Bertha's Kitchen, Charleston, South Carolina

Re:Bertha's Kitchen, Charleston, South Carolina (Michael Stern)

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:55:04 GMT

doggydaddy

What? No dessert?
It all looks great...

mark

How about a bowl full of fruit cocktail cake?

Re:Bertha's Kitchen, Charleston, South Carolina (Nancypalooza)

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:05:17 GMT

God, that looks delicious. Great pictures!

Re:Bertha's Kitchen, Charleston, South Carolina (joerogo)

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:44:45 GMT

Soul Food is definitely under represented in my diet. The Carolina's have always been flyover country for me. I need to change that.

Looking forward to the full article.

Re:Bertha's Kitchen, Charleston, South Carolina (doggydaddy)

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:45:16 GMT

What? No dessert?
It all looks great...

mark

Re:Bertha's Kitchen, Charleston, South Carolina (Michael Stern)

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:12:47 GMT

chewingthefat

Fantastic pics, all of it has my name on it, but the Sausage and cabbage especially. Micheal, what kind of sausage is it, do they make it there, and are the hocks and pigs feet smoked?

I don't know for certain, but I am quite sure they do not make the sausage. It was kielbasa-like, but that's all I know. The feet and hocks are not smoked. Just cooked forever!

Re:Bertha's Kitchen, Charleston, South Carolina (chewingthefat)

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:30:20 GMT

Fantastic pics, all of it has my name on it, but the Sausage and cabbage especially. Micheal, what kind of sausage is it, do they make it there, and are the hocks and pigs feet smoked?

Re:Bertha's Kitchen, Charleston, South Carolina (billyboy)

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:02:11 GMT

Ahh noble pig, you nourish me in so many forms!

Re:Bertha's Kitchen, Charleston, South Carolina (Michael Stern)

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:56:05 GMT

billyboy

Oh Mr. Stern, you are a bad, bad man!! Thanks so much! Having never eaten a hamhock before could you advise how one tackles it? I always assumed they were used more for seasoning (greens, soups, stews) as opposed to being an entree.

Tackle is the correct verb. Knife and fork are inadequate because you have to do a lot of separating of lean from fat and both of them from bone. Fingers will be glistening. It's a lot of work compared to pulled pork shoulder ... but those strips of lean with just enough fat clinging to them are delicious².

Re:Bertha's Kitchen, Charleston, South Carolina (billyboy)

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:15:57 GMT

Oh Mr. Stern, you are a bad, bad man!! Thanks so much! Having never eaten a hamhock before could you advise how one tackles it? I always assumed they were used more for seasoning (greens, soups, stews) as opposed to being an entree.

Bertha's Kitchen, Charleston, South Carolina (Michael Stern)

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:00:22 GMT

Keep an eye out in an upcoming Saveur magazine for a story we wrote about Charleston soul food. Meanwhile, I'll share a few photos of the marvelous food at Bertha's Kitchen. First, the mighty hamhock:

Of course, macaroni & cheese was on the menu:

And field peas:

Pig feet, anyone?

Ok, then, how about a big ol' length of sausage?

The cabbage is great. Note all the pig meat it contains:

The place was packed with fire fighters and EMTs the day we dined:

These are the geniuses behind this restaurant: the late Bertha and her three hard-working daughters: