Gone to Carolina in My Mind

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...

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?

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.


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.

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!

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!

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.

Jerk Chicken Sandwich

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.

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?

The Park Cafe 

The "Special" Cobb Salad
and Cheese Plate

When it was finally time for me to leave, I wish I had just one more day to try a few more restaurants. All that really means is that I will be going back to eat to my heart’s delight!
Below is a list of all of the establishments we ate at while we were in the Holy City. All of them were amazing get my approval:

Kudu - Breakfast
Mellow Mushroom - Lunch
Poe's Tavern - Lunch
The Park Café - Lunch
Bay Street Beirgarten - Bar Bites
Fleet Landing - Dinner
Santi's - Dinner
Fuel - Dinner
Virginia's on King - Dinner
High Cotton - Dinner
Closed for Business - Dinner
Warehouse - Dinner
Boone Hall Plantation
The Dark Side of Charelston Tour