Husk. And foodie fan bliss.

Um, so I met Sean Brock.  (insert squeals of happiness here.) 

Last Wednesday I finally made it to Husk in Charleston.  In case you’re out of touch with foodie world. Husk was voted the numero uno best new restaurant in the whole of USA by Bon Appetit magazine this year. 

Since it was my parent-in-law’s 42^nd anniversary and we were in Isle of Palms for the week I suggested we all go.   Being that they had NO IDEA what Husk was or who Chef Brock was in the grand culinary landscape, I sort of drug them there with promises of greatness.  My fingers were crossed they’d like it since before we left I read the reviews and they were 50/50.  Turns out if you are a steak and potatoes person and go into a restaurant and order your main course and a water, then this is not your place, but if you love to graze the menu, and sit back with a drink while you are swept away by things your taste buds couldn’t have even imagined then guess what?   Bingo. 

We got there a little early and grabbed a drink in the Husk bar, which is next door to the restaurant.  A glass of Cab in hand, I wandered behind the restaurant where we ran into Sous Chef Air (her name is Air…like the stuff you breathe).

My father-in-law chatted it up with her and told her I was a food blogger. Air gave our family the grand tour of the prep kitchen and meat locker/cooler which were both full of chefs at work.  A delivery truck baring fresh veggies had just pulled up out front and staff were running back and forth with beans and corn and assorted other produce for the night’s fare.

She showed us the smoker where Brock prepares his award winning smoked meats. He uses animal bones to make his own charcoal so if he’s throwing on a lamb, he uses some lamb bone charcoal to smoke it.   Apparently it’s an old historical smoking method.  They also grow their own herbs and what fruits and veggies they don’t buy from local farms, they grow themselves at the restaurant’s farm.  

The restaurant sources everything from the South…methodology and ingredients.  They are hard core about it too.

Air gave me the top secret location for her pride and joy, the preserved food closet (which I slunk off to find after dinner to take a pic).  It’s her specialty at the restaurant and she beamed when she ran down the list of the contents of the mason jars. 

I can’t even begin to describe the quality or quantity of food we consumed, but God help me, I’m going to try. 

We started off with Southern Fried Chicken Skins with Husk Hot Sauce and Honey.  Don’t you make that gaggy face at me!  I chose this one because I knew if anyone knew how to pull off a fried chicken skin, this Chef would.  They were salty and well seasoned and fried so crispy.   I drizzled them with the hot sauce and honey and passed them around the table. The hubs and his dad ordered oysters.  No surprises there.  My mother-in-law ordered Fried Green Tomatoes with Tennessee Cheddar Pimento Cheese and House Cured Ossabaw Country Ham.  She took one bite and got all squinty eyed and blissful.  She stayed that way for the rest of the night.  

My daughter ordered a small cast iron skillet of Smokey Benton’s Bacon Cornbread which she proceeded to inhale minus a few small pieces which me managed to pry away from her with much protest.  We were all like greedy monkeys!

Okay, we could have stopped there, but no…

My neighbor Maggie had recently told me that you can grill okra.  Who would have thought?  So when I saw it on the menu, I had to get it: Sunburst Farms Trout, Geechie Boy Eggplant, Wood Fired SC Peaches and Okra.  The trout was sitting on a sort of thick gumbo like stew of fruits and veggies. Um. Heaven.  I’m not a fish girl.  I order it occasionally, but this… sigh.  Bliss.

The hubs and his dad ordered Texas Wagyu Sirloin, Pan Fried Confit Potatoes and a Warm Pole Beana and Oyster Mushroom “Salad” sitting in Marrow Ju.  Salty, perfectly cooked, melt in your mouth tender…

And my mother-in-law ordered the Heritage Tennessee Pork Chop with Smokey Field Peas and Butterbeans, Heirloom Kale, Plantation Rice and Pot Likker. I would tell you how wonderful it was but SHE DID NOT OFFER TO SHARE!  She just sat there looking all squinty and happy and ate it all by herself.  We all sampled Baked Geechie Boy Grits with Mepkin Abbey Mushrooms and Tennessee Cheddar from the middle of the table...and half heatedly shared bits of our main course with each other.  I do have to share with you folks after all.

As if that weren’t enough food “The Kitchen” sent out gifts of Tennessee Bacon Braised Ambrose Farms Baby Red Cabbage and Sliced Heirloom Tomatoes with Smoked Sea Salt and Black Pepper with Texas Olive Oil (how can tomatoes be this good?!)

and more cornbread (the only thing we took home with us... the only thing left!)   We were so STUFFED!  How can four adults possibly put away that much food!  

And dessert. Seriously.  I’m not lying.  Peach cobbler, lemon pie in a little jar and sweet pecan biscuit with berries and whipped cream. 

Hands down best meal ever.  It topped any restaurant experience we have had in our 15 years together. 

Between courses, I saw Chef Brock walk out to talk to someone (turns out his mom) in the back of the house.  I grabbed my husband (hard) under the table and said if he walked over he’d better start snapping pictures cause I might burst out into tears or something and lose my mind.  I asked my waitress if she’d see if he’d come over to say hi.  AND HE DID!  I was like a crazed foodie freak fan.  But he was very sweet and gracious and talked with us for a while before heading back to the kitchen.  Cheers to him and the best restaurant experience of my life (thus far).   

And happy anniversary to the parent-in-laws!