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.

Bowens Island Restaurant

1870 Bowens Island Rd.
Charleston, SC 29412
(843) 795-2757
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My low country journey would not have been complete without a trip to Bowens Island. What is Bowens Island? If I was given the (very remote) opportunity to go to heaven, and Bowens Island was one of the choices, I would be there. At the restaurant (seen on the left below), they get clusters of oysters dropped off at the dock, where they are hosed down before being sent to the basement of the building to be roasted and steamed and slapped on a tray. Unbelievable.

As you can see, there is already a line of folks waiting to order, but checking out the process was an integral part of the trip for me.

If you get someone in line, another member of the party can sneak around the back and grab drinks from the bar to hold you over until it's your shot. Unfortunately, you will have to watch THIS sunset while you sip a cold beer and wait your turn.

Inside is a bit more chaotic, with the food line wrapping towards the heron, and the bar line on the right. I typically would not wait in line for an hour, but chatting with the people waiting with you and having some drinks makes everything all right in the world. Plus, this is the South. No one is EVER in a rush, and it takes a couple of days for a neurotic Northerner to settle down and relax. I did not want to head back North at the end of my trip.

After you order, you pick up your tray of oysters from the oyster man himself in the cinder block and graffiti-adorned basement. The clusters are roasted over this fire with a burlap sack, then shoveled into a steamer.

At that point, they serve you with a snow shovel. Just amazing.

You are handed an oyster knife rolled up in towel, are left to find a table (with a convenient hole in the middle to discard shells as you eat) and get to work.

These oysters clump together in the marshes, and they are served just so. As you almost cut through your hand with the knife, get small cuts on your fingers from the shells, and quaff beers, you wonder why you don't live here.

After breaking apart a cluster, find the open shells, and pry them farther with your trusty knife. It's unbelievably fun, and makes for quite an experience.

All of this danger and effort results in a plump little briny reward. Slurp and repeat. Curse yourself for only ordering a tray and a half. Get back in line and repeat.

I also tried some of their other offerings. Boiled shrimp, fried shrimp, hush puppies, fries and slaw. Simple and perfect.

The fried shrimp had a beautiful flaky batter, and were just addictive. The sweet crustaceans were devoured like popcorn, and helped to soak up some of the beer.

The boiled u-peel shrimp were heavily seasoned, and quickly disappeared.

The surprisingly delicate hush puppies had a golden crust, and a slightly sweet interior. Everything about this place was just phenomenal. It was the best meal I have eaten this year, and one of my favorites of all time. I can't wait to go back to the low country, and next time I will probably order twice as much. If you are in the Charleston area, drive the dirt road back Bowens Island road, and you won't be disappointed.

Woody's Crab House

29 S Main Street
North East, MD 21901
(410) 287-3541
Website

I recently took a spur-of-the-moment day trip to Havre de Grace (don't bother), and the best part about the trip was a stop in North East, Maryland. It is a quaint little town, and as you would expect, they catered to seafood-hungry tourists. I popped into Woody's for a couple cold ones and some food.

It was exactly what I was hoping for. Peanuts at the door, wood trimming everything; it offered the perfect cool, dark place for a summer weekend afternoon.

I did not order the crabs, as I was planning on having some later, but I did order what can only be compared to the seafood feast from Red Lobster or whatever bullshit Joe's Crab Shack is offering this week. It came with tarter and cocktail sauce galore.

I also grabbed a bowl of crab bisque. It was okay, but lacked the sherry zing I have come to expect from any self-respecting bisque.

My feast, also known as the "Net Buster," consisted of a seasoned broiled lobster tail, crab imperial, crab cake, salmon, snow crab legs, shrimp, clams, coleslaw, and hush puppies. Hell yes.

The crab legs, shrimp, and clams were steamed in a net, as they should be. It makes eating so much more exciting.

This was a pretty substantial portion for about $30. I was pleased. The steamed stuff was all as you would expect. Everything tasted fresh, and the crabcake was packed with meat, very little filler. The lobster tail was also delicious, notice the caramelization and ample seasoning? Grilled/broiled is the only way to go with this one. I am also not a salmon fan usually (besides smoked), but this was a non-fishy, well cooked version.

The hush puppies were perfect, light and airy, rather than dense and golf ball-like.

The slaw was good, as it tasted like . . . coleslaw.

If you are willing to brave the heat, they have a pretty large outdoor seating area, as well as a tiki bar. It was just what I wanted from a quick getaway. At about an hour or so from the Philly area, you could do worse. Next time, just park it here and maybe skip HdG?