Charleston Edition: Swiftwater Cafe

Another lunchtime discovery, Swiftwater Cafe is off of Capitol Street and serves breakfast, sandwiches, salads and wraps. They have daily specials, and a coworker told me I must try their "Big Ed Burger." I waited until Wednesday and headed over for lunch.

Daily Specials

• Monday: Grilled Chicken Sandwich with side and a drink
• Tuesday: Varies 
• Wednesday: Big Ed Burger with Roasted red Potatoes or fries 
• Thursday: Varies
• Friday: Big Ed Burger with Roasted red Potatoes or fries 

It has two entrances, which confused me a bit. But clearly they do a good business because as soon as I walked in, I lined up behind a dozen or so people already waiting to order. For a fairly small space, there is also a good bit of seating.

They cater to a lunch crowd, though (7 a.m. to 2 p.m.), so I wasn't waiting too long before I got up close enough to read their items from the black chalkboard. The folks behind the counter were super friendly - really fantastic service here. So helpful, nice and genuine. It wasn't a long encounter, but you just know when people truly care. And being new to town, that meant a lot to me. I paid, stepped to the side to wait for my order to be prepared, then took it back to the office.

The Big Ed burger is a 1/3 pound beef patty with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, pickles, mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup on top. Toppings were fresh - onions crisp - flavorful blend of all the condiments. By the time I got back to the office, it was starting to get a little soggy. That's my fault, though. And this burger was huuuge. I regretted stuffing myself with it - but it was just too good. And a lot of it. You can get fries or roasted red potatoes on the side. I got fries, which were fine. They were thick, crinkle-cut ones. I prefer less thick ones, but they weren't bad. Just personal preference. I'll go for the potatoes next time, though.

Grade: B