Eric "the Restesd Traveler" M.'s Profile

OK...anybody that knows me culinarily knows that I am absolutely no stranger to pizza parlors, coffee shops, and doughnut shops and that I've been around the doughnut block a time or two. I've had Krispy Kreme and Dunkin. Who hasn't? I've also had Randy's, Top Pot, Tim Horton's, Kane's, Sublime, and Walton, Tas-T-O's. Up until now Sublime has been my favorite. Now, however, I've had what are probably the most superior of any doughnut I've ever had - Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts. The best part? Glazed is right here in Charleston! I don't have to go to Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Denver, L.A., or Ocala. I just have to head down to North King Street. I highly recommend the maple bacon and the raspberry. They're both out of this world! If you happen to go when they've run out ... be patient and make the return trip. They're well worth the wait!!!

Holy cow, those slices are HUGE!!!  I've eaten at Andolini's on Wentworth near C of C ... and it was awesome!  In fact, that was my favorite until now.  The Andolini's in Mount Pleasant was so-so.  The pizza was OK and the decor was dark and very aged.  But the Andolini's on L. Mendel Rivers Avenue in North Charleston is by far the best I've had!!  I ordered two slices (that's my usual) of Edie's Special ... and these slices were GIGANTIC!  I could easily have eaten only one and been satisfied.  I ate both and was well satisfied...nearly stuffed.  For Brooklyn style pizza in Chucktown, this Andolini's experience is as good as it gets.

For the past couple of weeks, my pre-teen daughter has been raving about this Frozen Yogurt place called "Menchies."  She had been going on and on about how delicious it is and how cool it is and how all of her friends from school go there and how they all love it.  "Wow," I thought to myself, "She's not even a teenager yet and she's already being influenced by peer pressure.  I can't wait for the next 10 years."

Well, that went on for a few days, and then I come home from work one day to find out that my wife had taken both of our kids to Menchies.  Now all three of them were talking about it.

"Where is Menchies?"  "What is Menchies?"  "How long has it been there?"  My line of questioning continued.  "Where is it again?"  Soon, I had narrowed it down to being in the Belle Hall Shopping Center, across the street from Starbucks and behind the Great Harvest Bakery.

Well, weekend arrived and I rounded everybody up and went to Menchies for a treat - I had to try it for myself.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  You help yourself to everything!  They sell their yogurt by the ounce.

The way it works is you grab a bowl (or a waffle bowl) when you first go in.  Then, you browse the dozen or more (constantly changing) flavors of soft-serve frozen yogurt, to all of which you can help yourself.  You can even sample flavors using little sampler cups.  Once you've decided on a flavor, you put as much as you want in your bowl and then move on along the "assembly line" to the toppings.  Nuts?  Candy?  Cereal?  Sprinkles?  Fresh (and I do mean fresh) Fruit?  Brownie and Cookie Dough?  Cheesecake Bits?  They've got it all.  You top your yogurt with as little or as much as you like.  When you're done, you simply take your bowl up to the counter and put it on the scale and they ring you up (and it's less than you'd expect, too).  Pay, grab a spoon, and dig in!  That's all there is to it!

They also have a punch card that you can use to collect punches for one free yogurt.  Also, merchandise (shirts, bags, jewelry, hats, etc.)...all the stuff pre-teen girls love.  I see why my daughter loves that place so much.

My favorite:  Vanilla (or Angel Food Cake) Yogurt topped with fresh blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and kiwi slices.   That's my mix.  What's yours going to be?

Wow - I can't believe I slammed Jack's Cosmic Dogs so horribly with my initial review.  I do apologize!  Maybe it was the fact that it was November or perhaps it was the fact that the place was dead when we first went there, but the experience was horrible.  The food was bland and I was disappointed, yes.  This is true.  I don't apologize for being honest.

However, that being said, I *always* try to give every place a second chance, and I did just that with Jack's during the summer months, after a trip to the beach with my wife and kids.  Well, what a difference a season or two makes!  On our second visit (and subsequent summertime visits), the place was bustling and busy and we had a bit of a wait, but when we got our food....WOW!  I *cannot* say enough about their Blue Cheese Slaw and their Sweet Potato Mustard (can you tell my favorite is the Blue Galactic Dog)?  Their fries are pretty tasty, too!  And I'd recommend splurging a little bit more for the root beer float.

Would I spend the gas and money to go to Jack's instead of fixing my dogs at home?  Yes, indeed!  Just do yourself a favor and go when it's busy...not when it's slow.  Make sure there's a crowd of cars parked out in front when you go.  That's what we've been doing and it seems to be working out right.

With so many places around to get Chicken Tenders (Zaxby's, Raising Cane's, Hardees) and Buffalo Wings (Buffalo Wild Wing, Wild Wing Cafe, etc.), one would think that it would be tantamount to commercial suicide to dive into that market...or at least that one would be somewhat insane.  Well, maybe insanity is what it takes to succeed.

Admittedly, I have not (yet) tried their Buffalo Wings, but Hubee D's has the absolute best chicken tenders anywhere in the Lowcountry.  Their salads are out of this world, too!  And their desserts (frozen banana pudding and fried banana pudding) are absolutely sinful!

I have been a fan since the very first time I tried them back in September, shortly after they opened their doors.  I was across town (I live in Mount Pleasant) taking my daughter to pick up her violin.  Hubee D's is right in the same shopping center, so we stopped in for a bite to eat.  At first, I thought they were a national chain that I had never heard of.  The decor and logo just had that feel to it.  I was very surprised to learn after researching a bit more when I got home that they are a local establishment and this is their first location.

