Mosaic Cafe Mount Pleasant SC

Mosaic Cafe is located in Mount Pleasant just off the Isle of Palms connector on Hungryneck Boulevard. I have visited this restaurant since I have become allergic to milk but had not been there in well over a year. It is a popular lunch spot East of the Cooper.
I met my friend Nancy there. We ordered our waters as we were looking over the menu. I try to check a restaurant's menu and website on the internet before I go to see that the menu looks like it has menu choices that will be alright for me. On the Mosaic site it says, "We offer healthy, eclectic, world cuisine designed to appeal to a broad range of tastes. Featuring local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible, our menus and specials are ever changing." That is usually a good omen for me when they use fresh ingredients and have a changing menu. As I looked over the menu I felt like there were several good choices for me. http://mosaicedibles.com/pdf/mosaic-cafe-lunch-menu.pdf  I narrowed it down (which I do not get to do often!) to either Lemongrass Chicken Roller or the Crab Cake Pita. I asked Andi, our server, if she would mind checking on those selections for me. She did so with a smile! She returned and said both would be fine for me. I decided to go with the crab cake since I eat chicken quite a bit anyway. Nancy ordered the Pita Nachos. Our food arrived in no time. Nancy's nachos looked great and so did my crab pita.

It tasted yummy too. What really made the sandwich was the chipotle tartar sauce. It was creamy with just the right amount of spice. My only complaint, and this is just a personal pet peeve, is that nothing comes with the sandwiches. I always feel it would be nothing to the restaurant to through a few chips on the plate. I don't want to have to "purchase" a side for an additional fee. That reminds me of how I feel about the airlines- if you want to charge me for my luggage I have to bring with me just add that in the price of my ticket! Okay, I don't need to get off on that subject as this would never end!

Anyway, it was an enjoyable experience and I will eat there again.

Fuel (A Caribbean Cantina Downtown Charleston)

A few nights ago I met my friend Shelby downtown for dinner. I have to admit that Fuel was not our original intent. We were actually going to Moe's Tavern on Rutledge Avenue but it was closed for remodeling when I got there. So Shelby and I, in our separate cars and via phone continued back into town on Rutledge. When I mentioned I was now passing Fuel she said she had been there several times and that it was good. So Fuel it was!  Now I already loved it from the outside... an old gas station turned into an eclectic restaurant. (Hence the name!) I always like that places that look intriguing and "not touristy".

We choose to sit outside where most of the seating is anyway. It was a great night for that weather wise.

Our server came promptly and took our drink order while we perused the menu. http://fuelcharleston.com/assets/Uploads/FUEL-Menu.pdf

There was even a note at the bottom of the menu that said to alert your server of any allergens you may have. That was quite promising to me! And the menu choices looked great. When our server returned with our drinks I asked about a couple of  menu items that I may be interested in ordering (black bean cake and fried flounder sandwich) and asked if she could check on these foods for me. She came back and said that I would be safe (no milk products) with either entree. Well, I was a bit excited about the fried flounder sandwich as I have not been able to eat any fried seafood out anywhere since being aware of my allergy 5 years ago. It's funny because I never really ordered fried seafood before but now that I usually can't have it, it's like the "forbidden fruit" that you just really want to eat! Shelby had suggested we split the seafood bouyan (and yes, that IS the way it is spelled!) as she said it was delicious and we could also split the flounder sandwich and sweet potato fries. I was excited! The server brought our food shortly. We started on the bouyan. This is the description: " a stew of fresh shrimp, mahi-mahi, tomato, onion,peppers, garlic, COCONUT MILK, and rice." Doesn't that sound wonderful? And it was! And it was such a treat for me to get something CREAMY. Then we split our flounder sandwich and it was delicious too.

So I am actually really happy that Moe's was not open that night because I loved Fuel. It was just a great combination of cool, laid back, and charming.. Our service was friendly and so nice to have places that do not make me feel like a pain in the #** to take of me. And thanks to Shelby for the recommendations!

Tupelo Honey Cafe South Asheville NC (Hendersonville- Asheville area)

Recently I was in the Hendersonville NC area visiting my mom. This is my childhood home and I love going back to visit as often as I can. The restaurant scene in the area has changed a lot since I lived  there and there are lots of great choices of eateries from which to select. We were on our way to the Biltmore House that evening for a concert at one of the most awesome venues-atop the mountain where the estate sits looking out to an unending view of layers of mountains at sunset. But I digress...
We selected this restaurant because it was along our way to Biltmore and I had always wanted to try the original location in Asheville. This is a newer location for them. My friend, Sharon, who lives in the area, also said it was a favorite spot of hers. So there we met. The restaurant is located in a newer strip mall but at the end, with an outdoor dining patio where we sat. The weather was great up in the mountains for dining outside. It was such a welcome reprieve from the high heat and humidity we have been experiencing in Charleston.

