Caviar and Bananas and Sparkling Christmas Trees

Yesterday, it rained in Charleston.  It was the end of my first training session, so class let out early; however, being new in the city, and not wanting to wander in the rain, I retraced my steps from the day before, through streets I was familiar with.  On my wanderings the night before, I came upon Caviar and Banans, it looked like a great place for gourment take-away, so I walked over and took a better look. 

 The food counter at Caviar and Bananas

Located at 51 George Street, Caviar and Bananas boasts a modern interior, an eclectic menu of organic food, a coffee and dessert bar, a great selection of wine and cheese, and flavor aides for both the amateur and professional cook. The staff are very friendly and very helpful and when I asked if I could take pictures for my blog, they were very accomodating.  Everything on their menu looked delectable, so choosing dinner was a quite a task.  I finally settled on two (thick) medallions of spice-rubbed seared beef tenderloin, grilled asparagus, braised collard greens, and a large crab cake...the walk and the cold left me famished!

The tenderloin was cooked to perfection - pink, soft, and moist in the middle, with a seared, spicy crust.  Grilled asparagus is not something too difficult to cook, but these spears were flavored and grilled just right.  Since collared greens are my new favorite vegetable I have discovered that there is more than one way to cook them - these were cooked with tasso ham.  My last item of choice was the crab cake.  Made with fresh lump crab meat, this one was a bit different because the crab was not entirely shredded.  I tasted a hint of wasabi which made this crab cake one for my books.

A rack full of goodies...spices, sauces, pasta, dips, herbs 

Food her in Charleston is relatively cheap.  My dinner at Caviar and Bananas cost me under $15 which makes it a great place for the population that it serves - college students. 

What a great selection of cheeses from around the world

After perusing the shelves and sampling some cheese, I had to leave, or else I would have sat there and eaten until I couldn't move.  What a super little find!  After my dinner adventure, I was off to the Francis Marion Park to see the sparkling Christmas Trees.

Christmas wonderland at the Francis Marion Park