After a good friend got a bad review from a restaurant critic a few years ago, we decided to do our part to balance the scales by writing a “good news” food column for BereaOnline. Our plates have been a bit too full the past two years, with the births of our two “buns in the oven,” and we had to put this column on the back burner, but now we’re back in the groove! We plan to write a regular column highlighting one nearby restaurant and one restaurant we’ve enjoyed in our travels for each issue of the new BereaOnline. We hope you enjoy the stories, and welcome your suggestions of new places to try!

There’s no rating scale, since we’re determined to only write about the good experiences we’ve had, but we decided to rate the cost of our meals (not including gratuity) in the following manner:

= Under $15
= From $15 - $30
= From $31 - $50
= Over $50
(Costs are based on the entire purchase price of the meal including every item in the summary.)

Going Postal in South Carolina

There’s no mail sorted in the back of the old Edisto Island Post Office anymore, unless it’s culinary magazines and letters from adoring patrons. When David Gressette and Phillip Bardin found it, the old post office was a dilapidated building in need of major renovation. Their solution: turn it into a cozy, casual-elegance restaurant specializing in Lowcountry fare. Since its opening in 1988, it has served thousands of appreciative guests and received critical acclaim from the best food experts in the country.

Among the guests in September were two Bereans celebrating their seventh anniversary –us! We were in Edisto to visit my parents, so babysitting was taken care of while we enjoyed a romantic dinner for two at a tiny table in a nook by the inside wall of the restaurant. Our server, Priscilla, was very gracious, and suggested the perfect wine for our dinner, a slightly sweet French table wine called Ariana Chardonnay. We nibbled on the French Montrachet goat cheese seasoned with garlic & herbs on grilled bread as our appetizer, and managed to clean our plates of my fried pecan coated chicken breast topped with blueberry sauce and Alfredo’s 10 oz. Filet with mustard-tarragon sauce. Both of our entrees included a side of green vegetables and the Old Post Office’s signature grits –possibly the most famous and delicious item on the menu! We even had enough room for a bit of dessert – after all, shouldn’t one stuff oneself when eating an anniversary dinner at such a place? Alfredo had the New York style cheesecake with blueberries, strawberries & chocolate sauce and I made a healthy dent in my Charleston Chewy Cake with vanilla ice cream & caramel sauce.

All our food was prepared to perfection, and presented in lovely fashion. I love eating at a place that paces the food delivery according to the individual patrons, rather than simply bringing everything out when it’s ready, and Priscilla and friends were shining examples of that kind of professionalism. Manager Peter Sanders stopped by our table between the entrée and the dessert to make sure all was in order, and of course, it was. Another thing that impressed us was that one young lady was solely responsible for clearing used plates. She arrived at our table right on time after each course, replacing our used tableware with new ones and checking our drink supply.

The Old Post Office is a comparably small establishment, and reservations are suggested. We noticed that most tables stayed occupied while we were there, and were glad we had made reservations ourselves. Was our romantic getaway a quiet experience? Well, no… there was a bachelorette party in the bar upstairs that eventually made its way down to a table near us, but it gave us a wonderful opportunity to people-watch! Although the girls in the party were too happy for us to hear the music, we had no trouble talking to each other and rate the evening highly among our seven different anniversary dinners. It wasn’t the first time we’ve eaten at the Old Post Office, and it certainly won’t be the last!

SUMMARY:
Old Post Office (Hwy 174 @ Stone Creek)
PO Box 208 / Edisto Island SC 29438
Appetizer: Goat Cheese
Jennifer’s Entrée: Pecan Chic w/ blueberry sauce
Alfredo’s Entrée: Filet Moutard
Drinks: Ariana Chardonnay, Columbian coffee
Alfredo’s Dessert: New York Style Cheesecake
Jennifer’s Dessert: Charleston Chewy Cake
Price:

A Taste of the Far East in the Near North

Punjab Indian Restaurant opened three months ago in the former Lee’s Famous Recipe building on Berea Road, and it’s definitely worth a visit. We had been hearing good things about it from our friends and family before we went ourselves, and I suspect it won’t be long now before we go back to try something new from the wide variety of menu choices they offer.

Our server, Sabbu, was not only a lovely young lady, she was friendly and patient as we tried to decide what was right for us on the list of very foreign dishes. We ended up taking her advice and ordering the breadbasket with three kinds of nan, a chicken curry for Alfredo and Chicken Masala Paneerwala, a chicken dish with chunks of delicious homemade cheese in the sauce, for Jennifer. Sabbu left a plate of crispy bread with hot and sweet dipping sauces for us while we waited. Alfredo predictably liked the hot sauce best and I spent my time savoring the sweet.

Dinner was tasty, with just the right amount of spices to tickle the throat without singeing any taste buds! The breadbasket was delivered with our entrees, and we enjoyed sampling the various tastes baked in the bread while using it to sop up the leftover sauce on our plates. The portions were very appropriate and we finished almost everything on the table, giving us just cause for ordering dessert! I tried the Gulab Jamun (deep fried cheese and milk balls soaked in syrup) and Alfredo had the Kulfi (ice cream with almonds, pistachios and cashews), taking the good advice of friends sitting at a nearby table. Both desserts were very sweet, and we agreed that they were a nice finishing touch to our dining experience. As we were leaving, Sabbu served another table Poori, a puffed whole wheat bread, and we decided we have to try that next time!

Owner, Baljit Singh came by the table to visit, and we found that we have eaten at his restaurant in Knoxville as well! It’s a small world. We are happy Mr. Singh decided to bring a taste of India to Madison County, and we’ll definitely be back to try the other offerings on the menu in the near future.

SUMMARY:
Punjab India Restaurant
1071 Berea Road / Richmond, KY 40475
Appetizer: Complimentary Bread and Sauces
Jennifer’s Entrée: Chicken Masala Paneerwala
Alfredo’s Entrée: Chicken Curry
Drinks: Sprite, Water
Alfredo’s Dessert: Kulfi
Jennifer’s Dessert: Gulab Jamun
Price:

Written by Jennifer & Alfredo Escobar

If you want to suggest a restaurant or cafe for review in TravelBites or contact the Escobars with a question please send your messages to jennifer@jenniferrose.com.