Blog a la Carte

The Super Bowl is upon us and what better way to recognize the biggest sporting event of the year than to talk about fried pierogies and cheese balls?

Today we ran a few suggestions from local chefs to liven up your Super Bowl bash.

Below is one more courtesy of May 5th Grill and Cantina on Hilton Head Island.

Packet Test Kitchen: An occasional series where we find a bizarre recipe, try it and write about it. This week, resident baker/my editor, Hannah Carroll, makes Elvis Cookies.

Elvis Cookies. Take a guess what those are. You're probably right.

Main ingredients: peanut butter, bananas, bacon. Yes, bacon. Makes sense in Elvis Presley lore -

The New York Times Magazine ran a feature today about Country Captain, tracing the history of the coastal Southern dish.

Culture editor Sam Sifton puts it best when he writes, "Made correctly, it captures exactly that moment of excitement you can feel when first arriving in the region from far away: a sense that everything really is different in the South, that it is the one last, true regional culture in the United States."

This is the weekend for oyster lovers.

The Bluffton Oyster Roast Saturday (Jan. 24) is a long-standing tradition along the May River.

The Lowcountry Oyster Festival near Charleston Sunday (Jan. 25) has been voted one of the best events in the South by the Southeastern Tourism Society.

Check out our story about the Bluffton event and the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association for more info about the Lowcountry fest.

The first annual Restaurant Week goes through Saturday (Jan. 31), giving foodies a reason to celebrate. About 50 local restaurants are offering fixed-price menus, meaning you can check out that place you've always wanted to go but never wanted to blow too much of your paycheck at.

Between the two of them, Aida Rogers and Tim Driggers have almost 20 years experience roaming South Carolina's back roads looking for the best out-of-the way restaurants.

"Stop Where the Parking Lot's Full: A Collection of Sandlapper's Favorite Restaurants" is a collection of the quarterly magazine's regular restaurant reviews. A few local places are profiled, including Squat 'n' Gobble, Charley's Crab and Marshside Mama's.

Welcome to Blog a la Carte, The Island Packet's new food blog.

This is a place to celebrate the good food of the Lowcountry. Come here for recipe ideas, behind-the-scenes takes on upcoming food fests, inside looks at local restaurants and more.

But, of course, this can't be done without you. We're just lowly newspaper reporters. It's you out there who knows what's good eats.