Dog Days. The name is derived from the lingering appearance of the brightest star in the night skies of summer. Sirius, the main attraction in the constellation Canis Major, or Big Dog, is a prominent throughout the days of June, July, and August. It’s no coincidence that the hot dog gets a special place on summertime tables. As cuisine has evolved to a high level in the Lowcountry, so has the hot dog. I present you EatThisCharleston.com’s Dog Show.
Dog Days, Vol. II: Perfectly Franks
By Patrick Graham
Summerville is a bit off the beaten path for most people in the metro area, and it's not uncommon for me to have issues with a city's layout if I haven't been there that many times. It's my own fault, as the Ville isn't that far, it has a cute little downtown, and it contains many little gems for one to discover if you look hard enough. Perfectly Franks is one of those gems, and the layout issue I was alluding to is the "parking lot" along North Main. Regulars of this famed hot dog joint are figuratively pointing and laughing at me right now, and some are actually pointing at their computer monitors or smartphones and laughing at their screen. The stack of cars begins right in front of PF's main entrance and continues up the main drag, and as popular as this place is, I knew that an open 8 x 16 foot box of asphalt was going to be a bit of a challenge, even on an off Tuesday. I eventually beat the odds and landed a spot directly in front of one of the most popular eateries in Dorchester County (my mother has "parking karma"...sometimes it works for me).
On a bustling Thursday morning in July, Paul Godbout, wife Marla, son Mike and adopted son Andy are getting ready for the Sellsfish weekend rush. Hour after hour, the boxes pour into the cutting room. They are immediately opened and inspected for quality. If they are up to muster, they are put in their designated freezers; if not, they are sent back. The phone is ringing off the hook about large orders for clams and shrimp. The store will clear through 1500 pounds of freight from now through the upcoming Sunday; Godbout says there’s a line of customers sometimes 25 deep. And not all of them live close by; they have customers from Kiawah and Mount Pleasant too. Godbout tells me they “are working their tails off” and “it's always like this around here, it never stops.”
I have never been a little brother. I am the elder of my parents’ two children, and I have known many little brothers. In my experience, it is not uncommon for the younger of the two to strike out on his own and strive to be nothing like his senior sibling, especially after taking a crack at emulating that big brother as a result of an innate sense of reverence. Few role models present themselves as easily or more prominently early on in a boy’s life.
Inventive dishes and fabulous service set 
When a local business becomes an indelible part of its community pretty quickly, it can be hard to look back and think they’re only 7 years old; it can be even harder to think how you all got along before they arrived. This is the story of the Coastal Cupboard (CC), a kitchen supply store and cooking workshop in Belle Hall Shopping Center, off Long Point Road in Mount Pleasant. I would be sorely missing out if I didn’t check in with them every couple weeks just to see well-designed, hard to find gadgets and décor my kitchen or a loved one’s kitchen may be missing.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association (CFADA) will give you a chance to find out what special ingredients make Charleston the #1 travel destination in the United States! On Friday, July 13, 2012, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., take pleasure in the historic city’s finest indulgences on the Seventh Annual Palette and Palate Stroll, an evening dedicated to fine art, unique cuisine and wine.
by Chris West
People read restaurant reviews so they can make an informed decision on whether or not they want to take a chance on an establishment that they have never laid eyes on or just driven past. They also read because they want to solidify an opinion that they have obtained by word of mouth from their contemporaries. Furthermore, they read because they just like hearing about good food.
Biscuits. They’re a quintessentially American quick bread. They have a handful of basic ingredients, embodying just how simple delicious can be. Ironically, they are not quick or easy to master for light, fluffy, melt in your mouth results; it takes a practiced hand. Like other Lowcountry lost arts, Sweetgrass baskets and wrought iron gates, for example, those with “practiced hands” have a way of making their craft look easy. Callie White is among them; she grew up making biscuits several times a day in a family of native South Carolinians. With her daughter , Carrie Bailey-Morey at the helm, they are keeping this family tradition strong and very much alive, while making it easier than ever for everyday overscheduled families to enjoy them too.