Pleasures of the Sidewalk Café - Charleston Mercury
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Peg Moore
The sidewalk café, long associated with the good life in Paris, is an amenity now enjoyed by many cities across Europe and America. Only a few years ago, this urban pleasure was actually illegal in Charleston.
Sidewalk cafés are such a pleasure that urban planners use them as a tool for reviving cities. Planner Jan Gehl, for instance, credits some 200 sidewalk cafés as playing a major role in rescuing the dying city of Melbourne, Australia. Enlivened sidewalks invite shoppers, provide a sense of safety and make a city more pedestrian friendly. The typical sidewalk café in Paris is an important community meeting place and a hospitable amenity, providing pedestrians a place to rest, have a bite to eat or a glass of wine and people watch.
The most recent addition to Charleston’s public life can be found at the new market/restaurant Caviar and Bananas on George Street, which has acquired a brisk local following. The outside chairs offer front row seats to the urban theatre of life. The foot traffic is active because of the Sottile Theatre, a number of restaurants and other nearby businesses — Caviar and Bananas is a welcoming sight to those who want a whole meal or just a cup of coffee (which is their own blend and delicious). Inside is a tempting array of prepared foods to go and staples that range from the ordinary to the exotic.
If you long for Parisien atmosphere, head for 39 Rue de Jean. The food is, of course, seriously French. Owners Hank Hofford and Mike Bennett see the restaurant as celebrating Charleston’s French Huguenot heritage. Chef Jason Murphy, who has classical French training, has added an outrageously delicious pissaladiere (an onion tart) to the menu. The beef tartare is one of the best in the city and comes topped off with a teeny quail egg. The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. on, which means you can drop in mid afternoon for coffee and a dessert.
Sidewalk Furnishings Can Add to the Pleasure
A crucial aspect of the ambience at 39 Rue de Jean are the furnishings on the outside terrace — they transport you straight to Paris with the same comfortable and attractive bamboo chairs and small round tables. A common mistake in this country is the use of overly large tables on the sidewalk, sized for a serious meal in a more formal setting. Two can lunch quite nicely with a round table 19 inches in diameter. Parisien cafés also have round stools (see them in the photo of Café de Flore) that can be easily moved around so that many people can gather around a small table and enjoy a snack or a cool drink. Sociability is the idea of the sidewalk café. Small round tables promote intimate conversation, are more relaxed than large square tables.
Just south of 39 Rue de Jean is Coast, another pleasant sidewalk option — not a café but a place to enjoy a public space with some pedestrian traffic and delicious seafood with a French touch. Chef David Pell worked for Christian Constant, a multi-star chef who used to head the Crillon kitchen in Paris and now oversees four restaurants on the left bank. Like Chef Jason Murphy, who oversees Coast as well as 39 Rue de Jean, Chef Dell is a big supporter of local seafood. You can be sure the shrimp are safe to eat. (Imported, pond-raised shrimp, often from polluted foreign ponds, are still all too common even here in Charleston.)
Chef Murphy has created a delicious dish of braised grouper served over truffled grits that exemplifies the way Charleston’s early French Huguenot settlers might have used local ingredients and revved them up with their beloved truffles.
Another feature that endears us to Coast is the wine list, which is priced for those who drink wine daily and not just on special occasions, and certain servers who will alert you to a bargain rather than pushing the pricier wines. One of the most interesting current bargains is a white wine from Argentina — Torrontes, Sur, ’07. Our server Jeremy recommended it highly, and we were pleased to see it priced reasonably at $28 a bottle.
French Savvy at Basil
Basil flanks its tables on the sidewalk by a row of planters, providing a leafy enclosure between you and the traffic, just the way they do in Paris. Basil is weather-wise as well — awnings give protection from the rain and sun. Even in August heat, there’s shade, and a westerly breeze makes lunching there a pleasure. Very pleasant ambience for savoring such delicious Thai rice noodle dishes such as Pad See-eu and Pad Thai or Basil rolls or their signature fried duck. Sidewalk tables are difficult to snag in the evening. Down the street, Chai’s, also owned by Henry and Chai Eang, has the informal charm of a sidewalk café, but the sidewalk panorama is blocked by plantings and a fence. It is, however, a great place for an al fresco meal of small Thai plates.
Cafés on Calhoun and East Bay Streets
Starbucks at the corner of King and Calhoun could take a few tips from Basil and 39 Rue de Jean. Starbucks has the best sidewalk café location in the whole city (and it promises to get better as the blighted blocks around Marion Square are restored), but the street furnishings are bleak and boring. We noticed in Paris that cafés with traditional bamboo chairs and small marble tables filled up quickly, while those with clunky hard-edged furnishings did not. The café at Starbucks would benefit greatly by the addition of planters to give some attractive visual separation from the traffic.
A few blocks west on Calhoun Street, another Starbucks could also be vastly improved by planter boxes and comfortable chairs.
On Calhoun Street, east of Marion Square, Kennedy’s Market puts tables on the sidewalk when the weather permits. There you can savor some excellent Illy coffee, a variety of pastries and sandwiches.
A welcome sight for pedestrians on East Bay are the sidewalk tables at Pearlz. The furnishings are not great, but this is a good place to relax with a glass of champagne and oysters (bargain prices at happy hour, 5-7p.m.)
