Second Chance Review - Swiftwater Cafe

Despite winning the Weenie Award for having Charleston's best weenie in 2006, Swiftwater Cafe in downtown Charleston only merited a 4 Weenie rating on its overall hot dog. Since Swiftwater is convenient to my office I stop in frequently and I noticed the overall quality has been getting better and better. Owner Teddy Queen also emailed me last fall and told me that he had a new slaw recipe and invited me back for a taste.

Recently I met another blogger at Swiftwater for lunch, and since it was Second Chance Month I thought I'd go ahead and give it an official re-review:

The Boar's Head weenie is still great. The chili is meaty and has a nice flavor, but lacks in the spice department; not unlike most Charleston HDJ chili. Too bad, because the new slaw recipe would really be dynamite on top of some really spicy and complex chili. It is nicely sweet and has a great texture and color.

Steamed buns would be nice, but I've at least never had a cold or stale tasting bun from Swiftwater.


While I have no data to back it up, I get the feeling that Swiftwater dogs are a bit healthier than most. The weenie tastes more lean than most, the chili doesn't seem to be excessively greasy and the slaw doesn't seem to be loaded with fatty mayo. The whole thing just seems a little fresher that any other hot dog available in downtown Charleston.

I feel I need to bump Swiftwater a half-point to 4 1/2 Weenies.