Get Your Little Piggy to Market
Anytime a vacant, dark, cavernous building comes alive with vibrancy again, it’s a reason to celebrate.
Get ready to throw your rice.
The Rice Market (in the old Boathouse locale on the corner of East Bay and a tad sketchy) is officially open. Well, it’s more of a soft opening and by New Years Eve, this place will be officially kicking.
The restaurant concept, new to Charleston, is all about food from every corner of the globe. A quick glance at the menu and our first thought was Asian (rice and all), but the powers that be tell us, “The Rice Market is categorically NOT Asian-Fusion.” Shame on us for making snap judgements, because when you look further, you see cuisines from the Mediterranean, the Far East, Cajun country, our sweet South, and more.
Things like satays, tuna crudo, okra gumbo, bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, paella, miso glazed salmon, chipotle hanger steak, and build-your-own rice bowls. Eclectic, international food with something of an L.A. vibe, but all tied together with the common thread of rice, historically and distinctly Charleston.
Besides stamping our culinary passport, we’re most excited to see how the bar scene develops. It has all the makings to become one of the hotter spots in town. The biggest draw is the Rice Wine and Sake bar, encased in a reproduction of a ‘cypress rice field trunk’ that was used to control water levels in Charleston rice fields for years. It’s open, in the middle of the action, and a perfect spot for scenesters to congregate. There are plush lounge areas, canopied booths, and even barstools inspired by Christian Louboutin. How a barstool is inspired by a luxury shoe designer we don’t know, but plenty of gals will love that little factoid.
With descriptors like ‘posh,’ ‘urban,’ and ‘sleek,’ the folks at The Rice Market assure that it’s not remotely pretentious and will be completely ‘cheese’-free. There’s a casual, playful air to all of it, from an outdoor patio/happy hour bar, to waiters donning black chef jackets, yellow aprons and Converse.
It’s really just all about fun.
They even have the Bocce court to prove it.
Check out exclusive, first look photos of the new space in the slideshow below.
Story by: Caroline Nuttall
Photos by: Andrew Stephen Cebulka
Welcome to the market place of downtown Charleston!… Atmah Ja
Can’t wait to try it!
I appreciate the eclectic decor – color, finishes, textures, etc. Look forward to sampling that Carolina rice.