Marion Square’s Saturday Morning Magnetism
Actually the best public space in Charleston for people watching and community socializing is not a café at all but the Saturday market on Marion Square. Regulars know to arrive by 7:30 a.m. to grab one of the coveted tables — clearly Charleston residents are starved for more such community-minded public spaces.
The brief social pleasure in Marion Square could be extended all week. One of the most popular urban spaces in New York is Bryant Park behind the public library on Fifth Avenue. When we lived in New York, this space was used only by local drug dealers. Today it is has some 3000 small moveable chairs occupied by families, local businessmen, residents and visitors. There are food stands and an old-fashioned carousel.
King Street Needs Sidewalk Cafés
The sidewalks on King Street are so narrow, it is even difficult to shop with a friend and a shopping bag. However, these sidewalks need not preclude al fresco cafés. In Paris on narrow streets of the left bank, teeny café tables are set up in the street itself with palm trees in planters to separate people from motor traffic.
Some savvy locals tried to introduce this Parisian civility to Charleston, setting up a table in a parking spot on King Street. They dined on pizza from a local restaurant, showing how simply a sidewalk café amenity could be added here. “Outdoor dining is not only good for business, but it significantly enhances the City’s civic life,” says developer Vince Graham, who believes Charleston should make it possible for teeny cafés to be inserted along King Street.
Josh Martin, former Director of Planning, Preservation and Economic Innovation for Charleston, also praises sidewalk cafés as important community gathering places — “They add another dimension to the public realm.” Josh enjoys lunching on the sidewalk terrace of 39 Rue de Jean.
That terrace is a great place to settle mid afternoon for a classic French dessert. There is a yummy crème brulee, of course, but the best dessert is the Vacherin — layers of vanilla bean ice cream, raspberry sorbet and meringue, topped with whipped cream and toasted almonds. Be warned — it can be addictive.We regret the disappearance of the Opera Torte, a thoroughly decadent combination of almond cake, coffee butter cream and chocolate ganache with chocolate sauce, from their menu and have been promised that it may return as a special. Meanwhile, there is that Vacherin. Worth every calorie. Bon appétit!
Peg Moore
The sidewalk café, long associated with the good life in Paris, is an amenity now enjoyed by many cities across Europe and America. Only a few years ago, this urban pleasure was actually illegal in Charleston.
Sidewalk cafés are such a pleasure that urban planners use them as a tool for reviving cities. Planner Jan Gehl, for instance, credits some 200 sidewalk cafés as playing a major role in rescuing the dying city of Melbourne, Australia. Enlivened sidewalks invite shoppers, provide a sense of safety and make a city more pedestrian friendly. The typical sidewalk café in Paris is an important community meeting place and a hospitable amenity, providing pedestrians a place to rest, have a bite to eat or a glass of wine and people watch.
The most recent addition to Charleston’s public life can be found at the new market/restaurant Caviar and Bananas on George Street, which has acquired a brisk local following. The outside chairs offer front row seats to the urban theatre of life. The foot traffic is active because of the Sottile Theatre, a number of restaurants and other nearby businesses — Caviar and Bananas is a welcoming sight to those who want a whole meal or just a cup of coffee (which is their own blend and delicious). Inside is a tempting array of prepared foods to go and staples that range from the ordinary to the exotic.
If you long for Parisien atmosphere, head for 39 Rue de Jean. The food is, of course, seriously French. Owners Hank Hofford and Mike Bennett see the restaurant as celebrating Charleston’s French Huguenot heritage. Chef Jason Murphy, who has classical French training, has added an outrageously delicious pissaladiere (an onion tart) to the menu. The beef tartare is one of the best in the city and comes topped off with a teeny quail egg. The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. on, which means you can drop in mid afternoon for coffee and a dessert.
Sidewalk Furnishings Can Add to the Pleasure
A crucial aspect of the ambience at 39 Rue de Jean are the furnishings on the outside terrace — they transport you straight to Paris with the same comfortable and attractive bamboo chairs and small round tables. A common mistake in this country is the use of overly large tables on the sidewalk, sized for a serious meal in a more formal setting. Two can lunch quite nicely with a round table 19 inches in diameter. Parisien cafés also have round stools (see them in the photo of Café de Flore) that can be easily moved around so that many people can gather around a small table and enjoy a snack or a cool drink. Sociability is the idea of the sidewalk café. Small round tables promote intimate conversation, are more relaxed than large square tables.
Just south of 39 Rue de Jean is Coast, another pleasant sidewalk option — not a café but a place to enjoy a public space with some pedestrian traffic and delicious seafood with a French touch. Chef David Pell worked for Christian Constant, a multi-star chef who used to head the Crillon kitchen in Paris and now oversees four restaurants on the left bank. Like Chef Jason Murphy, who oversees Coast as well as 39 Rue de Jean, Chef Dell is a big supporter of local seafood. You can be sure the shrimp are safe to eat. (Imported, pond-raised shrimp, often from polluted foreign ponds, are still all too common even here in Charleston.)
