McCrady’s Tavern Charleston SC

McCrady’s Tavern Charleston SC originally published on Food and Fond Memories on December 7, 2016 by sandyaxelrod 0 Comments (Edit)

McCrady’s Tavern Charleston SC

As I have mentioned many times, Charleston is a foodie paradise. We have our favorites that we like to visit again and again; like S.N.O.B. and Fat Hen. And then we like to try new places that have recently opened such as McCrady’s Tavern.

After an afternoon of shopping at the French Market, ambling through Battery Park, strolling along the waterfront and ogling the homes along Rainbow Row and The Battery we opted to go back downtown to enjoy some of the lovely galleries and the crisp autumn evening. For dinner we had decided on trying McCrady’s  Tavern that had opened only a short few months ago. We had no doubt that we would enjoy the food as we love Chef Sean Brock’s dishes having eaten at Husk several times. The Husk Cheeseburger is legendary! And Chef Brock’s dishes are very creative and delicious.

Entering down an alley it had the feel of a speakeasy but the tavern goes way further back than that. The history is fascinating. As the story goes “It all began with a hankering for a drink. In 1778, Edward McCrady built a four-story Georgian house on East Bay Street and opened McCrady’s Tavern. Unbeknownst to him, this eponymous watering hole was the origin of what would become part of this very restaurant over 200 years later.” The tavern was a frequent meeting place, before and during the American Revolution, for many notable Charlestonians. People like the Rutledge brothers, the Pinckneys, Gadsdens, Horrys, rice plantation owner Charles Alston, and other Lowcountry luminaries all congregated at the tavern to socialize and discuss the country’s ever evolving political climate.

McCrady was imprisoned with these leaders during the Revolutionary War. When he was released he was determined to secure the tavern’s place in Charleston’s high society he built 2 Unity Alley which was a brick structure of Flemish bond construction in 1788. This new building, named The Long Room, connected to his tavern by way of a second story double piazza. Instantly The Long Room became a favorite venue for many of the city’s festive celebrations, early musicals and theatrical performances. The most prestigious and memorable of these events was a grand 30 course dinner party thrown for President George Washington during his tour of the South in 1791. Today McCrady’s Long Room is following the tradition and regularly hosts private receptions and dinner.

When Edward McCrady died in 1801 the property passed through many hands but the kitchen (now the dining room) always held an association with food as either a tavern or coffee house until the 1850s. As times changed so did the building’s usage. First it became a warehouse and later a paper company and then, after many years of transition, The Long Room was abandoned and stood empty for several decades.

Fortunately in 1982 the building was restored to its former  glory. Today McCrady’s is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Landmarks.
I love knowing McCrady’s history and looking around you can easily transport yourself back to that era centuries ago. The ambiance is inviting and charming but the food is what really stands out. With Sean Brock at the helm, McCrady’s offers a contemporary look at Southern cuisine. McCrady’s exudes a commitment to peak-season and sustainable ingredients, sourcing from the restaurant’s rooftop garden and Lowcountry farmers, artisans and fisherman. The menu changes daily and celebrate Southern flavors.

We started our meal by sharing the Escargot Stuffed Marrow Bone, Grilled Bread and Parsley and the Tavern Salad. The presentation of the Escargot was really stunning. A tall piece of marrow bone stood as a crown that was anointed with escargot and a marrow enriched sauce. That sauce was enhanced even further by the vinaigrette that dressed a refreshing herb salad. This was accompanied by a few slices of perfectly toasted baguette slices served in an antique silver toast caddy. We even had a marrow spoon and I have only seen those at antique shows, never as part of my place setting. But the Tavern Salad is what stole our hearts and tummies. It is basically a chopped salad, however, there is nothing basic about it. There are 15 components plus two dressings! Seventeen items that make for a mind blowing salad that is crave inducing. So many textures and flavors just dancing around in your mouth that you want to lick the bowl.

Our appetizers made our Tavern Burgers with Tavern Burger with Béarnaise and Fries a very hard act to follow. But the dish certainly was up for the challenge. The burger was juicy, beefy, cheesy and cooked to perfection. The Bearnaise sauce was just the icing on the cake. Steve and I both opted to eliminate our lovely burger buns because we are watching our carbs. I know this is laughable considering that we ate up all of the toast served with our first course and most definitely did not skip the fries. But those fries. Oh my. Those fries stole the show. It’s my guess that they are dipped in cornstarch before their final fry because the coating was very crunchy while the insides of the potatoes were creamy. I could have eaten a bushel of those amazing fries!

McCrady’s Tavern
2 UNITY ALLEY
CHARLESTON, SC 29401
843-577-0025