Readers share their go-to menu picks
By Hunter H. Kerrison, MHA, MBA
We put the question to our readers: where do you go when you want a healthy meal that feels like a treat?
We love it when a simple question turns into an email thread we can’t stop refreshing. Recommendations poured in faster than we could type them.
Salads and Global Flavors
Salads led the charge. Angie and Helen Ann both pointed us to Wood & Grain for its ceviche, seasonal veggies, and a kale salad loaded with shrimp.
Angie swears by the Graze salad with blackened salmon or the beet salad. Felicia is loyal to the Home Team BBQ salad, and credits Five Loaves Cafe with a shoutout to their eggplant fritter salad.
Anne tipped us off to the “Medagon,” a raw tuna and farro salad bright with pickled onions and a spicy citrus vinaigrette at The Pass that she called, “the best salad she has had in ages.” This one is definitely going on my list.
Global flavors also made a strong showing. One reader, whose husband, Kershaw, pointed us to Naan next to Whole Foods in Mount Pleasant for its vegan and vegetarian dishes and garlic chicken curry.
Anne, Brendan, and three other readers identified Shiki Sushi downtown as a must try spot for fresh, crave-worthy sushi. David, Lea, and Lizzie cited Kairo’s as a healthy crowd pleaser for families. Basic Kitchen rounded out the list as a reliable stop for bowls, fun mocktails and vegan options.
Seafood and New Discoveries
Seafood lovers, Debra is a devoted regular at High Thyme, praising the fish special that often arrives with succotash as well as the cauliflower dip and hummus with pickled vegetables. Debra also loves the ahi poke bowl at Post House and called their Sea Island’s shrimp nachos one of the “world’s most perfect foods.”
Rounding out the seafood picks Marian, Harmon, and Lilah gave Red Drum’s ceviche of the day and Wood Grilled Chicken salad props. Readers also recommended the potato crusted fresh catch at Lillian’s Petite Market and Eatery’s Roots menu, a favorite for vegetarian, gluten free and dairy-free eaters alike.
And a few new discoveries worth trying: Debra’s find, Lou Lou’s downtown for small plates that are delicious without being heavy; Danielle’s go-to, Three Little Birds Cafe in South Windermere; Stephanie’s latest experiment, The Lick, also in South Windermere; and Caroline’s pick for a light taco, Tierra al Mar.
Keep the recommendations coming, and keep eating well, Charleston.
