Hominy Grill
30 Jul
Last week, the 4some checked out the famed Hominy Grill in downtown Charleston. I was super excited to check it out, since it is a definite Charleston staple eatery. Check out some of their claims to fame…
- New York Times in 2000, 2005 (twice!), and 2006
- Details Magazine
- Esquire Magazine
- Gourmet Magazine in 2003 and 2009
- *cough* Garden and Gun Magazine (wish I made that one up!)
- Food and Wine Magazine in 2002
They are mostly infamous for their “shrimp & grits” and their “big nasty” (biscuit with fried chicken breast, cheddar cheese, and sausage).
Hominy Grill has always been on TV shows such as “No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain,” ”$40 a Day with Rachael Ray,” “Man vs. Food” and “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” – Chocolate Edition. Here’s a grainy video from the last show mentioned. It’s squint-worthy (skip to second :30).
We went to Hominy Grill on their first night reopened after some renovations. It was supposed to reopen on July 20th. Instead, this was their post on Facebook that day…
Ha! Their renovations included expanding their outdoor area, adding a bar inside, adding a drive-thru sort of window for people to get drinks while waiting for their table on the patio (genius!) or food to-g0, a larger dining room, and additional bathrooms. That’s what we concluded from the buzz about restaurant, anyway!
Mom, Scott, and I ordered the “shrimp & grits.” My Dad got some shrimp special that he was oohing and aahing over. We were all pretty happy campers! The service wasn’t fast or slow – just right in the middle. Our waiter had a lot of character…it seemed like he really wants to be a stand-up comic but is still waiting for his big break. We enjoyed his humor! The food was quite delicious and the portion size was just right. Negatives? Well, they may have rushed the reopening a bit. They only had 2 beers available (Scott was ready to walk out – haha!) and they were out of sauvignon blanc. For dessert, everyone but me ordered the famous chocolate pudding. I excitedly ordered a dessert (that I can’t remember the name of) that they were ultimately out of, as well. I got red velvet cake instead and it was kind of a letdown. Maybe a few more days closed would’ve given them some time to, um, restock their inventory. Other than that, no complaints! We’d definitely go again!!!
Loved this!
I’m excited to check out more Charleston must-eat restaurants. There are so many…but, I’m up for the challenge!!!
p.s. 3 more blogs between now and midnight tomorrow night (July 31st). Get ready!
p.s. Had our first, true “reaalllly?” experience at the pool today. I hope that family crawls right back under the rock they came out of for the rest of pool season. That or their swipe card stops working. Ugh.
Beach Count: 54
Pool Count: 17
High Temperature: 96°
Before we moved to Charleston we saw the Hominy Grill on $40 a Day, so on a visit we checked it out for lunch one day and ended up back the next day for breakfast! I went for one last dinner there right before I moved. Great place! Try the hummingbird cake….so yummy! (Of course, they didn’t have it on my last trip there!)
p.s. I love your blogs!
We’ve gotta get there for breakfast/brunch, for sure! Yum…what’s hummingbird cake?! Thanks for reading, Lana
I don’t love Hominy Grill…at all.
Oh no…really?! Luckily there are a million other yummy restaurants in town. =)