The restaurant was packed and I couldn’t find my way to a menu (well, at least not where I would have enough room to set it down to photograph), so I settled for the sign… It gives you all the information you need!
See yesterdays post to see what the fried shrimp looks like… oooooh, too good!!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
F L A S H B A C K !
O n e Y e a r A g o: What kind of footprints are these?
T w o Y e a r s A g o: Artist: William Wray!
T h r e e Y e a r s A g o: Artist: Keith Oehmig!
WHAT A COOL PLACE! If you haven’t been to EVO Pizza (Extra Virgin Oven), you must go! I cannot wait to go back! We went with some friends and had the absolute best pizza and salad ever! Everything was top notch… The Farmer’s salad was so fresh, the roasted corn was delightful and the dressing was out of this world… We split the Margherita pizza and I have to say it’s the best we’ve ever had. Does TO DIE FOR explain how wonderful? I was so excited when the food came that I forgot to take a photo… that’s too sad, but it’s also a good reason to go back! Even the tea was remarkably good… No bitter taste, just pure delight!
We also went to the EVO bakery located behind the restaurant… the best looking breads you’ve ever seen! We bought a loaf of bread and a few chocolate chip cookies that were the best… just like the kind you make without all the mess! That night I made a pot of soup and had a slice of bread… heavenly!! Not expensive… better than any store bought bread could ever be!
Here is a little blip about the restaurant from their website:
About Extra Virgin Oven, LLC:
In 2005, Ricky Hacker and Matt McIntosh wheeled a cart into the Charleston Farmer’s Market, built a fire, assembled an array of ingredients: handmade dough, homemade sauce, hand-pulled mozzarella and the freshest local produce. The result seemed simple enough: Extra Virgin Oven: fresh, honest, uncomplicated Neapolitan pizza. The line in front of the pizza cart grew longer…and longer. What was happening was delicious – and different.
EVO began as a family business in 2005 baking pizzas on a mobile wood-fired oven for farmers’ markets and catering. In 2007, we opened our restaurant in lovely Park Circle to further pursue our passion with fresh, local, house-made, uncomplicated food. We’ve been passionate about supporting local farmers and visiting farms since 2005 and continue to work closely with our local producers.
In addition to pizza, Extra Virgin Oven serves an array of homemade soups, salads, cured meats and paninis on artisan breads, fresh from our wood-fired oven. Artisan beers and distinctive wines are the perfect complement to our honest food.
We make our own quality ingredients in house with the freshest local produce and meat available. We prepare and pull our own mozzarella twice daily, as well as make our pizza dough twice a day; we bake our own breads in our wood-fired oven; we slowly cook our sauces and soups daily; we make our house-made sweet sausage daily; our aioli is hand-made each day; our dressings our house-made, not from a jar. We believe it’s our job to let the essence of each ingredient speak for itself and know you will taste the difference.
Wow… after reading that you see that their food is REAL… it’s homemade and I swear you can tell the difference! EVO is located in the Park Circle area of North Charleston, SC, a very cool spot! – Check out their MENU!
There has been a lot of great press about this restaurant! I’m telling you, if you haven’t been… I would high tail it over there!!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
F L A S H B A C K
O N E Y E A R A G O… Christopher Columbus… 1492!
T W O Y E A R S A G O… Homes on the East Bluff, Mackinac Island, MI
Recently a great little Mexican restaurant opened up in South Windermere shopping center… it’s a short walk away, which is the ultimate in convenience! If you haven’t ventured to YoBo Cantina Fresca yet, peruse their menu, then head on over!
The interior is very cool too… dress however you like…
They’re a friendly group over there… we’ve tried several items on the menu. My favorite at the moment are the chicken tacos… Next I’m trying the fish tacos… also want to try the salad… great salsa’s that are really different, and oh so fresh!
Don’t miss their specials… Monday night all tacos are $2.50 starting at 4PM…
Wednesday is 1/2 priced bottle of wine night…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
All images from YoBo Cantina Fresca website or facebook page!
Interior image: Image: Bette Walker Photography – Image from YoBo Cantina Fresca’s Facebook page
Well, I snapped three photos with my phone and for some reason I only got half the menu… Luckily I also snapped a photo of the hanging menu… This is the latest menu, as of April 2013. A group of us headed to Bowens Island awaiting a delicious fried shrimp dinner and that’s exactly what we got. Too. Good. To. Be. True. If you are in Charleston, Bowens Island is a must see… bring your camera if its around sunset. You won’t believe how beautiful it is! Not a dressy place, but the best tasting shrimp on the planet!
