HōM

Let’s face it. The cliche of “Southern Charm” is real. It’s there. When you hear those two words, you might think of the old black and white films with a rich white chick wearing a giant dress, saying things like “Ohhh Govn’a” or “Well, I nevah!”. Some of you think of drinking wine glasses full of Boones Farm on a porch swing, while watching the sun set with a bloodhound on a warm summer night. I actually never thought Southern Charm was real, and I’ve even watched a couple of Kelly Clarkson interviews . That’s until my most recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina.

Charleston has an unbelievable buzz around it that sends you into a different realm upon first step on cobble stone road. I stand by my comparison, stating that Charleston is simply a 50/50 mix between New Orleans and Miami. Then again, the buzz could hail from the mix of the hip young college students and the old historical buildings and heritage. Maybe it comes from the uncomfortable feeling you have when you just got ripped off by a young kid on a bike selling “flowers” made from tree leaves for his “school basketball team” in the middle of summer, all while enjoying the cool breeze and beautiful view of the Atlantic ocean. One thing is for sure, the food scene in Charleston is not stuck in the past. The first meal I had was perfect. It was at a rad place called HōM. Check it out!

HōM had a clean, new, modern feel to it and a main course and drink menu to back that up. This is not only a family friendly environment, it’s a great place to grab a local beer and catch the game, OR be a part of your own game. In the back of the building, the guys over at HōM have set up a room with hand spray painted local art and two ping pong tables. That way the dudes can have an intense ping pong match while the girls can watch Desperate Housewives of Atlanta on the tube in the same room. But let’s face it. You don’t come to a burger joint for anything other than the burgers. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to one of the most creative, flavor pounding, wicked burgers I’ve had thus far. This is the Hurricane.

The Hurricane is an all beef patty stuffed with duck confit and goat cheese, topped with HōM steak sauce, vanilla onion relish, and crispy onion rings. My reaction to my first bite should have been filmed. My eyes widened, my jaw dropped, and my mind was racing. There were a ton of different flavors exploding on my tongue and I didn’t know how to comprehend them. The first thing I tasted was the sweet vanilla blended in with the savory caramelized onion relish. That lead into the darker, warmer, tangier flavor from the steak sauce. HōM needs to visit every burger joint I’ve been to that has onion rings or straws on top their sangwiches and slap those cooks in the face. I have never had an ACTUALLY crispy onion ring on top of a burger until this moment. What a revelation! The patty itself seemed very large at first, but somehow ended up extremely manageable. Of course the goat cheese flavor was nutty and pallet pleasing, but the duck confit really helped with the consistency of the burger. For those of you that don’t know what duck confit is, it’s typically duck leg that is cured in salt, rinsed, and then cooked in fat over night. The finished product would be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This method provided a coarse, filling texture to each bite and left you with a light, fine dining after taste. The fries are hand cut and fried perfectly and their dipping sauces could not have been better. Not to mention, all this and a drink for ten bucks flat. Ahhh, the advantages of a lunch special. This establishment and burger deserve no less than 5 of 5 burgz. Yeah!

If you have never been to Charleston, you have no excuse to not visit the markets, the wonderful food and restaurants, the history and southern hospitality that awaits you. But when you do show up, promise me you will go to straight to HōM to hit some balls and eat whatever is between two buns. 

HōM

563 King Street

Charleston, SC 29403

Monday - Sunday: 11:00 AM - 1:30 AM