From in-depth to brief, look here for our latest feature stories about local ingredients, area chefs, farmers, fisherman and eating trends in Charleston.

Ode to Oysters

Oysters are everywhere! Check out these 13 oyster-eating options available around town.

Grounds for Hope

Be sure to drop by Hope and Union where attention to detail raises the bar for coffee in town. Single origin organic coffees are brewed by the cup in Chemex vessels. Organic milk and dairy are stored in glass bottles. Only seasonal coffees from some of the finest organic beans in the world are served, and the space is one to appreciate.
Even better, enjoy guilt free. The owners are totally dedicated to serving beans grown sustainably and bought with fair trade practices, cups are biodegradable!

Int’l Street Fare

Shine spotlights international street fare with flavorful renditions of Middle Eastern falafel with tangy yogurt, house made South American Arepas, Korean Bulgogi with rice and dipping sauce. The menu is truly of this world. Served lunch through dinner. $7-$9.

Rais’n Cane

Take a weekend afternoon drive out to Rosebank Farms this fall/winter for a taste of Sidi Limehouse’s molasses. From stalk to jar he does it all.
Sugar Cane became a valuable Carolina export after it was introduced from the Carribean. It thrives in the subtropical climate of coastal SC and became an imp ortant part of southern culture.
Sidi’s methods of milling and pressing is done in the way of days gone by. In late November, when mature stalks reach 8 feet high and peak sweetness, Sidi harvests and transports his cane to the molasses mill at Rosebank Farms. Using three mules, an 80 gallon pot and a cast iron mill dating back to the 1700’s, he begins the arduous process of squeezing juice from the cane. From there, he slowly cooks the juice down to a syrup, monitoring the color as it darkens. You can see this process, hear the history and purchase Sidi’s products at the 5th annual Lowcountry Fall Festival at Rosebank Farms. November 14 from 10 am – 3 pm.

Soft Shell Crabs are inside this truck!

Capers White

When we began to talk to chefs and others in town about seafood one of the names we heard again and again was Raul’s Seafood, purveyors of pristine stone claws, shrimp, crabs, and fish. We drove out to meet Kimberly and Bobby Carroll, the owners, at their new location on the dock of Shem Creek, and we highly recommend that you drop by too. Enjoy having a seat on their dock, catch a bit of their friendly vibe and take home some of their fresh-off-the-boat seafood. 

Kimberly gets excellent shrimp, and seafood daily as it comes off the boat. But perhaps the highlights of her bounty are the fresh blue crabs, stone crab claws and soft shell crabs Kimberly and Bobby harvest themselves. 

If they are available, by all means purchase some of their stone crab claws. Kimberly generously gave us perhaps a dozen and a half she had brought in from the boat an hour earlier. With instructions to not let them touch ice and a determined comment that we should eat only local seafood, sent us on our way. 

We prepared the claws to her exact specifications and enjoyed them with a cold beer. I think the meal she provided for us that day was perhaps one of the best I have ever had.

Kimberly’s Instructions for Perfect Stone Crab Claws 

Keep the claws at room temperature; never let them touch ice. If you buy seafood or shrimp at the same time and it is on ice, put the claws in a separate bag. This keeps the meat from sticking to the shell. Put the claws in a pot with just enough luke warm water to cover them, and bring the water to a boil. Let them boil 10 minutes, then dump them in the sink and run cold water over them. Serve with drawn butter. (We recommend lemon too.)