Noshing Nirvana: The best thing you ate all month - April 21, 2016

Sponsored by Chase Payne Law Firm and Paisley of Daniel Island

This month’s Nirvana represents somewhat of a culinary yin and yang. On one side is flavorful light fare intended to properly fuel and satiate. On the other side is old school farm protein fried within an inch of its life for comforting indulgence. Yes, they seem to embody opposing forces. And, sure, you could exist on one or the other. But together, they allow for health and happiness. And isn’t that what those cute little hugging paisleys meant to tell us?

Daniel Island resident Mandy Hostetler spends a lot of time on Sullivan’s Island. She’s a professional photographer and, of course, scores of Lowcountry families want their portraits taking on that beautiful strand of beach. Over the years, she’s tried just about every eatery on that Middle Street main strip, but none have afforded her the opportunity to truly “grab-n-go.” Until now.

And it turns out that what she is grabbing to go is one of her new favorite things to eat: the breakfast sandwich at gogogreens. The salad and smoothie shop opened its Sullivan’s Island doors at the beginning of this year, and though the specialty of the house is leafy, Hostetler returns again and again for a power-packed sammie. The hand-held breakfast is made with gluten-free bread, lettuce, cucumbers, tomato, havarti, and nitrate-free bacon.

“It’s hearty and gives me an energy punch for the rest of the day! The coffee is awesome also!” exclaims Hostetler, clearly jacked up on locally-sourced ingredients and caffeine. “If I have time, I go on a long power walk at the beach before or after my delicious meal.”

If your family photos turn out especially vibrant – or it turns out Hostetler has given you 500 from which to choose - you might thank gogogreens for its role in that.

This next story is titled (by our eater-reader), “Chick’s Fry House, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Fried Chicken.” Begins Kyle Strahler, Shell Ring resident, “Take mama’s fried chicken and put it in an electric chair…”

He goes on to attest that, whether you are a standard, hot, or extra hot (“roast-your-eyeballs-out” hot) fried chicken lover, Chick’s Fry House does it right. The compact eatery at the downtown corner of King and Grove Streets (this is upper upper King) does dine-in or carry-out, and even sports a handy drive-thru pickup window. Known for its inner-juicy/outer-crispy poultry perfection, Chick’s happens to also offer “amazing” sides like mac-n-cheese and giblet gravy over rice.

“It’s the little touches that make this fine little hideaway so tasty, too,” reports Strahler, “like Boylan’s (soda) at the fountain machine and tasty craft brews from Coast Brewing.” The $11 basket, which includes a breast, wing, biscuit, and two sides, will leave you with either a doggy bag or a nice hibernation layer. Still, Strahler says, “If you are lucky enough to be there when they have it, be ready to take home some bread pudding. A perfect way to top off some kicked-up home cooking.”

Want to share your tale of noshing nirvana? It’s simple – just respond to the following:

1) Where were you served the best thing you ate all month?

2) What was the food that left you speechless (mainly because you couldn’t stop horking it down)?

3) Can you describe what made the dish so magical? Be sure to speak slowly...

4) Dish more on the dish, if you can - price, portion size, availability on regular menu, and the psychological repercussions of consuming something so rad.

5) Please email a photo of your to-die-for dish and responses to the four questions above (don’t leave any out!) to jennifer@thedanielislandnews.com.