52 replies to this topic

[foodiehall]

We'll be making our annual Memorial Day weekend visit to Charleston soon so it's time for me to start making dining reservations. Some of our faves are Magnolia's, Blossom Cafe, Carolina's, Sermet's Corner, Hyman's Seafood, Hominy Grill, Cru Cafe...planning to return to Peninsula Grill after reading all the praises here. We've been to McCrady's a couple of times, but I wasn't terribly impressed....seems like it was temporarily closed last year? Set me straight if I'm mistaken about that. Always so many good choices, so little time....on that particular weekend. Have any of these places closed/gone downhill in the last year? Anything new that we should try? Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions.

[Gifted Gourmet]

We've been to McCrady's a couple of times, but I wasn't terribly impressed

Things have improved noticeably thanks to the new chef, Sean Brock ...his profile can be read here...do have a look at the new menus as well ...

[stefb]

Lana Restaurant is a hidden gem and highly recommended. Cordavis is a new restaurant that's got really interesting, high end cuisine. Sean Brock just took over at McCrady's in April, so that may be worth checking out again. Pane e Vino (Italian) and La Fourchette (French) are new spin-offs of Il Cortile Del Re (a fantastic place on Lower King Street for Italian food). Pearlz is a new oyster bar downtown. I haven't had anything but the oysters (not local) but they were wonderful. If you're willing to leave downtown, I recommend Al di La in West Ashley, a local favorite for Italian. The gnocchi are heavenly. Bowens Island out near Folly Beach is also worth the trip — they just won a James Beard award for being an American Classic. Steamed oysters by the shovelful are the main attraction, but the fried seafood's damn good too, and the experience is unique, to say the least.

You can read restaurant reviews of some of these places here: http://www.charlesto.....gory=oid:6346

[DTBarton]

Recent thread with link to NY Times article on Charleston dining:

http://forums.egulle... New York Times

[carpetbagger, esq.]

I don't know if he's still around, but there used to be a guy selling crepes from a tiny little lunch cart over in the historic district. it was a nice snack to have while walking around.

have fun in charleston!

[Daniel]

I was there a couple of days ago.. I was upset to find that Your Place was closed... Also I was unimpressed with Jestines.. We got a drink on the roof of the Pavillion I think.. It was a lot of fun great views of the city..

[albionmoonlight]

One of my favorites there is the Old Post Office on Edisto Island. Last couple times we were there, it took them a few minutes more than I would have liked to seat us (we had reservations), but the food is always great. Both the grits and the duck there I remember in particular as amazing.

[John Talbott]

I did a search of the site for Sunday lunch but came up dry. I'm committing a cardinal sin by asking a question with about 24 hours notice and I apologize but my wife Colette is dead set on lunching this Sunday, May 28 in Charleston.

Since we do our primary eating in Paris we're not interested in French-type food but more in good local food no matter what the decor or table settings look like. We loved Bob Waggoner's restaurant near Auxerre but it looks like he's only open at the Charleston Grill evenings.

I did see that Jestine's was open for lunch and maybe that'll be fine but I trust others who know the scene will perhaps top that. My sincere thanks in advance and if any of you need help in finding a place in Paris for Sunday lunch, either PM me or go here where we're all set to tell you.

John

[Gifted Gourmet]

I did a search of the site for Sunday lunch but came up dry.  I'm committing a cardinal sin by asking a question with about 24 hours notice and I apologize but my wife Colette is dead set on lunching this Sunday, May 28 in Charleston.

The major problem here is that Sunday lunch this week will fall during the Memorial Day holiday weekend which may limit availibility. I would definitely recommend Peninsula Grill however they are only open for dinner. As for the other options of true Charleston cooking, there are many (noted in the first post of this thread): Magnolia's, Blossom Cafe, Carolina's, Sermet's Corner, Hyman's Seafood, Hominy Grill, Cru Cafe.

I like Hyman's Seafood because it has my favorite quintessential Shrimp and Grits preparation. And for that, I drive 5 hours to get to Charleston! It is the one dish which best exemplifies the local cuisine. And, if I know Phyllis Hyman, the owner/hostess, she'll be open for a brisk and busy lunch business! Hyman's Seafood

On the Hominy Grill menu, you will find some true Charleston cooking as well. It is open and is usually busy as it will be on this weekend. Delightful food!

[shadow]

Just back from our trip to Chrleston and wish to highly reccomend Sienna on Daniel Island---Fantastic Italian .
Honestly we were less than impressed with Peninsula because, although the food was good, the noise level was so high that we really could not enjoy our evening. They had packed the room and you could not hear the others at your table talk for the noise.

[carpetbagger, esq.]

Just back from our trip to Chrleston and wish to highly reccomend Sienna on Daniel Island---Fantastic Italian .
Honestly we were less than impressed with Peninsula  because, although the food was good, the noise level was so high that we really could not enjoy our evening. They had packed the room and you could not hear the others at your table talk for the noise.

were you impressed with the coconut cake at peninsula grill?

[Gifted Gourmet]

were you impressed with the coconut cake at peninsula grill?

What's not to be impressed?? click here for a bit of heaven!

