Husk: A Charleston Culinary Gem

The Keegan Filion Chicken Breast.

The porgy with risotto.

Each time we visit Charleston, South Carolina we try a new restaurant.
Over the July 4th holiday our choice was Husk, set in a stately home on Queen St. between Meeting St. and King St.
We heard many good things about Husk and we can tell you that it certainly lives up to its reputation.
Husk is the newest offering from James Beard Award-winning Chef Sean Brock of McCrady’s and the Neighborhood Dining Group, transforms the essence of Southern food. Led by Brock and Chef de Cuisine Travis Grimes, a Lowcountry native, the kitchen reinterprets the bounty of the surrounding area, exploring an ingredient-driven cuisine that begins in the rediscovery of heirloom products and redefines what it means to cook and eat in Charleston.
I know this may all sound very impressive but trust us (even with the James Beard accolades) you won't run into any haute cuisine snobishness at Husk -- positively no attytude. Everybody at Husk is friendly, courteous and helpful.
We sat on the quieter second floor at a small corner table for two. Cozy.
Here are the dishes that we put together for ourselves from Friday's menu:
Thackery’s Heirloom Tomato and Arugula Salad with House Made Ricotta, Plum and Summer Berry Vinaigrette $12
Fried Green Tomatoes with Special Husk Sauce $8
Keegan Filion Chicken Breast, Roasted on the Bone, Smoky Field Peas and Broccoli Raab, Plantation Rice, Pot Likker $25
Porgy, Charleston Gold Rice “Risotto” with Sweet English Peas and Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes, TX Olive Oil $26
Popcorn ice cream on corn cake with a cornflake crust and blueberries $7
The menu at Husk changes twice a day and we took advantage of daily specials (the tomatoes, the porgy and the dessert).
There's a rule about the food at Husk: "If it doesn't come from the South, it's not coming through the door." All of the foods and ingredients are from known, local purveyors. But as Husk's founders explain it, the resulting cuisine “is not about rediscovering Southern cooking, but exploring the reality of Southern food.”
This modern approach results in playful dishes such as Deviled Eggs with Pickled Okra and Trout Roe, and new classics like South Carolina Shrimp and Choppee Okra Stew with Carolina Gold Rice and Flowering Basil.
Seed-saving, heirloom husbandry, and in-house pickling and charcuterie efforts by the culinary team are the basis of the cuisine at Husk. The restaurant is as casual as it is chic, evoking a way of life centered on seasonality and the grand traditions of Charleston life—one lived at a slower pace, preferably with a cocktail on a wide porch in the late afternoon. It is a neighborhood gathering place for friends, and a destination dining spot for travelers, with a little bite of the South for everyone’s palates.
Every dish we tried -- every one -- was exceptional.
The chicken was tender and succulent in a light medley of rice and beans that was sheer perfection.
The porgy was wonderfully fresh and lovingly paired with a risotto that was not the least bit dense or pasty.
The dessert was absolutely unique -- clever and inventive without being overly exotic.
Nothing takes away from the simplicity and freshness of the food here. And everything is beautifully presented.
In a word: Imaginative.
We highly recommend Husk.
Photos above are actual dishes as served. All photos copyright 2012 by Dan Cirucci.