Poogan's Porch

After a hot day at Fort Sumter, a yummy taco lunch, and a nap at the hotel, we were ready for a cozy dinner at one of Charleston's most famous and oldest landmark restaurants...Poogan's Porch.

Originally built in 1888 as a grand Victorian home, it is now frequently visited by celebrities, locals, and tourists alike. In 1976 the owner's of the house moved away but a little dog named Poogan, stayed behind, frequenting many porches in the neighborhood in search of scraps and a little attention.  When the next person came along to buy the home and turn it into a restaurant, there seemed to be no choice but the name the restaurant Poogan's Porch, after the beloved neighborhood pooch.

When we walked into the beautiful Charleston institution, we felt right at home. Literally, it felt as though we had stepped through time and were walking into someone's home just before the turn of the century. A stunning yellow house with romantic double porches equipped with ceiling fans.  It was warm and cozy, with beautiful stairs and hard wood floors.  Most of the rooms still divided like a regular old-timey house and furnished with antique fireplaces. And most importantly...good traditional Southern cuisine.

famous celebrity signatures on the menu

We began with a classic....Fried Green Tomatoes with pecan encrusted goat cheese and a seasonal peach chutney. I LOVE a good fried green tomato! And everything is amazing with goat cheese. Yes, everything. Almost.  I love the crispiness of the breading on the outside of the tomato and the juiciness inside.  The goat cheese is nutty, creamy, and tangy. All that combined with the peach chutney which provides a delightfully unexpected sweetness.

every god Southern meal must start with buttermilk biscuits

fried green tomatoes (center); pecan crusted goat cheese (top left), peach chutney (bottom right)

Their list of entrees consists of several modern dishes as well as several traditional ones. Being at a historic culinary institution for Charleston, I felt we would be remiss to go with anything but traditional.  So we got the Buttermilk Fried Chicken.  We split the dish so we wouldn't have to roll back to our hotel room.  What's also nice about splitting dishes, is that they actually give you each a little extra portion! How nice!!  Crispy, buttery fried chicken breasts served on top of butter whipped potatoes and a sage gravy, sprinkled with a few green onions on top. Perfectly balanced flavors and perfectly delicious!

The fried chicken was also served with pimiento cheese slaw.  Pimiento cheese is a childhood favorite for me!  It reminds me of my grandma.  I didn't have the traditional grandmas that people talk about as kids.  You know the kind...plump, sweet, doting, loves to bake with you and take you shopping, and all around spoil you to death to your parents dismay.  My grandma on my mother's side, (we called her Gongi), she taught me how to play solitaire, to love crosswords, her idea of fun was to shop at the Salvation Army, and every time she'd pick me up after school we'd stop at the store to pick up three things...scratch-off lottery ticket, apricot brandy, and a pack of Kool cigarettes.  Not exactly the typical apron-wearing baker that smells of cookies and hands out kisses. But most of my best memories of her are food related. One of my favorite treats she used to make for me after school was pimiento cheese sandwiches! Loved them and still do!! And this pimiento cheese slaw was definitely reminiscent of that.  And of her.  I don't know if it was as good as hers but I think Gongi would've been pleased.

And of course Pablo gave Poogan's Porch 4 ants! Pablo approved!

Bodegas

A few weeks ago Superking and I went to Bodegas in DC with a friend of ours.  We scarfed on many tapas that night and even ended up with a free dessert by accident.  Check out what we ordered...

Sepia a la plancha...cuttlefish grilled with olive oil and sea salt.  Very savory, not chewy at all, mild flavor but a nice pairing with the olive oil and salt.

Atun a la plancha con cebolla caramelizada...seared tuna with caramelized onions.  Perfectly seared and great flavor.  The caramelized onions were awesome.

Patatas bravas...fried potatoes with spicy alioli.  Nice crispy potatoes with a spicy but not too hot sauce.

Codorniz con salsa vino tinto trufada...grilled quail with a red wine truffle sauce.  Lovely little bird that was juicy and tender. The sauce had a slight sweetness with a touch of the truffle and it was served with some creamy mashed potatoes that helped soak up some of the extra sauce. Yumm!

some of my pictures are kinda dark...

Chuletillas de cordero con vino tinto...grilled lamb chops with red wine sauce.  Great lamb perfectly paired with the semi-sweet wine sauce.

