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FlashBack Fridays: The Goodie House 9.12.14

 

Goodie House

The Goodie House Review
January 22, 1998

Finding the Post and Courier restaurant review for the Goodie House unearthed memories of small cafes and shiny diners with round leather barstools, familiar faces, and other nostalgia from back when Charleston’s culinary scene was more like a quiet front porch than a global performance stage.

The original Goodie House many will recall was in a humble cottage-like structure on Calhoun Street. Now a Starbucks, the building sees throngs of visitors and College of Charleston students every day. While the exterior of the building has remained the same, much around it has been built up, sighting the college’s new multi-level science and arts buildings, and the recent tagging by artist Shepard Fairey of the dormitory across the street.

But before all of that, the Goodie House served comfort food to regulars, some of whom stopped in on a daily basis. Despite the modesty of the Goodie House, the chili, burgers, and especially the pies were “legendary,” to quote Jane Kronsberg, who reviewed the reincarnation of the Goodie House in 1998 at its Ashley River Road location.

During her late dinner (they arrive 45 minutes prior to closing time), Kronsberg summoned the famous burger and the pie. The wait staff was forthcoming that the hamburger had been cooked earlier in the day and warmed up for the late night service. As one would imagine, it was not stellar. And the pie? It was nowhere to be found, as they do not make pies at the end of the day because they don’t keep well overnight.

In today’s world of critic reviews, 24-hour and instant social media postings, restaurants can easily be pressured into performing well beyond their means or original intentions to please a handful of occasional patrons. The performance by the Goodie House on the night of Kronsberg’s review might seem by today’s standards detrimental or even incendiary; however, might it simply be that the Goodie House wanted to be authentically portrayed—no matter who was sitting at the counter?

Near the end of the write up, Kronsberg noted, “All in all, things were just as I had expected.” And isn’t that the charm and draw of diners and neighborhood cafés? They remain the same, they stay true to their original recipes, no matter what chatter or changes are taking place around them.

We hope our readers will find a moment to enjoy a neighborhood café or old fashion diner for what it is and ask nothing more. Or better yet, become a regular somewhere and experience the joy of seeing familiar faces behind the counter each time you go.

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Angel Postell
Home Team Public Relations
(843) 557-4077
angel@hometeampr.com

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