Back in April, my dad and I traveled down to South Carolina for the first time in order to tour the College of Charleston. But before we did anything else in the city, we just had to eat at the "Tattooed Moose. Seeing a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives is all it takes for a restaurant to make my dad's bucket list. About a block away from the Tattooed Moose, we pass on our right a tiny, pink shack-looking building and couldn't help but wonder, "Now that has to be good."
Fast forward three months. My family and I were looking up restaurants to eat at during our stay in Charleston when we saw "Martha Lou's Kitchen" featured nearly on every southern-living blog. Now that we've eaten there, in the tiny, pink, shack-looking building, I can confidently say I am not surprised. Here's why:
When you walk into Martha Lou's, your first thought is, "This is it?" To your right, there are seven tables, dressed with a bright (pink) floral tablecloth that perfectly compliments the building's color, set within a dining space whose width is no more than 10 feet. The walls are covered in newspaper articles, family photos, artwork, and not to my surprise, framed photos of the Obamas. I was sold. But, the aesthetic of this little southern, home-style restaurant wasn't the only thing worth complimenting.
Don't be in a rush when you sit down to eat in Martha's Lou's Kitchen, but trust me, the magic they're doing in the back is worth the wait.
Fried Chicken: An absolute must. If you only get one thing mentioned in this article, do yourself a favor and get the fried chicken. It was served extremely hot, right out of the fryer. Its consistent gold skin was not too greasy and not too crispy. The look, the smell, the taste- everything about it was just right.
Mac and Cheese: You could easily tell that this oven-baked side was made with real cheese, as I would describe it using one word: savory. To me, savory tastes better hot, so don't hesitate to start eating!
Lima Beans: Now I know what you're thinking, but hear me out. If you like baked beans, you're going to love these. The beans seemed to be in a rather sweet, country gravy sauce and gave me vibes of my grandmother's garden. They're worth trying- that's all I can tell you.
Bread Pudding: This side didn't quite meet our expectations (in a good way), so we knew it was made from a homemade recipe. The bread pudding was very dense (thus very filling) and was made with real peaches. However, I didn't find it to be very sweet. It had a savory, peppery taste and somehow resembled the flavors of the fall season, which I love.
Cornbread: This was the sweetest side of them all, so much so that it could have been considered a dessert. The flaky cornbread had traces of vanilla and was the perfect side to balance out the saltiness of the collard greens (a side that my dad ate) and the savory flavors of the mac n cheese.
Sweet Tea: We read a review before eating that night that had mentioned the sweet tea tasted like it came from out of a bottle. I will admit that there were small hints of Lipton's half and half (half tea, half lemonade) but there is no doubt in my mind that Martha Lou's tea was brewed in the back. Taste it for yourself.