Well, I couldn't wait to take my wife and son back across town to try them out.  They're both now hooked, too!  The kids love the desserts and the little poker chip they get to hold on to until they're ready to claim their dessert.  My daughter loves popping quarters into the jukebox.  My wife and I just love the food.

So far, I've been to Hubee D's probably two dozen times since they've opened.  Considering that I live in Mt. P., and considering the cost of gas - that says a lot.  It's well worth the drive!

It's in a very odd location - located in the front of a fairly old Days Inn tucked between a huge Toyota dealership and a Cracker Barrel.  When we entered the restaurant, it was noteworthy that the place was packed.

The menu was a bit daunting (as all Mexican restaurant menus tend to be at first glance).  I went with the Mazatlan house specials page, though - and ordered the Rio Burrito.  It was FREAKIN' AWESOME.  Yummy beef tips, chicken, shrimp, green and red bell peppers, and onions, doused with a healthy portion of spicy green chili sauce and served with a side of rice and "salad" (lettuce topped with sour cream and guacamole).

The food was excellent.  I'd definitely go back if in the area again.

If you want to blend in, don't enter through the Virginia door - go in the door at the back of the place.  LOL.  I didn't have the pizza, but some colleagues did and it looked pretty darned good.  Unless you're in the mood to eat a lot of pizza, stick with the X-Small or the Small.  The medium is a lot of pizza.

I had the meatball sub and a side of ruffled chips and it was pretty darned good.  There aren't a whole heck of a lot of choices in Clarksville, so this one is definitely worth a try if you're in the area.

Well, that didn't last long.  They're now closed, much to my lack of surprise.  Great idea, poor execution and even less traffic.

In responding to a comment about Taco Boy that I had made on his wall in Facebook, a friend of mine reminded me this evening that it's been a few weeks since I've been to Poe's Tavern. I was in the mood for a great burger, so I loaded the family up into the Jetta and headed over to Sullivan's Island.

If you were curious as to whether Poe's Tavern had any relationship to Edgar Allan Poe, rest assured that it does.

After a brief stint at Thomas Jefferson's University of Virginia, Edgar Allan Poe enlisted in the United States Army under the pseudonym of "Edgar Allan Perry" and was stationed at Fort Moultrie at the western end of Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. Poe's service at Fort Moultrie lasted for thirteen months beginning November 18, 1827. His time on Sullivan's Island inspired "The Gold-Bug," a story about a mystical beetle that led to buried treasure.

Poe's Tavern is located right in the heart of Sullivan's Island, directly across the street from Firey Ron's Home Team BBQ. It was founded "...to preserve the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe, a man who at once celebrated and bemoaned life, and always enjoyed a good drink (or several)."

Parking spaces this evening were unusually plentiful on Sullivan's Island, in spite of the amazing weather and brilliant sunset. I suppose the off season has arrived. It was also a Tuesday night, so we had an unusually quiet experience at Poe's and had our choice of practically any table inside or outside of the place.

Quickly scanning over their menu, I decided on the Amontillado Burger (a half-pound of certified Angus Chuck beef, ground in-house and cooked to order, topped with Guacamole, Jalapeno Jack, Pico de Gallo & Chipotle Sour Cream). It was, as always, delicious!

Although I had my choice of sides (hand cut french fries, potato salad or marinated bacon blue cheese slaw, or a tavern salad), I went with the fries. What burger would be complete without a side of fries, right?

Poe's Tavern is, quite honestly, one of my absolute favorite places to eat in the Charleston area. I found it no surprise that it and Taco Boy are owned and operated by the same group, Revolutionary Eating Ventures. Both places are worth your time, if you're in the Charleston area and looking for criminally good food.

On our way into Downtown Charleston this past Sunday, my wife said, "Would you like to have lunch at La Hacienda? I'm in the mood for Mexican food." Although I didn't vocalize it, my thoughts were, "Well, why don't we go to Taco Boy, then? We've been wanting to check that place out." So, as I exited off of the Ravenel Bridge onto Meeting Street, I decided to turn left on Huger and do a "drive by."

The parking lot at Taco Boy was just starting to fill up and my wife noticed families entering (a sure sign that a place is family friendly). I asked, "Would you like to eat here instead?" The forthcoming reply was, "Sure!" We went inside to find that Taco Boy was celebrating Dia de Los Muertos, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day. Servers were wearing commemorative T-Shirts and there was live music on the patio as well.

I have to tell you that I'm an instant fan of the food, so you'll surely be seeing more photos of it in my flickr photo stream. We got a sampling of guacamole, queso, and salsa along with a nice-sized portion of tortilla chips as an appetizer for $6.95. Since we were presented with both a lunch menu and a brunch menu, I ordered Huevos con Chorizo y Papas (scrambled eggs with Chorizo Sausage and fried red potato wedges, served with two flour tortillas and a side of pureed re-fried beans). It was out of this world! My wife had a Baja Fish Taco and a Chorizo and Red Potato Wedge Taco and our daughter had two kids Steak Tacos while our son snacked on a bowl of the fried red potato wedges and tortilla chips. For dessert, my wife ordered Tres Leches, which was just heavenly.

Sure - $3.95 for a Taco is a bit pricey, but this isn't Taco Bell, folks.  Nor is it Moe's or Chipotle or Qdoba....or Wahoo for that matter.  This is good food, great service, and a unique (for Chucktown) atmosphere.  We can feed a family of four for $40 here...that's par for the course in Charleston.

If you're in the Charleston area and like good food, you've got to check this place out. They've got a second location on Folly Island. It'd be great if they'd open one over here in Mount Pleasant, too!