Bertha's Kitchen

"Macaroni and cheese is served how you like it: either all soft, from the center of the baking pan, or crunchy-chewy, from the top and edges. This serving has some of each."
Michael Stern






"Fried Chicken comes hot from the deep-fryer with a fissured red-gold crust that oozes savory juice. This close shot barely hints at just how succulent it is."
Michael Stern



"What soul food meal doesn't go better with a side order of yams cooked so long that they caramelize?"
Michael Stern



"An every-Tuesday dish of what the blackboard menu lists as turkey prioleau is a coastal comfort-food paradigm of long grain rice laced with shreds of white and dark meat, saturated with turkey drippin's and dotted with pepper to boldface the flavor."
Michael Stern



"I never knew lima beans could be so astonishingly good. You can have them alone (shown here), redolent of porky flavor, or served with a heap of meaty neck bones: a huge, whole meal unto itself. In the background are mac 'n' cheese and a fried chicken drumstick."
Michael Stern



"Red rice is a Lowcountry staple, a good bed for nearly any meat or vegetable. Bertha's offers it with little discs of spicy sausage."
Michael Stern



"Bertha's is one of a handful of unassuming African-American eateries that are part of the great adventure that is Charleston eating."
Michael Stern



"A portrait of Bertha and her family greets you at the front door."
Michael Stern



"I can't say I know exactly what Bertha's motto means, but I do know that it is the source of sensational soul food."
Michael Stern