Charleston Restaurant Week at Indaco

I enjoyed a three course meal for $35 on their warm sealed-in porch! I started off the meal with fresh buratta cheese, topped with pistachios, served with a veggie slaw with olives, and lavash.  My next course was mezzaluna pasta with duck confit, pickled apples, hazelnuts, and mushrooms.  My final course was hazelnut gelati. All dishes were served quickly and were fresh! The burratta was fabulous and adventurous.  The pickled apples provided a crisp bite to what would have been a heavy dish, and the gelati was smooth and creamy.  All were in serving sizes that, thankfully, allowed me to eat every bite!

For further information check out their website at http://indacocharleston.com

Gnome Cafe

Just another day venturing into Charleston’s vegetarian/vegan food scene! Today I decided to try lunch at Gnome Cafe!  I ordered their pad thai salad which was made with spiralized vegetables, peppers, almonds, broccoli and other crunchy toppings, half an avocado, and an impressive vegan coconut lime almond dressing that absolutely made the entire salad.

For further info check out their website at http://www.gnomecafe.com

Pizano’s Pizza and Pasta

We got Mark’s Special which was a deep dish with mozzarella.  Topped with tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic and basil.

Spoke and Bird

On a brief trip to Chicago I found this nice restaurant right around the corner from my hotel!  They offered speedy coffee in the morning and a nice sit down breakfast when I had time!  Below is their egg sandwich which had asiago cheese, ham (which as a southerner, I would call it bacon), egg, and aioli.  The potatoes are worth raving about!  They were crunchy and had an interesting flavor profile! The restaurant also made their own ketchup!

Harold’s Cabin

Omelet of the Day with a side of smoked salmon.  Omelet with Gruyere cheese, sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, and arugula.

The Hen and The Goat

Avocado Toast.  Local sourdough bread, with mashed avocado, local heirloom tomatoes, micro greens, and red pepper flakes, with a generous smear of local, well-flavored butter along the bottom.  

Sweetwater Cafe

Bohemian Bull

That’s My Jam burger with Summer Squash and Zucchini.  Fried Macaroni and Cheese.

Huriyali

I friend pointed my towards Huriyali in a discussion about the great Instagram presence of restaurants here in Charleston.  I am always searching for unique vegetarian and vegan restaurants.  The interior of the restaurant was gorgeous, the stereotypical setting for this type of restaurant with succulents and plants hiding in every corner.  Additionally, they had a grocery area in the front that had items such as La Croix and apple cider vinegar.  I ordered their Breakfast Plate which came with toast, two eggs (vegan or farm raised), hash, avocado, tomato, and either turkey or tempeh bacon.  I also got a cup of drip coffee.  I chose to try the farm eggs and the tempeh bacon.  I asked for hot sauce on the side and honestly, it might have been my favorite part of the meal, it was perfectly spicy with a good vinegar twang.  The hash had bits of poblano pepper in it to make it have flavor, which some hashes lack.  I put the avocado and the tomato, which had been roasted, on the toast to make a simple avocado toast that had nice notes of spice from the seasoning on the tomato and the hot sauce.  Gorgeous restaurant, gorgeous food, pleasantly easy parking on the street, needless to say I can’t wait to make another visit.

 

http://www.huriyali.com

Gnome Cafe

Any time I hear of a vegan/vegetarian restaurant I run to it!  The complexities of making a tasty, satisfying meal with dietary restrictions is like a puzzle and it is always interesting to see how different places carry it out.  Here they had a variety of common dishes which had tofu or tempeh subbed in for meat products.  I chose to get their Tempeh Rueben because I’m always craving rye and sauerkraut.  The bread it was served on was a beautiful rye pumpernickel twist that had been toasted, the tempeh was meaty in taste, the sauerkraut piled high, and topped with a vegan dressing and cheese that pulled it all together.  Some pickles were served on the side, I assume to break up the flavors, they were also fresh and delicious.

 

http://www.gnomecafe.com