Two Boroughs Larder: Interesting In Name And In Character

When people find out that I write this blog they usually ask me two questions. What's my favorite restaurant (currently The Grocery) and have you been to... and they name their favorite place.

In the course of about two weeks five people have mentioned Two Boroughs Larder, a restaurant that opened last August just outside of King Street. All of them have said, "You'd love it there." So this was our restaurant of choice for a quick bite before a neighborhood event this evening.

The restaurant is easy to find on Coming Street but parking is next to nothing. We circled a few times and then found a spot. We were lucky because it was Saturday and the Residential Parking only is lifted.

About the name which to me is a bit confusing. They are close to two Boroughs in Charleston, Cannonborough and Elliotborough. Okay, that part is pretty easy, but what's with the Larder? In sleuthing a "Larder" on Webster.com was defined as a "Cooling area to store food prior to use. Larders were commonplace in houses before the widespread use of refrigerators. Mystery solved. Interesting stories but nowhere in the restaurant were these fun facts displayed and I think that could add value to your visit.

One site called the design of the restaurant "Industrial Chic" which I thought is spot on. Refurbished wood and steel are creatively used to form tables, their "Family Table", the bar and its stools. Kitschy, but it works very well.

The owners also are all about sourcing local foods and respecting the food that they source, which is nothing new here in the Low Country, but still appreciated.

On this lazy Saturday we walked in for a very late lunch and there were a few people seated in the various tables. We were told to sit where we wanted and got a great table by the window. Our server quickly stopped by.

No generic "diet coke" at this place. I ordered a crafted lo-cal root beer and my husband got a Mexican Coca-Cola. 'Don't know why the funky drinks, but they were good nonetheless.

There were two menus on the day we arrived. A small, five item brunch menu and their regular, all-day menu. Both were very interesting. No meat and potatoes at this place!! The menu is a unique combination of creative and just over the edge.

We took the recommendation of our server who recommended the Carbonara (only served with Brunch), and the Chicken Skin Fried Rice. How unique is that??

And then we waited. And waited. And waited. I don't know how we get so lucky but with so few people in the restaurant, three line cooks on in a very tiny kitchen (visible from the dining room), why would lunch ever have to take 30-35 minutes?? It did though, unfortunately.

When it finally arrived the server said, "The kitchen says their sorry for the delay." Thank you, I thought, but after all this time this lunch better rock.

The Chicken Skin Fried Rice with Szechuan peppercorns, fried farm egg, Palmetto sweets, Mepkin Abbey mushrooms, peanut puree, Carolina Gold Rice and Togarashi (a Japanese Chili Sauce) was outstanding. Crispy skins mixed with dark meat chicken and richly seasoned. A real treat. Then there was my dish.

Check out more details about Two Boroughs Larder and a dish-by-dish breakdown of the meal at Dining Around Charleston.