SNOB

G and I drove up to Charleston yesterday. He had an appointment at the Immigration Office, to renew his Green Card.

I wanted to try a restaurant I read about recently, SNOB – Slightly North of Broad.

Fortunately the Green Card renewal went quickly. We drove down East Bay Street. There was a huge cruise ship docked in the river, and the streets were swarming with tourists. I was afraid we were going to have a tough time getting a seat in the restaurant. 

There were a few people waiting inside the door, but G and I were seated within minutes. The place was packed, and the buzz of voices forced us to lean into each other to talk at our little table in the back. We were close to the open kitchen, which allows diners to watch the crafty preparation of their meals. 

The great thing about SNOB is the executive chef, Frank Lee, truly believes in sourcing local ingredients, including produce and fish. In fact, he was a proponent for ‘local’ and ‘sustainable’ before it was trendy. His menu is eclectic but you can definitely tell it is Lowcountry: the bread in the bread basket is cornbread and there is the obligatory shrimp and grits! 

It was hard to choose. There is a daily special that includes a soup or salad and tea or coffee. Yesterday, it was an Asian Bowl, so I declined that option as I have eaten lots of noodles lately. The other special entree was local swordfish with fingerling potatoes and caramelized Brussel sprouts. G went for that. I finally decided on the grilled Scottish Salmon over local greens with feta and avocado. Both of our meals were delicious.

Fresh Swordfish

Scottish Salmon

It’s funny, when we compare Charleston to Savannah, G describes Charleston as “a polished diamond” and Savannah as “a diamond in the rough.” And it’s true. Savannah is funky and charming and most of all young. SCAD students dominate the downtown area with their vibrant, artistic energy. Our tourists like to party! In Charleston, the atmosphere is more subdued, and the people on the streets and in the restaurants are older. They seem more serious.

We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch, and our little walk back to the car. But we were happy to get back over the bridge and  home to Savannah!