Beer and Food in "Chucktown" Part 3

I've always wanted to visit Charleston, SC, mainly because I had heard and read about its compelling history and its architectural beauty. So with it being a scant two and a half hour drive from my humble abode, we set out to explore some of the "Holy City" over the course of two days.

In addition to the history and architecture, many of our experienced friends advocated strongly for the "Low Country" cuisine, so our two day trip allowed for four meal experiences. As a Shrimp and Grits guy, I was ready to make comparisons, and, as in most of the southeast, the exploding beer scene provides many opportunities to complement whatever you're eating.

What follows will be four quick reviews--well, five, really, when you count our impromptu visit to Revelry Brewing, an increasingly popular brewing complex making some amazing beers. The nice thing is that since this introduction will be part of each review, you only have to read it once.

Unless, of course, you just enjoy my work. And feel free to share.

Henry's Seafood and Jazz

Any visit to the Holy City requires at least one pass through the City Market, four long, low buildings chock full of vendors who are eager to sell you stuff. And that stuff ranges from lemonade to those expensive Sweetgrass Baskets, to shirts, hats, jewelry, foodstuffs, Christmas ornaments and lots of other tchotchkes you didn't think you could do without.

On either side of The City Market are various eating establishments and other stores. One such, which drew my attention because of its prominent and rather unusual name, was Henry's Seafood and Jazz. I wasn't necessarily looking for jazz at noon, but we were looking for some lunch and something to quench our thirsts, so we walked and and were immediately seated.

This is one VERY cool place, i thought, even before Katie, the cutie in the top photo, came to take our orders. For starters, it's the oldest bar on continuous operation in Charleston. Its vibe reminded me strongly of Pete's Tavern in the Gramercy section of NYC. "Oldish," you know, like from Prohibition times and you're fairly certain some crazy shite went down here on occasion.

Wide open windows on the first floor welcomed a cool breeze right at street level, and you could hear the clipclop of the carriage horses in the staging area across the street. (Side note: I always wondered who's the sap that has to clean out those horsey butt bags, and how--and why-- did he get the gig?)

But Henry's is a three story phenomenon. If you go, you need to check out the Whisky Lounge on the second floor and the Rooftop Lounge on the third. Jazz is served most nights, but owner Greg Russell (below), a fellow Tarheel, said one night a week, it's "his" country music that gets the stage.

I had the Shrimp and Grits, and they were good, albeit a tad saltier than Ms. Rose's on the previous night. Not at all bad, mind you, just saltier. And that allowed my Westbrook IPA to take control of the situation and head it in the right direction. But what i liked immensely was that you could do just a half-order of the dish, and that was perfect for what i required at lunch. nor does henry scrimp on the shrimp on a half order--you still get five or six.