Bistek a la parrilla...grilled beef skirt steak pimento morron (a type of sweet pepper). Cooked to a very tender medium rare and served with creamy mashed potatoes.

...the people at the table next to us kept giving me dirty looks every time I took a picture with my flash on :(

Then we ordered an almond cake but were served a chocolate cake instead...

Our waiter quickly apologized, brought out the almond cake but let us keep the chocolate one for free.  We enjoyed both very much!  The chocolate one was dense and fudgey and rich while the almond was light and fluffy.

Everything we ate was delicious and oh how we love the small plates so we can try so many different things!

Twelve Years...

Today Superking and I celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary.  Twelve years...in some ways it seems like a long time, like we've been together forever; and in other ways its gone by so fast it seems it was only yesterday we said "I do".  Either way its been a happy twelve years.  Not that we haven't had our ups and downs because we certainly have, as every couple does. But every day we have stood by one another and loved each other more and more than the day before.

Last night, we went out to a fancy dinner to celebrate these wonderful 12 years. This past Christmas, a family member had given us a generous gift card to a restaurant called Ruth's Chris and we decided to save it for a special occasion.  So this was it!  Ruth's Chris is an upscale steakhouse and isn't particularly unique per se, but the cuisine it offers is amazingly good.

We started off with an appetizer of Seared Ahi Tuna.  Mostly raw and perfectly sliced, the tuna was tender and flavorful and served with a ginger mustard sauce with hints of beer and horseradish.  A lovely way to start the meal with our complimentary crusty bread and creamy soft butter.

We also shared a Caesar salad, beautiful crunchy greens with bright red sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh thinly shaved parmesan cheese, and a few salty anchovies on top.  If you like fish, and you like salt, you should totally give the anchovy a try.  It really adds a nice salty touch to your salad (or even a pizza).

Now I am not a huge fan of steak.  So at most steakhouses, I usually go for a seafood option (which I love a good crab cake).  However, I'm discovering more and more that its not so much that I don't like steak. Its that I don't like steak that has been cooked badly.  Growing up, the only steak I ever had was whatever the cheapest cut of meat was and it was cooked to death to the point where it took me an hour to chew and swallow just one bite.  There was also no flavor so it had to be slathered with an entire bottle of cheap steak sauce just to make it palatable enough to choke down...Ok I'm exaggerating a bit. But not much (sorry mom, love you)...

Last night as I was looking at the menu, I was leaning towards the usual crab cakes, which I'm sure would've been awesome, but I wanted to go for something different than I normally would've chosen.  Superking encouraged me, "when in Rome..." or the steakhouse...go for the steak.  This was the first time I have ever ordered a whole steak for myself at a restaurant!!

I went for the Petite Filet with the Blue Cheese Crust topping.  Now you must know that "these aren't your ordinary steaks", as Amanda Freitag from Food Network would say. All of Ruth's Chris steaks are cooked at 1800 degrees, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, and topped with butter which melts and sizzles all the way from the kitchen to your table.  Very simple preparation which makes for the best steaks I have ever eaten. And this from someone who's not a steak fan.  

My steak was so tender  and juicy I probably could've cut it with my butter knife.  So full of savory meaty flavor! The butter added a sweetness to the meat and the generous topping of blue cheese that had been roasted on the steak added the perfect tanginess to it as well.  I love me some blue cheese! This blue was fairly mild which was nice so as not to take away from the flavor of the steak but to enhance it. And parts of the blue cheese were slightly browned and crusty adding a lovely textural element.  Superking also got a filet but instead of the petite, his was a regular size and though he didn't order the blue cheese on his, he promptly became jealous of mine and had to steal some of it to try!!

They serve the side dishes a la carte and family style so we ordered some potatoes to share.  When you look at the side dishes, they have three categories...salads, vegetables, and potatoes.  And you think, "potatoes have their own listing? How many different kinds of potatoes can you serve?"  On their menu, seven.  We chose the Lyonnaise potatoes.  They are sliced and pan-fried in butter with thinly sliced sauteed onions and other seasonings.  They were slightly crispy and salty and tasted sort of like french fries but way better!

