100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die
Lynn & Cele Seldon
Our new book, 100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die, was published by Reedy Press earlier this month. It completed our “trilogy” for their popular series, which now boasts more than 100 titles, including our bestselling 100 Things to Do in Charleston Before You Die and 100 Things to Do in Savannah Before You Die.
For our September DISH, we decided to provide five ‘Food & Drink’ entries from the new book in their entirety, focusing on restaurants we haven’t yet covered during our four-plus years of preparing this column. Other establishments with stand-alone entries in the book that we’ve previously featured in DISH include: Blacksheep X Sabbatical; Locals Raw Bar; Ribaut Social Club; Shellring Aleworks; Saltus River Grill; Herban Market & Cafe; Magnola Cafe; Bluffton’s beloved FARM; the dining options at TCL Culinary Institute of the South; Harold’s Country Club; Hearth; the Port Royal Farmer’s Market; and more.
The book features 20 other tasty entries in the ‘Food & Drink’ category, with the other categories being: Music & Entertainment; Sports & Recreation; Culture & History; and Shopping & Fashion. However, you’ll have to buy the book (for just 18 bucks) to read about the other 95 entries in our new book!
TASTE THE LOWCOUNTRY AT LOWCOUNTRY PRODUCE
This charming hotspot with three Lowcountry locations offers so much to those who want a taste of
Tomato pies, courtesy of Lowcountry Produce
the Lowcountry. It’s a go-to destination for freshly baked Lowcountry favorites, like tomato pie and buttermilk cheddar biscuits. It’s also a restaurant serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch classics, including: avocado toast; brioche French toast; green tomato pickle stack; big fat French salad (warm, red-skinned potatoes, bacon, goat cheese, and tomatoes over romaine dressed with a lemon Dijon vinaigrette); po boys; and the ever-popular Ooey Gooey, with melted pimento cheese, applewood bacon, and garlic pepper jelly. Plus, it’s a take-away café, with comfort food specialties like pimento cheese, chicken salad, and pot pie; a cannery featuring house-made sauces, pickles, dips, jams, chutneys, and chow chows; a sundries shop selling grits, teas, and granola; and it’s even a kitchen and home decor shop to take home a piece of the Lowcountry.
1919 Trask Pkwy., Lobeco, 843-846-9438
302 Carteret St., Beaufort, 843-322-1900
71 Lighthouse Rd., Hilton Head Island, 843-686-3003
lowcountryproduce.com
TIP
Be sure to order the doughnuts for the table or to take home. The made-to-order glazed or cinnamon and sugar orbs come warm, four to an order, and melt in your mouth.
TAKE A TASTE OF COTTAGE LIFE
Combining creative cuisine with Southern hospitality and shopping for baked goods, tea, and more,
Courtesy of The Cottage Café
The Cottage Café Bakery & Tea Room in Old Town Bluffton is one of the Lowcountry’s tastiest and tasteful destinations. The building that houses The Cottage was built in 1868 by J.J. Carson, who is known for saving General Stonewall Jackson’s life during the Civil War battle of Chancellorsville. Today, chef/owner Leslie Rohland (a South Carolina Chef Ambassador) oversees the popular eatery and shop. Her breakfast, lunch, and Sunday brunch menus feature flavorful takes on Lowcountry favorites, including: lots of egg options (from Cottage corned beef hash to crabby Benedicts); shrimp and grits; tomato pie; crab cakes; and much more. They also serve afternoon teas. Post-meal shoppers will love The Cottage Café’s huge selection of teas and baked goods, as well as other tasty offerings from the Lowcountry, like Edisto’s Marsh Hen Mill heirloom grits and more.
38 Calhoun St., Bluffton, 843-757-0508
thecottagebluffton.com
TIP
Rohland also owns The Juice Hive (thejuicehive.com), Bluffton Pasta Shoppe (blufftonpastashoppe.com), and May River Coffee Roasters (mayrivercoffeeroasters.com), which are all in Bluffton as well.
