Charleston, South Carolina

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Now going to Charleston, South Carolina instead of Little Rock.

Restaurant Suggestions?

[Deacon]

"Now going to Charleston, South Carolina"? I feel like I'm being tested somehow on how much attention I've paid in my various travels.    

BPC, I wouldn't steer you to any place I wouldn't go myself. But if what you want are some good leads, here are my leads for Charleston:

Magnolia's

Alice's Fine Foods

Slightly North of Broad

and any place recommended by Steven Shaw in his travelogue.

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Thanks.

[donnyc]

outside charlston, at the woodlands resort. one of the best restaurants in the country. worth the drive and the hefty price.

an experience you a wont forget. the sommelier is incredible

[Holly Moore]

Put on your old clothes, pack a first aid kit to repair nicks from the oyster shells and get thee to Bowen's Island a little bit south of Charleston.

Bowen's Island @ HollyEats.Com

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Have been to Hyman's and A. W. Shucks, among others, so far.

Both had wonderful Fried Green Tomatoes.  But, Hyman's is more touristy.

A. W. Shucks has wonderful GRILLED fish, with generous portions.  I had the grilled grouper.

[chefsprink]

For breakfast and lunch I would suggest Josephs on meeting St.  also G&M fast and french on broad

[Malawry]

Awww, Bolivar, I had no idea we were in Charleston at the same time! Wah.

I enjoyed meals at Peninsula Grill and Hyman's seafood place while I was there this week. I also thought the chocolates from Charleston Chocolates were terrific: fresh and recently handmade treats. I also enjoyed the she crab soup at AW Shucks. Full reports to follow.

[chefsprink]

aw hymans the busiest freakin restaurant in charleston. good choice.  Also try gilligans near johns island-kiawah(IF ITS STILL OPEN AS GILLIGANS) BEST damn HUSH PUPPIES EVER

[shugga]

About a half hour away on the road to Edisto Beach, we ate at the Post Office and had the best shrimp and grits.

[chefsprink]

the post office is an institution... excellent place to eat.

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Saw Gilligan's, but we weren't hungry when we went by.

[Varmint]

Put on your old clothes, pack a first aid kit to repair nicks from the oyster shells and get thee to Bowen's Island a little bit south of Charleston.

Bowen's Island @ HollyEats.Com

I've heard great things about Bowen's Island from Holly and Fat Guy, but I, unfortunately, don't eat oysters. Is there any other reason to go here than oysters?

And there has to be more opinions on Charleston food than this!

[Holly Moore]

They do a decent job frying fish and seafood at Bowen's too, but you only get into the oyster room if you're ordering oysters.

Then again, just go for the ambience.

[Blondie]

I could have sworn I posted about this last year, but I couldn’t find the post. Anyway, I was in Charleston for a trade conference last fall (aka “kitchen concentration camp”) and had a wonderful meal at Cypress Lowcountry Grill. The interior is stunning; the building is an old warehouse which retains the exposed brick and high ceilings. The right side wall is a multi-story glass enclosure housing 5,000 or so bottles of wine. Biomorphic recesses in the ceiling slowly change color through the use of fiberoptics. The open kitchen sits at the back.

The food was fabulous, a selection of cooked oysters done a half dozen different ways, tuna tartare, benne seed shrimp and tea-smoked duck main were the standouts.The chef, Craig Deihl, had just gotten back from serving the aforementioned tea-smoked duck at Beard House. He was very friendly and personable, chatted with us, sent out a dessert and showed me around the gorgeous kitchen with a smoker big enough to smoke the 200+ duck breasts he used at Beard House *at the same time*. The waiter, