The new Blossom? I think I'm a fan.
For the most part, that is. (There are still a few things we need to address, Mr. and Mrs. New Owners, but we'll get to that in a few minutes.)
A longtime and loved institution in downtown Charleston, Blossom Dairy, near the South Side Bridge on Quarrier Street, has gone through a couple of different iterations during the past 89 years.
Originally an old-fashioned soda fountain, the iconic spot was shuttered for years before late restaurateur Bill Sohovich reopened it in 1984 as an upscale deli during the day that transformed itself into one of Charleston's most elegant dining experiences - with a delicious, but completely different, menu - at night.
Sadly, that version of Blossom closed in late 2010. New owners re-opened it a few months later, but a few months is all it would last. It closed abruptly in July 2011 and remained vacant until this fall. That's when Tim and Valerie Street, owners of EZ Street bar in St. Albans, brought it back to life once again.
The "new" Blossom Dairy reopened exactly one month ago today, mostly as the same 1950s-style soda fountain it once was, but with a few modern twists. A small bar now offers craft beer, wine and cocktails (and growlers for filling) and a handful of entrées join a selection of old and new Blossom soups, salads and sandwiches.
Ice cream, sundaes and floats are still on the menu, but they've been joined by a handful of adult "liquor milkshakes" spiked with Kahlua, Grand Marnier, Bailey's Irish Crème and other flavored spirits.
I've visited several times over the past few weeks for lunches, dinners or just a drink - and I really like what I see so far. But the question everyone keeps asking is if the new Blossom is the same as the old Blossom. The answer is no, but it's making a good go and standing on its own.
If you stop by in an attempt to relive those Sohovich-era glory days, you'll likely leave a little disappointed. But if you go in with an open mind, willing to embrace a new place that gives a nod to its past, I think you'll become a fan like me.
The food is (mostly) good, the service is (mostly) great and the atmosphere is (completely) cool, a retro mix of glass, tile and chrome blended with patriotic red, white and blue décor that serves up a slice of classic Americana at its best.
You can sink your teeth into an Angus bacon cheeseburger, a classic Reuben or Rachael, pulled pork, a French Dip, BLT, ham and Swiss, or a turkey and Muenster sandwich, or order a Caesar, Southwest or Buffalo chicken or club salad, perhaps with a bowl of soup or chili.
Appetizers include jumbo wings, pretzel sticks with cheese, chips, salsa and such, with entrées like braised pork shoulder, grilled chicken and chopped steak served with vegetable of the day and either mashed Yukon gold potatoes or rice pilaf.
And there's a lineup of 10 signature coleslaws ranging from bleu cheese, xarolina and chipotle to tropical, horseradish and garlic. We jokingly wondered if you could order a "flight" of coleslaws on the way down for our first visit, but the joke was on us when we got there. You can!
I've attacked this menu, experiencing mostly good results with just a few hiccups along the way.
The fried zucchini straws are merely OK, but the Boom Boom shrimp that is breaded, fried and coated in spicy garlic sauce were a big hit with my three sons - so much so that they followed this appetizer with the Boom Boom shrimp taco for dinner. The insanely rich-and-thick beer cheese soup makes a delicious dip, but a soup it is not. (Exhibit A: It doesn't fall off your spoon when turned upside down. Exhibit B: It doesn't rest evenly in the bowl but mounds up in the middle of it exactly how it's spooned in.)
A few Blossom classics make an appearance on the menu. The hearty quarter-pound hot dog is still good, and their new take on the Blossom Bisque with roasted red peppers, bacon, Gouda and cream is fantastic. The ol' beloved Undecided Salad featuring scoops of egg, chicken and tuna salad atop mesclun greens is now the Triple Threat. Similar concept, just not as well executed.
The egg salad has a strikingly similar texture, but not as much zip as before. The tuna salad has an odd tartness to it. The chicken salad is actually made with too much chunky chicken (an odd complaint, I know) and not enough other ingredients to make it as creamy and flavorful as it should be. And the scoops are mounded on mostly iceburg lettuce, not the dark red and green leafy goodness of yesteryear.
Slaw-wise, the German version spiked with smoky bacon, apple cider and onions is the best of the bunch, although we liked the tangy horseradish and garlic options, too. The Oriental has a hint of soy mixed in, but really needs some sesame seeds, green onions or something else to give it more of a Far-East feel. The jalapeno slaw was too overpowering with large chunks of pepper that would've been better received had they been more finely diced. The traditional and Carolina options need more creamy mayonnaise and tangy vinegar, respectively, to bring them together.
The Italian Cubano of pork shoulder, ham, Provolone, pepperoni, honey mustard, pickles and Carolina slaw is a solid sandwich, and the delicious chopped steak comes with two large Angus beef patties topped with grilled onions and savory brown gravy, although the onions atop it were raw the second time we ordered it.
And that leads us to the smoked beef brisket, a dish that now keeps me up at night wondering where it's going to land.
We tried this a week ago and quickly declared it one of the finest meals in Charleston. Thinly sliced brisket was oozing with juices and flavor, and the grilled veggies served alongside were impeccably cooked and seasoned. Everyone around the table oooh'd and aaah'd. But when we ordered it again this past week, it wasn't quite as good. A little drier and a little more bland, with lackluster veggies.
Along with other inconsistencies, I sure hope they get this one worked out. Because that original brisket was one mighty fine dish! And speaking of working things out, here are a few other problems that need to be addressed. Like, today.
The menu itself is terrible. Not the food on it but the actual printed piece, which lists items in a tiny decorative font that is extremely difficult to read during the day - and darn near impossible at night when the lights are turned down to provide a more intimate setting.
Although the place offers a nice selection of craft beer, there's no menu that tells you what brews are available. There is a list that names what breweries the beers come from (like local Charleston Brewing Company, for instance) but nothing that tells you exactly which Charleston brew is on tap. If you want to know (and who wouldn't?), this leads to an awkward exchange with servers, who also don't know and have to go ask the bar. Printing a simple list for each server or table would only take minutes and pennies to do.
Finally, food preparation and service needs to sync up a little better. Except for one server who kept reaching in front of guests (while they were eating) to deliver and remove plates from the opposite side of the table, most service has been friendly, competent and on point. But both times we've taken groups of 5 or more to dinner, each person's food has been delivered at different times, leading to that whole "do we start eating or wait" dilemma, wondering if the rest will come in seconds, minutes or longer.
There are a few other minor issues, like some saying the prices are a bit high for the quality and quantity of food served. I tend to agree. A mini-ramekin of slaw will run you $2, and the $9 liquor shakes, $6 regular shakes and $4 floats seem particularly pricey. But these, and the bigger problems above, are all easily fixable.
I still miss the old Blossom's more creative sandwiches, nicer salads and top-notch dinner experience. But the casual new Blossom is a nice enough spot when judged on its own merits. I think this latest iteration will be around for quite some time. IF YOU GO: Blossom Dairy at 904 Quarrier St. in downtown Charleston is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, call 304-345-9999, visit www.blossomdairy.biz or look up "Blossom Dairy" on Facebook.
Steven Keith writes a weekly food column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or by email at dailymailfoodguy@aol.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and Pinterest as "DailyMail FoodGuy," on Twitter as "DMFoodGuy" and read his blog at http://blogs.wvgazettemail.com/foodguy/.