Making a Difference

Summerville is more than historic places, excellent restaurants and unique shops. Certainly, that helps quite a bit and one of the reasons I moved here. Summerville is more than that though, it's about the people here. Whether they are born and raised lowcountry or transplants like myself, something about this place makes people friendlier, more generous and considerate.

Volunteering is something I had wanted to get involved in up north, but something held me back. It wasn't just that I was working full time either, there was a lack of spirit in the area we lived in. It's hard to put your finger on. The change in atmosphere here was what I needed to fully commit to putting my skills and time to use at Dorchester Habitat for Humanity.

After speaking with Terry Epps the Volunteer Coordinator at DHH about what I could offer, I was welcomed with open arms and immediately asked to join the Special Events and Public Relations Committees. Our objective is to plan, advertise and execute fundraising events to help realize the dream of home ownership for one deserving family at a time.

My first event was the Fall Festival that took place October 16th, at the Flowertown Garden Center. DHH was lucky enough when owner Paul Moore and employee Charlene Sharkey contacted them with the idea for this event. Flowertown Garden Center welcomed families for the day to check out the plants and garden accents but also had a number of activities for kids to enjoy, while the proceeds went to DHH. The big hit was the Batman bounce house, Flowertown provided. Watching kids run and hurriedly take off their shoes to hop in always brings a smile to my face and a little ache for my own childhood.  Children also had fun at the face painting, and pumpkin painting tables in addition to the hot dogs and baked goods DHH provided. In total Flowertown Garden helped us raise $400 which will go towards the current house being built.
 
The Garden Center has a very unique vibe to it's atmosphere.  The plants are set up in meandering paths, with pergolas overhead, lovely garden benches and statuary tucked in, perhaps next to a water feature.  It's more like walking through someone's backyard garden, so different than the utilitarian aisles of the big box stores.  I was definitely tempted and yearned for my own yard to plan and create.  Several DHH members left with beautiful hanging pots of mums and hay bales for fall decor. 

It is so satisfying to see efforts come to fruition with a terrific bunch of warm-hearted people. The spirit of giving is alive and well in Summerville.  I feel it all the time and can now say I'm a part of it.

Friday Night Lights

South Carolina does not have any professional sports teams, which may explain why high school and college teams are so crazy popular here. Last month we were driving through town which was jammed with traffic and people parking in every available area. Crowds of people were walking in one direction, and our curiosity was peaked. We followed the trail of people and cars. Was it a fair I hadn't heard about? A live performance in the park? A zombie outbreak? Nope, the trail ended at a medium sized stadium, people were cramming in for a high school football game! And they were paying $8 to get in!

This is pretty much unheard of in the Northeast. High school games up north are generally only attended by parents of players, some schoolmates, and a few diehard alums. The games are always free. Well, this Friday we had to see what all the hubbub was about and decided to go see the game.

The Summerville High School's The Green Wave team has a long a winning history, as I found out from our ticket booth lady. Coach John McKissick is a vertiable legend throughout the region, and is the nation's most winningest high school coach, a title he has held since 1986. He has been coaching Summerville since 1952, and is still at it, proving age is more than a number. The stadium is named for him, as is another one in North Carolina. Folks here are mighty proud of that and it shows. The players arrived with a police escort! The game we attended was against West Ashley. I struck up conversation with the gentleman behind us, and he filled me in on some of the history. Apparently, every school wants to play the Green Wave, because if you beat us, it's something to put in your scrapbook.

You could tell Summerville was the superior team right from the warm ups. The home team was sharper, quicker on their feet, a testimony to synchronization as one unit. A small chill of awe shivered down my arms. My instinct was true, once the game started Summerville scored on the second play! West Ashley gave up the first quarter 28-0. They only managed one touch down towards the end of the game. Summerville ran away with it. There's room for improvement of course, we fumbled quite a few balls, and there were two interceptions. Thankfully, the defense squashed out the threats.

Even when Coach McKissick fully retires his son will be there to take the reigns, as well as several of his best players from the 80's who are now assistant coaches. Perhaps the north ought to take note of the system here. With spectators paying to attend, the football team, band, cheerleaders and exchange club all are well funded without having to worry about a hand out from the state. They are able to afford a terrific stadium, and excellent coaches to help them succeed. If my high school had such a great team and facilities I'm sure I would have been a better supporter. Although I have to say it, the Green Wave as a mascot, is pretty ridiculous. There's a silly smiley face in the middle of the costume, not exactly striking fear in our challengers hearts. It's a laugh though. Sorry to say my camera is not up to action shots, so I couldn't provide some visual candy this time. I'll have to remember to bring my video camera next time.

Third Thursday's

Another great summertime activity in this area is a once a month mini-festival in Historic downtown Summerville called Third Thursday's. Every third Thursday during the summer/fall months the shops stay open late till 8pm, there are two or three bands playing in different areas, an art show with local artists and crafters, as well as an antique car show. It's a wonderfully relaxing and social experience. The Art Walk takes place on Short Central Ave. a street that oozes charm and grace. The street is set with brick in a herringbone pattern, probably original. Since the street is closed to traffic there are tables outside for the restaurants. Unique and fun shops line each side, two of them had just opened this week. The Candy Bar, a welcomed candy store, and Four Green Fields, a local artisans shop.

