Downtown Culinary Tour- Charleston Culinary Tours

Am back on my musings! This time it's about my extracurricular activities during the spring break.It's kinda long. But hey...I can't cut short my memories. So find a cup of coffee and settle yourself in some comfortable chair if you plan to read!!!
I had decided to go on city tours as I hadn't seen any of the sights in the Charleston area since I arrived here in December. I decided to go with guided tours as they would provides more details on the History and culture, which are the trademark of Charleston. The city is enveloped in so many stories and cultural tidbits on all aspects of life that range from food to the historical landmarks, the typical architecture of homes, the numerous churches that envelop the city, the references to the maritime trade that happened via the 2 main rivers over here, the museums...and the list is endless. I am just fascinated by all this History. It awes me that human being were capable of so much thinking even during times when technology wasn't developed to the levels that it is today.
I started with touring the Magnolia Plantations but I'd like to begin with the "Charleston Culinary Tours" as that's fresh in my memory. I was going through the travel brochures at my hotel and I hit upon the culinary tours which sounded exciting and a new experience for the Indian me. I did my bookings for this tour via the internet. (http://www.charlestonculinarytours.com/) They have multiple tours which you can chose from. There are five tours that include Downtown, Upper King Street, Chef's Showcase At The Farmer's Market, Chefs' Kitchen, and Mixology.I decided to go with the Downtown Culinary Tour. The tour was scheduled to begin at 2 pm as per the details provided in their brochure. They send you the ticket via email after the payment is done. 64$ sounded fair as the walking tour included 3 restaurants and a dessert place. Since I don't drive, I decided to take a cab to downtown Charleston as the tour was expected to begin from 161 East Bay Street, at the Southend Brewery and Smokehouse. The Yellow Cab which I had booked arrived at the hotel within 10 minutes but it took forever to reach Downtown. Added to my woes was the fact that I had not accounted additional time for the crazy traffic that one could face during this season. The taxi driver constantly being on the cell phone didn't help my cause as well. I thought that usage of cell phone while driving was an offense. Anyways, who am I to comment on the laws!! He finally managed to drop me at some corner and advised me that the place I needed to go was nearby.Really? With my sense of direction, it was another daunting task to find the Southend Brewery. I finally managed to reach the place. All I could see were loads of people within this restaurant. It was then that I saw a missed call on my cell and that's when I realized that the tour folks were trying to call me. I called him back and asked for directions. He sounded curt and asked me to go the front desk person and that she would guide me. What a good start! I was requested to go to the third floor as that's where the tour group were seated. So I ran up the stairs. Heaving and puffing, I finally reached the venue. There was a male guide who was explaining the tour route and related details. I walked up to the girl who seemed like the second guide and she showed me the space where I needed to settle down. I apologized to the folks at the table for being late (not that they cared) and turned to the guide who was explaining the route. I may be wrong but he had an annoyed look (was I imagining it??) on his face when he saw me walking in. Ye lord! Was he annoyed because he saw a brown face among the midst of the white ones or was it because of the fact that I was late by 5 minutes? But in my defense, there were 2 old ladies who walked in around 10 mins later than me. I saw this guide going to them and welcoming them to the group after he had finished his speech. I found that a bit weird. People like me have to muster all of our courage to do these activities as we are from a different culture and these kind of outings isn't something that we would do on a normal basis. Imagine being alone with a whole group of white folks with whom you share nothing in common! A little pleasant expression helps to calm nerves. But I wasn't going to let grumpy folks spoil it for me. The fact that he was good looking also didn't help my cause. Humph!!!! But to be fair to him, he sounded extremely knowledgeable about the local cuisines and places.
For those who want to do this tour....
1) Traffic can play havoc with your schedule. Account for some additional travel time
2) Parking space is difficult to find. Walking is better.
3) Loads of food comes your way as part of this tour. Skip lunch! N Dinner!!! :(

The first food tasting was at the "Southend Brewery and Smokehouse". It began with a starter which was
a Fried Green Tomato ( with Pimento cheese & Chow Chow),then the next was an old South burger with smoked ham and the last but not the least was the Pulled Pork. The presentation was great. The flavors were awesome. I am normally not a big fan of burgers or pork but I just loved the mix of flavors and the softness of the cooked meat. It was just right! I'd give my big 5 rating for the food in this place. Awesome. I am not a beer drinker. But the sample that they served was liked by the American couples with me. So I guess it was good. A beer that is brewed in this place was served as a sample but you could also taste more of their beers for some extra cash. Not me! I am happy with my cold water. The Guide also explained the history of the restaurant and the details of the current chef who's responsible for the kitchen. It was a wonderful experience. I like restaurants which are lively and filled with people who are talking, laughing, drinking!!! That thought made me miss home and family outings. Oh well....
Next, the Guide split us up into two groups. I was secretly relieved to go with the lady guide. It would be quite rude to stare away at the good looking guide (Glenn)and forget the actual reason for the tour. Lol!!! Another reason was that he was taking them to sea food places and I am kind of allergic to shrimps. So good! I had forgotten to mention that in their online form. They do check on whether you have food allergies. Sigh! Away from the glares also helps:)!!

Our group began walking with the lady guide (Charley) to the next restaurant. She was lively, approachable and well versed with the landmarks that we passed. We passed some famous eateries. I remember the McCrady’s Restaurant, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Landmarks. The menu, created by Chef

Sean Brock, recipient of the 2010 James Beard Best Chef Southeast award, centers around inventive cuisine fresh from the farm and local purveyors. We did get loads of information about this place and Sean Brock in general. I liked the idea of eating fresh food. My dad always thought that frozen food was lacking in taste. He was especially passionate about buying fresh meat and fish. It does make a difference to the taste. Of course...am partial to mom's cooking. She can conjure up a meal with minimum ingredients and maximum taste.



