Common Wealth

319 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 372-7581
Website

I was asked to check out a tasting of the menu at Common Wealth in Old City, a "Lowcountry" style bar/restaurant I had not heard of before. As I LOVE Lowcountry food (and living), it did not take much coaxing.

I was offered a drink ticket for myself and a guest. Which was a little strange. Usually if you are invited to review a joint, they at least get you a couple of drinks. Get ya nice an liquored so the food tastes better, right?

Well, unexpectedly, this event took almost three hours and one drink ticket didn't cut it. So I ran up a healthy bar tab drinking some beers after trying some signature cocktails that were recommended. The Queen Anne’s Revenge is on the left – Bulleit Rye, sugar cube, squeezed citrus and bitters and the Travelers Passage on the right – house infused pineapple vodka. I was a bigger fan of the Queen Anne, because I love bourbon and don't particularly enjoy sweet cocktails.

The pork belly with citrus salad and hoisin glaze was first up. It was probably one of my favorites of the night. Although when isn't pork belly? It was crispy on the outside and succulent in the middle. Plenty of fat, though maybe a bit under salted. All in all, not a bad pork belly.

The hush puppies were likely my favorite of the evening, though I am not sure they are still on the menu. The tender interior was contrasted by the crusty fried shell, and the creole style sauce was delicious.

Next up, chicken and waffles. Usually one of my go-to's, can you tell what my complaint was with these? Yo waffles, where's the chicken? They should have been open faced, and served with a spicy/sweet side sauce. It was DRY. But the chicken was delicious. The honey-sriacha aioli was good, but those waffles needed a drizzle!

Open faced was more realistic, but I was left wanting for sauce.

You can see in the cut-away shot the chicken to waffle ratio is way off.

The oysters "Bienville" were next, in a roasted shrimp sauce with Creole butter. I thought these were okay, but they were so rich, they needed some acidity to cut the fat. Also, an oyster on the half shell, which gave me the zing I was missing with their heavier counterparts.

The oysters were fresh and the sauce tasty.

A lot of care went into these, but they were a bit heavy.

The shrimp gumbo was a disappointment. The roux was under developed for my taste, and lacked heat (and flavor).

I mean, almost every course had shrimp in it.

Fried green tomatoes with pickled shrimp were another highlight. The "pimento" was a sauce rather than a cheese spread (as I had hoped when I squealed with delight when I saw it on the menu), but the dish worked.

Crispy, well fried green tomatoes, and tart shrimp, with enough greens to cut the grease. But the tomatoes themselves were not great. Mealy. not even worth showing you that photograph.

Seared scallops on hoecakes with collards and a bacon cream sauce were, again, okay (who doesn't love scallops), but not all that memorable. This could be that I already ate about eight courses (doubles and triples of some), but it was just scallops.

Definitely cooked the right way, but under-seasoned.

Least favorite of the night (and biggest disappointment) was the shellfish and grits. The shellfish sauce lacked a discernible direction, and the subtleties of the lobster etouffee were not enough to save it. The texture of the Anson Mill Grits were great, think pastina but needed some more salt and punch to carry the dish.

The fried bread pudding dessert was well executed, but it was a lot of filler to eat after a meal.

All in all, this was a pretty okay spot, but I don't know that I would be rushing back. It was filling but lacking that lowcountry depth of flavor all around.

Boxcar Betty's

1922 Savannah Highway
Charleston, SC 29407
(843) 225-7470
Website

With fried chicken sandwiches all the rage in Philly, I sought out a worthy competitor on a recent trip to the low country. As could be expected, the results were spectacular. The design on the exterior of this place took it from a boring, non-nonchalant standalone building, to a funky, hip chicken spot. All it took was some pallets, reclaimed wood, and cool neon lights.

They specialize in fried chicken here, and it is basically a couple of sandwich options, a couple of salad options and some sides. Short and sweet; simplicity at its best.

I decided to take a trip around the menu with a "Boxcar" and a "Chicken & 'not so waffle'". Also, an order of pickled fried green tomatoes was obviously not to be missed. Man, do I love the low country.

They must have one heck of a designer on board because all of the packaging, along with the interior decor, was clean-lines and reminiscent of a timeless fast-food joint that I've always dreamed about. Like Chick-fil-A but really classy in all-around execution, with a casual side note of extra pep.

Up first, their classic namesake: the Boxcar.

