Sweet Paris Creperie

Crepes are a wonderful treat and can be either savory and sweet. I have passed the Sweet Paris Creperie frequently and have always wanted to try it but finally got around to trying it. It has a tiny patio out front and the rest of the restaurant is tucked away behind it. This is a great little place that is nice and airy where you can sit back and relax. It was quite busy when I went for breakfast which was a bit surprising since I didn't expect crepes to be a huge breakfast food. Clearly, I am a bit behind on the food scene. You walk into the dining area and then around the corner is where you order and can see them making the crepes in front of you. The only bad thing was that they didn't have any Wifi, so keep that in mind if you wanted to go there and study. However, the yummy hot chocolate and giant (but delicious) crepe made up for it.

While checking their hours online, I decided to preview the menu. My eye was caught with the word "Nutella".... and then I read that it was Nutella hot chocolate. Talk about chocolate goodness in a cup! This was something that I needed to check out. It came out and the aroma of chocolate hit me. There was chocolate froth on top mixed with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle. It was a rich chocolate taste that was laced with Nutella. It wasn't overly sweet as it seemed that that sweetness came from the Nutella and the whipped cream. Sometimes with flavored hot chocolate, the flavor is sweet and then they add more sugar which makes it out of control sweet. The nuttiness from the hazelnut seemed to shine even more, so this was definitely a most welcome treat.

 I ordered the "Le Mexicain", which had two scrambled eggs, refried beans, avocado and cumin-cinnamon spice carnitas topped with chipotle salsa, cilantro and queso fresco. The crepe was light and fluffy and there wasn't too much extra crepe. They definitely got the stuffing to crepe ratio right. They also have a vegan, gluten and dairy free batter that you can get. This crepe was a different take on breakfast burritos and I have to admit it was most enjoyable. The carnitas were packed with flavor and super tender. You could taste the hint of cumin and the cinnamon in the background. The salsa added a hint of spiciness, the cilantro was fresh and the queso fresco added a little bit of salt. This was a very harmonious combination of flavors and I will definitely be back to try the rest of their menu. Even if you don't like crepes, they also have some salads and paninis. If you haven't made it to Sweet Paris Creperie, grab a book and head on over for a wonderful meal.

Slightly North of Broad

When you are walking down the street, sometimes you stopped to look at something because of the name. We walked by a restaurant called Slightly North of Broad, aka SNOB because it was a name that got my attention. But you know a place must be good when you are looking at the menu and a stranger stops to tell you how it is one of their favorite places. So what did that mean... we needed to try it out. Because we were all finally reunited, we needed to celebrate and so I did that with a refreshing cocktail called Cathead Blues. This was made with honeysuckle vodka, lemonade and muddled blueberries. I have never had honeysuckle vodka, but it is definitely delicious. (Now I just need to figure out where I can get some around here) The fresh blueberries and the tartness of the lemonade were refreshing and mixed quite well.

The South is well known for grits, and shrimp and grits is a quintessential Southern dish, so of course that was definitely on the list of things to try. When this dish can out, I was actually quite surprised because it didn't look like what I had seen before. This shrimp and grits dish was more what I would equate to gumbo because of the sauce that was served with it. When I think of gumbo, I think of a dark "gravy" with meat that's served over rice...which was what this was. It was shrimp, ham, sausage, tomatoes, green onions and garlic served over grits. It was a bit spicy and the grits had a hint of cheese mixed in with them. You can definitely taste the difference between boxed grits and the real kind...the later are ten times better! The combination of meat made this a very hearty dish and would be yummy on a cool fall evening.

I don't eat seafood a lot because I am somewhat picky about it, but knowing that this was a great place for seafood I decided to go for it. Next up was the grilled salmon with a lemon dill butter and asparagus. I can say that this is some of the best salmon I have had. It was tender and flavorful. The grill added some smokiness to it. Salmon and lemon are a well-known combination, but the butter added some creaminess to the dish. The asparagus were crunchy, but fork tender and soaked up the lemon dill butter sauce. It was a dish that didn't leave you feeling super stuffed afterwards.

Obviously when you are down South, you should eat crepes, right?... Okay maybe that's not a given, but it was worth a try. This was a mushroom spinach crepe, with tons of spinach and mushrooms. The spinach wasn't super soggy and I was surprised to find that the crepe wasn't soggy either. The restaurant itself is open but has an intimate atmosphere. It is a fun place to dress up and go a fancier dinner. SNOB is a place that you definitely need to try when you are in Charleston, but be sure to make a reservation as it is one of the city's hot dinner spots.