Tattooed Moose

137 Morrison Drive
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 277-2990
Website

The Moose came highly recommended from a number of people as a dive-y beer bar with great duck. That was good enough for me and so after I got my rental car, checked in to my super saweet AirBnB cottage, I wasted no time and was on my way.

A variety of taxidermy animals surround the inside, which was quite cool. However, I didn't see any tats on the moose, but honestly, I didn't really look too hard.

The duck club was a "must try" per the instructions I'd received so my choice was already made before I'd sat down. From the menu: A triple decker filled with duck confit, applewood smoked bacon, & hickory smoked cheddar topped with garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, & red onion on sweet Hawaiian bread.

There was certainly a LOT going on with this sandwich. The duck confit was delicious, rich and rendered to water fowl perfection. However there was just too much other shit in the sandwich to truly appreciate the duck as served. You can see the bread and ingredient ratio is a bit overwhelming below. Now, I understand that duck is not the kind of protein you heap on, but I just felt like this could have been better served not as a club. It was still a great sandwich full of fresh, quality ingredients, but it was just not a perfect cohesive package.

The house pickled sweet and spicy green tomatoes were amazing, and the garlic dills were another favorite. Also, those fries.

The duck fat fries with duck gravy were amazing. Shatteringly crisp, with a salt punch, the gravy was not even necessary. When I saw the size of the order, I said aloud "wow, I will never finish those". I am betting you can guess how this ended. Clean plate club indeed.

And although I did like that side of duck gravy, it was too roux-y and was missing that deep, dark, rich and fatty meat flavor that I expect out of poutine-impersonators – but as it goes, I ate it anyway.

Definitely a great stop in Charleston for some great beer and good food. A cool bar all around.

Jake's Sandwich Board

122 S. 12th St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Website

When I heard that Jake's roasts a whole pig every day, I was sold (I have been obsessing over roasting a whole hog this summer). So after a breakfast including both scrapple and bacon, I headed over to 'cash out early' in completing a day of pork, ending it here with lunch. I went for the hand carved pig sandwich. I was impressed that they left the carcass sitting out under a heat lamp to intimidate vegetarians everywhere.


They have a sheet where you fill out what you want on the sandwich. Another plus is that they don't charge for the ingredients. I went with everything but roasted peppers (I just feel roasted peppers are kind of played out and tend to be too large and wet).


To say I loved this sandwich was an understatement. The horseradish sauce took a cue from the Arby's horsey sauce that I remember from my days of beef and cheddar's long ago. The au jus kept everything nice and moist without soaking the Carnagi roll. Did you notice the last ingredient? Cracklings? On my pork sandwich? Yes, please. All in all, this was a knockout sandwich. It would not hold up well if not eaten immediately, but that's why you come here - to eat in. I don't know how you could have the self control not to scarf it down within 30 seconds of acceptance. I know I certainly don't.


The "Mensch" was the other victim. It includes 12 hour brisket, horseradish sauce, fried onions, and melted sharp prov. I also loved this one (I also am still sick from eating so much). The brisket is pulled, and perfectly tender. The onions were well carmelized, and gooey provolone never disappoints.



Did I mention I made this a combo, with fries? Insanity. The fries were actually excellent as well. Perfectly crispy, and served hot. The selections on the menu, down to the Kodiak soda is reminiscent of a certain place I like to frequent, but everything is slightly different, and I am not complaining. Jake's is a real winner, and I look forward to many, many, more meals there.

Village Whiskey

118 South 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4454
(215) 665-1088
Website

I haven't been back to Village Whiskey since it was relatively new, and so I was overly excited to see how it has come along. I was very impressed last time, and this time I was just as happy. Our group arrived around 5PM on a Friday, and were able to immediately sit at a table under the canopy outside. They don't take reservations there, and in order to sit, your entire party must be present. Although it can be annoying at times, in such a small venue where they see such a high volume of visitors, I completely understand the policy and can appreciate it. Otherwise there could be people sitting and saving tables for larger parties indefinitely, while others had to stand and wait (not that anyone in Philly would do that, right?). Below is a shot through the window where we were sitting, looking in to the interior. Last time I was there, I sat at the bar and thoroughly enjoyed most everything on the menu, thanks to the generosity of the owners of this place (which has amazing home cooked Italian food if you are ever in the Ambler area).


We decided to try some of the appetizers to start, and I am so glad we did. The pretzels are a steal at $3; they came out warm & soft and were served with deliciously sharp whole-seed Dijon, a good way to cut your hunger pangs before you devour some of the smaller, more savory dishes.


The house-made cheese puffs came out next. They were served in a small cast iron skillet and were covered with grated cheese. They were good, but not great. Once again, a good starter, but nothing to write home about.


Pictured below is our third arrival for this meal, the coveted pickled cherry tomatoes. WOW. I somehow missed these little gems the last time around, and I can't believe how good they were. So fresh, vibrant and juicy, I could eat these indefinitely. They are served with a side of toasted bread, whipped ricotta, and olive tapenade. Heaven. Seriously. These were one of the best things I have eaten in a long time. When properly assembled on a piece of toast with the accompanying sides, they were unbelievable. How good, you may ask? Well last night I purchased canning jars to recreate them as soon as possible. That good. I will post the results next week.

Next up was the popcorn shrimp. Another pretty good dish, but nothing I had never seen nor had before - a simple take on a simple finger food. The dipping sauce was a bit runny and bland, but it did the trick. The shrimp would have benefited from a longer bath in the fryer to maximize the crispiness of the breading.

Since there is no chance that anything fried in duck fat can be on the menu without me ordering it, the duck fat fries with Sly Fox cheese sauce and homemade ketchup were next. I had these last time and loved them. I must say, I think they were even better this time around. Rich, fatty, and decadent, the fries in duck fat are deep-fried perfection. I also love cheese sauce (in general), and this really takes it to the next level, with a low-key refreshingly-beery aftertaste. The table ended up dipping the shrimp in it as well, it was that good (yes, we know seafood and cheese is a frowned-upon combo, but anything fried with a dip in some cheese is a good match in my book). The ketchup was also great, fresh and homemade, it was a welcome reprieve from the richness of the cheese sauce (or it was all that was left when the cheese sauce disappeared almost instantly, you be the judge). It was quite tasty though.


At this point, the diners were split. How could we order four huge burgers after we had just feasted for an hour on snacks?

Well, we could order two burgers and split them.

The regular burger at VW is more than rich enough, so I skipped the $25 burger topped with foie gras, and instead added Rouge blue cheese, bacon, and caramelized onions to the already huge patty which comes with bibb lettuce, tomato and house sauce. Medium rare came out perfectly cooked and I was in burger bliss. It is so juicy, that you can't put it down for fear of the tender beef dissipating, but at the same time, I can't fathom a situation in which you would want to put this masterpiece down, so fear not.



The other burger was ordered with cheddar and a fried egg on top. The egg was a perfect sunny-side-up and made for a juicy, earthy treat. Red meat and runny egg yolk are about as good as it gets.

I love Jose Garces' restaurants, and I have yet to be even close to disappointed with all of my indulgent experiences with them. I could eat at these places all the time, if the bank account allowed it. I would also need to invest in some elastic waistband pants to take it all in. I can't wait to go back to VW, I am already planning my next trip.