High Cotton Brunch

199 East Bay Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 724-3815
http://www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/highcotton

I love me a good Southern brunch. I don’t often venture out into the tourist-infested areas of downtown Charleston, but since I had friends in town I felt we should do a few select highly-Charleston activities. One of them being brunch at High Cotton, slightly south of Market on East Bay Street.

I adore High Cotton. It screams Swanky South. (Take a shower before you go there. You’ll fit in better and enjoy the experience more. ) The service is always great, the food is always killer, and the atmosphere is Chucktown at its best.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m the type of caffeine addict that can’t properly enjoy his morning before his daily brew. High Cotton has a brilliant idea for people like me:

Yes, yes, YES! The World’s Best Espresso Martini. (It even says so on the menu!) Now, I’ve had my share of espresso martinis since most of my days are already bookended by caffeine at one end and alcohol at the other . . . why not combine them? High Cotton has the best. It’s sweet and strong (in two ways) and perfect for a fancy brunch. I once went to a High Cotton farewell brunch for a friend of mine . . . two of our mutual friends each took down seven of the espresso martinis. Yes, seven. (I only had three.) They’re just that good! It’s quite nice to get your caffeine bump with a bit of tipsy-turvy at the same time (but just on weekends, kids).

But as much fun as it may be to think so, drinks are not everything in this world. High Cotton has some delicious new brunch offerings that we all gobbled up the other day. Here we have the Market Omelette. Why Market? Because the ingredients are whatever is fresh on the farm of course . . . and boy can you tell!

This week we have an omelette with farm-fresh tomatoes, basil and to-die-for bright green asparagus. Inside . . . surprise! The whole thing is stuffed with a generous helping of the best tangy goat cheese. Le swoon. On the side is the house potato hash: piping hot, crispy on the outside, and seasoned just right. Home-run plate.

For those of you with a sweet tooth . . . well, first of all, you should have an espresso martini in hand before ordering the food. But if, IF, that is not enough for you, I beg you to try the Banana Bread French Toast. Banana bread that would be amazing on its own, soaked in custard, garnished with berry butter, Bliss bourbon aged maple syrup, apple smoked bacon and blueberries. If you’re not hungry by now you have a deficiency of feeling.

Do you really need more reasons to brunch here? Go!