Biscuit Belly Opening in Downtown Summerville--Biscuits and A Lot More

The invitation on its cheery and colorful wall mural reads, "Sit a spell in Summerville." Summerville residents did exactly that on Saturday and Sunday at the soft opening of Biscuit Belly. It was all courtesy of the house as an introduction to their Southern menu filled with biscuits and a whole lot more.

Biscuit Belly is the inspiration of restauranteurs, Chad and Lauren Coulter, onetime pharmacists who met in college. Their first venture was growing a successful wine and tapas concept. However, one of their favorite pastimes was brunch. Thus, Biscuit Belly came into fruition. Everyone loves a good brunch menu, the perfect excuse to indulge in a Mimosa, which by the way, is on the menu. 

Of course, if you are going to open a restaurant, integral to its success is the chef. The Coulters enlisted the expertise of renowned Bluegrass executive chef, Tavis Rockwell. If you want to get to know more about Tavis, click on the following link, Secrets of Bluegrass Chefs. Tavis spent three months perfecting his famous biscuit recipe. He has one highly guarded secret, but he does reveal he uses cake flower in his mix, and the proof was in the biscuits served to Summerville residents on Saturday and Sunday.

For the Summerville soft opening, the Coulters were joined by the restaurant's manager, Cynthia Hesslewood, and Clint Umphrey, Vice President of Operations.  About the town, Clint said these nice words in an interview with Post and Courier, "We fell in love with Summerville's small-town Southern feel, which continues to draw more families every year." The Coulters believe "great food is a catalyst for community, giving people a chance to come together." It was good to see all the friends conversing and having fun.

If you are going to include Southern in your descriptions, hospitality is a must. The restaurant's motto is "expect a warm smile served with every order." Upon entering through Biscuit Belly's doors, I was greeted by the days maître d', Madelyn, who was very cordial and personable. She handed out menus and answered all questions with a smile. Upon arriving at the order counter, it was more smiles and a staff that was willing to answer any questions you had concerning the selections, which were abundant. Along with the menu, we were given a list of suggested insta-worthy dishes, from which I made my choices. You are given a number to put on your table, and a cup for your beverage, which you fill yourself at the beverage station. The staff is very conscientious about clearing what appears to be an abandoned table. If you get up from your table to converse with a friend, just be aware of that.

I chose Mamas Boy, which included spicy belly pickles, green fried tomatoes, buttermilk fried chicken breast, and roasted jalapeno pimento cheese sauce. I generally decline sauce, but this time I went with it. It was tasty and didn't overwhelm the other flavors it was paired with. The chicken was tender with a savory coating. For a side, I picked Home Fries. For a beverage, I went with the blood orange soda. What can you say about fries and drink? Well, a potato is potato, and a soda is a soda. However, fries, if not done right, can turn out to be somewhat soggy, but these fries were done perfectly. There was a lot of other tempting selections on the menu, which will require a return visit.

Biscuit Belly, when it comes to downtown Summerville, is at the ideal location--the corner of W Richardson and Short Central, next to the downtown parking garage. The restaurant's interior is cheerful, welcoming, and painted with bright colors. There is plenty of seating throughout. The back wall is covered with Biscuit Belly's very first blue shimmer wall with the town's name spread across from end to end and below, wall to wall comfort seating. The eatery is a great addition to Summerville's growing list of restaurants. Be sure to check it out when it opens February 4. I will be returning.

118 W Richardson Ave Suite 100

(843) 977-3008

Monday to Thursday, 7:30am-2pm

Friday and Saturday, 7:30am-3pm

2025 Dunleavy's Polar Bear Plunge on Sullivan's Island--A Real Cool Time

Every year on January 1, after a night of celebration, Lowcountry residents gather on the beaches of Charleston's barrier islands to take a plunge into the Atlantic's cooler waters. I say cooler waters because in the heat of the summer months the ocean around Charleston reaches a temperature of 83.5 degrees, which was the high temperature this past August 2024. The ocean temperature on Jan 1, 2025, was 57 degrees.

The two barrier islands who host a polar bear plunge are Folly Beach near its famous pier and Tides Hotel, and Sullivan's Islands at Station 22 1/2 and Dunleavy's Pub. Over the years I have attended both, but most of the time I have favored Folly Beach's Bill Murray Look-a-Like Polar Bear Plunge.

I had initially planned on going to Folly Beach this year. However, I inadvertently missed the exit for Folly on I26 and ended up on the Ravenel Bridge, where I decided not to turn around but to keep on going to Sullivan's Island, and I was glad I did. It was one of the largest crowds to attend Dunleavy's Polar Bear Plunge that I have seen.

Lowcountry residents came to have a good time, and they certainly did. Many participated in the traditional practice of wearing a costume, and there was an assortment of creative ones ranging from the unusually imaginative to the outrageously funny.

I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them. It was a beautiful day on Charleston's historic Sullivan's Island, once the home of Edgar Allan Poe when he served in the military at Fort Moultrie and wrote his short story The Gold Bug. Thank you to Dunleavy's Pub for hosting their 30th charity event for the Special Olympics. Here's to everyone having a great 2025.