charlestonfoodie

McCradys Chef's Tasting Visual Review Thursday, Sept 24, 2009 My offcial review :: Yikes! Notes :: One of the best meals of my life. When asked by Chef which was my favorite dish I drew a complete blank like kid in Christmas Story who wanted a Red Ryder BB Gun... Never happens to me. This meal was thoughtful, creative and pretty surreal top be honest. Ate it with the biggest foodie I know which made it MUCH more appreciable. I will try to get dish descriptions asap. My sincerest thanks and appreciation to McCrady's, Chef Sean Brock, Andre, Blackdawg, Matt, Kyle, Ben, and the entire crew for an INCREDIBLE evening. A proper review is difficult to put into words. THANK YOU! www.mccradysrestaurant.com

Shot David Bouley atr Bouley Test Kitchen last November! Pretty surreal experience to say the least. A few more photos :: http://letstalknewyork.smugmug.com/gallery...331148083_dz3YW

Uploaded the remainder of the studio shots today. Click on the link above in original post. FUN stuff. A couple more for you ::

Dave the Cook! You know your stuff, eh? Sorry for delay on remainder of photos from studio. My business partner thinks today or tomorrow. Pretty excited. You are correct it was dipping dots on an oyster.

Top one looks like pork short rib. Bottom one looks like pork belly. ←

I think I poste dmy last post in teh wrong section tucked inside some other post about McCrady's. Sorry for slight repost, but I think some of y'all might like the content of what we shot at McCrady's last week. McCrady's Restaurant Guest Chef Series :: 8.31.08 Richard Blais and Sean Brock This is only the Behind the Scenes and 4 dishes. MORE studio shots are being edited. PLease check back soon for update and the best shots yet to come. * click here for 200+ photos * Any feedback good or bad is MOST WELCOME. We love eGullet and respect the talent on this website. Thanks for smiling! PEC

Thanks for the compliments. ALMOST have studio shots ready! ←

Ask and ye shall receive. This is courtesy of the DH is GOod Blog He has a nice review up on his blog :: click here for review of this meal

This is a lil bit premature as we have about ten more "studio"images to upload, but I just saw your post about the Richard Blais dinner at McCradys. We were lucky enough to shoot this event as well! Can you please check out some of our photos and post some feedback on this site? It would mean a lot to get some good foodie perspectives. http://charlestonfood.smugmug.com/gallery/5862567_8NWBi

We were fortyunate to be the photographers for that event at McCrady's with Aki and Alex! Check out our photos! http://www.charlestonpicturecompany.com/fo...read.php?t=1974 We welcome any feedback at all. It was an excellent night! We ate everything, too! That will be great fun. Alex and Aki and Sean have been online collaborators for some time. I can only imagine some wild and wonderful things coming out of that. ←

I had the same urge and started a quest for exact same thing about a year ago. My results were that Charleston, albeit, we are on the coast, does not have teh fish tacos, sushi, or just plain plethora of seafood one might think. Much of our seafood comes from Inland Seafoods..which is still great! Crosby's, too, obviously, and a LOT of local stuff...but I had the same fish taco cravbing and I think the suggestion of Coast is right on. In teh same lineage and actually same ownership is Taco Boy on Follly Beach. Same style with more varirty. I think there is a difference between fish tacos, mexican fish tacos and even californian fish tacos. I was THIS close to starting a taquito cart here selling chorizo, fish, pork and chicken MEXICAN style tacos. I have honestly been told quite a few times that the best fish tacos and mexican in general in Charleston is actually found in the Luncheonette carts driven by Mexican drivers. Typically a large, white bread style truck, with crudely painted logo. They usually park in North Charleston alobg Rivers Avenue, Goose Creek on Red Bank Road across from Amazon, across from Dragon Palace/Family Cirlce Cup in parking lot on Daniel Island and at larger, busier construction projects all over america. A friend recently exlaimed El Mercadito and Santi's were secondary to his Taco Cart. He told a tale of a whole tilapia lighttly fried, server with some slaw of sorts, cilantro, a side of salsa, tortillas, and hot sauce. The vendor had food permits, and my friend even ate at a small table next to truck... nice... I am going to try this soon. Scary, but the flavor is probably there.... Any more info on Cazon? A quick web search came up empty. Thanks. ←

Glad you enjoyed Charleston, Lawen! Mimi's is a great lil restaurant with a BIG view! I love to go there for breakfast or after a big night out. They have great bloody mary's, too! Blossoms is actually pretty tasty, but I can see where you are coming from. The former chef, Aaaron Siegel, just opened his doors TODAY on a new restaurant here called Home Team BBQ. I ate their today and saw the world famous Mike Lata of FIG enjoying some Q, too! Home Team is doing Q, right. I will share some pics, soon! The tunes were very nice, too. Pics of Allman Brothers, WSP, and many Athens, Georgia musicians were everywhere. Nice!

