Strings of light, Mad River Bar
Strings of light, Mad River Bar. We came here on a random night and hung outside at the back bar. It made for a chill and relaxing evening early on.

Blackened grouper fish taco – The Taco Spot

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Grouper fish taco - The Taco Spot
Six inch soft corn tortillas with cayenne ranch sauce, shredded lettuce, grated cheddar cheese, and tomato-cucumber pico salsa. $2.95
The Taco Spot, Charleston SC

This was my favorite taco because it was jam packed with flavor! The blackened grouper was delicious and the cayenne ranch put it over the top. Noms!

Untitled
View of Charleston Harbor from the Rooftop Bar at the Vendue Inn. This bar is pretty cool! It’s relaxing early on, then it becomes an upbeat hangout as it fills up with bar goers. They also have live music!

Ca tuyet kho to – Vung Tau Restaurant

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Ca tuyet kho to - Vung Tau Restaurant
Sea bass caramelized with garlic, fish sauce and served in an earth pot. $16.95
Vung Tau Restaurant, San Jose CA

I laughed when they brought this out! This was the saddest clay pot I’d ever seen. The singular piece of fish was tiny (notice its size relative to the spoon), and it looked pathetic in the dried, crusty clay pot. They cooked the hell out of this dish so the fish was dry and the remnants of the sauce was super salty. Yuck! This was a complete rip off at seventeen bucks!

Party crowd mural, Mac's Club

Outdoor patio party crowd mural, Mac’s Club. Gotta love the murals at this bar. This is a fun composition, espcially with the drag queen(?) chillin’ on the moon with a rainbow colored umbrella, hehe!

The Great San Francisco Goodies Giveaway!

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The Great San Francisco Goodies Giveaway!

Between my previous blog and Vittle Monster, this is officially my 1000th post, yay!!! And to celebrate the occasion, I’ve decided to have my very first Giveaway!

I’ve assembled a few of my favorite San Francisco goodies to mail to the contest winner. Here’s what’s included in this prize valued at over $45:

– 4505 Meats chicharrones. Omg, these bad boys are the best fried pork skins ever!
– Papalote Mexican Grill roasted tomato salsa. The Mission location is blocks from my house and is always packed. If this salsa can beat Bobby Flay on Food Network’s Showdown, then you know it kicks ass!
– Four Barrel brass tacks blend coffee. This coffee shop is hipster central, and we can all be sure that hipsters know great coffee!
– Yank Sing chili XO sauce. Mix this with some soy sauce and chili paste and you can have your own dim sum party worthy of this iconic SF restaurant.
– Clairesquares milk chocolate bar. These Irish shortbread squares are handcrafted and worth every calorie!
– TCHO new American chocolates. “One of the 5 best food finds of the year” by Food and Wine, this Embarcadero based start-up is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.
– Sunbud Bakery buckwheat cookies with chocolate and currants. These cookies are SO tasty, you’d never know they were on the “healthy” side. Shhh!

You know you want it, so do this!

Send an email to Vittle Monster of a pic of an AMAZING meal/dish/snack you’ve recently had. Describe what it was and why it was SO awesome in 50 words or less, so be creative! (Don’t worry, email addresses will only be used to contact the winner and will not be archived or used for any other promotions, etc. Cause that would suck!)

You have a week to submit an entry before a group of “foodie” co-workers and I vote on a winner!

Good luck! And check back for the next SF Goodies Giveaway!
(If you would like an email notification of future SF Goodies Giveaways, lemme know.)

Additional rules:
1. One entry person.
2. Submission deadline is Friday, September 7, 2012. Winner will be announced Tuesday, September 11, 2012 and will be contacted by email to confirm mailing address.
3. Prize will only be mailed within the United States. Foreign entries must designate a U.S. mailing address if chosen as winner. (So hey, surprise a friend!)