Trashed, plastered, wasted or sloshed, whatever your choice word for drunkenness, they all lead to the same thing the next morning — a hangover.
This weekend, the Holy City is hosting three Oktoberfest celebrations where you are likely to enjoy one too many. On Saturday Closed For Business is hosting theirs at sister bar The Royal American. Gene’s Haufbrau in West Ashley will also be slinging the brats and beers on Saturday and Sunday. Any yet another brew-ha-ha will go down at the Blackbaud Stadium on Sunday.
This installment of Eat This Tonight is all about what to eat to get back on your drinking feet and ready for the next round. So raise that boot glass high this weekend, because when you wake up the next morning feeling like you got hit by a Budweiser truck, we’ve got you covered.
For a dose of healthiness, stumble into Dellz Vibez as soon as the room stops spinning. The smoothie and juice joint is a pick-me-up gold mine. Smarel “Nicole” Brown, daughter of Dell Grayson (owner of Dell’z Deli) recommends The Remedy. In this smoothie, almond milk gets a boost of nutrients from banana, beets, and carrots with an extra zing of ginger and orange. The fruity sugars will raise your blood sugar naturally, not to mention the vitamin surge that will come to the detoxifying rescue. Meanwhile, the banana’s potassium will appease your taxed liver. You can get the juice version sans banana and almond milk called the Vitamin C Kick. “I love juicing because it gets rid of all of the fiber and releases all the antioxidants,” explains Brown.
Though you may not be one yourself, the Early Bird Diner will get you back on your feet. Just about everything here would do the trick, from a stack of flapjacks to a combo breakfast plate. If you can’t decided between savory and sweet do both. Saturday, the diner will be serving up their chicken and waffles. A side of eggs wouldn’t hurt either.
The glory of Mexican-style food is that it combines all of the salty, greasy, fatty, and fried categories in the hangover cure food pyramid. Red Drum’s brunch menu is rich with options to get you sufficiently greased up.
If you’re a believer in the “hair of the dog” solution, rise and shine with the restaurant’s mimosas or Bellinis. Then, order the “Take me back to Texas” huevos rancheros. This carb-rich dish gives you a boost of protein with the loaded eggs and the side of grease will coat your stomach in preparation for the next round of drinking. Another solid choice is the Steak and Eggs, no fancy menu titles to sort through here. The woodfire-grilled steak comes with a generous portion of hash browns too.
If a real fork and knife meal is too challenging, order a dozen doughnuts from Glazed. Saturday, the donut shop’s special is the Purple Goat, a berry and goat cheese-filled donut drizzled with a lavender glaze. If decisions are too hard that morning, pick and choose a dozen flavors from the regulars like maple bacon, the Pumpkin (with dulce de leche glaze), or apple bacon fritters, where bacon-infused dough is filled with Granny Smith apples.
Though you wouldn’t know it by looking at her, Paris Hilton has been said to love a MickyD’s cheeseburger and fat order of fries when dealing with post-party trauma. Take her advice, but don’t head to McDonald’s. Instead, order up at Five Guys. Their simple burger menu and a la carte toppings won’t challenge you with choices in your recovering state. Whatever you order, be sure to get a side of their no frill fries.
So before you touch another drop of beer, redeem your body, then get back out there, champion. And, if all this sounds like way too much work, take Dean Martin’s advice, “Stay drunk.” Love Best of Charleston? Help the Charleston City Paper keep Best of Charleston going every year with a donation. Or sign up to become a member of the Charleston City Paper club.