AC's Bar & Grill

467 King Street
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 577-6742
Website

When visiting other cities, I often like to check out the places who try and present their take on an authentic cheesesteak. If that coincides with a great divey bar, then all the better. I was into AC's, in particular, because I'd heard that the owner is from PA.

It's is located downtown in Charleston, right between all the hot clubs and expensive shopping spots. But it had all the trappings of a dark, fantastic, late-night bar. Great dim lighting, booths, perfectly greasy bar food, and fantastic drink prices. I'd spoken with the owner, Jim Curley, for the better part of my meal & drink experience and I must say, he adds to the appeal here. Born in the Pittsburgh area, he's been living in The South for all of his life; worked at AC's for about 21 years and has owned it for about the last 15 and although he's technically not 'working' there now, he definitely spends a lot of his time there, delivering food and drinks to customers.

They are famous for their chili cheeseburger and their cheesesteak. Although I had literally just come from a dinner party, I threw caution to the wind and had to try both.

The chili cheeseburger did not slouch on the quantity of chili. Beans, green peppers, and onions strewn about the loose beef, this chili would make a Texan cry. On top of a burger, it made me smile. At $5.50, it made my wallet smile as well.

A nice medium cook on the patty, and much more manageable to eat than the initial picture conveyed. This was spot on bar food. Well seasoned, enough fat to cut the whiskey you just shot, and some carbs to soak up those ten beers.

The cheesesteak was the surprise of the night. Amoroso roll aside, it was a great replica. The meat was heavily salt and peppered, and had some mighty caramelized onions.

Look at the amount of melted American cheese intermingled with meat grease. Perfect.

I hate a dry steak, and this was quite the opposite. The roll did marginally well, and though I am a Liscio's lover, I was okay with this low brow replacement. I think that Jim's attention to quality control in the kitchen is key. He knows what a great cheesesteak can be and he doesn't let his own standards suffer, much to my appreciation.

There was no lack of meat or flavor on this cheesesteak. Never did I think that a place in the Lowcountry could compete with some of the Philadelphia area middle of the steak joints. Now I know.

Hunt's Annex Lounge

1311 MacDade Boulevard
Woodlyn, PA 19094
(610) 833-2344
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If there is one thing we know the 'burbs consistently does WAY better than the city, it's wings. No contest. I got the word that Hunt's had some of DelCo's finest, and stopped in to verify. One thing to note – you can smoke in here, which usually would be an issue for me, but they did a really good job of keeping the place aired out and I barely noticed it.

Like many great Delaware County bars, this place is basically a giant wrap around bar. I love this design, because it assures maximum bar seat real estate and exponentially increases the people-watching capabilities.

Although these are certainly not cheap wings (priced at nearly $1 a pop), they offer so many sauce choices it was hard to criticize. Also, who wants in on a group buy for a thousand? Any takers?

The spicy honey were first up, as they were highly recommended by both the bartender and a regular I was sitting next to. I ordered them extra crispy, as usual.

These were well rendered wings, nicely crisped, and the sauce was spicy but not too hot. I couldn't taste too much of the honey, but that wasn't a big deal. They are also quite large, which I imagine is at least part of the reason for the price tag.

Next in line were the dry rub. I am a big fan of dry rub wings, as they tend to retain their crunch a lot longer than their sauce soaked brethren. Probably because they are not drenched in liquid? I don't know, I was not a science major. These wings were salty, hot, and slightly sweet due to some brown sugar in the rub. I believe there was also some mustard powder in the mix.

Again, they were well fried, and the skin stayed crispy. Good stuff.

As I am watching my waistline these days, I decided to offset the wings by ordering some curly fries with cheddar sauce and a bud light. Good fries, nothing fancy, from a bag. The cheese was perfectly artificial and delicious. As expected.

Hunt's would probably be a great spot for wing night, but at regular prices, they are a bit on the steep side. I would certainly come back if I were in the area, but I would not rush to return.

Ben's Chili Bowl

1213 U Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 667-0909
Website

Sometimes there is a landmark (or two) that you feel the need to eat at because it's (they're) famous. Ahem. Other times the place is a landmark AND it's just that damn good. We are dealing with the latter in this case. Ben's Chili Bowl serves up the finest half-smokes you have ever seen. Not fancy, not expensive, not for those on blood pressure or high cholesterol medication. It can be both a bit stressful, and a bit greasy. I love it.

This is a tight space to wait, and you need to find the line and get in it. The bar is the best place to sit, as usual, and you can check out all of the action. While you stand in line, you get a glimpse of the food to come. It will definitely make you re-adjust your order.

Look at these BEAUTIFUL half-smokes on the flat top. Having to watch these brown is no mistake on their part. I doubled my original estimates.

This encased meat maestro was working this grill like he was born in the kitchen.

The menu is small and sausage/chili focused. ALTHOUGH you could order a veggie burger if you wanted. Although they may laugh you out of the store. And I wouldn't blame them.

The bag is a throwback to simpler times, much like the food.

A tidy meal, this is not. Below is an order of chili cheese fries, and a chili cheese half smoke (one of two I ate). The fries left a bit to be desired, but they stayed surprisingly crispy throughout the seconds that made up their short lives.

The star, by far, was the half smoke with chili. Good lord. Half beef, half pork, coarsely ground and smoked. This is comfort food at its finest. Charred on the grill, smothered and covered, this beats about any hot dog around.

The snap on this sausage casing adds a perfect texture to offset the soft chili and bun. The combination of salty, smokey, fatty, and crispy makes for a sensual overload. This is not fancy, but your taste buds will be wearing an overcoat made of grease. This may be the best and/or only thing worth going to DC for . . .

...well, partial take back: Rumor's (an Eagles bar) will be another repeat on my list for next time.