We chose a table and had dinner at The Eclectic Chef, while our pooch Katey soaked in the constant attention from passing families. The Eclectic Chef is a great lunch or dinner spot serving, salads, paninis and other sandwiches, but also gourmet-to-go dishes that you can take home if, like me, you sometimes can't come up with the motivation to cook. A little further down the street there is also an Italian restaurant, I haven't yet sampled, as well as an Irish Pub.

My favorite shop is called Marigolds, which is a virtual treasure trove of gorgeous antiques, vintage dishes, accessories, even cabinet pulls. It's the kind of store you take at least a half hour to make sure you haven't missed a corner or sparkly bauble. It makes me itch to buy the house we want, apartment life really cramps my style.

Supporting local businesses is what it's all about, and it's just an excellent opportunity to get the family or just yourself out of the house. Strolling along and striking up conversation with business owners or neighbors is always entertaining as well as a way to glean the community gossip! Get out there!

Strikes

Well it can't all be wine and roses here. There have been a few places we've been to so far that have decidedly not been worth our money. Although I approach everywhere and everyone with a positive attitude, sometimes pointing out the negative is necessary, if only to save someone else a bad experience. There are three restaurants that do not have my pineapple approval.

• Hibachi Fusion, Ladson Rd. Summerville, SC

The other weekend I was dying for hibachi. I did a quick search online to see what we had close to us. Off we went to another end of town we hadn't been to yet. Now as we all know, hibachi style restaurants ought to be entertainment as well as delicious stir fried awesomeness. Sadly, Hibachi Fusion is none of those things. By the time we got there, it was too late to scout out somewhere else to go. It's location could be ideal for this type of restaurant, it's next to a movie theater and residential apartments. However, this place seems to be a converted plain old Chinese restaurant. There's absolutely no atmosphere. The grill, that should be the main feature is tucked away in the back, you can't even watch your food being made, which is the whole point of Hibachi!! We ordered two bowls, one rice and beef and one shrimp and rice. Ho hum. You can bet the shrimp is frozen. I have a good imagination for re-purposing spaces, and as I ate I thought of how it could be overhauled to be a true hibachi experience. Step one, clear out all the tables, and tacky Chinese décor. Step two, build the grill in a square shape with seating all around. Step three, get rid of the grill in back, put the drink area, and cash register there. Step four, bring in natural Japanese zen décor. Of course there's the small matter of menu refinement and hiring chefs with personality. If they have any hope of staying in business they should consider it.

• El Rosarito, N. Cedar St. Summerville, SC

We went here on a recommendation from another local who said it was great cheap mexican. Well, they were only half right, it was cheap. We were the only ones there during the dinner hour, that should have been a strong sign to leave. This place had lots of personality, maybe too much, every wall has a different wall mural. We ordered the taco and enchilda combo. Unfortunately, the enchilda tasted like cardboard, and the sauce was barely more flavorful. The taco meat seemed to completely lack any seasoning. Where was the zip of cumin and chili powder? The tacos at Taco Bell are better! I drenched everything with the homemade salsa (pureed tomatos and onion and not much else) and made the best of it. Take my advice and go to Margarita's on N. Main St. instead. It's probably where everyone else was that night.

• Saffron's Cafe and Bakery, East Bay St. Charleston, SC

This weekend we left Libery Square after getting off the Fort Sumter ferry. The National Monument was terrific, why couldn't history have been this interesting in school? At any rate, it was closing on 2:30pm and we hadn't had lunch yet. Saffron's is a short walk from the dock. I had actually heard good things about this place, but the food and service was very inconsistent. We had a total of four waitresses. With all that service you would think getting our order in quickly would have been easy. Not so. The hostess seated us, another girl took our drink orders but not food. The waitress that was supposed to take our order was too overwhelmed by the other tables even though it was not packed. After waiting 15 minutes the hostess had to come back and take the order. I went for the She-Crab soup with a grilled cheese, my husband ordered a Chicken Gyro. The simple fare should have taken a short time to come out, but we waited at least 20 minutes. I saw a couple people who ordered after us, get their food first. The soup was pretty good, although I must admit it's my first time trying She-Crab soup so I have no basis to judge on. There were a few pieces of shell I encountered. I give benefit of the doubt on this though as I imagine its very difficult to de-shell all the crab needed for a soup. Other food critics would tear them apart for it though. The grilled cheese was nothing special, needed more cheese and the edges were really dried out. Clayton did not enjoy the gyro, because the chicken and pita were very chewy. The pita was not the traditional soft flexible wrap. It was thinner than usual and really took a lot of effort to chew.

I would say if you go here, go only for the desserts which are all tantalizingly displayed in front. I tried an eclair, my favorite type of pastry. Although, again I was plagued by a slightly negative experience again. I specifically asked the waitress if the eclair was custard or cream filled. I am very partial to yellow Italian custard and not the whipped cream filling. She assured me it was custard. I ordered it to go, to have later that evening. Sure enough when I cut into it later that day it was cream filled!! Argh! I wanted to run back there and throw it at their window. Is it too much to ask that people serving food be well informed on it's ingredients?


