Customer Reviews

Cooking in the Lowcountry from The Old Post Office Restaurant: Spanish Moss, Warm Carolina Nights, and Fabulous Southern Food (Roadfood Cookbook)

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Having dined at The Old Post Office Restaurant on many occassions, I was thrilled to discover that Chef Philip Bardin has put some of his culinary creations to pen and paper for all of us to try at home. I'm blessed to live in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, near The Old Post Office Restaurant, and therefore I have access to some of the same sources of fresh produce, fresh seafood, and quality meats and poultry that the restaurant does. Chef Bardin emphasizes that you have to start with quality ingredients like they use in the restaurant to achieve the best results. With my already having access to quality ingredients, this book provides the final piece of the puzzle and allows me, and my friends, to create some of the same dishes we crave at The Old Post Office Restaurant. This book also provides a wonderful glimpse of our local culture on and around Edisto Island, South Carolina. Living near Edisto Island, I can say that the book gets it right when talking about the local culture, and if you're not from this area the book does an excellent job of introducing you to our wonderful, unique, paradise. If you don't think you'd enjoy the taste of "The Lowcountry" then you haven't tried our food or you haven't been able to try it done right. This book from Chef Bardin of The Old Post Office Restaurant will help you do do southern food right.

I have several of the Stern's books, and I have a particular affinity for Southern food. I've been to Charleston several times but I'm sorry to say I have not yet been to the the Old Post Office. I have made several recipes from this book and enjoyed them as I do all lowcountry food, but one recipe in particular has elevated this cookbook above most of my other Southern cookbooks (and I have them all, honey, from Miss Lewis to Miss Paula).

After eating at Jestine's Kitchen in Charleston, I became obsessed with the widely-recommended Coca-Cola cake. I'm not even a cake lover, but like the fabled Loveless Cafe Biscuit recipe, Jestine's Coca-Cola Cake is legendary in the Lowcountry, and the owner will not give up the recipe for anything. I made dozens of different Coca-Cola and even Dr. Pepper cakes searching for that special quality that Jestine's had. I keep a giant closeup photo from the Stern's website of a piece of Jestine's cake so I can compare each one I make to the real thing. But every recipe variation I tried was lacking something, until I tried the one from this cookbook.

Hallelujah! The Old Post Office Restaurant cookbook has a recipe for Coca-Cola cake that comes so close to Jestine's that it's hard the tell the difference. I got immediately boyfriend approval, and he's been pushing me to find "the real Coca-Cola Cake" for three years since we both tried it. Finally! Buy this book for that recipe alone!

I had the wonderful experience many years ago to dine at the Old Post Office Restaurant on Edisto Island, S.C. and was thrilled to see the cookbook! I am located on the West Coast so some of the ingredients are not readily available, but I have found some stores online that carry some of the spices and it has been fun to be able to reproduce the recipes that are so unique and not common in our area. If anyone ever gets the chance to take the adventurous ride to the Old Post Office and dine, you will have the best meal ever!!

The book includes many of Chef Phil Bardin's best dishes served at The Old Post Office during his early days there. Chef Bardin left Edisto for some time and returned several years ago when The Old Post Office re-opened. I had the pleasure of meeting him and he is truly a "Southern Gentleman". Sadly, I recently learned that Chef Bardin has left Edisto for other opportunities. The book is out of print and impossible to find locally. The only source that I know the book can be found is Amazon. I urge all to get this masterpiece of low-country specalties while it still can be found.

My daughter loves this cookbook. She was recently married and has enjoyed many of the recipes.