Weekly Specials CHS: June 7-13, 2024
Porchetta Shop embarks on a nine-week menu of collab sandwiches with top local chefs, plus how to get free hush puppies, margs, and wine with Blackbird this week! And Merci's first pop-up, at babas!
Foc yeah! Charleston’s best chefs are creating limited-edition focaccia sandwiches, for a good cause
This is one of the coolest things ever: recently opened Da Toscano Porchetta Shop is partnering with the most stellar local chefs on a weekly sandwich special, with proceeds going to charity! For nine weeks, Porchetta Shop will be collaborating with your favorite chefs on sandwiches that reflect their own unique culinary style, inside a slice of Porchetta’s fab focaccia. Each special sandwich benefits Wings for Kids, a Charleston-based non-profit that provides social emotional learning resources to help kids thrive in school, home, and life.
The featured chef this week, Jason Stanhope of Lowland and the Quinte, made a “Niçoise salad in between bread”! Those words are music to my damn ears. Chef Stanhope’s Pan Bagnat in Porchetta Shop’s focaccia is INSANE…a briny, acidic, fresh combo of preserved tuna, olives, anchovies, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, artichokes, roasted red peppers, arugula, and basil. You can get this at Porchetta Shop through the 9th!
For more on what to expect this summer as the Greatest Show on Focaccia continues, check out Porchetta Shop’s post on their Instagram. Every single collab sandwichwill surely be iconic, but if I had to pick three, I’m most curious about how James London (Chubby Fish), Nikko Cagalanan (Kultura) and Dano Heinze (Vern’s) will interpret this focaccia assignment.
Pro tip: if you go to the MUSC gym like I do, Porchetta is a two block walk away, and you can order ahead for pick-up!
Books & babas
I attended Charleston’s first “reading party” this week, modeled after NYC’s Reading Rhythms events. Hostess
put together the most special evening at babas on Meeting. It was perfect for folks who might be a little more introverted, but we also had a few nice opportunities to chat with others about our books and their themes. Plus, the evening was complete with delicious aperitivo-style snacks from babas. If you’re interested in learning more about these events, follow Ellery on Instagram: @elleryfrost.Weekly Specials
Friday, June 7th
A historic event in Wagener Terrace! The Marsh Appreciation and Restoration Society for Happiness (more commonly known as the M.A.R.S.H. Project) is partnering with the Preservation Society of Charleston to host the unveiling of a new historic marker. Make history and enjoy food from Co-Hog, Vibrant Alkaline Vegan Meals, Lowcountry Street Grocery’s mobile farmers market, and desserts by local fave Life Raft Treats.
Saturday, June 8th
Beat the heat with soft serve! I literally dream about Whip Wagon’s pomegranate and pineapple flavors of vegan soft serve. They’ll be popping up a Palmetto Brewing Company today from 11am-3pm and y’all have to try this stuff.
Bienvenue, Merci! From 6-9pm at babas on Cannon, soon-to-be-opening European-inspired bistro Merci will be serving up a bunch of small plates from their forthcoming menu. These include dishes like focaccia with stracciatella, balsamic vinegar and honey; snapper crudo with blackberry, cucumber-ginger gelee, hazelnuts, and creme fraiche; and miso butter roasted shrimp with fennel, celery and miso aioli. The babas team will lead on wine and cocktails, and seating is first come, first served! Find more deets on their Instagram here.
Sunday, June 9th
Dueling pianos and helping our local seniors? Say no more! As part of the Piccolo Spoleto festival this year, there will be a “Keys for the Cause event” benefitting Meals on Wheels of Charleston (more info on that, and how to donate here!) From 4-7pm at Charleston Area Senior Citizens on Meeting Street, there will be dueling pianists, BBQ from Swig & Swine, and an open bar! Buy your tickets here. And shoutout to my mom, who has been volunteering for Meals on Wheels both in NY and CHS for over a decade🚗
Psst…today is also the last day to get Chef Jason Stanhope’s Pan Bagnat at Da Toscano Porchetta Shop, before they move on to the next collab (with the chefs behind Malagon and Chez Nous)!
Monday, June 10th
Kultura is hosting a live viewing of the James Beard Foundation Awards happening in Chicago, because their very own Nikko Cagalanan is a finalist in the Emerging Chef category! They’ll be doing a champagne toast and serving chef Nikko’s favorite Filipino hors d’oeuvres. It’s semi-formal attire, which is so fun! Buy a ticket on Resy to be part of the celebration.