Chef Murphy has created a delicious dish of braised grouper served over truffled grits that exemplifies the way Charleston’s early French Huguenot settlers might have used local ingredients and revved them up with their beloved truffles.
Another feature that endears us to Coast is the wine list, which is priced for those who drink wine daily and not just on special occasions, and certain servers who will alert you to a bargain rather than pushing the pricier wines. One of the most interesting current bargains is a white wine from Argentina — Torrontes, Sur, ’07. Our server Jeremy recommended it highly, and we were pleased to see it priced reasonably at $28 a bottle.
French Savvy at Basil
Basil flanks its tables on the sidewalk by a row of planters, providing a leafy enclosure between you and the traffic, just the way they do in Paris. Basil is weather-wise as well — awnings give protection from the rain and sun. Even in August heat, there’s shade, and a westerly breeze makes lunching there a pleasure. Very pleasant ambience for savoring such delicious Thai rice noodle dishes such as Pad See-eu and Pad Thai or Basil rolls or their signature fried duck. Sidewalk tables are difficult to snag in the evening. Down the street, Chai’s, also owned by Henry and Chai Eang, has the informal charm of a sidewalk café, but the sidewalk panorama is blocked by plantings and a fence. It is, however, a great place for an al fresco meal of small Thai plates.
Cafés on Calhoun and East Bay Streets
Starbucks at the corner of King and Calhoun could take a few tips from Basil and 39 Rue de Jean. Starbucks has the best sidewalk café location in the whole city (and it promises to get better as the blighted blocks around Marion Square are restored), but the street furnishings are bleak and boring. We noticed in Paris that cafés with traditional bamboo chairs and small marble tables filled up quickly, while those with clunky hard-edged furnishings did not. The café at Starbucks would benefit greatly by the addition of planters to give some attractive visual separation from the traffic.
A few blocks west on Calhoun Street, another Starbucks could also be vastly improved by planter boxes and comfortable chairs.
On Calhoun Street, east of Marion Square, Kennedy’s Market puts tables on the sidewalk when the weather permits. There you can savor some excellent Illy coffee, a variety of pastries and sandwiches.
A welcome sight for pedestrians on East Bay are the sidewalk tables at Pearlz. The furnishings are not great, but this is a good place to relax with a glass of champagne and oysters (bargain prices at happy hour, 5-7p.m.)
Marion Square’s Saturday Morning Magnetism
Actually the best public space in Charleston for people watching and community socializing is not a café at all but the Saturday market on Marion Square. Regulars know to arrive by 7:30 a.m. to grab one of the coveted tables — clearly Charleston residents are starved for more such community-minded public spaces.
The brief social pleasure in Marion Square could be extended all week. One of the most popular urban spaces in New York is Bryant Park behind the public library on Fifth Avenue. When we lived in New York, this space was used only by local drug dealers. Today it is has some 3000 small moveable chairs occupied by families, local businessmen, residents and visitors. There are food stands and an old-fashioned carousel.
King Street Needs Sidewalk Cafés
The sidewalks on King Street are so narrow, it is even difficult to shop with a friend and a shopping bag. However, these sidewalks need not preclude al fresco cafés. In Paris on narrow streets of the left bank, teeny café tables are set up in the street itself with palm trees in planters to separate people from motor traffic.
Some savvy locals tried to introduce this Parisian civility to Charleston, setting up a table in a parking spot on King Street. They dined on pizza from a local restaurant, showing how simply a sidewalk café amenity could be added here. “Outdoor dining is not only good for business, but it significantly enhances the City’s civic life,” says developer Vince Graham, who believes Charleston should make it possible for teeny cafés to be inserted along King Street.
Josh Martin, former Director of Planning, Preservation and Economic Innovation for Charleston, also praises sidewalk cafés as important community gathering places — “They add another dimension to the public realm.” Josh enjoys lunching on the sidewalk terrace of 39 Rue de Jean.
That terrace is a great place to settle mid afternoon for a classic French dessert. There is a yummy crème brulee, of course, but the best dessert is the Vacherin — layers of vanilla bean ice cream, raspberry sorbet and meringue, topped with whipped cream and toasted almonds. Be warned — it can be addictive.We regret the disappearance of the Opera Torte, a thoroughly decadent combination of almond cake, coffee butter cream and chocolate ganache with chocolate sauce, from their menu and have been promised that it may return as a special. Meanwhile, there is that Vacherin. Worth every calorie. Bon appétit!
Charleston City Paper
August 6, 2008
Charleston's newest gourmet grocery, nestled on George Street across from the Sottile Theatre, dishes out plenty of ready-made treats that put a creative, gourmet spin on classic dishes — think black truffle mac 'n' cheese and Mediterranean tuna salad with capers and roasted peppers. Their street vendor-style corn brings the zesty flavor of a Mexican roadside stand to the table. The corn cob is boiled in sweet vanilla coconut milk, then spread with a colorful chipotle mayonnaise and squirted with lime. It's then sprinkled with Cotija cheese, a sharp, aged Mexican variety. The cobs are placed fully dressed back into their husks, awaiting purchase at the prepared-foods counter. Upon ordering, they're popped in the microwave for a few seconds, making for a tasty snack — the crunchy, buttery taste of classic corn on the cob, with a kick both spicy and creamy.
