Lex Loci Local: Katsubō Brings Big Flavor Without the Big Bill

Not every great Charleston meal needs white tablecloths, a tasting menu, or a bill that requires advance financial planning. Lex Loci Local is where we consider the places you can visit on an ordinary night, eat extremely well, and leave without wondering whether dinner has imperiled your otherwise careful retirement plan. Katsubō belongs squarely in that category.

We began by ordering what appeared to be most of the snack section: spicy pickled cucumbers, pickled daikon radish, charred edamame, corn ribs, gyoza, tuna crudo, and spicy tuna on crispy rice. The charred edamame and spicy cucumbers were my favorites, but everything was genuinely good. We left nothing to box up.

My only minor objection concerned the spicy tuna. The tuna itself was excellent, but the rice underneath was not quite crispy enough and arrived as a huge honking block that was difficult to divide and eat. Crispy rice should provide both crunch and a manageable vehicle for the tuna. This one needed a little more of the former and considerably less of the latter.

Then came the bao buns. The short-rib special was the only real miss of the meal. The meat was tough and lacked the deep, rich flavor short rib should deliver.

Both chicken versions were good, but the shock of the day was the veggie bao. A mushroom fritter with pickled cucumber, crispy shallots, okonomi sauce, and scallions sounded respectable. It tasted magnificent. It was packed with flavor, texture, and contrast, and I wanted another one immediately. I restrained myself only because noodles were coming. That proved to be the correct strategic decision.

We tried both the Tantanmen Mazemen and the Spicy Tantanmen. The brothy Spicy Tantanmen was very good, but my head had already been turned by the mazemen. The brothless noodles were tender and coated in a rich, complex, genuinely interesting combination of spicy ground beef, sesame-soy tare, scallions, nori goma, and chili. I was actively sad that we were sharing it. I am going back for that dish alone, and next time I will not be dividing it with anyone.

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Dessert was supposed to be a taste. I have diabetes, had just eaten noodles, and ordinarily eat no more than a bite of dessert. Then the ice cream sandos arrived. The lemon cookies may be the best lemon cookies I have ever eaten. We received one sandwich with vanilla ice cream and one with matcha, and I fought for my share of the vanilla. I pulled out the insulin to compensate for the carb overload and considered it entirely worth it. Katsubō made a diabetic woman defend her portion of dessert. I submit that as conclusive evidence.

Damien took excellent care of us, guided us through the menu, and made several recommendations that proved exactly right. Katsubō offers cocktails, sake, beer, sodas, and a nonalcoholic yuzu lemonade slushie. There is no tea, which would ordinarily draw a sterner response from me, but I forgive them. Street parking was manageable.

Then the bill arrived. All of that food cost approximately $150. In Charleston, where dinner for a group can require a home-equity loan and a moment of silent prayer, the total was so reasonable that I asked whether they had forgotten to charge us for something. They had not.

Katsubō serves vibrant, interesting food in a casual setting, with attentive service and prices that make returning regularly entirely possible. There was one tough bao and one unwieldy block of rice, but there were also magnificent vegetables, excellent snacks, unforgettable noodles, and lemon-cookie ice cream sandos worth fighting over.

This is exactly what Lex Loci Local is meant to find: a place that does not require a special occasion, but can make an ordinary meal feel special anyway. Katsubō is a must-go.