*Please note: the restaurant is CLOSED ON SUNDAY and MONDAY! Hours are 5-10PM Tuesday – Saturday!
Oh have I ever gotten myself hungry… sigh!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Sullivan’s Island, SC. One of the most beautiful places on earth. It has that “back in time” feeling. I would like to retire and live there (wouldn’t everyone)… beautiful homes, cool businesses, and of course, the ocean! Tucked in the small area of “town” is this wonderful restaurant that’s been around for about ten years now… it’s called POE’S TAVERN. Everything on the menu has an Edgar Allen Poe name to it, it’s so creative. The t-shirts are cool too, so if you make it there, check them out! Fabulous burgers and pretty much everything else! It’s fun to eat outside or in. It’s a happening place!
I know what you’re thinking… WHERE’S THE MENU?? Right HERE my friends… check it out!
Read a bit about Poe’s from their website:
Named in honor of Edgar Allan Poe, we’re best known for great burgers and drinks.
Much like his work, the life of Edgar Allan Poe was short, tragic and shrouded in mystery. Best known as the author of the popular poem “The Raven”, Poe is credited with creating the detective and horror story genres. After a brief stint at the University of Virginia, Poe enlisted in the army under the pseudonym Edgar Allan Perry and was stationed at Fort Moultrie at the western end of Sullivan’s Island for thirteen months beginning November 18,1827. His time on the island inspired “The Gold Bug”, a story about a mystical beetle that led to buried treasure. He died alone, impoverished and inebriated at the age of 40 amid conflicting accounts of his demise, yet left an indelible legacy on American literature.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Bowens Island Restaurant… Simply the best seafood in a cool, relaxed (as in very relaxed) atmosphere. It’s a good time, every time!
This is one of the outbuildings, the restaurant is upstairs and the all you can eat oysters are downstairs (different building). There is an eclectic assortment of buildings on the premises. All add to the charm and character for sure!
If you’re in the area, be sure to check it out! Need a menu? Here’s a link back to my August post that includes the menu… It may have changed… I need to get back there… all in the name of research, hee hee…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Me at a cafe on Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA – 2005!
Yes, for those of you who think I just don’t age… this photo is from 2005, ha ha… that’s my no aging secret, use old photos, works better than Botox! We had such a good time at this place. This was at a cool place called THE GROVE FILLMORE in San Francisco. I remember they had huge cups of coffee (as you can see), they had wonderful pies… ooooh, fabulous organic fruit fillings that made it worth the trip each time! They also had a macaroni and cheese that was to die for! Look at their MENU!
Image via…
I was telling this older couple we had met along the way, about this place, and she told me “Honey, we used to live to eat, now we eat to live”. How sad I thought at the time. But we do the same thing with occasional splurges. I mean you are what you eat, right? That’s why I eat lots of shrimp. Hee.
Have a great weekend! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Waterfront dining… there’s nothing like it! Especially when the atmosphere is casual, the food is delicious and there is a great view! We had heard wonderful things about the Flatbread Company, so, on a recent stop in Portland, Maine we decided to check it out. Located on Commercial Street, right in the heart of things sits this amazing restaurant. I’m not sure we would have run across it if someone didn’t tell us about it. I am so glad they did! Especially since it’s only a few minutes from the airport. It’s good to have a plan when your plane lands and you’re are ravenous with nowhere in mind to go! Check out their MENU; it’s not typical pizza, it’s different, and absolutely delicious. The salads are so beyond wonderful, very different, very, very good! So wonderful that as soon as it arrived… WE. ATE. IT. Ok, so that’s what normal people do, but I have to TAKE. A. PHOTO. FIRST. Well, you don’t see what we ordered (it was so good, just trust me on that!), but I did take photos inside the place. We got there before they opened (on our way to the airport), so that’s why there aren’t many people yet…
They have a neat website showcasing each of their restaurants… check it out!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
THE DECISION…
Slightly North of Broad is a wonderful restaurant located in Charleston’s Historic District, located on East Bay Street, they are located in a convenient place for both locals and visitors alike. It has a great atmosphere and friendly people working. It can be busy, so be patient. A few weeks ago Fred and I had a delicious lunch at Slightly North of Broad, (also known as S.N.O.B. ha ha, brilliant) – I was there years and years ago. They have something called an EXPRESS LUNCH, (changes daily) which is an entree, soup or house salad and coffee or tea. A $10.95 lunch at a higher end restaurant proves to be quite a deal. However, that day we both saw something else on the menu that grabbed our attention… After much consideration, Fred ordered a Pastrami Sandwich… it wasn’t any old pastrami sandwich, their menu changes daily so I don’t have the specifics, (Google Slightly North of Broad Pastrami, ha ha… no kidding! People love the stuff!), he ordered potato salad as his side. I had a bite, it wasn’t ordinary potato salad, it was very very nice. Now this was no Dr. Oz approved lunch, however, I did the best I could! The restaurant didn’t make a mistake in the photo below, I asked for only 1/2 sandwich, and they kindly obliged. I love restaurants who realize not everyone likes a large portion. I ordered homemade potato chips with my sandwich- THE BEST EVER! I haven’t had a reuben since I was a kid and it was SO GOOD. I had a big ole smile on my face! (Click HERE for MENU).