Charleston's newest gourmet grocery, nestled on George Street across from the Sottile Theatre, dishes out plenty of ready-made treats that put a creative, gourmet spin on classic dishes — think black truffle mac 'n' cheese and Mediterranean tuna salad with capers and roasted peppers. Their street vendor-style corn brings the zesty flavor of a Mexican roadside stand to the table. The corn cob is boiled in sweet vanilla coconut milk, then spread with a colorful chipotle mayonnaise and squirted with lime. It's then sprinkled with Cotija cheese, a sharp, aged Mexican variety. The cobs are placed fully dressed back into their husks, awaiting purchase at the prepared-foods counter. Upon ordering, they're popped in the microwave for a few seconds, making for a tasty snack — the crunchy, buttery taste of classic corn on the cob, with a kick both spicy and creamy.
The New Queen, Slightly off King - The Charleston Review
Small Business Looks to Local Bank - News 2
News 2
September 29, 2008
Opening any small business can be a risk, but it’s becoming tougher to do with the country’s turbulent economy.
“We took a chance, rolled the dice and here we are.”
Kris and Margaret Furniss opened the specialty shop Caviar and Bananas in downtown Charleston four months ago. They remortgaged their home in New York City to fund half of the business and hoped a larger commercial bank would loan them the second half, but they didn’t find any support.
“Because we were a first time business owners it was hard to find that financial backing. So we went a local bank in town, South Carolina Bank and Trust and they really believed in our idea,” Kris told News Two.
“If you start a business, it may not be a bad time to do it, but it will have to be a self-funding business,” said economic advisor Paul Meeks.
He says loans will be even harder to come by for small business owners after the failure of so many financial institutions and that local banks may be a better option.
“The smaller banks may not be publicly traded and they also have a vested interest in their reputation in the community,” he continued.
The only downside, they may not have as much money to throw behind your business as larger banks. However, these owners say they’re receiving the service and support they need to be successful.
“You are able to meet with the decision makers who are the ones deciding those things rather than at a bigger bank where you’re going in to talk to a guy who has to go talk to his boss’s, boss’s boss about it,” Margaret explained.
They admit it’s a financial roller coaster, but the risk is worth pursuing their dream.
Meeks also added that lenders are going to be very weary about who the loan money to, even if you have good credit. He says if you are approved, you’ll probably have an extremely high interest rate.
September 29, 2008
Opening any small business can be a risk, but it’s becoming tougher to do with the country’s turbulent economy.
“We took a chance, rolled the dice and here we are.”
Kris and Margaret Furniss opened the specialty shop Caviar and Bananas in downtown Charleston four months ago. They remortgaged their home in New York City to fund half of the business and hoped a larger commercial bank would loan them the second half, but they didn’t find any support.
“Because we were a first time business owners it was hard to find that financial backing. So we went a local bank in town, South Carolina Bank and Trust and they really believed in our idea,” Kris told News Two.
“If you start a business, it may not be a bad time to do it, but it will have to be a self-funding business,” said economic advisor Paul Meeks.
He says loans will be even harder to come by for small business owners after the failure of so many financial institutions and that local banks may be a better option.
“The smaller banks may not be publicly traded and they also have a vested interest in their reputation in the community,” he continued.
The only downside, they may not have as much money to throw behind your business as larger banks. However, these owners say they’re receiving the service and support they need to be successful.
“You are able to meet with the decision makers who are the ones deciding those things rather than at a bigger bank where you’re going in to talk to a guy who has to go talk to his boss’s, boss’s boss about it,” Margaret explained.
They admit it’s a financial roller coaster, but the risk is worth pursuing their dream.
Meeks also added that lenders are going to be very weary about who the loan money to, even if you have good credit. He says if you are approved, you’ll probably have an extremely high interest rate.
Gourmet on the Run - Charleston Mercury
Peg Moore - Charleston Mercury
July 15, 2008
There was a time when mediocre fast food or frozen dinners were the only options if you were too pressed for time to cook a fabulous meal. No more. The food revolution changed all that.
If you lived in New York in 1977, you will remember the excitement generated by a new food store in SoHo — the appetizing industrial chic decor of white tile, stainless steel and wire shelves with foods displayed as lovingly as the jewels at Tiffany’s. There was arugula, mesclun, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms that were not white and tasteless, Balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil — ingredients we take for granted now were fresh and exciting in 1977. Prepared foods were delicious, a far cry from fast food fare. That new store, Dean and DeLuca, the first importer of Balsamic vinegar to America, has become well known with a catalog business and international branch stores. “The idea was that if you didn’t know what a sun-dried tomato was, well, here it was, in a pasta salad,” said owner Joel Dean.
Dean and DeLuca and its clones have changed the whole perception of take-out prepared food in America. As Elizabeth David noted in An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, “In France no shame is attached to buying ready-prepared food because most of it is of high quality. The housewives and small restaurateurs who rely upon the professional skill of charcutiers and patissiers for a part of their supplies see to it that the pates and sausages, fruit flans, terrines…maintain high standards of freshness and excellence.” New York embraced this practical French tradition offered by Dean and DeLuca.
