Venerable Port Royal Eatery Deserves Her Stars

Story and Photos by Mark Shaffer

Going to MoonDoggies always seems like visiting an old friend’s home – the fun one where everyone hangs out in the kitchen. Maybe that’s because it’s a family affair or maybe it’s because the building is an old converted house. And like any authentic Lowcountry home of this vintage, it is steeped in character. Most of the first floor is wrapped in a rambling screened porch covered in English Ivy from floor to ceiling. The main dining room - the Lodge Room - is a vaulted chapel of exposed beams and windows, wonderfully rustic and airy. Even the floors have character. It’s all tongue and groove heart pine the original owner salvaged out of old boxcars, polished by the cargo of time. And to complete the Lowcountry ambience, it’s all nestled snugly beneath towering live oaks dripping in Spanish moss barely a stone’s throw from the salt marsh and Sandy Point in the heart of Port Royal.

A Taste of Italy – Part Two

By Debbi Covington
Photography by Paul Nurnberg

Have you ever dreamed of exploring Italy, visiting the cities and countryside, and eating as the Italians do? Join me on a culinary tour. Just choose a recipe and start cooking. By cooking and sharing regional dishes, we can experience some of the colors, flavors and traditions of Italy.

Story and photos by Mark Shaffer

I’m checking my email recently and there’s note from Chef Beth Shaw at Breakwater Restaurant & Bar. “Our new dinner menu is out,” she writes, “and we’ve also gone back to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday specials. I thought it would be a great time for you guys to come in and try some new stuff.” There are a lot of things I love about my job, but this sort of thing is pretty close to the top. Hell, this is the sort of thing that makes me sink to my knees and give thanks that I had the good sense to get out of the hard news racket. I mean seriously, I could be out there on the campaign trail slogging after the “presidential” candidates (the horror, the horror).