Hominy Grill (Breakfast): Grits are Good For You in the A.M. [CLOSED]

Breakfast Charleston

Even though Hominy Grill resides outside Charleston’s historic core, chef Robert Stehling has still managed to cultivate a national reputation on the strength of his refined Southern food and the charming setting. In 2000, New York Times writer William Grimes said Hominy Grill served “what may well be the best breakfast in the Carolinas, which means one of the best in America.” Based on my repeated experiences over the past decade, their breakfast has gotten even better, so even though I’d written about LUNCH and DINNER, it was impossible to resist writing about breakfast.

Hominy Grill occupies the ground floor of a three-story edifice that dates to 1897, in a space that used to be a barbershop. Diners are greeted in the parking lot by a huge mural that features a waitress named Rosie, a steaming bowl of grits and a noble motto: “Grits are good for you.” Indoors, the walls are cream-colored, the floors dark wood, and the ceiling pressed tin. The bathroom is even a talking point, lined with framed photos of Chef Stehling with celebrities like Anthony Hopkins, Lou Reed and Adam Richman from Man vs. Food. In warmer weather, the outdoor patio is the best place to enjoy those sticky Southern nights.


No visit to Hominy Grill would be complete without a taste of their namesake ingredient, so we ordered a bowl of shrimp and grits ($13.95), which works just as well at breakfast as it does at lunch. When taken seriously, grits are an advanced alternative to oatmeal, with more texture. Hominy’s deluxe version is (you guessed it) gritty, folded with a judicious amount of cheese and flavored with fresh garlic, Tabasco and lemon juice, leading to a tantalizing tang. The bowl is topped with crispy squares of bacon, scallions, and thin-sliced button mushrooms. These grits are certainly bar-setters.

Breakfast Charleston
Big Nasty Biscuit ($7.95) wasn’t as devastating as it sounded, mainly because Stehling showed some restraint. The cheddar and sausage gravy was tempered with real-life vegetables like bell peppers. The biscuit was flavored with shortening, buttermilk AND lard, so there was plenty of flavor, but it didn’t leave my fingers greasy. The central chicken breast was fried in corn oil until batter became dark and crispy, locking in the bird’s juices.

Breakfast Charleston
One of the day’s specials was homemade bologna, which was nothing like the smooth overly processed discs you’ll find in supermarkets. Hominy Grill’s version was coarser, pan-fried and gives B-O-L-O-G-N-A a good name.

Breakfast Charleston
Even the coffee was good. Hominy Grill brews a house blend from Counter Culture Coffee featuring three different Latin American beans. My mug was served with a tiny metal pitcher of cream, which was completely unnecessary.

Breakfast Charleston
We ordered both kinds of Hominy Grill bread to go: banana bread ($3.95) flavored with brown sugar, vanilla and oats; and ginger pumpkin bread ($3.95) studded with walnuts. In both cases, the bread was grilled to order with butter, which added satisfying richness and texture.

Hominy Grill sells a rudimentary recipe book, which features three of the above dishes and plenty more. If I was smart, I would have bought the book instead of just flipping through it, since I’m craving shrimp and grits now, and have no recourse. Guess I’ll have to wait for my next trip to Charleston for the payoff.

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Joshua Lurie

Joshua Lurie founded FoodGPS in 2005. Read about him here.

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[…] http://www.foodgps.com/hominy-grill-breakfast-charleston/The bathroom is even a talking point, lined with framed photos of Chef Stehling with celebrities like Anthony Hopkins, Lou Reed and Adam Richman from Man vs. Food. In warmer weather, the outdoor patio is the best place to enjoy those sticky … We ordered both kinds of Hominy Grill bread to go: banana bread ($3.95) flavored with brown sugar, vanilla and oats; and ginger pumpkin bread ($3.95) studded with walnuts. In both cases, the bread was grilled to order with butter, … […]

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