OK, y'all win. I will back off! :-) ******** I think we'll be keeping Hyman's on our list, thank you very much. Yes, I acknowledge it's "touristy"....but for this tourist, a visit to Charleston isn't complete without a visit to Hyman's. If I were a Charleston resident, I think I'd manage to find my way there for an occasional meal, tourists or no. We've always gone for lunch and have timed it so we don't have to wait in line too long. I looove their hushpuppies. On our last visit, I had a shrimp po'boy....yummmm. The memory of it is still with me. I've never met Mrs. Hyman; one of her sons is usually making the rounds during our visits. Seems to me like they try awfully hard to do right by their customers. We've always walked out of there pleased with what we got both in the way of food and service....and keep returning year after year. I'm not dissing The Wreck; I've never been there so I'm not in a position to comment. I will say that, for the most part, I try to refrain from eating fried seafood....of course, there is the matter of those hushpuppies. I have nothing against Hank's....it's just a different sort of place than is Hyman's. ←

To be honest it has been a couple years and I need to go back and try it again. Your comments, gifted gourmet, seem to be what I hear more and more past few months..."it may indeed be loaded with tourists, but the seafood is GREAT" is what I keep hearing. I will try out their shrimp and grits and revisit Hyman's with an open mind and stomach! Thanks, GG! I hate to think that anyone wouldn't revel in Hyman's Shrimp and Grits dishes ... huge shrimp and amazing brown gravy over perfect grits .. huge portions and exceptionally generous amounts of shrimp, my favorite shellfish ... and their service is impeccable ... I know that Hyman's is touristy but I dearly love their food and Mama Phyllis who makes her nightly rounds of the dining room ... ←

Surely. Send me a pm or email me at paul@charlestonfoodcompany.com. Glad to help you out and thanks for the compliments! PEC

I just shot the Wreck, too, last week. I'll insert a photo. That would be great video footage with the shrimp boats, paper plates etc. There are other, even MORE off the beaten path type places in Charleston, though. One being Dave's Carryout. They used to be in a shack that had a 10-15 degree slant until a couple months ago. Now they moved a couple block but still downtown. On corner of Coming and something... I actually eat there a couple times a month. I consider Mary Mac's a feminine meat and three. With that reference in mind, then Dave's Carryout is a Seafood Soulfood Corner Store with a great Combo Seafood Platter. Dave and his son Terry run the joint, and officers, nurses, hookers, and everybody in between know the real gem behind this place is that you can get a great seafood plate until 2-4a depending on when they want to close. I've been there on my bicycle after hitting the bars and waited in a line going out teh door at 3a before. Pretty cool lil corner market type place with a loyal following. Hope that helps! Please do let us know where you decide to go when in Charleston! I would indeed love to be in the background nonchalantly! Let us know if you need any other suggestions for a backup due to Anchor Line and Bowen's Island's unavailability! Glad to help! Here is my link to photos of The Wreck :: http://charlestonfood.smugmug.com/gallery/1966124 Fred Scott owns The Wreck and is a great guy. He told me all about where his seafood comes from and how fresh it is.

I, too, dig the naan segment at Panahar! I built a website for a Cuban restaurant right down the street on Buford Highway called Havana Sandwich Shop. I was SO excited when I saw you ventured down Buford Highway in Atlanta. I lived about a 1/4 mile from there before moving to Charleston, SC. It took me 3 years to realize that the best food in Atlanta was on Buford Highway and not in all the frufru places you would think are the best. A good friend turned me onto it and to really looking at food more closely. Now I am a food photog and run a food critique board in Charleston like eGullet but MUCH smaller and just local stuff. I love it. Keep up the great work and keep the positive mental attitude! The more you do this the more crazy it is going to get. It is very cool of you to still post on sites like this! PS > I used to eat at Mary Mac's Tea Room once a week for 5 years! Meat and Three's are where it is at. It's a shame that folks even bother to eat fast food at all when they could eat at places like that for the same $$ and same amount of time if they get it to go! Here is some naan I shot from my real first food shoot ever about a year ago in Charleston :: Here is a Mango Lassi, too! They are indeed like a smoothie, but...creamier? Keep up the good work! I was going to guess that the Arlanta episode was shot much later in the series. You looked remarkably poised for having so little experience! I think the Panahar segment fit in well. I've always been intrigued by the way naan is made. How many do you suppose fall of the inside oven wall? SB PS: I appreciate the way you always work a cop into the show. ←

You should probably take Hyman's off your list. As a local foodie, I personally feel it is a tourist trap. Try The Wreck for FRIED seafood at it's best or Hank's for upscale seafood. I actually JUST shot both restaurants:: http://charlestonfood.smugmug.com/Charleston%20Restaurants The Wreck in Charleston, SC ::

Some friends of mine are trying to get a little event together to help recoup some of the costs to rebuild. I've photographed maybe 10 events at Bowen's! It is indeed a unique restaurant!

Great review umbabaru! I enjoyed reading yoru review very much. Thanks for visiting our great city. !

Bowen's JUST burned down a few days ago, Holly. PM me and I will give you an update. Some friends of mine are trying to get together an event to help out!