human entity's Profile
Conway, SC
"I wish people wouldn't post if they don't know a thing about the geography of the area. Despite what some on this board might say, there is edible food to be found in South Carolina outside of Charleston."
There is undoubtedly edible food elsewhere in SC.
Also I was in Georgetown, Conway, and oh-so-happening Loris just last month!
Wholefoods does it again
Frankly this can and likely WILL happen at any fish market you buy from at some point and time. I've worked in seafood on and off for over a decade and the fact of the matter is that even if the fish actually did come in that morning (some of it did, most of it did not) chances are it's been out of the water maybe a week, maybe longer. If you're talking about long-line caught species like swordfish, the boats may be out for 10-days to 2 weeks at a time. So if a fish is caught within the first couple of days that means it's in the hold until the boat comes ashore. Do the math! BUT...if it's iced and stored properly it will in fact look and taste just fine when it gets to your market. But of course after another several days on display at the market chances are it's going to start to turn. With some fish it's far easier to tell than others. Shrimp essentially develop black age spots as they break down (and any pinkness except on actual pink shrimp) is a sure sign of decay.
And relatively unpopular fish like skate is likely not to have a fast turnover so if a market has a slow week or particularly if they over-order and/or fail to properly rotate the product it's very likely you could get bad fish. I can say from experience that one of Whole Foods smaller competitors had possibly the most disorganized and disastrous product rotation of seafood that I have ever seen. Essentially there was no rotation so old stuff got lumped in with fresh stuff and at the end of the day there was no telling what was what. And that was a store on the coast where ideally seafood should be fresh.
Ingredient shopping in North and South Carolina
In Charleston try the Farmer's Market in Marion Sq. downtown for incredible fresh veggies and some seafood. For a wider array of seafood go to Crosby's on Folly Beach. There are also several pick'em yourself strawberry farms along hwy 17 between Charleston and Myrtle each.
Conway, SC
Drive to Charleston or at least to Hilton Head, although there may be a few good local spots in Georgetown.
Six meals in Charleston ... recommendations?
Hyman's is a joke! Walk down Meeting Street almost any day of the week from now until the end of Summer and crowds of tourists are waiting in the street for a table...for incredibly average to mediocre seafood. Effectively it's the Joe's Stone Crab of Charleston.
As mentioned above The Wreck is good. Hanks Fish House near the Market is superb, as is Carolina's.
The non-descript Seashell Cafe' out on Folly Beach is inexpensive, charming and great for fried seafood. Mustard Seed or Long Point Grill near the ports in Mt. Pleasant are both rock solid.
I'm surprised you mention Vickery's! I like the atmosphere at the one downtown but the food is heavyhanded and just plain bad most of the time. Only a few decent items on the menu.
For more upscale FIG is impeccable. And Basil is great Thai downtown.