Tuesday, June 11th
🚨Freebie alert🚨
If you’re headed to Leon’s Oyster Shop today (or any Tuesday in June), you can get a free order of their hush puppies by just checking in with the Blackbird app! More info on their IG post here, but bottom line is you have to order a meal, too! No such thing as a free lunch :)
But there is such thing as a free marg 🍹(why is there no margarita emoji?!?!) Rancho Lewis is giving a free marg to everyone who checks in using the Blackbird app every Tuesday this month!
From 5-9, Chef Bradley Schaffer of the Little is doing a full kitchen takeover at Berkeley’s, with a Mediterranean-inspired small plates menu. No further menu deets yet, but their dishes always sound amazing! Make a reservation on Resy.
Wednesday, June 12th
🚨Freebie alert🚨
Denver-based “nontraditional Vietnamese” restaurant sắp sửa is coming to Vern’s for one night only! Find more info and reserve on Resy.
Graft Wine Shop & Bar is partnering with wine importer and distributor Skurnik Wines to host a poolside Splash Party at Starlight Motor Inn, with bites by Estadio. The party will go from 5:30-8pm, and tickets are available on Eventbrite!
Lil’ updates
Two of my favorite places just announced that they now have catering menus! If you’re looking for casual but delicious food for a meeting or event, check out:
Basic Kitchen’s new catering menu, which features platters of their avocado toast made with Tiller Baking Co. sourdough, gluten-free banana bread, seasonal frittatas, and their famous Basic bowls.
Welton’s Tiny Bakeshop’s new catering menu, which features their muffalettas, a box of their tiny sandwiches, honey pies, pistachio Linzer cookies, biscuit boxes, pasteis de nata, and their baker’s dozen selection.
The Pass is unveiling their new Guest Appreciation Menu, and first up is their All Day BS sandwich: a two-egg frittata, prosciutto, oven-dried tomatoes, house-made taleggio mayo, and sharp cheddar, all on a toasted ciabatta.
Weems Ramen has a new home at West Ashley’s newly-opened Sweatman’s Garden! They’ll be there every Wednesday with their homemade noodles and delish ramen bowls.
HBD OT! Off Track Ice Cream is turning five this month! To celebrate, they’re debuting a new and perfectly themed flavor: birthday cake pop. That’s cake batter ice cream with chopped up cake pops inside, and naturally colored rainbow sprinkles, too, of course!
Wishing I could qualify as a “kid” at 33 years old so I could sign up for Baguette Magic’s kids’ camps this summer! They sound so fun! If you’ve got a kid that’s into baking, find more info and tickets on Baguette Magic’s site here.
I know that Father’s Day can be a sensitive time for some…please feel free to skip the next bullet and move on to new openings below if you’re not up for reading Father’s Day content ❤️
Charleston’s newest bookstore and bar, Philosophers & Fools, is having a Father’s Day gift special: order by June 9th and get a book of your choice, a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, and a Father’s Day card for $35 plus the price of the book. Pick up in-store only! Reserve your book and package here.
Coming up
June 15 - Merci is hosting picnics every Saturday this summer, starting at 9am 🧺 Hosted at their downtown location at 28 Pitt Street, they’ll be streetside with iced coffees and teas, bread, and pastries until they sell out! On the 15th specifically, there will also be a tag sale just around the corner at 17 Montagu Street, with tabletop items collected by the Drifter. They do beautiful catering and private events (just look below for one tiny example!) so I’m sure there will be some special pieces.
June 15 - Saltwater Cowboys is celebrating High Noon’s launch of their vodka iced tea flavors all day, with live music from noon to 10pm, and specials on High Noon vodka iced tea and tequila buckets. More on IG here.
June 16 - Mobile raw bar De Mare Raw Bar is popping up at Bar Rollins tonight from 5-8pm with their farm-to-table oyster experience, featuring locally cultivated oysters. More menu deets to come, but follow them on Insta at @de_marerawchs for more.
That’s a wrap!
Know of a restaurant- or food-related event coming up that you think should be included in an upcoming Weekly Special? DM me!
Planning on going to one of the events, bars or restaurants mentioned above in the next week? Leave a comment and let me know your plans! I’m nosy!
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!