Dean and DeLuca Savvy on George Street
In New York Mimi Sheraton, the acclaimed restaurant critic, spread the word in the New York Times when Dean and DeLuca opened. Here in Charleston, downtown still has a small-town ambience, and local buzz spread the news about Charleston’s new treasure before the newspapers could report it.
Caviar and Bananas had been open about five minutes, and foodies were talking — “You must go,” said my friend Amy. When I walked in the shop, there was John Doyle having breakfast, and Martine and Frederick Dulles were picking up dinner.
The café/market on George Street is owned by Kris Furniss, who studied at the French Culinary Institute and was general manager of a New York Dean and DeLuca, and his wife Margaret, a College of Charleston graduate. There is a dazzling array of food to eat in the café or take home. Be warned — it is all so appetizing, you will want to take home more than you can eat. The airy steel shelves (just like the ones in that 1977 Dean and DeLuca) hold such treasures as Il Mulino tomato sauce. (Il Mulino is a New York restaurant, highly rated in Zagat). There are a variety of dried pastas to go with the sauce and a selection of fresh artisanal pastas from Brian Bertolini. The sauce combines deliciously with Bertolini’s lemon-y Split Creek goat cheese ravioli. That plus a salad, which can be customized, and you have dinner.
“Our goal is to become a one-stop market,” says Kris. That means you can find the ordinary, such as peanut butter, potato chips, breakfast cereal — and bananas — along with exotic spices, truffle salt, avocado oil, olive oils, teas and restaurant-quality prepared foods for a fraction of the price you’d pay in a restaurant. Don’t miss the charcuterie and cheese area, which features imports as well as local artisanal products.
Chef Jason Ulak, who has cooked at SNOB and The Boathouse, is the talent behind the prepared food, which caters to all tastes. The barbecue chicken is encrusted with pretzels and onions; the mac and cheese includes real truffles. Other tasty dishes include green tea smoked duck eggrolls, a chopstick salad of noodles, sushi, green tea smoked chicken with a peanut dressing and wonton crisps, an Israeli couscous salad. The baked truffle potatoes are addictive, as is that chopstick salad. Some dishes are so popular — such as the barbecued chicken, the Kobe meat loaf, and the street vendor corn on the cob — they are likely to be available daily. However, to keep things interesting for an increasing number of regulars, new dishes are constantly added.
“We have become a meeting place,” says Margaret, noting that a number of nearby business people come often for lunch. One regular is Mike Lata, chef/owner of FIG — “He likes the duck confit sandwich.”
John Doyle says, “I eat there every day. It has turned my neighborhood into a Greenwich Village, with my studio, my home, and the restaurant all within a few hundred yards of each other. The people at Caviar and Bananas are like family. I always see people I know, like Linwood Grady, whose clothing store is around the corner. The food is healthy and tasty, and the atmosphere is so chic I take dates there. It is easier to get a table for dinner, as so many people take dinner home.”
Do try the special blend of organic coffee. The coffee bar with assorted pastries (a delicious bran muffin) is popular for breakfast and mid afternoon snacks. Outside tables provide that all-too-rare in-Charleston Parisian pleasure of being able to people watch as you relax with a coffee or a meal. There is inside seating for forty people.
The focus is on service. Sandwiches and salads can be personalized. So can gift baskets. Or dinner — tell them your tastes and they will suggest a menu. There is free Wi-Fi connection, and you can have a house account.
One of the nicest features about Caviar and Bananas is that they will deliver meals to your door. One recent stormy night, we feasted upon SoHo salads and barbecue chicken.
Baby Back Ribs,
Hard to Find Cheeses,
Artisanal Pasta
Ted’s Butcherblock is also an important source for pulling together a meal or a cocktail do. It is much more than a quality meat market with a great selection of wines. The cheese selection is one of the best in town and there are assorted fruit spreads for pulling together a really remarkable cheese tray. The cheeses are all labeled, and owner Ted Dombrowski is happy to provide samples if you can’t decide which.
Most of the prepared foods have been vacuum packed, which means you can keep them for several days before eating. Dombrowski will give you directions for heating such dishes as lamb in lamb jus, baby back ribs, smoked chicken (very tasty with the house-made apple chutney), ziti and meat balls, chicken marsala, duck leg in orange sauce. There are pates, artisanal pastas, house-made Bolognese sauce, fancy sandwiches. “I looked to Europe as a model, where foods are fresher and better than in a supermarket,” says Dombrowski.
An easy tasty lunch can be pulled together at Mr. Burbage’s, which has a loyal local following for excellent sandwiches, salads, delicious soups and what many consider the best barbecue in town.
For the cocktail hour, O’Hara and Flynn carries an addictive salami, cornichons, imported cheeses from Europe (a particularly excellent Taleggio). Fast and French always has good French cheeses and an incredible truffle pate.
The best selection of artisanal pastas by Brian Bertolini can be found in the Saturday market in Marion Square — yummy lasagna, raviolis, a saffron papardelle. Rococo Bakery carries a tasty tomato pie and quiche for an easy lunch, interesting breads and pastries.