[shadow]

were you impressed with the coconut cake at peninsula grill?

Yes, my husband had that and I had the three house made sorbets. Cake was excellent as were sorbets. But, honestly, listening to the conversations from customers three tables away sort of took the joy out of the dessert.

[sweetfreak]

Has anyone heard of a new restaurant, I believe on Mt. Pleasant, called Six Tables? I just heard about it through the grapevine and I am not even certain that it is open yet. From what I hear, it is a restaurant that literally has six tables, one seating a night (?) and multiple courses. I googled it but could not find anything. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[scubadoo97]

We spent 3 days in Charleston recently and eat fabulously. Too little time and too many restaurants. At the suggestion of the folks at the Governor's house we dinned at High Cotton the first night. I thought the food was good, I had the short ribs. The second day we had lunch at Magnolias since we were meeting friends that evening for dinner. It was wonderful. I had a shrimp, scallop and lobster dish served over grits. I was sublime. The most tasty dishes of the trip. We meet our friends at a location called Mad River. A Fridays kind of place that I would not recommend to anyone. Glad I had my memories of my lunch to sustain me but the company of our friends which we hadn't seen in 25 years was the star of the evening. Our last night we dinned at McCradys. The food and service was excellent. I had a sous vide tenderloin that was melt in your mouth tender and had a great crust. A foie gras appetiser was delicious and well presented. Two places we missed but wanted to go to was FIG and Hominy Grill. We walked past FIG one afternoon but they don't serve lunch and I really wanted to eat at Hominy Grill for breakfast or lunch. Hominy was never near where we were walking and the Govenor's house served a great breakfast. Good reasons to go back.

[Cucina]

I highly recommend 82 Queen (http://www.82queen.com/) - I had the she crab soup (mine is better but theirs is good) and grilled grouper served over cream grits and thought I died and went to heaven it was all so good.

I do NOT recommend the Charleston Grill other than maybe for drinks and appetizers in the bar area and only because they have a great jazz trio.(http://www.charlesto...ntroduction.jsp). While the service is good, and they have a respectable wine list, the food was overpriced and overcooked - a big disappointment.

[charlestonfoodie]

You should probably take Hyman's off your list. As a local foodie, I personally feel it is a tourist trap. Try The Wreck for FRIED seafood at it's best or Hank's for upscale seafood. I actually JUST shot both restaurants:: http://charlestonfoo...ton Restaurants

The Wreck in Charleston, SC ::

We'll be making our annual Memorial Day weekend visit to Charleston soon so it's time for me to start making dining reservations.  Some of our faves are Magnolia's, Blossom Cafe, Carolina's, Sermet's Corner, Hyman's Seafood, Hominy Grill, Cru Cafe...planning to return to Peninsula Grill after reading all the praises here.  We've been to McCrady's a couple of times, but I wasn't terribly impressed....seems like it was temporarily closed last year?  Set me straight if I'm mistaken about that.  Always so many good choices, so little time....on that particular weekend.  Have any of these places closed/gone downhill in the last year?  Anything new that we should try?  Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions.

[DTBarton]

It's funny the ebb and flow (this is a tidal community, after all) of people's impressions and experiences at different places. We went to Hank's a year ago and got a terrible meal, one of the worst I've had. A bad night, I'm sure.

[Gifted Gourmet]

You should probably take Hyman's off your list.  As a local foodie, I personally feel it is a tourist trap. 

I hate to think that anyone wouldn't revel in Hyman's Shrimp and Grits dishes ... huge shrimp and amazing brown gravy over perfect grits .. huge portions and exceptionally generous amounts of shrimp, my favorite shellfish ... and their service is impeccable ... I know that Hyman's is touristy but I dearly love their food and Mama Phyllis who makes her nightly rounds of the dining room ...

[charlestonfoodie]

To be honest it has been a couple years and I need to go back and try it again. Your comments, gifted gourmet, seem to be what I hear more and more past few months..."it may indeed be loaded with tourists, but the seafood is GREAT" is what I keep hearing. I will try out their shrimp and grits and revisit Hyman's with an open mind and stomach! Thanks, GG!

You should probably take Hyman's off your list.  As a local foodie, I personally feel it is a tourist trap. 

I hate to think that anyone wouldn't revel in Hyman's Shrimp and Grits dishes ... huge shrimp and amazing brown gravy over perfect grits .. huge portions and exceptionally generous amounts of shrimp, my favorite shellfish ... and their service is impeccable ... I know that Hyman's is touristy but I dearly love their food and Mama Phyllis who makes her nightly rounds of the dining room ...

[Gifted Gourmet]

Since I avoid eating the tourists, the shrimp and other glorious seafood that Charleston offers her guests makes my mind up about where to travel in the southeast ...and the hushpuppies? to die for! and the boiled peanuts? eh ... not my style ...

