The Tattooed Moose - John's Island
Whenever we travel anywhere our early preparation starts with, "What do the locals eat and where do they eat it?" Soulless, antiseptic, national chains are not for us. I don't want the "comfort" of knowing exactly what I'm going to be served and how it will be served. I don't find joy in knowing that the same burger and fries I can get at Applebee's in Ohio is what I will be served at Applebee's in Georgia. I don't trust those chains to make honest to goodness BBQ (I mean, where's the wood? I don't smell smoke.) or seafood or Mexican food. Basically, I don't trust them to make good food period.
Fortunately, my wife shares these sentiments. She may actually be more food adventurous than I am. So compiling lists of restaurants, perusing menu's, and reading reviews is an enjoyable past time for us. Often, one incredibly delicious, odd, hard to find or original item, will seal the deal on what establishment we choose. Our recent trip to Charleston, SC was no exception.
Charleston's reputation as a mecca for excellent local food and restaurants made winnowing our choices down challenging. Despite a six night stay we were there for our teenage sons baseball tournament. Our freedom to dine, drink, and overindulge in all the Charleston food scene has to offer was somewhat beholden to his schedule.
The list of potential can't miss restaurants on my phone is lengthy and broken down by city. Charleston alone has about 25 entries which is an unjust sliver of what the city has to offer. Typically, when it's the south, I start by looking for BBQ. Then I look for diner type locations. Then hunt down the local favorites. I like to fool myself into thinking that there aren't other tourists where we dine and that locals can't tell that we are from Ohio. But I know I'm fooling myself.
As we scanned menu's and asked opinions for weeks, we kept coming back to one menu item that caught our eyes early. The Duck Club with Duck Fat Fries at The Tattooed Moose.
A triple decker of Duck Confit (Yes, Really!!), Applewood smoked bacon, hickory smoked cheddar, garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, and red onion, all stacked on sweet Hawaiian bread and a heap of Duck fat Fries on the side!! We love duck. We have for years. Then our daughters raised market ducks for 3 years for their 4-H projects. Despite the fact they were raised to be eaten, suddenly the thought of eating ducks ourselves became a lot less appetizing. But the lure of the Duck Club at the Tattooed Moose kept calling. Unable to pass up the chance at this incredible sounding sandwich we made the trip from North Charleston to beautiful John's Island.
Pulling into the gravel parking lot immediately set my mind at ease that we had found a great little place. The building is wide, low, and non-descript. Surrounded by trees with some picnic tables for outside diners. The fact that it was 98 degrees with 90% humidity made the idea of al Fresco dining laughable. But I'm sure for much of the year it is a great outdoor location. Garage doors on one side of the building allow patron's to sit at the bar from the outside when the weather isn't as hostile. The evening we were there the garage doors were closed. Did I mention 98 degrees? That wasn't hyperbole.
The interior was dimly lit. The walls are covered in graffiti from top to bottom and adorned with mounted animal heads, antlers, neon signs, and other random accessories. And, of course, a Moosehead. It seems possible that someone involved with the place was once a part time taxidermist. However, it wasn't cheesy, obnoxious, wall tchotchkes. It worked. They seemed likely to have been scrounged up from garage sales, or random gifts from regulars.
We knew what we were going to order upon arrival. The aforementioned Duck Club. But all superstars need a supporting cast. Mick Jagger had Keith Richards, John Lennon had Paul McCartney, and for White Stripes fans, Jack White had his sister Meg. Our Duck Club would need a star studded cast to go with it. Duck fat fries seemed the obvious first choice.
The fries are hand cut and fried in fat that is 10% duck fat and 90% vegetable oil. They were delicious. A fun option that we chose to go with the fries was a dish of soft serve ice cream. Why? well, to dip the fries in, of course. This is a hack that our kids use with Wendy's fries and Frosties. I typically turn up my nose when they mention that. But now, here at the Tattooed Moose, I suddenly thought it was brilliant and we ordered the soft serve. The fries were a bit too flexible to truly penetrate the ice cream but we were able to sufficiently get enough ice cream on the fries to get the gist.
The Short Rib Chili also caught my eye. Not typically chili weather. Remember 98 degrees? But short ribs are acceptable in all weather so I went with a cup. Topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, and scallions it was filled with tender chunks of short rib. I truly feel like not enough made chili is made with chunks of meat rather than ground meat. Kudos to the Tattooed Moose for doing so.
I've mentioned in previous reviews that my wife is a slaw aficionado. She won't hesitate to order it anywhere. The Tattooed Moose offers a Blue Cheese Slaw topped with bacon. It had the creaminess of a good southern slaw but the pungent tartness of the blue cheese. The bacon was the exact right touch. It was delicious and I would order it again.
The star of our show arrived and looked amazing. The bread looked as if the sandwich had been grilled on a flattop. The meat was juicy and tender. To the uninitiated, confit is the process of slow frying meat in it's own rendered fat. Originally developed in France as a way of storing meat without refrigeration. The meat is usually salted and seasoned before being submerged in the fat. The result is tender and juicy meat.
The flavors made you want to savor every bite but also eager for the next one. A triple decker sandwich can often be tough to get your mouth around or disintegrate into a sloppy mess. The Duck Club did neither. This is a sandwich I'll remember for a long time and will recommend to anyone I know that is headed to Charleston.
On the whole, the Tattooed Moose on John's Island left me feeling good. It seems like the kind of place we would hit up often if we lived in the area. It seems like the kind of place the local restaurant employees would head to after their shift. I have no idea if that is actually the case. But the fact that it gives off that vibe is a plus.
If you're in Charleston you should make it a point to go to the Tattooed Moose. On a scale of 1-5 Moose Heads I give it 4.9 Moose Heads.
Comments