Local Artisanal
When Dean and DeLuca opened in 1977, most of the artisanal products showcased were from abroad. Increasingly artisans in this country are producing quality foods, especially cheeses, to rival the imports. The manager of the cheese department in Caviar and Bananas will be featuring many of these. Watch for Split Creek goat cheese, which is produced in Anderson, and cheeses from Alabama, Georgia and the Hudson Valley.
Charleston is increasingly being called the culinary star of the South. In much of America during the 1970s, a culinary lifestyle was born, which involved cooking with new ingredients, chic kitchen ware and affordable excellence in prepared foods to pick up and take home. This phenomenon is documented in The United States of Arugula by David Kamp. What is happening in Charleston, however, is more of a renaissance. Charleston’s tradition of fine dining has only recently moved into the public realm with an amazing concentration of talented restaurant chefs reviving the culinary excellence of the 18th and 19th-century kitchens of wealthy Charleston merchants and planters.
And now there are excellent sources for foodies–on-the-run to pick up fabulous foods, already prepared, to feast upon at home. Bon Appetit!
July 15, 2008
There was a time when mediocre fast food or frozen dinners were the only options if you were too pressed for time to cook a fabulous meal. No more. The food revolution changed all that.
If you lived in New York in 1977, you will remember the excitement generated by a new food store in SoHo — the appetizing industrial chic decor of white tile, stainless steel and wire shelves with foods displayed as lovingly as the jewels at Tiffany’s. There was arugula, mesclun, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms that were not white and tasteless, Balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil — ingredients we take for granted now were fresh and exciting in 1977. Prepared foods were delicious, a far cry from fast food fare. That new store, Dean and DeLuca, the first importer of Balsamic vinegar to America, has become well known with a catalog business and international branch stores. “The idea was that if you didn’t know what a sun-dried tomato was, well, here it was, in a pasta salad,” said owner Joel Dean.
Dean and DeLuca and its clones have changed the whole perception of take-out prepared food in America. As Elizabeth David noted in An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, “In France no shame is attached to buying ready-prepared food because most of it is of high quality. The housewives and small restaurateurs who rely upon the professional skill of charcutiers and patissiers for a part of their supplies see to it that the pates and sausages, fruit flans, terrines…maintain high standards of freshness and excellence.” New York embraced this practical French tradition offered by Dean and DeLuca.
Dean and DeLuca Savvy on George Street
In New York Mimi Sheraton, the acclaimed restaurant critic, spread the word in the New York Times when Dean and DeLuca opened. Here in Charleston, downtown still has a small-town ambience, and local buzz spread the news about Charleston’s new treasure before the newspapers could report it.
Caviar and Bananas had been open about five minutes, and foodies were talking — “You must go,” said my friend Amy. When I walked in the shop, there was John Doyle having breakfast, and Martine and Frederick Dulles were picking up dinner.
The café/market on George Street is owned by Kris Furniss, who studied at the French Culinary Institute and was general manager of a New York Dean and DeLuca, and his wife Margaret, a College of Charleston graduate. There is a dazzling array of food to eat in the café or take home. Be warned — it is all so appetizing, you will want to take home more than you can eat. The airy steel shelves (just like the ones in that 1977 Dean and DeLuca) hold such treasures as Il Mulino tomato sauce. (Il Mulino is a New York restaurant, highly rated in Zagat). There are a variety of dried pastas to go with the sauce and a selection of fresh artisanal pastas from Brian Bertolini. The sauce combines deliciously with Bertolini’s lemon-y Split Creek goat cheese ravioli. That plus a salad, which can be customized, and you have dinner.
“Our goal is to become a one-stop market,” says Kris. That means you can find the ordinary, such as peanut butter, potato chips, breakfast cereal — and bananas — along with exotic spices, truffle salt, avocado oil, olive oils, teas and restaurant-quality prepared foods for a fraction of the price you’d pay in a restaurant. Don’t miss the charcuterie and cheese area, which features imports as well as local artisanal products.
Chef Jason Ulak, who has cooked at SNOB and The Boathouse, is the talent behind the prepared food, which caters to all tastes. The barbecue chicken is encrusted with pretzels and onions; the mac and cheese includes real truffles. Other tasty dishes include green tea smoked duck eggrolls, a chopstick salad of noodles, sushi, green tea smoked chicken with a peanut dressing and wonton crisps, an Israeli couscous salad. The baked truffle potatoes are addictive, as is that chopstick salad. Some dishes are so popular — such as the barbecued chicken, the Kobe meat loaf, and the street vendor corn on the cob — they are likely to be available daily. However, to keep things interesting for an increasing number of regulars, new dishes are constantly added.
“We have become a meeting place,” says Margaret, noting that a number of nearby business people come often for lunch. One regular is Mike Lata, chef/owner of FIG — “He likes the duck confit sandwich.”
John Doyle says, “I eat there every day. It has turned my neighborhood into a Greenwich Village, with my studio, my home, and the restaurant all within a few hundred yards of each other. The people at Caviar and Bananas are like family. I always see people I know, like Linwood Grady, whose clothing store is around the corner. The food is healthy and tasty, and the atmosphere is so chic I take dates there. It is easier to get a table for dinner, as so many people take dinner home.”
