Soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHdXQAQHjd8

During my Spring Break and my sister’s Spring Training, my family and I had a one day adventure in Charleston, South Carolina. We walked around the small city, seeing the market, Fort Sumter, and other sites. Charleston felt incredibly quaint and dainty – houses and roads are perfectly groomed and the architecture is charming.

For our dinner, my sister made us a reservation at Husk, a restaurant that takes a new twist on Southern food. In 2011, it was named Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurant in America. Our dinner was delicious, though some dishes were better than others. The most disappointing was the scallop appetizer (which was bland), but all of the other dishes were tastefully composed and concocted an interesting combination of flavors, new and old. The prices are not cheap, but I would say it was worth it.

The Pickling Room

Here’s a taste of what we had:

Cheerwine with dinner, of course.

Oysters to start. Wood Fired Caper’s Blades Oysters with Herbed Chicken Fat and Aji Dolce Pepper Mash, that is.

Dave’s Fire Roasted Clams, Spicy Preserved Tomato Broth with Ember Roasted Fennel, Tuscan Kale and Fried Chicken Skins

This was, in my opinion, the best dish we had:

“Kentuckyaki” Glazed Pig Ear Lettuce Wraps with “Fermented” Cucumbers and Red Peppers, Cilantro

and the worst…

Olive Oil Poached VA Bay Scallops with a Salad of Fennel, Sweet Peas and Spring Onions, HUSK Manchego

 

Cornbread on the side.

We had heard that the Husk cornbread is very good and we were very excited. My sister was disappointed in its lack of corn flavor, but I liked the savory taste from the bacon and its incredibly buttery texture.

Beeliner Snapper, Whey Whipped Potatoes with Baby Spinach and Ember Roasted Fennel, Smoked Oystar Cream, Benne

Golden Tilefish from Mark Marhefka, Roasted Brussels with Cara Cara Orange, Spiced Pecans and Butternut Squash Juice

Cornmeal Dusted NC Catfish, Fried Cabbage with Smoky Tomatoes, Geechie Boy Grits and Appalachian Tomato Gravy

VA Heritage Pork, Creamy Sea Island Red Peas and Scallion, Blackbird Farms Mustard Greens, Preserved Tomato Jus. This was fantastic.

 

And because we love food, despite the fact that our bellies were very very full, we ventured to get dessert.

Pecan Tart with Bourbon-Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Sorghum-Caramel Sauce

Brioche Custard with Sweet Potato Anglaise, Candied Pecans, and Toffee “Caramel”

Heirloom Caroline Gold Rice Pudding with Cara Cara Orange, Shortbread Cookie, and Crispy Rice. This dish was also fantastic.

 

Some of my beautiful, focused dining companions.

This was my first experience in the South, nonetheless my first dining experience. I’m ready to return to try some more.