Monday, October 11, 2010

On the Way: the Rice Market

Nice to see, as the Post & Courier reported this weekend, that the old Boathouse location down on East Bay St. will soon be home to a new restaurant called the Rice Market.   It sounds like the Crew Carolina guys are going to be involved in running the place, and it will serve "regional and international cuisine."

I'm not exactly sure what to make of this comment from one of the partners, Walter Brock, in explaining the restaurant's motif: "We have an overabundance of Lowcountry fare, which is always delicious, but if you live in Charleston full-time you don't get the same thing you get in bigger cities."

It's not like shrimp and grits and she crab soup are the only things you can eat in Charleston.  La Fourchette, Fat Hen, 39 Rue de Jean, G&M, Mistral, Trattoria Lucca, Al Di La, Bacco, Fulton Five, Pan e Vino, Wild Olive, Mercato, Il Cortile de Rey,Fuel, el Bohio, Cajun Kountry Kitchen, Basil, Quyen/Party Kingdom,  Pho Bac, Tasty Thai, Red Orchids, Olimpik, Samos Taverna, Opa Cafe, Manny's, Nirlep, Pooja's, Taste of India, Lana, Muse, Ali Baba, the other Ali Baba, La Nortena, Santi's, Uno Mas, Wasabi, Tsunami, O-Ku, Sushi Haru, Chai's Lounge, and the Voodoo Lounge are just a few of the "international" places that immediate spring to mind.

But, still, I'll be curious to see what the Rice Market brings to the mix.  It's a great location and a big space to work with.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your prognostications do amuse me, so I'll jump start you with a few of my own for upcoming food trends:
Home brewing of liqueurs like your limoncello. Some of our friends make a dynamite liqueur based on loquat seeds, and I feel the urge to doctor some vodka for the holidays. Spices, cherries, hmmm
In home sausage and rillete production. Prague powder is hard to find, though.
More meals at home with friends. Restaurants are too expensive for this economy, which explains why the 3 for 20 and 3 for 30 weeks got us to try places we'd never been to. Plus, they are often just too noisy to hear what someone across the table says. We've left noisy places because part of the pleasure of a meal out is talking at the table. They don't want the hassle and cost of tablecloth and curtain and carpet and upholstery cleaning, but it's costing them business as a result. So we are inviting friends in more. Cheaper, too.
More catering and carry-out meals from moderate to upscale restaurants.
Your turn!

Robert said...

Thanks, anon. I've been trying to gear myself up for another round of prognostications, but the spirit just hasn't moved me yet. I'm 100% with you on the homebrew and sausage making. But, for some reason, I just don't see the return of the dinner party or even the casual meal at home with friend returning in a big way. Not sure why--just a sense I have.

I think people LIKE the notion of having dinners with friends in their homes, but that pulling it off is a big barrier. Probably because we don't eat at home w our families as often as we would like we are extra cautious about inviting others over. I hope I'm wrong and that dinner partiesnwill return to vogue in a big way. But, if it does I, for one, will be quite surprised.

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