I cannot believe we don’t have a photo of dessert! I think we were so excited we ate it before we thought of it! We had BOSTON CREAM PIE.
Oh heavens. Let me go eat a Quinoa Puff for lunch now… whoopie!
I can’t wait to go back! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Charleston Restaurant Week is here! Beginning today (September 5, 2012) through September 16, 2012 find out what all the hoopla is about! This is a time that both visitors and locals look forward to. A chance to dine at the fabulous restaurants in Charleston while getting a deal at the same time! Those of us who live in Charleston, SC are so fortunate to have the cream of the crop, the top notch, the very, very best restaurants all around us! NOW is your chance to visit them! Charleston Restaurant Association has a great website. The link shows the list of participating restaurants (there are many!), along with their menu and their website. Click HERE to check it out!
Hey, if you go, let me know how you enjoyed it! Do you live here, or did you make vacation plans around restaurant week? I’m telling you now is the time to get out and visit area restaurants. That’s what Fred and I did when he took off for a staycation… it was fabulous. We went to restaurants we don’t normally frequent, and we had the best time! These restaurants have some mouth watering options… and it all starts TODAY! Check out that above link!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Have you been to Monza? Located in Charleston, SC it’s quite possibly the best pizza you’ll ever taste! Here’s a general blip about their pizza from their website:
Hundreds of thousands have been making the pilgrimage to Monza since 1922. They go to witness greatness and glory. Sometimes horror. Sitting in the stands, some hanging in trees, they watch Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lotus run wild along 6.25 miles of sexy twists and turns. Monza is an Italian super speedway forever etched in racing history. Catapulting drivers into heroes. From La Pista Magica – the magic track – comes our Neapolitan style pizza.
Our dough is made using imported San Felice wheat flour, natural Neapolitan yeast, filtered and pH balanced water then kneaded with a mixer imported from Naples. Our pizza is baked in a wood fired oven at 1000 degrees resulting in a thin crispy crust, topped with fiore di latte mozzarella, and fresh local and regional ingredients whenever possible. Rev it up for Monza.
That crust they speak of… pure heaven in your mouth. It’s thin, but not like most thin/cardboard pizza. This is so good you just won’t believe it. Everything was exquisite. The mozzarella, the crust, the fresh sauce, oh boy, did we have a great lunch! We love their butter beans. A weird thing to love, but their butter beans taste like nothing you’ve ever tasted. They’re in a word… lovely! After the beans we had pizza… the first one was VON TRIPS it has house made Italian Sausage and seasonal greens. When I asked the waitress about the seasonal greens, she said that day it was kale… they sauté the kale and put it on top of the pizza and bake it. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse… whoa, that turns this into a super healthy food, kinda… Let me say, there was the perfect amount of italian sausage on the pizza, not smothered with it, just a little here and there, it added the perfect flavor without a ton of fat. The second pizza was the Materassi, with the fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil… we split both and came home with enough for lunch! They have great music playing, which adds to the ambiance. The space itself is very cool, someone spent time figuring it out and making it really quite nice. I love the orange glass tiles on the wall. If you’re in the area, I highly suggest you stop by… Here’s a link to their MENU!
Hope to see you there!
Location: 451 King Street, Charleston, SC
843.720-8787 | info@monzapizza.com
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday & Saturday 11am-11pm
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Bowens Island is a fabulous restaurant to visit. Here’s an update to my Bowens Island Menu post… a slightly new menu, so here is the latest as of August 2012! The prices are still a deal. This restaurant has atmosphere like you won’t believe. It was fun to watch people walk in and say “WOOOOWWWW” mouths open, eyes wide. For all the notoriety it receives you would think it would be fancy (thank goodness it’s not!). The new menu has a photo of the old Bowens Island restaurant, this is what it looks like today… this place has a view that simply cannot be beat! We got there early (couldn’t wait!), but if you can hold out, the sunsets are magnificent!