We were so stuffed for dessert but since the restaurant knew it was our anniversary, they said a dessert would be on the house! So of course we HAD to pick something! We couldn't disappoint our wonderful waiter! :)  So we opted for the Chocolate Sin Cake.  Might as well go all out since its free, right?  This cake was so dark and dense, almost fudgey, it was easy to see why they called it Sin Cake.  It was packed full of dark chocolate and espresso flavor, topped with a shiny layer of chocolate ganache and surrounded by this beautiful deep red strawberry sauce and a fan-sliced fresh strawberry.  Absolutely gorgeous and decadent, to die for!

Thank goodness they're not too fancy to neglect offering doggie bags!! Food like that is way to good to let go to waste no matter how full you are! We've been here for past anniversaries and as the waiter wished us, "to at least a dozen more", hopefully we'll be back at Ruth's Chris before another twelve years has gone by.

Happy 12th anniversary, my Superking! I love you to the moon and back!

Founding Farmers

Happy Memorial Day everyone! What better way to celebrate the fallen men and women who have given their lives for our country and freedoms, than to have a great meal with family at the Founding Farmers Restaurant.  Located in the heart of our nation's capital, just a few blocks from the White House in the Foggy Bottom area of DC, this restaurant makes everything from scratch. Yes everything, even their ketchup and butter and sodas.  And all their food is obtained from local sustainable sources. Even their tables and decor are environmentally friendly, using re-purposed woods for the tables, recycled paper for the menus, and "green" paints on the walls.

cool lobby decor made from natural products, even a little reading nook filled with foodie books to peruse while you wait for your table

little pig statue over-looking the lobby

The first thing we had to order were the Bacon Lollis.  Yes bacon lollipops, essentially. Smoked thick-cut bacon on a stick that has been candied with a cinnamon brown sugar glaze.  OMG! These were unbelievable!! I could've eaten just that and been completely happy for the rest of my life.  As a matter of fact our waiter, Branden (who was a really good waiter) said sometimes his favorite meal from there were the bacon lollis and a glass of a bourbon.  Awesome.  What else can you say to that?

We also ordered Farmers Chips, Cheddar Crisps, and Dips.  The cheddar crisps were like cheesy crackers and the chips were real potato slices, both served in a copper bowl.  The three dips, all super yummy, were onion dip, pimento cheese spread, and Green Goddess dip, which I believe was avocado based. 

Left to right dips: pimento cheese, green goddess, onion

As we scarfed those all up, I enjoyed one of their house-made seasonal sodas...grapefruit soda.  It was real grapefruit juice with sparkling bubbly soda water.  Simple, yet refreshing and delicious; the perfect drink on such a hot steamy 95 degree day.

neat staircase lined with cute bird lights overhead, leading to the upstairs dining room

jars of fruit and veggies, unique decor

For my entree I opted for one of their gourmet flatbreads.  Proscuitto, fig, and marscapone on toasted ciabatta bread, served on a wooden paddle made from some local guy in Maryland.  It was the perfect combination of salty, sweet, and creamy with a little tanginess from the balsamic vinegar drizzled on top.

lower bar area (there was a smaller one upstairs)

Superking enjoyed a good ol' country farm-boy meal of fried chicken and waffles. The chicken was pan-fried southern-style to perfection...juicy and peppery with just the right amount of crisp.  The combination of the chicken with the semi-sweet waffle topped with house-churned butter and white creamy pepper gravy was strange yet beautiful.  It was served with some really cheesy mac 'n cheese and asparagus which was supposed to be double-whipped red potatoes.  But the waiter fixed it and quickly brought us a side of the potatoes as well.  Still steaming, you could see the potato skins mixed in. Delish.

cute and tiny metal carton for the pepper gravy

My in-laws joined us on this food adventure.  We thought it only fitting to bring them along since they were the ones who told us about this place.  And my father-in-law is ex-military, plus yesterday was his birthday, so happy birthday and happy memorial day to him all in one meal!

this whole side of the menu was drinks, mostly alcoholic

Mom Superking ordered the fish and chips.  The chips were served in a brown paper bag as is traditional, I've heard, in Britain. They were also supposed to come with an 8oz draught beer! But she decided to skip that.  Dad Superking decided on the Chef salad, a nice large wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with fresh veggies, including tomatoes and golden beets and even soft corn bread croutons.

sorry the fish and chips are a little blurry (trying to take it fast!)

beautiful colorful salad

The restaurant offers a breakfast/brunch menu, and at least a few of the items are served all day, including their beignets. We so badly wanted to order those but we were so stuffed from everything else! Oh well, that just means we'll have to go back. And very soon!

