December 5, 2009
Since my birthday fell on a Sunday last year, we decided to go out to eat on Saturday so we wouldn't feel rushed on Sunday, with church and all. As is my custom, I went online and looked at list after list of the best places to have breakfast in Charleston without spending an arm and a leg. One of those lists led me to the website for Joseph's on Meeting Street. Everything I saw on the menu sounded great, so that was that.
I have to be completely honest here: I wasn't sure I should even write about this trip because the entree I got wasn't really that great, and I didn't want to write anything negative. But if I'm going to share my experiences, the least I can do is be honest, for the sake of those who might choose to read this blog. Besides, you might have better luck than I did, even if you order the same thing. In all honesty, I think my entree might've just been a fluke. Anyway, I think Tom's entree and our "appetizer" redeemed the experience for me. I'll just get to it.
Appetizer: Beignets
I visited New Orleans about four years ago, as one of the many volunteers who helped clean up the city after Hurricane Katrina hit; and living in an Army family, Tom actually lived there for awhile. So we were both pretty excited to find out that a place in Charleston served these fluffy little powdered sugar-covered pillows of fried dough that are notoriously associated with New Orleans' famous Cafe Du Monde. We were so excited, in fact, that we decided to start off with them instead of waiting to have them for dessert. And let me tell ya, if you never make it down to the Big Easy, I'd venture to say the beignets at Joseph's are the next best thing.
My Entree: Crab Omelet
When I saw this on the menu, I knew it was what I wanted: fresh crab meat, oven-dried tomatoes, ricotta cheese, and fresh herbs folded into an omelet. Sounds great, right? I thought so too. In fact, I still think it has the potential to be really good, but maybe someone in the kitchen was just having a bad morning. I had to stop every few seconds to pull out little pieces of crab shell; by the time I was finished, I had a pretty decent pile on the side of my plate. I also had to pause for sawing through the tomatoes because they were still pretty tough. It was the first time I can remember seriously considering sending food back, but I didn't. (I guess I'm just paranoid; too many horror stories about kitchen staff getting mad at disgruntled customers and adding their own "special ingredients" the second time around, if you know what I mean.) I will say this, though: with a lot of their menu items, you get a choice between breakfast potatoes and grits (and maybe toast), but if you don't get the potatoes, you're missing out. These were some of the best breakfast potatoes I've ever had: very nicely seasoned, and crispy on the outside, smooth on the inside.
Tom's Entree: Sweet Potato Pancakes
OK, ending on a high note here! These pancakes were fluffy and moist, and just sweet enough to where you could have them without syrup if you wanted to, but they are even better with syrup. And the toasted pecan butter that comes with it is fantastic as well: warm, mellow, and a little salty to balance the dish's overall sweetness.
I have a theory that most restaurants keep the thermostat turned way down because they know that being cold makes people feel like they need to eat more. Not the case at Joseph's. Inside it's warm and cozy, which was really nice the day we went, because it was cold and rainy outside! For your inner child, each table also has a paper table cover and crayons, which we definitely used a little. Somehow, it made turning one year older not seem so bad. :)
