My First Taste of Amen Street

Amen Street is an unusual name for a restaurant. I probably would have overlooked it had it not been for the multiple referrals I received from various waitresses and strangers when I inquired about a good, local seafood place in Charleston. Now we almost didn't go - in fact, I was initially leaning towards a small, family run sushi joint called Shi Ki - but after calling both places to inquire about their fish sourcing, Amen Street came out on top.

Amen Street is located in a busy part of town, just a block or so from Market Street. We went on a cold, wet, and slow Monday night, so reservations were not necessary. Our waitress was friendly and was able to answer most of our questions regarding fish and wine (we can sometimes be borderline obnoxious when we go out to eat...but we are picky about what we pay for, particularly at pricier establishments). Griffe chose to imbibe a couple Highland Gaelic Ales, while I opted for a light and citrusy South African sauvignon blanc (love!) made by Hill&Dale Wines.

The restaurant was open and airy, with high ceilings, a long bar with two televisions (they had a football game playing while we ate) which created a slightly more casual atmosphere than I had anticipated. Some of the more interesting ornaments included some large chandeliers decorated with sea shells, a row of vertically-aligned, black and white paintings suspended from the wall in a three-dimensional way, and a clever little sign pointing to the restrooms, offering only one word ("Yes") and very conspicuously answering the unspoken question we all ask: "is this the way to the bathroom?"

Starters
Griffe and I shared some fried calamari in a lemon aioli sauce, and a Berry salad (mixed greens, blueberries, spiced pecans, and what appeared to be a clump of brie cheese, lightly tossed with a champagne vinaigrette). The calamari was very tasty, but the addition of bacon pieces was a little too much - I brushed those to the side. Griffe thought it would be better with marinara sauce (they were out).

The berry salad was nice too, albeit slightly bitter, but this was offset by the delicious, sweetened pecans. I thought the cheese was yummy (it was actually a bloomy-rind cheese, not brie - similar, though) but I didn't really like the way it was included as a small wedge you had to continuously bludgeon with your fork in order to evenly disperse into the rest of the salad. Visually appealing, but functionally annoying.

Entrees
After practically grilling the waitress about where their fish came from, we finally settled on some locally caught (and by locally, they meant somewhere between the Carolinas and the Gulf of Mexico...so there's room for debate here). The menu allowed you to pair one of three different preparation methods with the fish of your choice. Griffe and I were both besotted by the sound of "Herb Grilled [fish], Artichoke Risotto Cake, Marinated Tomatoes, in a Tomato Vinaigrette and Herb Oil", so we ordered our fish (Orange Marlin and Redfish, respectively) prepared as such. We were not disappointed:

(pictured: Orange Marlin - my Redfish picture didn't come out well)

The Redfish was tender and incredibly flavorful. The artichoke risotto absolutely melted in my mouth. The only thing that wasn't 100% delectable were the tomatoes, which seemed a little dry to me. Otherwise, it was magnificent!

Dessert
Dessert was a whole other story that involved being hustled by a man selling palm leaf roses in the rain, who eventually accepted our excuse of having no cash and gave me the rose for free, then proceeded to walk us the rest of the way to Kaminsky's (the cozy little dessert place on Market St.)

Dessert: An uber-chocolate cake (called "Taste of Heaven" or something along those lines) + mint tea in a self-serve pot, and the palm leaf rose to garnish. Unfortunately, the cake was actually not as delicious as it looks; a little dry and the addition of mini chocolate chips oozing out of its layers somehow detracted from the flavor...or maybe it was the texture I didn't like. But that shouldn't deter you - things I've eaten at Kaminsky's in the past (such as their berry cobbler) will always keep me coming back for more. AF

Ocean Front Cuisine - BLU on Folly Beach

Yesterday, my fiance and I spent the first of 3 days on our annual trip to Charleston, SC. We've kept this tradition going for the past 5 years, and would have missed this year had our good friends & neighbors not offered us the last few days of their pre-paid beach house rental, which they had to forgo. Thanks to them, our yearly tradition continues!

