MORNING HEADLINES | The new spring issue of the City Paper’s Dish dining guide is now on the street with four stories and one essay sure to soothe your palate. Plus, enjoy a fresh redesign of the publication that makes it more like a magazine with a familiar glossy cover.
What you’ll find inside:
The incredible, edible artichoke: Peeling away the mystery, from dips to garden tips. Devour those hearts and rake some leaves — artichoke season is here. Admired for its tender hearts and pointy leaves, this “vegetable” is often misunderstood in the land of more straightforward fare like sweet potatoes and collard greens. But understanding artichokes and how to eat them requires a botanical breakdown.
It’s all Greek to me: Exploring the culture, cuisine of Greece in the Lowcountry. Greek food — with its foundational ingredients like olive oil, lemon, vegetable, beans, lamb and seafood — is a shining culinary example of America’s melting pot of immigrant food. The drink, food and culture of Greece shine in Charleston, which offers many ways to enjoy Mediterranean cuisine.
The sweet slice: The many faces of Southern pies. Serving up a slice of pie is a form of Southern hospitality. It’s more than just dessert. It’s a way of sharing love. For generations, Southern cooks used a range of pie techniques and ingredients, from seasonal fruit and cornmeal to staples like pecans and sweet potatoes. Pies have always represented something meaningful, rooted in tradition and hospitality.
Sipping history in the Lowcountry: A look at Charleston’s tea culture. There is often no better way to connect with a place than through the rituals it preserves. In Charleston, tea has long held a quiet, storied presence. From colonial-era ports to modern plantations, tea in the Lowcountry has been both a daily companion and a symbol of refinement.
Pearson: My silver-plated spoon. “I was a round child and a chronic procrastinator in middle school. I didn’t pick my electives for school on time. My choices were band or gym, and needless to say, I ended up in band. I was terrible at all instruments but one — the majestic tuba.”
Also inside — three lists: Our Top 50 restaurants in the area plus a HotList of new places and 11 Charleston Classics. Read the full issue here.
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In Friday’s issue of the Charleston City Paper
CP OPINION: Let’s hope we can endure inept leadership. “Yogi Berra famously said, ‘It ain’t over ’til it’s over.’ He was describing the New York Mets’ improbable 1973 comeback from baseball’s cellar to winning a division championship. But more largely, he was talking about hope.”
CP FEATURE: Gator poop? Water quality experts eye unlikely bacteria source. While leaky septic tanks continue to be an assumed key contributor to bacterial contamination of Lowcountry waterways, experts and investigators on Edisto Island are squinting with reptilian eyes at another possibility.
CP NEWS: Flyover project is about half done, county says. Work on a traffic flyover project from U.S. Highway 17 to Main Road to alter a congesting choking point dramatically at rush hour is about half done, county officials said.
CP FOOD: Hot seats at Sushi Bar, Bellerose. Sushi Bar and Bellerose Hotel Bar are two of the hottest reservations in Charleston. Located at 158 Church St., the sister restaurants that opened in late 2025 are separate concepts that share a roof. Both are operated by Adept Hospitality, currently based in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
CP ARTS: New musical shares story of historic court case. A cheery gaggle of actors weaved through historic grave markers at the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE) Coming Street Cemetery on a recent sunny April afternoon. They were led by docent Anita Moise Rosenberg.
CP MUSIC: Little Stranger comes home for two Windjammer shows. Charleston’s Little Stranger has become one of the biggest bands in the Southeast in a surprisingly low-key fashion.
In recent headlines
Charleston jail population reached 10-year high in 2025 despite falling crime. The average number of people at the Charleston County jail was higher in 2025 than in other recent years, according to a new annual report.
Mayors in tri-county region stand united in balancing growth with quality of life. As business leaders and elected officials came together for the Tri-County Mayor’s Breakfast, one key takeaway is that collaboration across the region is essential for shared progress.
Charleston County approves $735K grant for Johns Island affordable housing project. Charleston County awarded $735,000 in grant money to an affordable housing project on Johns Island.
Ashley River Memorial Bridge turning 100, but it wasn’t the first bridge of its kind. In 1926, the Ashley River Memorial Bridge opened to the public, giving commuters a direct route across the river to downtown Charleston. The bridge was dedicated to South Carolinians who fought in World War I.
Developer’s plans to build bridge to undeveloped island in ACE Basin is challenged. The ACE Basin spans about 1.6 million acres of wetlands, tidal marshes and forests between Charleston and Beaufort. The area is dotted with small barrier islands which serve as a critical habitat for South Carolina’s wildlife.
S.C. won’t further restrict kratom this year, but efforts continue. A bill banning the use of a drug some state representatives called “gas station heroin” during a passionate debate stalled in the Senate on Thursday, ending its chances of becoming law this year.
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