Do try the special blend of organic coffee. The coffee bar with assorted pastries (a delicious bran muffin) is popular for breakfast and mid afternoon snacks. Outside tables provide that all-too-rare in-Charleston Parisian pleasure of being able to people watch as you relax with a coffee or a meal. There is inside seating for forty people.
The focus is on service. Sandwiches and salads can be personalized. So can gift baskets. Or dinner — tell them your tastes and they will suggest a menu. There is free Wi-Fi connection, and you can have a house account.
One of the nicest features about Caviar and Bananas is that they will deliver meals to your door. One recent stormy night, we feasted upon SoHo salads and barbecue chicken.
Baby Back Ribs,
Hard to Find Cheeses,
Artisanal Pasta
Ted’s Butcherblock is also an important source for pulling together a meal or a cocktail do. It is much more than a quality meat market with a great selection of wines. The cheese selection is one of the best in town and there are assorted fruit spreads for pulling together a really remarkable cheese tray. The cheeses are all labeled, and owner Ted Dombrowski is happy to provide samples if you can’t decide which.
Most of the prepared foods have been vacuum packed, which means you can keep them for several days before eating. Dombrowski will give you directions for heating such dishes as lamb in lamb jus, baby back ribs, smoked chicken (very tasty with the house-made apple chutney), ziti and meat balls, chicken marsala, duck leg in orange sauce. There are pates, artisanal pastas, house-made Bolognese sauce, fancy sandwiches. “I looked to Europe as a model, where foods are fresher and better than in a supermarket,” says Dombrowski.
An easy tasty lunch can be pulled together at Mr. Burbage’s, which has a loyal local following for excellent sandwiches, salads, delicious soups and what many consider the best barbecue in town.
For the cocktail hour, O’Hara and Flynn carries an addictive salami, cornichons, imported cheeses from Europe (a particularly excellent Taleggio). Fast and French always has good French cheeses and an incredible truffle pate.
The best selection of artisanal pastas by Brian Bertolini can be found in the Saturday market in Marion Square — yummy lasagna, raviolis, a saffron papardelle. Rococo Bakery carries a tasty tomato pie and quiche for an easy lunch, interesting breads and pastries.
Local Artisanal
When Dean and DeLuca opened in 1977, most of the artisanal products showcased were from abroad. Increasingly artisans in this country are producing quality foods, especially cheeses, to rival the imports. The manager of the cheese department in Caviar and Bananas will be featuring many of these. Watch for Split Creek goat cheese, which is produced in Anderson, and cheeses from Alabama, Georgia and the Hudson Valley.
Charleston is increasingly being called the culinary star of the South. In much of America during the 1970s, a culinary lifestyle was born, which involved cooking with new ingredients, chic kitchen ware and affordable excellence in prepared foods to pick up and take home. This phenomenon is documented in The United States of Arugula by David Kamp. What is happening in Charleston, however, is more of a renaissance. Charleston’s tradition of fine dining has only recently moved into the public realm with an amazing concentration of talented restaurant chefs reviving the culinary excellence of the 18th and 19th-century kitchens of wealthy Charleston merchants and planters.
And now there are excellent sources for foodies–on-the-run to pick up fabulous foods, already prepared, to feast upon at home. Bon Appetit!
Pairing The Ordinary And Extraordinary - Charleston City Paper
Alison Sher - Charleston City Paper
June 2008
Gourmet grocery Caviar and Bananas opened a few weeks back on the eve of Spoleto and has been packing them in ever since. The shop is located on 51 George St., on the edge of the College of Charleston campus and across the street from the Sottile Theater. A big refrigerated case along the back of the sleek space features prepared meals and side items like black truffle mac 'n' cheese and edamame hummus. The sandwich counter has tasty creations like duck confit on sourdough and charcuterie on a baguette. Salads, like the decadent lobster Cobb salad, are tossed to order, and fresh sushi is rolled at the counter. Almost all of the prepared dishes at Caviar and Bananas are made in-house by Chef Jason Ulak, who made a name for himself at SNOB and The Boathouse. In the middle of the shop, shelves are stocked with a variety of unique, high-end snacks and condiments and a hand-selected wine portfolio. They even validate parking for the first 30 minutes. But features like these don't come cheap; you can expect to pay a whopping $9 for that yummy lobster salad.
June 2008
Gourmet grocery Caviar and Bananas opened a few weeks back on the eve of Spoleto and has been packing them in ever since. The shop is located on 51 George St., on the edge of the College of Charleston campus and across the street from the Sottile Theater. A big refrigerated case along the back of the sleek space features prepared meals and side items like black truffle mac 'n' cheese and edamame hummus. The sandwich counter has tasty creations like duck confit on sourdough and charcuterie on a baguette. Salads, like the decadent lobster Cobb salad, are tossed to order, and fresh sushi is rolled at the counter. Almost all of the prepared dishes at Caviar and Bananas are made in-house by Chef Jason Ulak, who made a name for himself at SNOB and The Boathouse. In the middle of the shop, shelves are stocked with a variety of unique, high-end snacks and condiments and a hand-selected wine portfolio. They even validate parking for the first 30 minutes. But features like these don't come cheap; you can expect to pay a whopping $9 for that yummy lobster salad.
