This past weekend I was down in
Charleston. I really wish I could’ve
spent more time in The Battery area. We
spent some time at The Historic Rice Mill for a wedding and explored the nearby
bar scene, but nothing truly impressed me until I visited The Battery. About a mile or two down from the famous
carriage house is a strip of restaurants and shops, as well as parks and
stunning historic, Southern homes. I’m a
huge fan of the tv miniseries, North and
South. It was filmed in 1985 and it
stars several notable actors including Patrick Swayze, Kirstie Alley, and Liz
Taylor. The series was based off of John
Jakes’ book of the same name, who I believe to be one of the most magnificent
writers of American historical fiction of our time. You just don’t get the quality and depth that
he brings to his writing coupled with the historical accuracy anymore. Filming took place at Boone Plantation, and
many of the movie’s shots were taken throughout Charleston, specifically The
Battery. It was so cool to match the
spots with the scenes. My husband and I
truly felt like we were going back in time.
I regret not being able to visit the Gullah Country, as that is
something I have wanted to do for years.
Hopefully I will visit soon so I can cross this off my wish list! Anyways, back to the food…
We were walking past all the quaint and picturesque restaurants that Charleston has to offer, and we found it nearly impossible to pick one. My husband was gunning for some shrimp and grits in the low country, and I just wanted some place where we could sit outside and eat. We passed the beautiful Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel, which looked like it was straight out of a storybook. We thought about going there, but then this cute, colorful little house with a charming porch caught our attention. We walked around the curb to get a closer look, and the chalkboard at the entrance read “Special: Shrimp and Grits. Mimosas.” SOLD!
So we were seated outside, per my
request, and the weather is refreshingly comfortable compared to the day
before, where it was a scorching 103 degrees and we were at a black tie
event…yah, it was BRUTAL. As we relaxed
and enjoyed the lovely afternoon in such a beautiful part of town, I perused
the menu and decided to go with the Captain Lee Omelette. I know.
When in Charleston, one should order low country food, but I REALLY
wanted breakfast. To make up for my
entrée choice though, we ordered the Fried Pimento as a starter. If you haven’t picked up on it yet, I love
pimento cheese. Like bacon, pimento
cheese makes just about every dish better.
The hubby ordered the Shrimp and Grits, naturally, and I got home fries
as my side.
We ended up having to put our order in
all together because our waitress took FOREVERRRRRR to bring our drinks, and
then even longer to come and take our order.
So when we finally got her, we had to take advantage and get it all
in. When I say we waited a long time for
the drinks, I mean we waited at least 20 minutes, and it was a slow day
too. The Fried Pimento came out, and it
was served with a green tomato sauce.
I was disappointed. It definitely wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t
anything to write home about.
Personally, I love my pimento cheese with some kick to it. Maybe a little jalapeno or maybe some extra
sharp cheddar; something to give it a boost.
When the pimento cheese balls are milder, then I need something
delicious to dip it in; like a sweet chili Thai sauce, or a spicy fruit sauce,
or even a honey sriracha mixture. The
green tomato sauce was okay, but it was bland and it added absolutely nothing
to the lackluster fried pimento. The
texture was good though. Nice and
crunchy on the outside and the breading had no after-taste. The cheese inside wasn’t stringy the way I
like to see it, and one of ours was actually cold in the middle, which makes me
think that these were frozen pimento cheese balls, possibly. I honestly would not have been so bothered by
this appetizer had there been any redeeming qualities in the dipping sauce, but
there wasn’t. Like I said, it wasn’t the
worst thing I’ve had, but anyone who’s a fan of pimento cheese should not order
this unless they relish in disappointment.
Additionally, we’re in the low country.
I expect a little better than frozen fried pimento.
Another 30 minutes went by when our
meals finally came out. The Captain Lee
Omelette is stuffed with onions, peppers, and ham, and mine came with home
fries, as well as some pieces of pineapple.
The omelette, unlike the fried pimento, did not disappoint. The egg wasn’t overcooked. It was still soft and fluffy without being runny,
and the onion/ham stuffing was a tasty and flavorful blend. The potatoes weren’t overly salted and they
were cooked perfectly. A lot of times
when I order breakfast, I find myself overwhelmed with the large portions and
get full too quickly. The thing I
enjoyed the most about Poogan’s breakfast was that the portions were perfect,
and I was able to clean my plate; which is extremely rare for me.
My hubby got the Shrimp and Grits;
which, oddly enough is the first picture you see on their website. I was unaware until I looked them up that
they have been voted to have the best grits in the low country. I am not a huge shrimp and grits fan like my
husband is, but I must say this dish was great.
The grits were creamy and buttery, and the shrimp was perfectly
cooked. The real star; however, is the
blue crab gravy. My guess is that they
sautee the onions and peppers prior to throwing them into the gravy, and then
they let the gravy simmer with all that flavory goodness. The ham and the sausage combined with the
onions and peppers bring a subtle, spicy kick that offsets the slight sweetness
of the shrimp. Grits tend to soak up
other flavors quite well, which is why the gravy really stands out. I loved getting little lumps of crabmeat in
each bite. The contrast in textures
between the crab meat, the sausage, and the grits was incredibly
satisfying. The dish itself is beautiful
and inviting, and remains true to its low country roots. To put it simply, the shrimp and grits aren’t
over the top. There’s nothing novel about
them as it remains traditional, but the creativity in the blue crab gravy
concept is executed wonderfully. Simply
put, if you visit Poogan’s, order the Shrimp and Grits.
Overall, our entrees were great. The shrimp and grits hit that low country
food urge, and the omelette was everything one would want out of their
breakfast. The pimento appetizer was a
huge disappointment considering we were in Charleston, and the service we
experienced this trip was abysmal. After
we were done eating, we had to wait another 25 minutes before getting our
check. I love a leisure Sunday in
Charleston, but I would like to have my drink within the first 20 minutes of
being seated. I don’t think that’s too
much to ask. It may have been a bad day
though, so I would absolutely suggest giving this place a try. The atmosphere is pure Charleston, and the
restaurant itself is positively charming.
The colors of the building and the porches make you feel like you’re in
a scene from “North and South.” If you
get lucky enough to go on a day when the weather is comfortable, ask to be
seated outside. That way if the service
is subpar, you can still enjoy the feel of Charleston and the people watching,
because there will be a lot of time to do so as you wait for your
beverages.
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