The Vibez of Charleston
As many of you know, I spent most of this past May in Charleston, South Carolina playing cheerleader to my better half in his debut with the Spoleto Festival. As usual, whenever I arrive in a new city, I am on an immediate quest to find healthy and unique places to eat. Charleston is full of upscale Southern Comfort restaurants where you can get killer Shrimp & Grits. Unfortunately, most of these places cater to the tourist crowd, and when you're trying to make a temporary home in a new place, sometimes the last thing you want to see is a bunch of tourists lining up for the latest fusion fads. Thankfully, Charleston has a couple places that, in my opinion, really get it right:
Dellz Vibez
If you're exploring the quickly changing neighborhood north of Calhoun, you could easily walk right by this gem and never even know you missed it. However, the deliciously unique smoothies and juice concoctions that owner Nikki whips up are well worth the trip. We found ourselves extending our daily run a few times to end up on the Dellz Vibez doorstep. Offerings include the ever popular "Spicy Coco Boy" which combines the vibrant flavors of Cayenne and Chocolate with your daily greens, the "Grandma Vera," which is an original Green Smoothie recipe passed down from Grandma herself, and limitless combinations of freshly squeezed juices and juice shots. As an added bonus, if you're feeling hungry, pop around the corner to Dellz Deli, the delicious vegan/vegetarian friendly Deli opened by Nikki's very own Mom! It truly is a family affair for these budding businesses.
The Green Door
Something you may not know about me is that I adore Asian cuisine. Pretty much any kind I can get my hands on from Indian to Japanese to Vietnamese. Living in South Jersey, I am extremely fortunate to have a plethora of establishments to quell my eastern cravings, and almost everytime we go out, I opt for Asian! So you can imagine that in the sea of Soul Food options that Charleston has to offer, even this Georgia girl was getting a hankering for something a bit more exotic. Enter The Green Door.
The Green Door's eclectic menu takes some of the best flavors and traditions of several Asian cuisines and combines them with familiar American dishes, all while using fresh ingredients from the low country's best local farmers. And the best part, they do at all at an extremely reasonable price point. How do they do this, I don't know, but a single glance at the menu will tell you these chefs are a creative and innovative bunch.
If you ever find yourself in Charleston wanting to look a bit further past the cornbread, chicken and waffles, and fried oysters, you won't be disappointed with these offerings. Enjoy!