So, after settling-in, the next item on our list was figuring out where to go for dinner. As our time on the coast is a limited luxury we anxiously look forward to each year, good (local) fish was a prerequisite. We'd eaten at some of the popular local restaurants in years past - from the Crab Shack to Locklear's Beach City Grill on the fishing pier. Ready for something new, we were pleasantly surprised to stumble upon BLU - which serves fine, contemporary coastal cuisine and overlooks the beach.

When we arrived we were impressed with the ambiance of the restaurant, which is located in the lobby level of the Tides Hotel. The decor was modern, with a lot of small touches that played into the blue, watery theme - such as a moving wall of water behind the bar, and some really awesome light fixtures shaped like water droplets. The staff was very helpful, going as far as to give us the lowdown on how and where they get their locally sourced fish, meat, veggies, cheese, and other ingredients.

Even though it was dark out, we decided to sit outside on the large verandah overlooking the beach. While it was quite windy, we didn't mind - sea breezes are something we don't get a lot of in the foothills of western NC. In the spirit of beach trips, we started things off with a round of Mai Tais. While nothing compares to real Hawaiian Mai Tais, (obviously), these weren't half bad. A little orange to garnish, and we were set.

Salad
Next up was the 'Celebration of Beets' - a fabulously simple yet deep-rooted salad (sorry...bad pun) bursting with color, texture, and flavor - which consisted of a mixture of 3 different varieties of local, heirloom beets (including some lovely, golden-colored ones), roasted hazelnuts, local goat's milk ricotta, and local micro greens (sorry for the blurry picture):

All I cay say is - yum! At $9, it's not the least expensive salad you'll ever meet - but the quality of the ingredients and the flavor made it a luxurious little treat.

Main Course
Since the salad was surprisingly filling, I just ordered a tapas plate consisting of pan roasted red drum from Swimming Rock Farm, pork belly dumplings, and sweet corn puree, all in a port wine syrup. The fish was delicious, and the port wine syrup was incredible. I had never tasted pork belly dumplings before, and found them to be a bit chewy - but can't really say whether that's good or bad since I have nothing to compare them to. The flavor was nice, the texture was a little sticky (but I guess that's dumplings?) All in all, a great dish and one that I would recommend.

Griffe decided he wanted something a little more substantial and ordered an actual entree (although, in my opinion the quantity he received was only slightly more than my tapas plate - and nearly double the price!). He had the catch of the day, which on this particular Sunday happened to be hog-nosed snapper. The snapper was cooked with the skin intact, which was perfectly crisped while the fish remained light and flaky. His meal included various summer squashes, micro greens, some kind of potato hash, and a tasty pumpkin puree. Not a very thorough description but I didn't take notes...so bear with me. He seemed to enjoy it, and from the few bites I stole I have only positive things to say.

Dessert
As is our custom, Griffe and I decided to split one dessert - so we spent a few minutes debating just what that lucky confection was going to be. We had narrowed it down to the bread pudding made with Hendersonville, NC apples (a little taste of home in the low country!) and the 'Peanut Butter & Jelly' (a unique idea, and nothing like what you're thinking). As I had already eaten plenty of apple that day, I decided to go for the latter. Griffe either agreed or conceded - either way, he did it gracefully =) We were not disappointed. I think the picture speaks for itself (FYI - the peanut butter is in the ice-cream, the 'jelly' refers to the fresh berries, and the flourless chocolate cake is an added bonus!)

All in all, I give BLU a very positive review based on the quality of the service, the ingredients, the presentation, and of course taste. While the price is a little steep, there is enough variation in the menu to satisfy both your wallet and your belly, particularly if you eat from the appetizers/soups & salads/tapas menus and skip the entree altogether. I recommend this restaurant to anyone that appreciates good quality, sustainably sourced food, and doesn't mind a little ocean mist seasoning their plates and their faces while they dine. AF