Our taste-and-tell guide to some of the latest food and beverage openings in Charleston
Gillie’s Soul Food
There are certain meals that stick with us, and for Sean Mendes, owner of Roadside Seafood and Blues Cajun Kitchen, those meals are the ones served at his grandma’s house. Known to her grandkids as “Gillie,” she cooked up soul food, ladling out okra soup alongside fried pork chops and lima beans. Gillie’s rib-sticking recipes, as well as her memory (check out the wall lined with portraits of her and other local grandmas) live on in the new joint from Mendes and his wife, Cillie. Diners order from a meat-n-three menu, picking from proteins such as ribs, salmon cakes, and meatloaf and choosing a trio of sides from a list including everything from mashed potatoes to mac-n-cheese. Sip on sweet-tea sangria while you wait, and don’t be surprised if you hear, “I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven” from the table next door. https://www.facebook.com/gilliessoulfood
Scram
While lunch and dinner food trucks abound in Charleston, on-the-go breakfast options outside of a drive-through have been harder to find. That is until Scram—a mobile eatery slinging egg sandwiches, baked goods, turmeric-infused juice, and cold-brew coffee—set up shop on James Island’s Island Plaza parking lot. Manned by Melanie Durant, former pastry chef at FIG, the cheerful blue truck offers an all-star lineup of scrambled creations on freshly baked buns or “puffs” (buttery, biscuit-like pastries). Go with a friend and order one of each ’wich: from the bun selection, try the ham-and-Gruyère cheese, filled with an over-medium egg and piña jam; from the puffs, get the sausage sammie, which is stuffed with juicy links and eggs folded with cream cheese and chives. Make sure to arrive promptly at 8 a.m. every morning as the truck tends to sell out fast. https://www.facebook.com/scramchs