On the way, we passed the French church in Charleston called the Huguenot Church. The history of the church can be read from the following link; http://www.huguenot-church.org/history.html. I liked the shape of the Gothic Chapel.



We also passed another restaurant called the Poogan’s Porch. I took an excerpt from their site to avoid typing myself. So it goes... "Tucked away on charming Queen Street, Poogan’s Porch is one of Charleston’s oldest independent culinary establishments, with a fresh approach to Lowcountry cuisine. Built as a spacious and grand Victorian home in 1888, the structure and its neighborhood had, by 1976, changed suitably to allow for the conversion of the house into a restaurant. The owners sold their home and moved away. A little, down-home Southern dog named Poogan stayed behind.As far as he was concerned, their porch was his. After all, he’d been a neighborhood fixture for years, wandering from porch to porch, in search of back scratches and table scraps, endearing himself to all. From his proud porch perch, he served as official greeter. It seemed only right to the name the restaurant after him. Poogan died a natural death in 1979. His porch and restaurant live on in his honor." (Taken from their website: http://www.poogansporch.com/). I am a big sucker for stories. I loved this one way too much. I took the time to take my little amateur snap of this place and Poogan's resting place. All my snaps are my memories. I love them thought they may be at crooked angles at times.

Another landmark that I remember passing is the Husk Restaurant. HUSK is centrally located in historic downtown Charleston, Husk, the newest offering from James Beard Award-winning Chef Sean Brock of McCrady’s and the Neighborhood Dining Group, transforms the essence of Southern food. Led by Brock and Chef de Cuisine Travis Grimes, a Lowcountry native, the kitchen reinterprets the bounty of the surrounding area, exploring an ingredient-driven cuisine that begins in the rediscovery of heirloom products and redefines what it means to cook and eat in Charleston. (taken from their website: http://www.huskrestaurant.com/). I do want to eat here someday. This place had a great ambiance. It reminded me of some restaurant in Goa which I had visited with my friend. Our guide informed us that reservations were very difficult to get at this place. Oh well..unless I find someone to eat with me, I ain't going there alone. Sigh!!! Some day soon...



We reached our second destination for food tasting. It was at a restaurant called 82,Queen. We were escorted to the garden which had seating for guests. Out here, we tasted the she crab soup and the crab cake. I just loved the crab cake. The soup was great but a bit too heavy on my tummy which was already groaning with food from the previous restaurant. So I couldn't complete the soup helping. But nevertheless, the tastes just appeal to your taste buds. I would love to go back some day and have another crab cake from here..

In 1982, three restaurateurs had a vision to provide a uniquely “Charleston” dining experience with a focus on fresh, local cuisine and gracious hospitality. They had the perfect setting consisting of three buildings and a garden courtyard nestled in the Historic French Quarter, but they could not agree on a name. With the pressure of opening upon them, founding partners Harvey Poole, Joe Sliker and Chef Steve Kish decided to simply use the street address as the name. And so was born one of Charleston’s oldest and most celebrated restaurants … 82 Queen.Feeling that there was a portion of Charleston’s culinary heritage that was being overlooked, 82 Queen’s original menu featured dishes influenced by the African, French, Caribbean and Anglo-Saxon tastes which permeated the area. 82 Queen’s fusion of these culturally diverse flavors led to the rise of a culinary genre that had been previously undefined – and is now referred to as “Lowcountry Cuisine”. (Taken from the website: http://www.82queen.com/about-us/)







From here we went to the next restaurant which was supposed to serve us more food. Groan!!! Even the walking wasn't helping. You cannot even refuse to taste as it's way toooo delicious. The next halt was at the restaurant named LowCountry Bistro. We had 2 tastings to get done. My poor tummy was already in a bad shape. But as usual, the



presentation of the food and the aromas made it too tempting. The first course was a Pork Belly BLT followed by the Chicken and Waffle. The latter dish was fascinating. I can't imagine eating a Waffle with fried chicken. The butter tasted great. So there..I pigged on them again! If my



stomach could talk, it would be abusive words for sure.

From there, we moved to a dessert place called Kaminsky's. OMG!!! This was the ultimate decision to make. To choose between a chocolate cake or a caramel and peanut coated cake! I finally went for the latter as I am partial to caramel. Words aren't enough to describe the taste and texture and aroma of this tasting. Sad part was that I couldn't eat the whole slice. In America, the food portions are huge. They believe that you should get the value for your money. Oh well..doggie bags for me! I always have food carried back for next day as I am never able to finish.



So that's my entire food tasting story. I'd highly recommend it to those who want to experience different types of food and understand the local cuisine. But ahem..if you are the types who'd survive on salad leaves, this may not be your cup of tea. I hope to do the 'Mixology' tour some day. My prudish side doesn't feel comfortable doing it alone since there would be various alcohols that will be a part of the tasting list. I need a friend who can accompany me so that I can drink without worries related to reaching home. That's on my 'to-do'list for later.
I still have to pen down my memories at the Magnolia plantation Next blog.....

“You can't just eat good food. You've got to talk about it too. And you've got to talk about it to somebody who understands that kind of food.” 
― Kurt Vonnegut, Jailbird