[foodiehall]

[quote name='charlestonfoodie' date='Oct 31 2006, 05:51 PM']
You should probably take Hyman's off your list. As a local foodie, I personally feel it is a tourist trap. Try The Wreck for FRIED seafood at it's best or Hank's for upscale seafood. I actually JUST shot both restaurants:: http://char<br />les...ton Restaurants

********
I think we'll be keeping Hyman's on our list, thank you very much. Yes, I acknowledge it's "touristy"....but for this tourist, a visit to Charleston isn't complete without a visit to Hyman's. If I were a Charleston resident, I think I'd manage to find my way there for an occasional meal, tourists or no. We've always gone for lunch and have timed it so we don't have to wait in line too long. I looove their hushpuppies. On our last visit, I had a shrimp po'boy....yummmm. The memory of it is still with me. I've never met Mrs. Hyman; one of her sons is usually making the rounds during our visits. Seems to me like they try awfully hard to do right by their customers. We've always walked out of there pleased with what we got both in the way of food and service....and keep returning year after year. I'm not dissing The Wreck; I've never been there so I'm not in a position to comment. I will say that, for the most part, I try to refrain from eating fried seafood....of course, there is the matter of those hushpuppies. I have nothing against Hank's....it's just a different sort of place than is Hyman's.

Edited by foodiehall, 08 November 2006 - 12:18 PM.

[charlestonfoodie]

OK, y'all win. I will back off! :-)

********
I think we'll be keeping Hyman's on our list, thank you very much. Yes, I acknowledge it's "touristy"....but for this tourist, a visit to Charleston isn't complete without a visit to Hyman's. If I were a Charleston resident, I think I'd manage to find my way there for an occasional meal, tourists or no. We've always gone for lunch and have timed it so we don't have to wait in line too long. I looove their hushpuppies. On our last visit, I had a shrimp po'boy....yummmm. The memory of it is still with me. I've never met Mrs. Hyman; one of her sons is usually making the rounds during our visits. Seems to me like they try awfully hard to do right by their customers. We've always walked out of there pleased with what we got both in the way of food and service....and keep returning year after year. I'm not dissing The Wreck; I've never been there so I'm not in a position to comment. I will say that, for the most part, I try to refrain from eating fried seafood....of course, there is the matter of those hushpuppies. I have nothing against Hank's....it's just a different sort of place than is Hyman's.

[/quote]

[Gifted Gourmet]

these people are NOT tourists! well, maybe a few of them ...

and their service is tops hence their motto:

Our house rules are:
1. The customer is always right
2. Refer To Rule #1

[Bombdog]

deleted by Bombdog

Edited by Bombdog, 09 November 2006 - 03:28 AM.

[Lawen]

I was in Charleston last weekend for the Citadel's homecoming. Didn't make it to Hyman's but did discover Mimi's on St. James. Nice hole-in-the-wall place, I had their Shrimp & Grits for brunch and really enjoyed them. Also ate a nice dinner at Blossom Cafe but didn't think it was anything spectacular other than the Gingerbread Bread Pudding I had for dessert, which was out of this world. Nice, eclectic wine list too. I've also had a couple excellent meals at Carolina's in the past year.

Edited by Lawen, 15 November 2006 - 08:34 PM.

[charlestonfoodie]

Glad you enjoyed Charleston, Lawen! Mimi's is a great lil restaurant with a BIG view! I love to go there for breakfast or after a big night out. They have great bloody mary's, too! Blossoms is actually pretty tasty, but I can see where you are coming from. The former chef, Aaaron Siegel, just opened his doors TODAY on a new restaurant here called Home Team BBQ. I ate their today and saw the world famous Mike Lata of FIG enjoying some Q, too! Home Team is doing Q, right. I will share some pics, soon! The tunes were very nice, too. Pics of Allman Brothers, WSP, and many Athens, Georgia musicians were everywhere. Nice!

I was in Charleston last weekend for the Citadel's homecoming. Didn't make it to Hyman's but did discover Mimi's on St. James. Nice hole-in-the-wall place, I had their Shrimp & Grits for brunch and really enjoyed them. Also ate a nice dinner at Blossom Cafe but didn't think it was anything spectacular other than the Gingerbread Bread Pudding I had for dessert, which was out of this world. Nice, eclectic wine list too. I've also had a couple excellent meals at Carolina's in the past year.

[little ms foodie]

I was in Charleston on business earlier in the month and had a very nice dinner at High Cotton. I didn't pick it so I know next to nothing except my food was very good.

Roasted pumkin salad with bacon and parmesan
roasted and fried chicken with onion bread pudding

Everyone else was very happy with their meals too! And a very good wine list.

[Ktepi]

My girlfriend and I are going to Charleston for a three day weekend at the end of February -- it's one of the places we think we'd like to move, but for right now we're just visiting for the sake of visiting.

Anyway, I think I can cull a lot of great restaurant recommendations from the various threads. But does anyone have any recommendations for barbecue?

[DTBarton]

We go to Charleston pretty regularly and I don't think of it as a barbecue town. Perhaps a local person can identify a hidden lowcountry gem. I haven't been to Bessinger's on James Island in years, but I never thought their barbecue was all that good.

However, if you're driving down 1-26 to or from Charleston on Friday or Saturday (they're only open Friday and Saturday), it's worth taking a several mile detour through Holly Hill to Sweatman's. We went last year and it was great.

Holly Hill is north of I-26 about 75 miles from Charleston.

http://hollyeats.com/Sweatmans.htm