August 28, 2021
For me, one of the hardest parts of going a trip is deciding where to eat. There are usually way more places I want to try than I could possibly get to on vacation. This was amplified in Charleston, SC where it seems like there is an awesome restaurant on every block. If you are on your way there, let me make it easier for you. Go to Husk. This is a place that is so good that halfway through my meal there, I made a reservation for the next day at Husk, Savannah. (I never made it though, fun story about a distillery, some pizza, a couple palomas, a couple tacos, and a plate of pickled shrimp.)
Husk is located in a beautiful, historic home that dates back to the late 1800s. The large porch is an enchanting entrance to dining spaces on the first and second floor. The dining rooms are contemporary without contrasting the home’s history. All of this creates a beautiful location to eat spectacular food.
The menu at Husk changes daily and sometimes even more frequently as ingredients arrive and are consumed. A large board inside the front door proudly declares their partnership with local farmers. Everything they serve comes from the South, making it an ideal food destination for a New Englander like me.
I visited Husk for brunch on August 8. We started with cocktails, and though my first drink was the nice gin-based Good Intentions, it was my second drink that you have to try. The Charleston Light Dragoon’s Punch (Shouldn’t it be Dragoons’) is absolutely amazing. It is claimed to be a 1792 recipe found in the Charleston Preservation Society. And while I think that’s unlikely, the combination of brandy, rum and tea makes for a delightfully different brunch cocktail. If you are interested in more about the history of this punch, here is a great link.
A delicious strawberry scone with a pink vanilla glaze was our first bite at Husk. It was ordered for my three year old, but I ate more than half of it. After that came Chinese barbecue pork lettuce wraps. These were not only the best thing I ate at Husk, but maybe the best thing I ate in my week in the South. The pork they use comes from the Peculiar Pig Farm which happened to provide the excellent pork chop I had at Lenoir the night before. We followed that with house made cheddar bologna, fried and served simply with pickled vegetables and mustard. The pickled jalapenos went particularly well with rich bologna. It is a seemingly simple but excellent dish.
For main courses we had Husk’s take on shrimp and grits and country fired steak. For the first they use royal red shrimp, pork sausage, and country ham. The grits, which are a beautiful yellow color, come from March Hen Mill on Edisto Island just south of Charleston. Tomatoes and peppers round out this spectacular take on a low country classic. The country fried steak, is a battered and fried strip steak served over kale and potatoes and topped with a sunny side egg. The star of the dish, however, is the decadent sausage gravy which they make in-house. We left stuffed and very happy.
Despite all the dining options in Charleston, all the new places I wanted to try and couldn’t fit in on my trip, all the award winning restaurants and the unique, little specialty shops, I would absolutely make sure I returned to Husk. It is historic, beautiful, local-focused, and most importantly the food is amazing.
Concord Culinary Lyceum 