Well that's three strikes by my book. Try them only if you're desperate. Cheers!

Isle of Palms

Took another drive to the beach this past weekend, this time to the Isle of Palms. It's a bit further out than Folly Beach, but not inconveniently so. A very different atmosphere than Folly Beach....a good description would be upscale minus the snootiness. Beach houses line the coast of course, and there seems to be a contest of who has the brightest house. Pink, yellow and lime green most stand out but it's charming in that Caribbean way. We especially appreciated the very civil parking system. You can either park in the county park lot for $7 for the day or continue on to the Public Parking area that is metered, $1 per hour. We've usually had our fill in 3 or 4 hours.

Had to cut the actual beach time a little short this time, it was a very windy day and the sand blew on us the whole time. I felt like a powdered doughnut with none of the pleasantness. The beach itself is not as wide as others. The waves are a little more aggressive here, not sure if that is the usual. Parents should keep a sharp eye on their kids though. We saw one child get swept up by a large wave and was being pulled away, but luckily a surfer saw it happen and scooped him up. Phew!

There are beach volleyball nets that seem to be very well maintained, great for a pick up game. You can also rent bikes, umbrellas, etc. at a local shop. Not to be missed is the Windjammer bar which has a killer deck over looking the beach, a great place to chill and sip your Corona. They also have a variety of live music every Friday and Saturday night. All in all worth the trip!
 

 
 
 
 
 
I want the green one!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Summerville Perks

One of the best parts of living in Summerville, is it's adorable and historical downtown area. I find myself down there at least a few times a week. In addition to the variety of unique shops, there are several well attended restaurants all in about a two block radius.

One thing that caught us by surprise when we moved down here is that the price of food is as high or higher than the Northeast. That's why I was so happy to hear that Summerville has a Farmers Market every Saturday starting in the spring till late fall, from 8am to noon, right behind the town hall. With $20 I am able to buy all of my fresh fruits and vegtables for the week, a loaf of organic bread, eggs, cheese and homemade dog biscuits for my faithful hound, Katey. Everything there is sold tax free and wholesale...what a bargain! There are also several local crafters present, which is nice if you want to splurge a bit. The downtown farmers market is well established for many popular years and sometimes the vendors change over. I hear there's a very long waiting list if you want a booth.

However, the market is more than just a place to buy your produce for the week, it's an entire social scene unto itself. It's an excellent way to meet and catch up with your neighbors. Last week I brought Katey and was instantly the hit of the hour. It's amazing how a cute and friendly dog raises your social standing. We talked and introduced ourselves to everyone. I think it's safe to say we'll be a big supporter of the local farmers for years to come.

Can I get an Amen!

My mother in law was a real trooper and shared the drive with me when I moved down here. Thank God, the drive down 95 is a real snore. She stayed with us a few days, and her and I took in a bit of downtown Charleston. Her one request was to have a really good seafood dinner. Well, nearly every restaurant downtown has seafood, but we had no recommendation to go on what was worth it.

As the dinner hour approached we found ourselves taking in the Charleston Place Hotel shops and it's very classy lobby. Now having worked in hospitality for many years I knew the Concierge would be able to make an excellent recommendation for a seafood restaurant. I approached Rick at the Concierge desk working the evening shift and told him we were looking for the best casual seafood place nearby. Rick's advice was a restaurant called Amen Street Fish and Raw Bar on East Bay St. A little known tip...although lots of casual restaurants do not take reservations, including Amen, they will make exceptions for Charleston Place Hotel guests. Score!

Fifteen minutes later we found ourselves seated in a cozy nook. You can feel the history emanating from the aged bricks. The décor stays true to the architecture of the historical building, with a few surprises, like the chandeliers made from oyster shells. Service was friendly and efficient and we cooled off with some iced beverages to start.

We ordered the Jumbo Crispy Calamari as well as the Shrimp and Vegetable Spring Rolls for appetizers. Both were delicious, I found myself scraping the plate from the spring rolls, cleverly shaped as triangles and served with hoisin sauce, sriracha, and lemon aioli. For entrees my mother in law chose the Peel and Eat Shrimp, my husband ordered the special Seared Tuna, and I got the Lump Crab Cake with a side of green beans. We all shared some of our plates with each other, which made for a varied and fun dinner. The crab cake was very well done, with nice chunks of fresh meat. I especially enjoyed the green beans, which were seasoned and cooked to perfection, just a hint of snap when you bit in.

Normally, I don't have room for dessert, but the offerings were so tasty sounding we had to sample. Executive Chef Todd Garrison sent us a sample plate of the Chocolate Mousse, the Strawberry Shortcake and my husband's favorite Key Lime Pie. We didn't leave a crumb on the plate.

If you find yourself near The Market and hungry for lunch or dinner, give Amen Street a try. It definitely made my favorites list.