Guerrilla Cuisine-inspired LIME gets green light

LIME (Local. Impromptu. Moveable. Evening.) is Charleston's newest underground experience created by chef Renata Dos Santos.

Think underground supper, guerrilla gourmet, passwords and local, seasonal foods.

The first installment of LIME will take place 5 p.m. Sept. 18.

Dos Santos will serve as chef for this initial event, and there will be a special guest mixologist.

The location will be revealed two days before the event via e-mail to confirmed guests.

Tickets are $125 with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Simply Divine Garden, a local nonprofit that plants personalized organic gardens at the homes of people undergoing treatment for cancer.

Tickets can be purchased at www.limeincharleston.com.

Cold beer

Laura Alberts at 891 Island Park Drive, Daniel Island, will host a Southern Tier beer dinner at 7 p.m. Friday.

Cost is $45 plus tax and gratuity. To reserve, call 881-4711 for the four-course menu partnered with the small-batch craft beers of the summer season: Heavy Weizen, Hop Sun, Farmer's Tan, Unearthly IPA and Mokah brewed with chocolate and coffee!

Executive chef Matt Brigham's menu brings these beers to life.

Bon Appetit

McCrady's bar menu and chef Sean Brock's creativity are featured in Bon Appetit magazine on sale this week.

Check out the article and then go taste for yourself. The changing menu is posted in the chalk at McCrady's bar.

Fried bread and butter pickles with Green Goddess dressing: These are not your momma's gherkins!

For the recipe, visit www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/09/fried_bread_and_butter_pickles_with_green_goddess_dressing.

Also, the Charleston Crepe Co. is featured as the top spot to get lunch at the Charleston Farmers Market. Check it out in the September issue.

Shake it up, baby

The winner of this year's Circa 1886 Christmas Cocktail Contest is not only a tribute to the flavors of the holiday season but to the Holy City's many mansions, including the Wentworth Mansion, which houses Circa 1886 in the former carriage house.

Nona Pontiff of Mount Pleasant took first place with her Gingerbread Mansion Martini, featuring vanilla vodka, dark chocolate liqueur and fresh ginger-infused simple syrup. The martini glass was garnished with crushed graham crackers.

Circa 1886 executive chef Marc Collins, restaurant manager Mark Severs and head bartender Brooks Alger selected three finalists.

Judges then tasted and ranked each one on originality and flavors. Judges were Marcus Amaker, editor of Charleston Scene; Greg Hambrick, news editor of the Charleston City Paper; and Brooke Ryan of 95SX morning show "Two Girls & A Guy."

This seasonal cocktail will be served at Circa 1886 in December. The restaurant is at 149 Wentworth St., 853-7828, www.circa1886.com.

Hit the dock

Crosby's Dock Cook-Outs are now official.

Join the fun at 6-10 p.m. Fridays. A simple, seasonal menu is prepared from local seafood. Beer and wine are on the menu. No reservations are needed.

This is a cash-only enterprise. For more details, call 795-4049. The dock is at 2223 Folly Road.

Seafood event

Wine on the Water celebrates the S.C. Aquarium and all proceeds from this culinary event benefit the Aquarium's conservation and education programs.

Participating restaurants and chefs are High Cotton Charleston, along with Amen Street Fish and Raw Bar, Blu Restaurant and Bar, The Buccaneer and Saffire at the Marriott.

Wine on the Water takes place 7-9 p.m. Tuesday. Chefs from each restaurant will create a sustainable seafood dish for guests to enjoy along with paired wines. There will be live music.

Tickets are $25 for Aquarium members and $35 for nonmembers, and can be purchased online or by calling 577-3474. The Aquarium is at 100 Aquarium Wharf, www.scaquarium.org.

Wine + Food

Tickets to the BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival on March 3-6 will be available before Sept. 2 to food enthusiasts who book hotel packages as part of a special Hotel Package Promotion.

Tickets to the festival have typically sold out months before the opening weekend and hotel packages are a way to secure tickets.

All hotel packages are subject to availability. For complete hotel package promotion details, visit, www.wineandfoodpackages.com.

For more information about the festival visit charlestonwineandfood.com or call 727-9889, ext. 1. Online ticket sales begin Sept. 2

Regional classic

Hominy Grill's shrimp and grits were just selected as one of America's Best Top 10 Regional Classics by the Food Network.

The restaurant and its grits will be featured in an upcoming Food Network special, "America's 10 Best Regional Classics" hosted by Alton Brown on Sept. 22.

Hominy Grill's chocolate pudding also was recently featured on the Food Network on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate."

Hominy Grill is at 207 Rutledge Ave.; 937-0930; hominygrill.com.

Now open

King Street Grille inside the Citadel Mall, Sam Rittenberg Boulevard is now open for lunch, dinner and late night.

Coming soon

--Dog & Duck's third location, 1124 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., the week of Sept. 13. www.dogandduckfamilypubs.com.

--TabbUli Grill to 6 North Market Street. 628-5959; www.tabbuligrill.com.

--Black Bean Co.'s grand opening at 116 Spring St. is Sept. 15. 277-0990; www.BlackBeanCo.com.