ART + ARCHITECTURE
the Sublime…
Normal in Charleston
Glazed Gourmet (one might consider
opting for this pastry when “hair of
the dog” is in order, as the primary
ingredient in the glaze is Guinness
Stout), and the small plates at The
Elliotborough Mini-Bar’s Tuesday
night Pop-Up would make Pete Wells’
head spin. Kitschy and twee Xiao Bao
Biscuit, housed in a former gas station,
offers not Southern comfort food, but
rather a riff on “Asian Soul Food”,
a panoply of fusion dishes inspired
by “kick-ass, pan-Asian grandmothers everywhere”, as well as a fab
stab at fusion mixology. Try the Sun
Wukong, which blends sweet Tequila,
chili honey, ginger beer, and fresh
pressed apple juice.
Although a Glazed Gourmet doughnut is arguably not a piece of art, this
unique pastry, along with the other
gastronomic offerings cited above, are
perhaps apt symbols of what is happening in Charleston, where the quotidian is morphing into the sublime.
And it is not just the food that is being
crafted with an artistic sensibility…it
seems every endeavor is infused with
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