HEAD TO HUDSON’S SEAFOOD HOUSE ON THE DOCKS
Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks, courtesy of Hilton Head Island/Bluffton CVB
For a classic Lowcountry seafood meal at one of Hilton Head Island’s oldest restaurants, it’s a long-time tradition to head to the docks on Skull Creek in Port Royal Sound for a fresh-from-the-docks choice of seafood and more at Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks. A legendary Lowcountry restaurant since 1967 and located in a former 1920 seafood processing plant, heading to Hudson’s means fresh seafood that’s steamed, fried, pan-seared, blackened, or broiled, as well as fresh oysters they grow and harvest (Shell Ring Oyster Company). But the extensive menus feature much more, including: she crab soup and gumbo; fried green tomatoes; a “Can’t Decide” briny appetizers sampler; Lowcountry boils and other seafood-focused combos; their beefy brisket burger and other meat lover options; homemade desserts; and more, including a beloved fried oyster Benedict for Sunday brunch. There’s casual seating inside, as well as outside on the water, where there’s a lively bar, convivial vibe, and classic Skull Creek sunsets.
1 Hudson Rd., Hilton Head Island, 843-681-2772
hudsonsonthedocks.com
EAT EVERYTHING BUT THE OINK AT RIZER’S PORK & PRODUCE
Offering varied country-style all-you-can-eat comfort food buffets for lunch from Wednesday to
Courtesy of Rizer’s Pork & Produce
Saturday, Rizer’s Pork & Produce features pork, produce, and more from the Rizer family farm and beyond. Wednesday’s buffet is smaller than the other days, while Thursday features a full buffet, but no seafood. Fridays and Saturdays bring a full buffet that includes fish and shrimp, plus dessert, like homemade pound cake, a scoop of ice cream (four flavors), or banana pudding. Buffet highlights typically include several entree choices, like Rizer’s sausage and barbecue in their secret sauce, and lots of country-style side dishes, including various vegetables, classic macaroni and cheese, and more. Plus, their bi-weekly steak nights (January to August) feature 16-ounce steaks, blooming onions, hot rolls, huge baked potatoes, a long list of side vegetables (choose two), and the same friendly Rizer’s vibe and service.
2357 Confederate Hwy., Lodge, 843-866-2645
rizersporkandproduce.com
TIP
Like a farm market, Rizer’s Pork & Produce also offers a large selection of fresh pork products, including their famous made-in-store sausage, and pretty much everything else but the oink. There’s also seasonal produce from their farm, with a wide variety of beans and peas, sweet corn, watermelons, greens, and much more.
FEED YOUR HUNGER AT ROXBURY MERCANTILE
Roxbury Mercantile, courtesy of Seldon Ink
Conveniently located on the Edisto Island National Scenic Byway, Roxbury Mercantile is a culinary outpost that’s a nostalgic throwback to the small town mom and pop restaurants of yesteryear. Situated on the Barnwell family farm, the original Roxbury Mercantile was an old country store that served the Edisto Island and St. Paul’s Parish communities for nearly eight decades, before it tragically burned down in 1983. Today, co-owners William “Beau” Barnwell, a tenth generation Lowcountry native, and his wife, Jackie, who grew up on Hilton Head Island, have reimagined Roxbury Mercantile as a restaurant specializing in Southern hospitality, craft cocktails, and classic Lowcountry cuisine. The uncomplicated menu relies heavily on local and regional farmers and fishers to produce crowd favorites, such as their bourbon butter shrimp and grits, lightly cornmeal-battered fried seafood, juicy grass-fed beef burgers, fried green tomato tacos, and more.
4398 Highway 174, Meggett, 843-889-0044
roxburymercantile.com
Beaufort-based travel journalists Lynn and Cele Seldon (www.seldonink.com) often cover culinary travel around the world and Lowcountry Weekly lured them to write a monthly feature covering the local food scene. This includes articles about restaurants, chefs, food-focused stores, farms, farmers, farmers markets, and more. Many restaurants featured in their DISH column over the years are included in their new book, 100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die.
