Last Half Price Burger at Rue de Jean

I couldn't resist my last opportunity to have the $5 RDJ burger since I have another obligation next Sunday, so here is a iphone shot of my last $5 RDJ burger of 2010.

We met some friends for a delicious dinner at Trattoria Lucca last night and proceeded to drink way too much, so I decided early this morning this was just the nourishment I needed to start my day off right. I showed up shortly after they opened at 10 and sat at the bar. Unfortunately I left my camera so this was the best I could do for a photo. In my opinion, food and service is always best when a restaurant is slow, so inevitably the burger came out in no time. I switched it up and got the gruyere cheese which was perfectly melted on the medium rare patty and of course I got bacon as well. The delicious fries were super hot, crispy, and fresh. This place always delivers. Happy Sunday to me.

The Griffon Burger

I met some buddies at the Griffon (http://www.griffoncharleston.com/) recently to try their burger on a 2 for 1 special night. I ordered the burger with mushrooms and swiss, other burgers at the table were cheddar an onion, and a blue cheeseburger. Since these were buy one get one free at $6.95, we all agreed it wasn't a bad burger for the price. It just wasn't too exciting in any way, but for $3 and some change, no one was complaining.

Wings were $.25 so we ordered a dozen wings that were pretty tasty. They were crispy and hot, and the sauce was delicious. Not too spicy, but agreeable probably for most folks.

So as far as the burger experience, the Griffon isn't going to compete with my favorite Charleston staples unfortunately. As always though, it's a great spot to stop in for a few beers.

Virginia's on King

After watching some of the MLK day parade on King Street it was time for a quick lunch. We were just by Virginia's on King http://www.virginiasonking.com/ so we decided to give it a try.

My father in law had the special of the day which was the crab cake sandwich. This had lots of lump crab meat with just the right amount of filler. The sweet potato fries were the perfect side for this sandwich.

I ordered the tomato pie from the Appetizer menu which was just amazing. It had lots of flavor with onions, leeks, and cheese. The crust was thin and perfect. With the side salad of greens in a light vinaigrette dressing, this was the perfect light lunch that left me quite satisfied.

Sunday at Rue de Jean

This past Sunday at Rue de Jean, we met our friends Stacy and Justin for brunch to enjoy half price burgers. I choose the cheeseburger with Roquefort (you can also select Gruyere or Cheddar) and bacon lardons. I ordered the burger medium rare and that's just the way it was prepared. The burger comes with delicious fries and cornichons.
Dijon mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise are provided, but this burger is so juicy it has no need for those condiments in my opinion. Instead I use all of the above for french fry dipping purposes. Out of the 5 of us at brunch, 4 ordered burgers and all were satisfied. I enjoyed a 1664 to wash it all down.
My wife's standard fare at Rue de Jean are the mussels. Here she has ordered them Pronvencal style with fennel and tomato broth. Last week she ordered them in the Vegetable Cream. Of the six preparations offered, she doesn't seem to prefer one over the other. The broth is so rich and buttery everyone had to dip their baguette in this creamy sauce!




















We had to run to a store in the market and succumbed to the idea of dessert at Kaminsky's. This is actually not a place we frequent but we ordered an oreo cookie pie, got three forks and had a "light" dessert. This large slice was very creamy and not overly sweet. It satisfied everyone's sweet tooth. Who doesn't like an oreo cookie crust?




















I had a Palmetto Pale Ale and the ladies (my wife and her sister) sipped sparkling wine for $3 a pop. The sparkling wine glasses are large and provide a hefty pour. It was a great way to spend the next hour of our Sunday. The girls had a refill and we enjoyed the company of our great bartender Tracy. I always think of Kaminsky's as being touristy, but if you can slip in there on an off time - it can be the most charming of Charleston experiences.

Charleston Cheeseburger Deals 1/10

Here are some of the worthwhile burger deals going on in Charleston right now:

• This week, the Griffon (http://www.griffoncharleston.com/) celebrates 15 years by offering buy one get one free burgers and apps, as well as $.25 wings. I'll be there for sure - the deal runs from 5-10 on Thursday 1/14.
• Rue de Jean (http://www.39ruedejean.com/) is offering half price burgers on Sundays through Superbowl Sunday. I have been there the past two Sundays to take advantage of this delicious bargain (post and photos to follow).
• Home Team (http://www.hometeambbq.com) on Sullivan's is currently running a half price burger special on Mondays. I have visited twice in the past month and a half - and while I love so many of their other menu items, the burger is delicious. I just go with the plain ol' cheeseburger with cheddar with chili as my side. My sister-in-law always gets the fries so I don't have to miss out on those when she joins me.
• Moe's Crosstown has their perpetual half-price burgers from 7-10 on Tuesdays. My go-to is the roasted poblano and goat cheese burger.