Our waiter arrived immediately and we ordered a round of drinks. As we were waiting for our drinks the patio began to fill up quickly. I believe our waiter must have been swamped as the bartender eventually arrived with our drinks.

As I perused the menu I felt this would be a place that would not mind accommodating my food allergy requests as they offered and marked some of their menu items as vegan, gluten free and soy free. They also use local vendors for much of their food. The menu looked great  an had a lot of good side item choices. http://www.tupelohoneycafe.com/assets/TupeloMenu_NIGHT.pdf Read the menu. It will make your mouth water too! I asked about the black bean burger. This is something I love to eat but have not found a restaurant where I can have this as it usually contains some sort of milk protein as a binder. Well, our waiter said he thought this one did not contain any milk product but he would be glad to ask. He came back in a few minutes and said I should be fine with the burger and also the sweet potato fries that I had asked about.

Our food arrived a bit later (it was a little slow, especially for trying to get to a  concert!). The plate looked wonderful! But I did run into a problem that I have happen often enough. I had asked for no milk products, including butter or margarine, and my bun had been grilled with butter. So I had to send that back to get another bun. (I usually try to remember to ask about that but just had not thought about it this time.) But once I got it back it was DELICIOUS! All that I had expected and more. It was probably the best black bean burger I have had out (unless it had just been so long since I had one!!!). And the sweet potato fries were just as good. My friend, David, had a catfish taco and fried Parmesan corn on the cob.

And he said he it as good as it looked.

Sharon loved her open face veggie sandwich and tomato soup too.

We sat outside but when I went inside the atmosphere was really cozy and I really liked how they utilized old screen doors as room dividers.

This was definitely an enjoyable restaurant for me dining out with  my food allergies and they offered  many choices which I do not often have. I will be back...

Bambu Mount Pleasant SC

My sister, Vicky,  and I went to Bambu in Mount Pleasant on a recent Sunday night. I had been wanting to go here for some time as I always heard good things about it and it seemed to be quite crowded when I had passed on numerous occasions. Bambu features sushi, Thai and Japanese cuisine. We both were in the mood for Thai as we had actually tried to go to a new Thai restaurant we thought had opened already but we were mistaken. You know how you get a particular food on your mind and then it feels like your taste buds are specifically salivating for it? So I was happy to try Bambu to satisfy my mental tasting of Thai foods. We arrived and it was a very slow night. We opted to sit inside in spite of being tempted to sit on their extremely charming outdoor patio. (A bit warm and humid still!) We started with  a specialty cocktail each. No questions needed here about ingredients! The nice thing about Thai food for me (besides it's easy to get spicy flavors!) is that most of the entrees are without milk ingredients and therefore, I have a lot of good selections. Link to their menu below:
http://www.bambudining.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5:dinnermenu&catid=1&Itemid=8
This night I choose Thai Basil Spicy Chicken. Nothing on the description led me to believe that I would have any ingredient concerns but our server said she would be  glad to check with the kitchen. She turned in our order and returned to reassure me that she had checked for me and that everything in my dish as well as my sister's would be fine for me to eat. Our food arrived a few minutes later and it satisfied our Thai craving. It was a great experience and I would love to dine here again.

Seewee Restaurant Awendaw SC

 

If you have never been to Seewee restaurant in Awendaw you need to treat yourself. This is always a favorite spot of mine. It's named after the Seewee Indians that were in this area and the building itself started as a general store in the 1920's. But for many years now it has been a restaurant that is always packed with locals. (Which is nice in this town with so many restaurants catering to our tourist population!) And it's a great place to visit on the weekends when it's warm as they usually have live music outside under the little shed. (Often times bluegrass music.)

There were 5 of us Saturday night. Our waitress came and I started my usual barrage of questions regarding the dishes I could order without milk. Even though I have been here before I often get different answers at restaurants regarding ingredients so I always like to ask. I knew I would order blackened shrimp as I have had that many times at Seewee. This is a place that you get 3 sides with your entree and there are MANY choices so the sides were what my questions were about. I can almost always get French Fries and Cole Slaw to be safe but am usually hoping for something more interesting. When I first asked our server about the sides she did not seem too interested in helping me out but said she would check. Others at the table commented that she did not seem to want to be bothered. We saw her go ask another server. Now that server may be knowledgeable of the foods but it just makes me feel better if you ask the people that will be cooking my food! She came back and told me all I could get was French Fries and Applesauce. Then she said she did not ask the staff in the kitchen because they were all new and may not know!?! They may not know how they cook the food they are cooking??? I told her that on my other visits I had been able to select from a lot more side dishes. They have probably about 15-20 side dishes: sweet potato casserole, fried squash, steamed squash, butter beans, green beans, fried okra, macaroni and cheese, rutabagas...you get the idea...lots of southern style veggies! When I mentioned I had had more choices before she told me she would check with the kitchen. Ahhh...relief! She comes back and then names many items that I could have. Now she seems eager to help. And she reassures me that this is good information since the head guy has been there since they opened many years ago. Kind of a different story than what she had told me in the beginning! Anyway, I ordered butter beans , collard greens, and yes, french fries just to be on the safe side! Everything was delicious, as always. And by the time we left our server had really warmed up to my "problem" and even told me to seek her out next time and she would know what I could eat!