Pimiento Cheese, Peach Slaw, House Pickles, Spicy Mayo. Everything was in perfect proportion, the flavors were incredible, and the light and crispy breading was heavily seasoned, something a lot of fried crusts lack. This was probably the best chicken sandwich I have ever eaten.

The balance of ingredients was on point, and why the hell doesn't every place in the country use pimento cheese on everything? I just don't understand. It is the pinnacle of processed cheese & mayo innovation. Tangy, creamy, a hint of spice, it goes well with everything.

The fried, pickled green tomatoes were such a brilliant retort to the fried pickle trend. They benefited from the same well seasoned batter, and the acidity punched through the heaviness typically associated with fried food (that I may or may not have been dipping in ranch dressing). The pickled tomatoes were still very crisp, a texture that's usually lost in the fryer.

The "not so waffle" (obviously because it is served on bread) came with: Bacon Jam, Maple Syrup, Pimiento Cheese, Tomato. Even though there wasn't any waffle, all of the necessary flavors were creatively applied, and then some.

Again, you can see the quality of the ingredients and the execution of the sandwich are both about perfect.

The version was sweeter than the Boxcar, and had a totally different flavor profile. Probably because it was made with mostly different ingredients. The bacon jam and maple syrup combined to form a sweet and salty one-two combo. Pimento cheese added all the richness you could handle, and the tomato helped to freshen up this potential gut bomb.

Like everything else, the fries were incredible. Perfectly cooked, hand cut fries just sealed the deal on this place. Coupled with some spicy mayo to dip, you were certainly not losing any weight here. But if you come to a fried chicken joint with the intention of dieting, you should just turn yourself right back around and beat it. God I wish they had one of these in Philly.

Pine State Biscuits

3640 SE Belmont Street
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 236-3346
Website

Oh, do I love biscuits. Really, really love biscuits. I heard about Pine State, and I was all in. I knew there was a "Reggie" there with my name on it. When I arrived, I was hardly surprised to find a line out the door, and I was also prepared for the standard dining arrangement in Portland. Order at the counter, serve yourself some water, look for a seat and wait until they call your name. When finished, bus your own table. I like this kind of set-up. It reminds me of a lot of places in Philly, and it cuts out the middle man. I am perfectly fine, scratch that, happier when I don't have to tip a (usually) incompetent waitstaff, and nothing irks me more that watching my food sit on the counter getting cold when I could just get it myself. Unless I am going out for a special meal, I would rather not deal with a server. No offense to any servers out there, as I was once one myself, but I am usually going for down-home cheap eats, so what's the point with all the fuss? But I digress...


The "Reggie" is heaven on a biscuit. Straight up. When my order was called, I nearly jumped over the counter. There was a 15 or so minute wait once the food was ordered. This was one of, if not the BEST breakfast sandwich I have ever had in my entire life. However, if one were to eat this more than occasionally, the old arteries would not hold out long. The "Reggie" is a biscuit with fried chicken, bacon, cheese, and sausage gravy. I opted for the deluxe and topped it with an over easy egg. Insane. Everything in it was made with love, from scratch. I was in Southern breakfast heaven. If there is a better biscuit place in the country, I would be quite surprised. The biscuits were light and airy, perfectly moist and buttery. The chicken was really crispy, with a great spicy batter, yet tender inside and perfectly fried. The bacon was thick-cut, smokey and crispy. The cheese was just there to add some creaminess, and rightfully so. There were far too many things going on to worry about the cheese. Such as the runny egg that coated all of the ingredients with a rich earthy yoke, or the gravy. Oh that gravy. Alone, it would be in the running for the best sausage gravy around. When coupled with this breakfast delight, it transformed into the most rich, delightful, egg-yolky gravy I have ever had. I would have a really hard time if this place were in Philly. I mean, just look at this thing.


As if this weren't enough, there was a "Wedgie" on the menu. What is the "Wedgie" you might ask? Fried chicken, fried green tomato, a wedge of iceberg lettuce, and blue cheese dressing. How was it? AMAZING. It was similar to the "Reggie" but different. More of a lunch sandwich, for sure. I love wedge salads. And this was a wedge salad with a slab of fried chicken on it. And a perfectly fried green tomato. As if you can improve on perfection. Pine State Biscuits, you really stole the show.



This was the cover of the local paper. Too good to pass up.

The "Reggie" after it was attacked.