Caviar & Bananas to offer tasty treats for every palate - Post & Courier
Abi Nicholas - Post & Courier
May 12, 2008
It's as cosmopolitan as caviar and as accessible as bananas.
Perhaps that's why husband and wife team Kris and Margaret Furniss named their new gourmet market and cafe in downtown Charleston — drumroll, please — Caviar & Bananas.
With a projected opening date of May 19, this Dean & Deluca-esque market runs the gamut with its selections, offering lobster medallions and black truffle macaroni and cheese alongside chicken salad and a sandwich bar.
Sourced locally and from around the globe, other offerings include a gourmet coffee and tea bar; sushi; a salad bar; charcuterie and artisan cheeses; various prepared foods; bread, pastries and baked goods; and imported and domestic wines, beers and sakes by the bottle or glass.
Services include personal shopping, delivery and pick-up; catering and events; personal accounts and validated parking for the first 30 minutes in the connecting garage.
Located at 51 George St., at the new student housing and retail space development on the College of Charleston campus, Caviar & Bananas is a 3,300-square-foot space with an upscale corner-store feel (think Bull Street Gourmet) that Margaret Furniss, a College of Charleston alumna, says will appeal to college students and locals.
"It's higher end but also accessible for everyone," she said.
College students can pop in for a quick coffee between classes or a six-pack of beer before the weekend. Residents can attend wine tastings and cooking demonstrations. "We're going to be very involved with the community," she said.
And they're starting with Spoleto Festival USA.
Caviar & Bananas is a sponsor of the Jazz Under the Stars event and will be hosting two wine tastings, one on May 24 and one on May 31, led by Italian wine makers and featuring several of the official wines of Spoleto Festival.
May 12, 2008
It's as cosmopolitan as caviar and as accessible as bananas.
Perhaps that's why husband and wife team Kris and Margaret Furniss named their new gourmet market and cafe in downtown Charleston — drumroll, please — Caviar & Bananas.
With a projected opening date of May 19, this Dean & Deluca-esque market runs the gamut with its selections, offering lobster medallions and black truffle macaroni and cheese alongside chicken salad and a sandwich bar.
Sourced locally and from around the globe, other offerings include a gourmet coffee and tea bar; sushi; a salad bar; charcuterie and artisan cheeses; various prepared foods; bread, pastries and baked goods; and imported and domestic wines, beers and sakes by the bottle or glass.
Services include personal shopping, delivery and pick-up; catering and events; personal accounts and validated parking for the first 30 minutes in the connecting garage.
Located at 51 George St., at the new student housing and retail space development on the College of Charleston campus, Caviar & Bananas is a 3,300-square-foot space with an upscale corner-store feel (think Bull Street Gourmet) that Margaret Furniss, a College of Charleston alumna, says will appeal to college students and locals.
"It's higher end but also accessible for everyone," she said.
College students can pop in for a quick coffee between classes or a six-pack of beer before the weekend. Residents can attend wine tastings and cooking demonstrations. "We're going to be very involved with the community," she said.
And they're starting with Spoleto Festival USA.
Caviar & Bananas is a sponsor of the Jazz Under the Stars event and will be hosting two wine tastings, one on May 24 and one on May 31, led by Italian wine makers and featuring several of the official wines of Spoleto Festival.
Charleston City Paper
Josh Eboch
March 26 2008
Caviar & Bananas, a cross between a café, corner store, and coffee bar, will open on George Street in May. Part of a growing trend of gourmet groceries, Caviar & Bananas' goal is to expand on a concept already made familiar by shops such as the Bull Street Gourmet. Caviar owners Kris and Margaret Furniss want to go a step further and bring a "big-city feel" to the Charleston market. Think Dean & Deluca, for those familiar with the New York mecca for all things gourmet. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this experiment is its location. Rather than hide away underneath Charleston Place or in some similarly exclusive venue, Caviar has chosen to open its doors on campus at the College of Charleston. Part of the recently completed student housing and retail space development near the Cistern, Caviar & Bananas is betting that college kids will appreciate having some quality food and caffeine close to where they live and work. For those of us who fondly remember the cracked asphalt and parking tickets that once stretched between George and Liberty streets next to the old St. Philip garage, it appears we can look forward to enjoying tasty new memories (if we can afford them) at the Caviar & Bananas shop.
March 26 2008
Caviar & Bananas, a cross between a café, corner store, and coffee bar, will open on George Street in May. Part of a growing trend of gourmet groceries, Caviar & Bananas' goal is to expand on a concept already made familiar by shops such as the Bull Street Gourmet. Caviar owners Kris and Margaret Furniss want to go a step further and bring a "big-city feel" to the Charleston market. Think Dean & Deluca, for those familiar with the New York mecca for all things gourmet. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this experiment is its location. Rather than hide away underneath Charleston Place or in some similarly exclusive venue, Caviar has chosen to open its doors on campus at the College of Charleston. Part of the recently completed student housing and retail space development near the Cistern, Caviar & Bananas is betting that college kids will appreciate having some quality food and caffeine close to where they live and work. For those of us who fondly remember the cracked asphalt and parking tickets that once stretched between George and Liberty streets next to the old St. Philip garage, it appears we can look forward to enjoying tasty new memories (if we can afford them) at the Caviar & Bananas shop.