Five Loaves Cafe

My most recent night out was at Five Loaves Cafe in Mount Pleasant. http://www.fiveloavescafe.com/  My friend, Carolyn, and I have met there numerous times as she is vegetarian and they have a lot of good options there for her. The website even says," We strive to accommodate all diets and have a vegetarian friendly menu." So this should be a good option for me also and has been in the past.

The restaurant was fairly crowded as it usually is at this time. (7:15PM) They were also offering half priced bottles of wine. (Tuesdays and Fridays)
We begin to study the menu and I as I normally do, try to hone in on what would seem like good milk-free choices. The menu has changed since my last visit and now includes many gluten free (GF) choices as well as items marked as vegetarian (V). http://www.fiveloavescafe.com/menu.html  Although there are many vegetarian choices, they are not vegan which means most of them have cheese or cream sauce as an integral part of the dish. There are also five soup choices but four of them are cream base and the other one I have had before and did not care for the flavors of it. I mention this because Five Loaves has fabulous soups and salads. I was hungry though and looking for a dish a bit heartier. After studying the menu I asked our server about the tilapia dish. I told her my allergy is to milk, not to be confused with dairy because I CAN eat eggs. She checked with the chef and came back and told me I could not have the tilapia because it was coated in an egg wash. Hmmmm..... She suggested I just get a salad. Maybe it shouldn't, but it really irritates me for someone to suggest I just get a salad. Truth be told, I usually have to deconstruct a salad enough for it to be much like my salads I eat at home frequently. Especially the salads here! I settled in with the Fresh Vegetable Stir Fry with Chicken Breast and chose the Thai Peanut Sauce. Our server then brought us bread with olive oil drizzled with a bit of balsamic vinegar. We began to eat that and that was very good. Then I noticed several shavings of Parmesan cheese on the plate. I asked our server and she said the cheese was right next to where the oil mix is prepared so it must have accidentally fallen on the plate! Fortunately, I am not that sensitive to milk being in that close proximity but there are people whose allergies are that bad. (Particularly with peanuts and shellfish!) My stir fry arrives and my sauce is on the side. I am not sure if that is how it is prepared normally or if they were just being cautious. Funny enough, I have been in many restaurants that tell me they can serve a certain  sauce on the side for me rather than putting it in the dish. I'm not sure how that might make the difference! Anyway, my food was okay. It was not a dish I would order again though. My overall experience at Five Loaves was a bit frustrating but I did enjoy meeting up with my friend.

The King Street Grille Mount Pleasant SC

My friend Kathy and I went to King Street Grille for lunch on Monday. The last time Kathy and I had lunch together was at Piccolo Spoleto where Kathy was helping me with my booth at a craft show. They had a tea room delivery and when the volunteer was done with all our questions/requests we apologized for being so much trouble. She said, "That's okay, you're my first difficult customers." (Kathy has to eat soft foods for a while due to recent jaw surgery). So now we refer to ourselves as "the difficult ones." So the difficult pair goes to King Street Grille. We have both checked the menu ahead of time on line to be sure we each felt we could be accommodated by the choices that they have. Well, they have an extensive menu which is a great indication for both of us. http://www.thekingstreetgrille.com/ Our server was pleasant and prompt and she was amicable with our food questions. Ironically, even with all the choices on the menu, we had both honed in on the crab cake sandwich. It is served on a warm pretzel roll with waffle fries. Kathy requested to leave the pretzel roll off and was able to substitute the waffle fries with steamed broccoli with no problem. I inquired about the crab cake containing or being cooked in any milk product and she thought that it was not. Since I have had crab cakes here before I felt safe ordering these. But she did come back fter she placed the order to let me know that she had asked in the kitchen. Our food arrived and the crab cakes were delicious! We were both quite pleased with all of our food. The manager even stopped by a couple of times to check on us. Another pleasant dining episode for the "difficult ones"!