Fred and I visited Bowens Island last week and had the best time as always! Fried shrimp that is so fresh and delicious it will put a smile on your face! So check out the menu, and pop on over for a quick bite, or lounge on the outside deck. It’s not health food, but if you splurge once in a while it truly is a treat!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Image: Black Bean Company
OK, so I’m a little late getting in the swing of things… a friend sent me an email asking if we’ve been to Black Bean Co… a neat little restaurant on James Island (and another location on Spring Street). We’ve heard of it, but had never been. Had heard it was good, but that was coming from healthy food loving people, ha ha… I was assured that the food was good and the yogurt was to die for… we went, we saw, we tasted… we fell in love… went back the next day, and the next day, and the next day… and hopefully today!! It’s FRESH, HEALTHY food that tastes out of this world good. It’s not the healthy food that you have to try to choke down, no my friends, this is pure delight… from the very first to the very last bite… when you leave you can’t help thinking about when you’ll be back, what you’ll be ordering… it’s just all so good!
One of their sides is yogurt… It is a dream come true. My guess is that it’s vanilla bean infused honey added to Greek yogurt. You can definitely see the vanilla beans and you can taste honey, but the combination is to die for, then it comes with a little granola that changes each day, it’s not that overly sweet processed kind, it’s REAL granola… but SHHH! Don’t give the secret away, would hate to know they were out of stock!
We’re working our way down the menu… I only managed to get photos the second day, ha ha… but here they are, just so that you can see how delectable these wraps are. They have more… but this is out of this world!
The wrap above is the SOUTH WEST CHICKEN (Roasted chicken, black beans and jasmine rice, fresh local sweet corn, roasted tomatoes, spicy southwest chipotle sauce, shredded carrots, parmesan cheese, mixed greens) – did you read that description? Oh heavens… To. Die. For. Good. Spicy and perfect in every way!
This one is the BLACK AND BLUE (Chicken, (turkey or tofu), blue cheese, mixed greens, avocado, fig balsamic vinaigrette, black beans and jasmine rice) – oooooh!
The last one we got was the SPRING STREET (sorry no pic, was hungry!) it has chicken, turkey or tofu, hummus, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh homemade tzatziki, mixed greens and sprouts! I think this one was my favorite, but I have a great passion for tzatziki, ha ha… so that may have sealed the deal! They have many vegetarian options (almost everything can be made without meat, with tofu substituted)… and don’t forget about the yogurt, but remember, don’t tell anyone!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
New menu available since this post, click this orange link to see the April 2013 menu! (photo below is the older menu): BOWENS ISLAND RESTAURANT (NEW)
Menu from OCTOBER 2011 visit:
Bowens Island. Some of you have been there, many may have heard or read about it in magazines and newspapers. Great seafood! It’s not a fancy place, so don’t go expecting it to be… it’s VERY casual. Great seafood and a view that can’t be beat, bring a camera! In one of my PAST posts about Bowen’s Island I included a link to their menu. Not long after that they changed their menu and there was no longer a link… so here is a photo I took of the menu on 10/28/11 – obviously prices and menu items could change, but as of that date, this is the deal. The menu has been pretty much the same as long as I can remember. Their prices are so reasonable I don’t really pay much attention. Good food, good prices… check it out if you get a chance! It’s in Charleston, SC only five minutes from Folly Beach…
Please excuse the poor quality photo… the menu is well used and in plastic, so…. that’s as good as it gets!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
While visiting in Michigan recently we popped in our favorite local restaurant, Marine City Fish Company located in… guess… Marine City, MI! It’s an eclectic restaurant, not too small and not too big, it’s just right. The service was spectacular, the food was delicous and we had a great time! There is much to look at while in this restaurant (other than the river which offers gorgeous views), they have lots of neat old vintage type posters, all have to do with fishing… very fun place to have a nice lunch or dinner. If you find yourself in the area, pop in… they’re also on Facebook, check them out. I had the Panko Shrimp (ohmy!), Fred had the perch sandwich… I had homemade potato chips with mine, Fred had the long skinny french fries that are to die for (probably literally, ha ha)… it’s not health food, but it’s GOOD food! Click HERE to see their menu! OH! Did I mention the dessert???? Baked Bing Cherries with Puff Pastry Ala Mode… Heaven help me! This is big enough for a family of four, but we ate (almost) the entire thing…
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