Beach Blog Restaurant Spotlight: Celebration of Comfort at Southern Caviar
By Becky Billingsley
Photos by Keith Jacobs
http://www.mbsun.com/assets_c/2009/10/DSC_1628-thumb-540x357-2442.jpgLongs has been very, very good to Teresa Thomas and Kevin Keefer. The couple opened a tiny grab-and-go eatery and catering shop at the end of Summer 2008, and a little more than a year later they have a bustling full-service restaurant complete with a bar and loyal daily customers.
The business' name, Southern Caviar, refers to black-eyed pea dip.
Hey, the bar crowd wants great food too, and they know a deal when they taste it. Why settle for fried cheese sticks when you can have Bacon-wrapped Meatloaf with Spicy Tomato Gravy, or Barbecue Shrimp on a Spinach Salad with red onions, goat cheese and mushrooms tossed in a warm bacon dressing?
"People in Longs deserve the best from Southern Caviar, and we're giving them that," Teresa says.
With Chef Teresa's experience from the much-heralded Jestine's Kitchen in Charleston and Southside 815 in Alexandria, Va., plus a culinary degree from Johnson & Wales in Charleston, she is uniquely prepared to create sophisticated Southern cuisine.
It didn't take long for locals to spread the word that this place has better-than-good eats. Teresa and Kevin saw the opportunity to expand from catering and take-out, so they leased the space next door, knocked down a wall and installed a bar, booths and tables. It's a genuine restaurant now, and a popular one.
The chef makes fried chicken like she learned to make it at Jestine's, from a 120-year-old recipe. Red Rice is a specialty, along with Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Collard Greens, Red Skin Mashed Potatoes, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Cornbread (the sweet cakey kind), Oyster Po'Boys, Pot Roast and Blackened Catfish.
Her Shrimp and Grits are topped with an interesting ground beef sauce containing green bell peppers. The tomato gravy on the meatloaf is studded with chopped onion and tomato chunks, turning comfort food into a celebration of consolation.
A few new menu items this fall include Quesadillas, Pulled Pork Nachos, Fried Green Tomato Sliders, Cobb Salad, Chicken Caesar Salad, Iceberg Wedge with Bacon Barbecue Ranch Dressing, and Pulled Pork Sandwich.
http://www.mbsun.com/assets_c/2009/10/DSC_1660-thumb-300x198-2444.jpg"New entrées we now have are Chicken Fried Steak with Country Gravy, Pecan Crusted Chicken, Jambalaya Pasta and a new Flatiron Steak," the chef said. "We do daily lunch and dinner specials too now. Tonight we're doing Shrimp and Grits and a Pork Tenderloin stuffed with apples, bacon cornbread and smoked gouda. For dessert we have Pineapple Upside Down Cake with bourbon glaze, a brownie, Sweet Potato Pecan Pie and a seasonal cobbler."
If a catered event requires uptown attitude, Chef Thomas can make her Buttermilk Biscuits rise to the occasion with a helping of Crab and Ham Gravy, and offer an appetizer such as Fried Green Tomatoes with Goat Cheese Sweet Pepper Relish or an entree like Stuffed Sirloin with Crab and Shiitake Mushrooms topped with Port Wine Reduction.
If you love the crispy moistness of deep-fried turkeys but don't want to cook one yourself, Teresa and Kevin will cook you one and supply all the traditional Thanksgiving trimmings. With at least three days' notice they'll cook your Thanksgiving feast, but due to high demand for Thanksgiving meals, please place orders early as there is be a limit to how many holiday meals the couple can handle.
A new offering is an a la carte Sunday brunch from noon-3 p.m. with Eggs Benedict over Fried Green Tomatoes; Bacon, Cheese and Potato Frittata; French Toast stuffed with raspberry preserves, cream cheese and pecans; Shrimp and Grits; and a weekly omelet.
http://www.mbsun.com/assets_c/2009/10/DSC_1638-thumb-300x198-2446.jpgOn Saturday nights there is karaoke, and on Sundays during the football game burgers are half-price, wings are 25 cents, sliders are $1, nachos are $1.50 and domestic beers are $2. Happy hour is 4-7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays with $2 domestic beers, $2.50 imports, $4 glasses of wine and $3 well drinks.
Coming soon: oyster roasts and seafood boils.
"We have a good community out there," Teresa said. "There's a big demand from people who don't want to drive too far to other places."
Southern Caviar is at 7066 S.C. 90, just east of the intersection with S.C. 22. It's open from 4-10 p.m. Mondays, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays, and noon-7 p.m. Sundays. The number is (843) 399-6049.
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