Superking waiting for our table, dreaming of the yummy food we're about to have

For those of you looking for more animal-friendly choices, they also offer a separate vegan menu with items such as BBQ "chicken" (which I believe is actually tofu or some soy-based product) and chocolate stout waffles. Sounds worth a try even for a bacon-and-dairy-lovin' girl like me!

Left to right: Superking, me, Mom-in-law, Dad-in-law

The Founding Farmers motto, written right on their front door is "true food and drink". Here's a quote from them about what they stand for..."The Founding Farmers name represents a combination of ideas: it is a celebration of the land and the American family farmer; it is a nod to the founding fathers of our country, many of whom owned and farmed land that surrounds Washington, D.C.; and it is a place where true, sustainably-farmed, grown, and harvested American foods are brought to our guests...It’s about growing, buying and eating food that is good – for the people that eat it, the farmers that harvest it, the animals that produce it and the world that grows it." 

God bless America and those that have fought for our freedoms!

pretty church across the street

Sea Blue Restaurant

We haven't had much in the way of food adventures this week. Easter was a little exhausting. And then we ate on that leg of lamb for 5 days!! I'm hoping to have a little food adventure this weekend though.

view of Myrtle Beach from our hotel

In the meantime, I've been thinking about vacation so I thought I could do a retro-post about a place we went to in Myrtle Beach, SC this past September. Its called Sea Blue. A seafood restaurant, of course, but so much more than that.

First of all, its located at the end of a strip mall.  Yes, a strip mall. And not even a really nice strip mall.  So when we pulled up in front, we were a little suspect.  Why did have to make reservations for this place??  But, as my mother always told me, never judge a book by its cover for looks can be deceiving.  When we walked in, we were completely surprised by the elegant, intimate atmosphere. Its a small place, seating only about 15-20 tables plus the bar.  But each table was pristinely covered with white linen, soft glowing candles, and antique-looking silver and blue salt and pepper shakers.  The blue neon lights at the bar gave the place a hip urban feel and separating the tables from the bar was a large tank full of beautiful colorful fish.

check out the fish tank on the right

We began our meal with an appetizer of shrimp and smoked tomato grits.  Slightly sweet and savory, reminiscent of ham.  For the main course, Superking ordered Wagyu Beef filet.  At that time we hadn't eaten beef in about two years but if you're going to break a meat fast, this is the way to do it.  Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and even brought out some samples to show us the difference between this top quality Wagyu beef and a regular USDA prime cut of beef.  The Wagyu was almost completely white with marbling (fat) which is what makes it so tender and juicy and flavorful.  It was amazing. For sides, Superking also had truffle whipped potatoes and truffle mac n cheese.  Both were very rich and creamy and the truffle was subtle.

seating area (picture from Sea Blue)

For my entree, I had macadamia crusted grouper fish served with lobster risotto and fresh veggies consisting of carrots, asparagus, shitake mushrooms, and green beans.  The fish was very moist and the macadamia provided a nice crunch.  The risotto was so savory and buttery.  Even the vegges were good!

bar area (picture from Sea Blue)

For dessert, instead of our typical chocolate peanut butter cake, we ordered a cheese plate...two cheeses: morbier and triple cream served with grapes, strawberries, a blackberry sauce, and candied pecans.  The morbier was fairly mild and semi-soft with a gray line in the middle. Our waiter explained that the gray line was a layer of vegetable ash which separates the morning and evening milkings of the cheese.  The triple creme was so soft, it was spreadable and had a very strong flavor which paired well with the sweetness of the blackberry sauce. Once the waiter discovered what cheese-heads we were, he began telling us of a smokey blue cheese they sometimes offer.  After oohing and ahhing over his description of it, he finally brought us a sample of it.  So amazing! Very smokey and very blue!  Not for the faint of the cheesy heart!

cozy booth and cool jellyfish artwork (picture from Sea Blue)

It certainly was not a cheap meal (think 3 figures) but it was worth every penny. And it was our last meal of the vacation which made it that much more special.  And whats also really neat about this place is that they strive to use local organic ingredients whenever possible, including sustainable seafood.  Next time you're in Myrtle Beach, you must go check out Sea Blue!!

cute salt and pepper shakers at our table