Charleston, SC is one of America’s great food cities. It has been famous for the culinary arts for decades and new establishments are popping up all the time. Most people are familiar with truly famous Charleston restaurants like 82 Queen, which is royalty in the realm of fine dining, or Poogan’s Porch, which is the most famous brunch spot in the city.
However, in honor of my readers and my desire to worship at the altar of the deity “Food,” I decided to search for something else. There were lists and spreadsheets and studies of online reviews involved. In the end, I decided that I really wanted to eat at. . .
The Glass Onion isn’t new. It was founded in 2008 by Chris and Suzanne Stewart. It also isn’t unknown if you’re from Charleston. If you’re a visitor it might not make it onto your radar, which is a shame because it’s delicious! Lastly, it isn’t in the historic district. It’s about 15 minutes outside of that area. The Stewarts still own the place and he is still the Executive Chef and she is still the Head Baker. The restaurant’s tagline is “Soulful Food” and the menu is Southern food with a twist. My favorite part is that the menu changes seasonally because they work with local farms and local suppliers to make sure that they are always serving you something that is fresh. I love restaurants that do this!
We got there about 15 minutes after they opened on a Saturday for lunch and watched the place fill up within 30 minutes. This is a super casual experience, not fine dining, so feel free to wear shorts and sneakers. They can accommodate outdoor seating at five picnic tables that sit out front.
I asked our server, Emily, about the braised pork belly on the menu since I was deciding between that and another item. She was very informative and helpful. She reminded me that pork belly isn’t what a lot of people are expecting. It is rich due to the high fat content and some people don’t like it because they think that it is just plain “fatty.” I opted for the fried green tomato po boy instead. Such a good decision!
My dining partner opted for a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich and we split a basket of fries. Both sandwiches were stuffed with fillings and were truly delicious. The fries were crispy and well-seasoned. Decadent food doesn’t have to be fancy it just needs to taste like what you’ve been imagining for a week. (Oh, am I the only one who salivates in advance over her lunch plans?) The Glass Onion checked all the food boxes for me.
We can’t end our visit to The Glass Onion without dessert, so let’s talk about that. The chalkboard listed “Reine de Saba” (Queen of Sheba) cake. I wasn’t familiar with that, so I Googled it. Apparently, it is a rich chocolate cake that is dense and doesn’t use leavening. There are always almonds involved as well. As I mentioned earlier, The Glass Onion likes to put their own spin on each dish, so the Reine de Saba cake that arrived in front of me was completely different than the pictures that popped up on Google.
It was a tall chocolate layer cake with creamy, fluffy chocolate frosting between the layers and on top. It was decorated with candied nuts. Julia Child would never have called it a Reine de Saba cake at all, but it was delicious anyway. Half of it came home with me for the next day. The serving was huge and the price was reasonable ($6.00).
All in all, I would suggest Charleston visitors check this place out. I look forward to giving it another try during a different season, perhaps for dinner, because I know the experience will be very different and just as delicious. I am already eyeing the scallops on the menu. Who’s with me?!
Have you ever ordered something and when it arrived it wasn’t what you were expecting? Were the results positive? Share your experience in the comments. Is there anything I forgot to include about my experience that you would like to know? Ask me in the comments.
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