Fort Mill, SC
Something greasy…Kahlua and Cocoa Puffs…whatever you had last before going to sleep…water…definitely no water…Bloody Mary…beer and tomato juice…more sleep…Gatorade…V8…Vitamin Water…anything greasy
In the college seasons of ‘00-’01 and ‘01-’02 I spent just about every Friday evening driving from my office in Charlotte to a friend’s apartment in Columbia, SC. We would spend every one of those Friday evenings at bars or parties and, subsequently, every Saturday morning would be spent recovering on his couch. I came upon a culinary combination during this time period that quite possibly saved my life on more than one occasion. I realized one morning that that if I consumed a recently microwaved carton of Cup ‘O’ Noodles while drinking a bottle, not can, of Bud Light I would be cured of all hangover symptoms and be ready for whatever the day had to hold. I’m serious. A 43¢ cup of ramen and a beer that I never drank other than in the morning, as part of this ritual, was better than anything else I’d ever tried. I believed in, and depended on, this for years.
I went through a phase where a Bojangles’ Cajun Filet Biscuit or a Harold Tindall’s Chili Burger could substitute, as well, I have consumed my fair share of spicy Bloodies and Redneck Benedicts from Seel’s on Sullivan’s Island.* But the noodle/crap beer combo always had the most consistent and immediate results. And I actually like Cup ‘O’ Noodles, so it wasn’t like choking down some strangely concocted cure-all. It was perfection, and, I’m pretty sure, it was blown out of the water by something I had for lunch this week.
Plaza Fiesta is a mall of sorts in the building of a former outlet mall next to Carowinds at the South Carolina/North Carolina line. It now houses a myriad of South and Central American shops and restaurants. On my first visit to Plaza Fiesta I walked through, trying to decide where to eat, and looked up to see written in bright neon, the word, Cevicheria.
Punta Galapagos, an Ecuadorian restaurant that has been open for about 3 years, serves typical fare from that country. Wonderful roasted meats, the pork is an absolute favorite, and fried fish, they have daily lunch specials for less than $7 that are so big that a tray is required just to carry everything the mere 10 feet to your table. But on that day Ceviche was my target - and man, right on target they were. Simply “cooked” by the denaturing compounds of acidic citrus juices, ceviches are typically very light and refreshing. Typically thought of as Peruvian in origin, there are several claims that this dish was actually brought to the world by the Ecuadorians. Their signature twist involves a mix of seafood and a shot of ketchup...just stick with me here.
I counted no less than 11 individual ingredients in my small bowl of this Ceviche. The traditional shrimp is joined by firm whitefish, sweet octopus and calamari - the latter are cut into pieces so small that they, when curled from cooking, look like Tic Tacs. All of this incredible, fresh seafood is spooned into a bowl where they add a fresh swirl of mixed citrus juice, fresh tomato, painfully thinly sliced red onion, bright cilantro, minuscule diced green chilies, avocado, hot sauce and, yes, regular ole’ tomato ketchup. I was admittedly very skeptical when I saw that they had just sprayed my very adventurous fish salad with Heinz, but the sweet condiment, when stirred through, imparts a light sweetness that balances out the strong, acidic citrus. All of the liquids meld into this spicy, cold brew, known as Leche de Tigre(Tiger’s Milk), that gives you that rush of clarity so needed after accidentally knocking back 8 scotches while hanging out with friends. I don’t know how this works - no clue of the active ingredient. It’s sour and minerally with a slight viscous quality that gives the impression of being substantial and filling. That burn from chilies and the hot sauce not only peak the interest of the taste buds and round out all of the flavors, but the increased sweat production helps to purge the bad decisions of the previous night. I have read that tipping the bowl to your lips after consuming your ceviche is completely acceptable. I have also read in several places that you can add a bit of vodka to your Tiger’s Milk, but that’s what got us here in the first place now isn’t it?
To be honest, I was not feeling the effects of a long night of mingling with friends over my favorite cocktails on this particular day. I’d had a pretty good nights sleep and no alcohol in at least 48 hours. But I tell you this, I will at some point in the future imbibe again and when I do, I will wake up the next morning and venture straightaway to this little oasis of rejuvenation (by this, of course, I mean I will beg my wife to drive me because it will be hard for me to focus and I even less easy multitask).
Punta Galapagos
3700 Avenue of the Carolinas
Fort Mill, SC 29715
*I think that I am about to cry. As I was typing this sentence I jumped over to my favorite search engine to confirm if “Seel’s” was, in fact, possessive and came to discover that this wonderful establishment closed in November of last year, less than 3 months ago. I have many fond memories of this place. Breakfasts or lunches on every visit to the island, this was where my son, the day after taking his first steps in the ocean, dominated a giant pancake (at least in comparison to his 1 year old head) for the first time. They also housed the only Red Bull and Vodka slushy machine I have ever seen. Combine that with their stellar breakfasts such as the aforementioned Rednecks Benedict – consisting of two hot, buttery, open-faced buttermilk biscuits, topped with a fried chicken breast and two sunny-side eggs, smothered it top notch southern white sausage gravy – or the Trash Plate – a mixture of crispy home fries and soft scrambled eggs that were studded with sausage and/or bacon and, of course, drenched in that white gravy – Seel’s was self-perpetuating. It will be missed and remembered always.
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