I may still mentally be there amoungst the colorful buildings, breathing the thick humid air, soaking up
the southern hospitality. Over Labor Day weekend, my two best friends from
college decided to head to the low country of Charleston, SC. What an amazing
long weekend full of exploration, amazing architecture and a mix of history and
modern fixings. Needless to say, the highlight of our trip was the food, oh the food! I cannot remember eating so much and
feeling so good about it. So this post is all about the places we went to and
some of the meals I ate... Watch out, you may gain 5 pounds just reading this...
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| The Francis Marion Hotel |
We arrived on a "cool" Thursday morning, all of 85 degrees with
minor humidity. We checked into our fabulous hotel, The Francis Marion Hotel
right on King Street, one of the two main drags of Charleston. We were greeted by beautiful
chandeliers dripping from the lobby ceilings and comfortable
Victorian-inspired furniture populating the lobby. We hopped into the golden
antique elevator that barely crawled its way up and down the 12 floors
inhabited by tourists each day. Our room was adorned with two plush beds and
was just big enough for three girls. The view was worth it. Churches, parks,
bridges and oceans. What more could we want in a place an
afternoon siesta in air conditioning?
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| View from our room |
Once we unpacked a bit, our buffet began. For lunch we started at Mellow Mushroom, just a
stone's throw from our hotel. What a pizza! The Magical Mystery Tour was so
surprising. The pesto based pizza started out like a typical mushroom pizza
with soft, oozing mozzarella and crispy spinach. But what made this pizza
memorable were the jalapenos. That's right, jalapenos kicked this pizza up a
notch in more ways than one! A must try!
For dinner we wandered over to Fleet Landing, a local sea food joint that
far surpassed our expectations. We were able to sit right on the water, and I
mean literally on the water.
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| The dock at Fleet Landing |
Their dock seating was a great way to welcome us
to our meal, pulled fresh from the water. I ordered the Low-Bearing Seafood Pasta
paired with a Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka Lemonade (I love a good half and half so
a spiked one was just what the doctor ordered on our first sweaty night in the
city). I have to admit, this may be a biased opinion as I hadn't had seafood this
summer until this trip. But my friends assured me that it was some of the best
seafood they ever had. My fettuccini was topped with a mix of succulent shrimp,
scallops, crawfish, mussels, and andouille sausage. Crisp asparagus and roasted
cherry tomatoes were also a great addition to the dish. And the sauce. I swear,
if they were to bottle and sell this stuff, they would make millions. The
Creole butter sauce was out of this world. It was the perfect mix of creamy,
sweet, and spicy. I couldn't help but dunk the biscuits into this concoction
with the goal of sapping up every last bit. But my stomach overwhelmed me. If I
could eat this meal every day for the rest of my life, I swear, it still would
not be enough.
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| Fleet Landing |
Friday was full of sand and the sun, but also AMAZING burgers. Poe's Tavern,
on Sullivan Island is a small burger joint right on Middle Street. This
restaurant was created to preserve the spirit of Edgar Allan himself. You can
immediately see his influence in the caricature portraits adorning the walls and when you glance at the menu; some of the burgers are named after his poetic
masterpieces. These burgers are artistic works all on their own. How they
seasoned their burgers are beyond me, but I'm telling you, after a day at the beach, these burgers will hit the spot. I ordered the Pit and the Pendulum (a
bacon cheeseburger), with a side of the bacon-bleu cheese coleslaw with a local
Palmetto Pale Ale. Juicy, flavorful, and the perfect portion. Make this a
destination while in town!
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| Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island |
Saturday was a whirlwind of a day. We drove out to Boone Hall Plantation (where
they filmed Nicholas Sparks’ classic movie adaptation of
The Notebook), and spent some time walking around the beautiful
grounds while learning some of the history of the Civil War. After a day in the
heat, we were in need of some snacks and some cold beers. The Bay Street Beirgarten
was featured in one of our Charleston travel books so we decided to check it
out!
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| Bay Street Beirgarten |
What a great atmosphere. A formal seating area stretched along the perimeter
of the building with a bar seating area in the middle. Long high tops were
fixed with individual taps for personal pouring while the bar seats were comfy
and casual. We sat down and ordered some of their freaky taters (tater
tots with a smoked southern cheese sauce and a red wine demi glaze). They were
so delicious, my mouth is watering just thinking about them! I washed them back
with a Lagunitas and water.
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| Jerk Chicken Sandwich |
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| Fuel's Patio |
By Sunday, we wanted to experience some outdoor dining. We decided to hit up
a local favorite called Fuel. A converted old gas station, the garage doors
welcome you in to the hostess station. She then seats you on their patio which
was complete with string lights, bocce and a fire pit. I ordered the Grilled
Jerk Chicken Sandwich with fries and a Holy City Seasonal Pilsner. Great flavor
for a hot and steamy night. We spent hours here playing Bocce and Trivia and
didn’t do that bad for a team from New England!
Monday I decided to relish in some good ol’ fashion southern delicacies.
Grits, creamed corn, baked mac and cheese and collard greens. Virginia’s on
King hit southern home-cooking dead on the head. I topped it off with a bubbly
Prosecco and headed off to a nighttime tour called “The Dark Side of
Charleston.” This R-Rated tour was one of the most interesting, informative and
hilarious tours I have ever taken as a tourist. Such a fun experience.
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| Southern Heaven - Virginia's on King |
Tuesday I had a later flight than my friends and decided to check out a
little café outside of downtown called The Park Café. What an amazing menu with
some of the freshest foods around, it’s literally growing on their walls! If
you are up for a walk outside of the city, this was one of my favorites! Their
cheese platter with their homemade pita chips, I mean really?
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| The Park Cafe |
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The "Special" Cobb Salad
and Cheese Plate |
