Triple D in the Low Country (Charleston, South Carolina) - Part 1

My friend Barry had told me that he would be attending a family wedding in Charleston, South Carolina in June 2013.  His plan was to take a week and drive down from the DC area and back.  i started thinking about asking if he needed a co-pilot for his drive home and when he said that he would be OK with me joining him I looked into flying down from Dulles to Charleston and getting a car and checking out the six DDD places in the Charleston area while he was off doing family stuff.

I had originally planned to fly down on a Thursday after work but as the day got closer the flights got heavier and heavier and since I fly stand-by I decided to take an extra day and fly down on a Wednesday.  I was able to get on the noon flight and after a brief delay in departing from Dulles, I made my way to Charleston.  I arrived on a very hot and humid afternoon, which is not unusual for Charleston.  I got a car rental and headed to the hotel and on to my first place.  Barry was with his cousin playing gold, which I find insane in 95 degree heat!

United Express Canadair RJ - My ride to Charleston

Two of the places in the area were within 2 miles of the hotel and those would be my lunch and dinner stops for my first day in the area.  I headed off to "The Early Bird Diner". 

The place was pretty quiet on a mid afternoon Wednesday.  I remembered watching the DDD episode, that one of the things the EBD (a name that the owner uses) is that on the weekend this pace is opened until 4am and is known to be very popular to the late night bar crowd.  The menu is quite eclectic and features all types of meals and the entire menu is always available.  I saw an item that was on the breakfast menu and I had to try it.  It is actually my kind of breakfast item.  I am not a real big fan of eggs and when I saw that Shrimp and Grits on the menu I knew that I needed to try it.  The dish is served with a biscuit on the side.  The huge bowl had very creamy grits covered with huge shrimp and a brown spicy gravy.  The creamy grits really cut into the spice of the gravy and the shrimp were sauteed just right, it was a very delicious meal.

My Early Bird Diner Shrimp and Grits meal

The staff was very friendly and accommodating.  The server went and got the chef and owner of the diner to come and sign my book.  He came over and talked to e for a while and took my book to sign and and I was give an sticker of the diner.  The owner is also an artist and he not only signed my book but also drew a picture of one of the EBDs signature dishes, Chicken and Waffles.  I really felt special that he did that.

The signature and art work in my DDD  book

Off I went from EBD, full and satisfied.  After returning to the hotel and meeting up with Barry and some of his relatives, I found out that there were more family activities for Barry, so I decided to have dinner at the other DDD locale near the hotel. 

I headed off to dinner to a small but very neat place called "The Glass Onion".  This place calls themselves "Soulful Southern" cooking.  I was seated at a small table and looked over the menu.  The server explained that their menu is known as "Farm to Table" and specializes in organic cooking. 

Everything on the menu looked great and I decided on the 2 Deviled Eggs for and appetizer and the Comfit Duck Gnocchi for my dinner.  The Deviled Eggs soon arrived and were accompanied with a bowl of Boiled Peanuts.  I had never had boiled peanuts and always wondered what they tasted like.  I was very surprised, they weren't crunchy, but had the taste and texture of beans.  It was very unusual taste that I really enjoyed, not sure if I would have them often but it was great to have tried them.

Deviled Eggs and Boiled Peanuts

While waiting for my meal, I talked with the server and the manager about my DDD travels.  The manager said he would return to sign my book and as the meal arrived, I was surprised with an extra side dish.  The server told me that the chef made an order of Pimento Cheese with crackers and pickled vegetables.  The cheese was delicious and both the cheese and the vegetables were very spicy, I used the crackers to lessen the burn of the spices.  The main dish of Comfit Duck Gnocchi was presented in a gravy broth with oyster mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.  It was delicious!  The duck was tasty and NOT greasy.  That is the one complaint I always hear about duck and this was great. 

Pimento Cheese and Pickled Vegetables

Comfit Duck and Gnocchi

I was very impressed with both of my stops on my first day in Charleston, South Carolina and I also realized that this city is a real "foodie town"!

The next morning I headed into the historic area of Charleston on a very hot and humid morning.  By days end it would reach 99 degrees but I needed to get to a few more places.  My first stop was a tiny place just off the famous and historic Charleston Market.  "Dixiw Supply and Bakery: is a iny place that is located next to a mini market.  There is seating for about 20 and it does a very brisk business.

Dixie Supply and Bakery

I chose the meal that they made with Guy on the show.  A Chicken Buiscuit with cheese and sausage gravy.  It also came with an egg, but I decided against it and then was told that Guy (who also is not a fan of eggs) got his the same way.  Great Minds think alike I guess!  I was awesome and the staff was very friendly and acommodating.  They also serve bakery goods featureing several types of pies, but I decided that the huge buscuit was enough for me.

My Chcike Buscuit Breakfast

After a great breakfast I headed out to check out this historic city and get to a few more places, but that is for the next installment!