Brunch @ Fat Hen on November 6th?

If you get to the Fat Hen around 1030am, you should be fine and get seated immediately (the church crowd won't be there yet). They also have a large community table that usually isn't booked in advance. I went there for brunch this past Sunday at 11:15-11:30am and only had a 5 minute wait for a high top table in the bar for the two of us. It is incredibly popular though, especially for their bottomless Mimosas.

If you do have a wait, or before/after brunch, drive a couple of miles further down Maybank to see the Angel Oak. It's reputed to be well over 1400 years old and the oldest tree east of the Mississippi.

-----
Fat Hen
3140 Maybank Hwy, Johns Island, SC 29455

FairfieldFoodie in Southeast

Hounds seeking Charleston Advice

Definitely add The Macintosh to the list of must go-to restaurants in Charleston. Chef Jeremiah Bacon is a Charleston native who studied at the CIA and then worked with Thomas Keller at Per Se and Eric Ripert at Le Bernadin in NYC. He's definitely a leading candidate for the James Beard Award for the Best Chef Southeast. The Macintosh has only been open two weeks, but even at week one the food was great and the service was outstanding. Billed as elegant modern American cuisine, it's beautifully executed with lots of great flavor in each dish. Besides being amazingly talented, it doesn't hurt that the Chef looks like he could be a Ralph Lauren model. The space is beautiful too, plus you can go to The Cocktail Club upstairs for interesting drinks in an indoor/outdoor setting.
Read this review in the Charleston City Paper. http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/jeremiah-bacon-quietly-pushes-the-food-scene-forward/Content?oid=3585806

FairfieldFoodie in Southeast

Atlanta Business Dinner somewhere between Buckhead and Alpharetta?

Is there a good place for a new client business dinner somewhere between Buckhead and Alpharetta? I'm a foodie but don't know what type of food my customer likes so I'd like to suggest a restaurant that has a fairly broad range of food options. I'll be staying near Buckhead and the customer's office is in Alpharetta, so would like to meet somewhere between the two if at all possible. New to Atlanta area so don't have any idea on where to look. Thanks.

FairfieldFoodie in General South Archive

Seabrook Island help!

CookingGirl,
I second the Fat Hen as the best place to go when you're in Seabrook. But be mindful of the live oak trees flanking both sides of Bohicket Road on your return if you 've had anything to drink. Another dining option is a very casual combination takeout seafood market and BYOB picnic table spot called Cindy's Seafood & Country Market. It's just past Rosebank Farms as you're heading away from Seabrook/Kiawah. There is also a seafood restaurant called Fish across the way, but I haven't tried it. Another option for a quick bite is the old fashioned Vincent's Drug Store and Soda Fountain in Fresh Fields, even though it's old time setup is obviously designed to appeal to tourists. And there are various restaurants at the Sanctuary at Kiawah, which have great views but they are upscale and pricey. I've had some good meals at Hege's and there are some decent menu items at Rosebank Farms Cafe, although nothing has been truly spectacular at either place. Both times that I've eaten at King Street Grille the food has been terrible, so don't expect much if you go there.

BTW, be sure that you don't go over 25 mph within Seabrook. They love to write tickets.

FairfieldFoodie in General South Archive

Impressive in Charleston

My current favorites are FIG, The Fat Hen & Mercato and I think any of these would fit the bill for an impressive dinner worthy of a world class foodie. I really like Kellius' idea to call ahead and tell them that you have a vegetarian (or a picky eater in my case) in the party. My impression of the chefs in Charleston is that they are very customer friendly and would genuinely welcome the opportunity to satisfy any special requests. (That's the beauty of a relatively small town where everyone understands that great food & tourism are very tightly linked.)

If you wanted to go in a totally different direction to impress them, why not hire a personal chef to do a personalized tasting dinner for everyone at the house? I've been invited to these before and they are incredibly special. A chef friend of mine has just launched a personal chef/culinary instruction/personal catering business in Charleston and I'm sure there are other great chefs in the area doing similar ventures, so there should be a range of options on caterers, allowing you to offer your girlfriend's family a unique experience yet not at huge expense.

FairfieldFoodie in General South Archive

Kiawah Golfers Need Help

Another great place that surprisingly hasn't been mentioned yet and isn't too far from Kiawah is The Fat Hen on Maybank Highway on Johns Island. It's about 15 minutes from Kiawah and has great food. If you want to stay very local to Kiawah, I'd recommend either Rosebank Farms Cafe on the back side of Bohicket Marina (very casual, no bar) or Hege's in Fresh Fields shopping center (french bistro, more upscale).

FairfieldFoodie in General South Archive

Charleston Food + Wine Festival Reviews

Mikeh,
Excellent detail and review of the chefs and their food at the Food & Wine Festival Kickoff Reception. I was also at the Thursday kickoff event as well as the Low County Food Bank event the previous Sunday, so I was able to see almost all the same great chefs twice in the same week. I agree with your ratings analysis almost line for line. For the kickoff reception, my two favorites were Ken Vedrinski from Sienna with his Butternut Squash Soup with Italian Chestnut Honey and Wild Boar Mezzaluna in a solid tie with Jacque Larsen from Mercato with his Crespelle with Duck Confit. I didn't try the bbq crab sandwich from Circa 1886 because my friend had it and wasn't impressed, but now I'm sorry that I didn't try it.

I have to give the nod to Jacque Larsen from Mercato as my overall winner as his meatballs with gremolata at the Food Bank event was the best of all the chefs that night and his crespelle with duck confit at the Food & Wine Festival kickoff event was outstanding.

I told Chef Jacques Larsen that he was my choice for overall winner and he asked me to let him know if we came in to Mercato. Since that night, I've now been twice with different visitors in tow and the food and service have been outstanding. The bar staff, Andy and Amy, are very professional yet personable and act as though they've known me forever. Andy now lets the chef know that I'm in the restaurant (without any prompting from me). The chef has come out each time to greet us and then afterwards to check on what we thought of the meal. The food has always been outstanding.

I would DEFINITELY recommend that foodies check out Mercato, especially the pasta and especially the tagliatelle bolognese. If you ask, they will let people order the meatballs even though they aren't on the appetizer menu. I'm not even a meatball fan but these are are amazingly light and tasty. That view has been seconded by both my NY/CT visitors, who have regular access to great italian food. Mercato is on Market St., which is typically a tourist haven, but it seems to get both tourists and locals in equal measure.

FairfieldFoodie in General South Archive

Best Food with Views in Charleston?

Thanks everyone, I can't wait to try the places mentioned in the posts. As an update, this weekend we went for lunch to Fleet Landing and Water's Edge in Mt Pleasant and sat outside at both (one of our plans had been to go to Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island but it was packed to the gills). The views were great at both and the food was average (with the exception of the shrimp, sausage & grits at Fleet...my friend had never tried this dish before and loved it!). We went to Fat Hen on Saturday night and had mussels, salmon bearnaise, pork shank and pork chop special...everyone loved their meals, but unfortunately no views, so I guess I need to reluctantly accept Suzy Q's view that it's an either/or situation.

FairfieldFoodie in General South Archive