Charleston Restaurant Report January 2014
ISSUE #19
** ON THE MENU
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** GREEN SCENE
OYSTER AQUACULTURE IS COMING ON STRONG
The term "farm-raised" doesn't sound all that great when ordering fish in a restaurant, but that phrase exudes a different flavor when it comes to cultivated oysters. WIld oyster populations have been dwindling for years, but aqua-farmers are proving that farmed oysters can provide a sustainable, high-quality natural product that actually tastes good. Approximately 2,000 small shellfish farms in the U.S. produce oysters for restaurants and consumers nationwide. Increased oyster production not only improves habitat water filtration but also improves product availability for oyster consumers. Cultivated oysters cost more, but the restaurant buyer gets a more consistent oyster that tends to be cleaner, plumper, and with a harder shell less prone to breakage. Most importantly, the cultivated oyster doesn't lack the flavor found in its harder-to-find wild-caught brethren.
Another session of Restaurant Week begins January 8th and runs through January 19th (11-day week). The event is sponsored by the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association and includes dozens of local restaurants offering meal deals during one of the slowest weeks of the economic calendar. Restaurant Week provides an incentive for diners to try out restaurants they haven't hit before or to go back and visit old favorites. Here is the list of participating restaurants and menus:
http://www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com/charleston-restaurant-week/
OPENINGS --
Bangkok Asian Bistro (Mt Pleasant – former Vino Burgerz)
Bay Street Biergarten (Downtown – former Rice Market)
Bohemian Bull & Beer Garden (James Island – former Jack’s)
Bollywood Café (N. Charleston)
Checker’s Drive-In (Hanahan)
Club Trio (Downtown)
Creekside Pizza Company (West Ashley – former Savannah’s)
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit (N. Charleston)
Dunkin’ Donuts (Mt. Pleasant)
East Coast Wings & Grill (Mt. Pleasant)
Egan & Sons (Downtown – former Moe’s Downtown)
Ethiopian Taste Food & Coffee (N. Charleston)
Jersey Mike’s (N. Charleston)
Ladles (Summerville)
Maya del Sol (N. Charleston)
Mellow Mushroom (Summerville – former Perkins)
Moe’s Southwest Grill (N. Charleston)
Scratch Taco Boutique (Mt. Pleasant – former Abe’s Oyster House)
Smashburger (Summerville)
Smith & Bull Café (Downtown – former Bull St. Gourmet)
SOL Southwest Kitchen (Mt. Pleasant -- former Charleston Crab House)
Southside 17 Bar & Grill (N. Charleston)
Sunae’s (Johns Island – former Billy Dee’s Fried Chicken)
The Beach Bar (West Ashley – former Dog & Duck)
The Granary (Mt. Pleasant – former Hubee D’s)
The Juice Joint (James Island)
Zoe’s Kitchen (Mt. Pleasant)
CLOSINGS --
Andolini’s Pizza (Downtown)
Anson (Downtown – closed due to fire)
Austin’s Food & Drink (Downtown)
Big John’s Tavern (Downtown)
Burger King (James Island)
Ernie’s Restaurant (Downtown)
Fonduely Yours (Mt. Pleasant)
Green Door (Downtown)
Guadeloupe Grill (Mt. Pleasant)
Hubee D’s (Mt. Pleasant)
La Fourchette (Downtown)
Mustard Seed (Summerville)
Pane e Vino (Mt. Pleasant)
Puree (Mt. Pleasant)
The Library at Vendue (Downtown – closed for renovation)
The Rooftop Bar (Downtown – closed for renovation)
COMING SOON --
167 Raw (Downtown – former Citrus)
Blue Marlin Bar (Downtown)
Bull Street Gourmet (Downtown)
Carmella’s (Downtown)
Chez Nous (Downtown)
Chicken Salad Chick (Downtown – former Andolini’s)
Edmund’s Oast (Downtown)
Five Guys Burgers & Fries (N. Charleston)
Lee Lee’s Hot Kitchen (Downtown)
Leon’s Oyster Shop (Downtown)
LIDI Ristorante (Daniel Island – former Hammett’s Landing)
Marco’s Pizza (N. Charleston)
St. Alban (Downtown)
Sunrise Bistro Express (Downtown – former Austin’s)
Swig & Swine (West Ashley)
The Islander (Daniel Island – former Queen Anne’s Revenge)
The Obstinate Daughter (Sullivans Island – former Atlanticville)
The Park Café (Downtown – former Granville’s)
Victor’s Social Club (Downtown)
Vincent Chicco’s (Downtown)
White Duck Taco Shop (James Island)
A new IRS rule may change the way restaurant managers and servers handle large party check gratuities. Under the new IRS rule, automatic tips are considered "service charges" and need to be run through company payroll for tax reporting purposes. This affects servers who are accustomed to taking home cash after each shift and operators who must track the "service charges" through payroll. To qualify as a tip under IRS guidelines, a gratuity must be given voluntarily and the amount must be determined by the customer, not the restaurant. Restaurants can still apply an automatic gratuity to a large party check, however the server wouldn't get the money until the next payroll run is processed. The result is that you'll probably see restaurants stop applying automatic gratuities to large party checks.
Learn more: http://nrn.com/government/how-irs-rule-change-automatic-tips-could-impact-restaurants