Plums & Saltus – Terrific Lowcountry Dishes

-DiscoverSouthCarolina.com

Two restaurants you would enjoy trying on your next visit to the Beaufort area are Saltus River Grill and Plums.

Both are owned by the same company, Plums Inc., and both have beautiful views of the Beaufort River. They are about a block apart on Bay Street. You can be sure you’ll get lots of local foods because they are both Certified South Carolina Grown and both partners in the state’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative.
I had the chance to eat at both during a trip to Beaufort several weeks ago.

Saltus is sophisticated but casual. An outdoor patio, with strands of white lights at night, is a beautiful spot to dine during nice weather.

Chef Brian Waters, a Beaufort native, offers some interesting food combinations. For example, I had a caramelized sea scallop and pulled pork shoulder dish. The dish started with a serving of collards, topped by the pork. Two cornmeal hoe cakes sat on top of the pork, and the beautiful, delicious scallops crowned the dish. Another unexpected twist is that shelled, spicy boiled peanuts surrounded the dish.
My husband had bison short rib, served over pasta with a mushroom cream sauce. This was a hearty and tasty meal.

We also shared a smoked chicken liver pate, served Dijon mustard and brioche toast.

Saltus also has a sushi and raw bar where oysters and local shrimp are served.

Plums is a bit more casual and appears to be a favorite gathering spot for Beaufort folks. There are some dining spaces on the porch, and live entertainment is scheduled many Friday and Saturday nights.

A new chef, Joshua Castillo, took over the kitchen there earlier this fall. So many dishes on this menu sound amazing that it was tough to decide. I chose crab-stuffed flounder, served with shoestring yellow squash. It was wonderful, but I’d also love to try one of the specialty salads – candied pecan and Roquefort, sesame-seared tuna, as well as Caesar, Greek, spinach and Cobb.

The pasta dishes also sound scrumptious: chicken in a cayenne cream sauce; and shrimp, mussels and chorizo sausage over orzo.

Beaufort is a beautiful Lowcountry town perfect for a long weekend stay. Try Saltus River Grill and Plums while you’re there.

Palmettovore?

-The Island Packet

Tomatoes, squash, peppers and sweet corn are among the produce in season at Dempsey Farms on St. Helena Island. Passing motorists stop to pick from the acres of tomatoes. A few of those customers are chefs. And they’re starting to get recognition for the fact that those fried green tomatoes on the menu, for example, are coming from the farm down the road.

Plums in Beaufort is one of the latest restaurants to sign up for the Fresh on the Menu program — part of the Certified South Carolina program for locally grown products.

To qualify for the program, more than 25 percent of a restaurant’s menu has to come from local ingredients. At certain times of the year, such as now, when the growing season is at its peak, as much as half of Plums’ menu is local, said Chip Dinkins, director of operations for Plums and its sister restaurant, Saltus.

“We get as much as we can locally,” he said.

The S.C. Department of Agriculture rolled out Certified South Carolina in May 2007, a rebranding of an older eat local campaign intended to give local farmers a boost. A year later, Fresh on the Menu was introduced. More than 200 restaurants have signed up statewide in that time, 35 of those in Beaufort County.

The Certified South Carolina logo can be found anywhere from tomatoes in the supermarket to the window sticker at a restaurant. The products vary from meat to shellfish to fruits and veggies — even the nonedible, such as turfgrass.

The campaign came after agriculture department studies showing that the vast majority of South Carolinians would buy produce from in-state given all else was equal; even if the price were high, half of those residents said they’d still buy local.

The agriculture department recently rolled out the “Palmettovore” campaign. It’s a play off the term “locavore” — a person who only eats foods grown within 100 miles of where he or she lives. June was declared Palmettovore Challenge Month to try to get more people to eat locally.

The benefit is threefold, according to the agriculture department: locally grown products are fresher, meaning better tasting and healthier; local products support the local economy; and local products don’t require as much transport, helping cut the use of fuel.

Dinkins said Plums and Saltus get their produce, shrimp and meats from a variety of Lowcountry farmers, depending on the season. The restaurants recently held a Locally Grown Wine Dinner with Dempsey Farms and Seaside Farm to showcase local food.

“As far as our chefs are concerned, fresh produce is the best,” Dinkins said. “It ensures quality.”

Whether the program is actually helping is the next question. The agriculture department is waiting on a study from Clemson University to see what type of impact the program is having, said spokesman Stephen Hudson.

Davey Dempsey, a third-generation owner of Dempsey Farms, said he’s encouraged by the campaign but still waiting to see if it can help his business.

“People are starting to recognize the signs and the stickers and all that,” he said. “It’s been big in Charleston, but it’s spreading down here. It’s a good idea, and I think people will start recognizing it more often.”

Plums Restaurant recognized for locally grown food

-The Island Packet

Plums Inc. recently earned recognition for its use of local foods at its two downtown Beaufort restaurants, Saltus River Grill and Plums Restaurant.

The S.C. Department of Agriculture granted the company “Certified South Carolina Grown” status for its use of local produce and meat.

Plums also participates in the Department of Agriculture’s Fresh on the Menu program by preparing menus that contain at least 25 percent certified South Carolina grown fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood.

The program is a cooperative effort among producers, processors, wholesalers, retailers and the agriculture department to brand and promote the state’s food products.

Plums raises $1000 for injured Veterans

-The Island Packet

Plums Restaurant at 904 Bay St., Beaufort recently hosted a Stone Brewing Company beer dinner to benefit The Independence Fund. The dinner raised approximately $1,000 for the organization.

The Independence Fund committee is raising money for this charity to help cover the expenses of some of the severely injured veterans and their caregivers who will attend a concert given by “Forrest Gump” star Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band. The free concert will support troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. The event is part of Beaufort’s annual Shrimp Festival in October.

Plums Locally Grown Wine Dinner

-The Island Packet

The term “locavore” has started to become more and more common these days. It’s referring to the practice of eating only locally grown foods. In South Carolina, the buzzword is Palmettovore. Only eating local can be difficult, but Plums restaurant in Beaufort has been hosting locally grown wine dinners recently to prove it can be done.

Plums had its most recent locally grown dinner Tuesday. Carrie Carper from Adagio Creative was kind enough to send over the recipe for the tempura fried zucchini with palm sugar cured grilled prawns (pictured at the right). Try it out for yourself and let me know how it goes.

The next Plums dinner will actually be a beer dinner featuring Stone Brewing Co. Aug. 10. The dinner will serve as a fundraiser for the 2010 Lt. Dan Weekend.

Check out Plums Facebook page for a video of the most recent feast and the full menu. And, stay tuned for more details about the upcoming beer dinner.

Tempura Fried Zucchini and Palm Sugared Grilled Prawns with Yuzu Aioli

1 zucchini
1/2 pound jumbo shrimp
1 ounce yuzu sauce
1 cup mayo
1 cup palm sugar diluted with water 50/50
2 cups tempura batter

Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch vertical strips and marinate peeled shrimp (leaving tail on) in the palm sugar mix. Combine the yuzu sauce with mayo, add zest of one lime to the mixture and let stand for one hour.

Batter zucchini in tempura and fry. At the same time grill the shrimp for two minutes on each side, place on zucchini and drizzle with yuzu sauce.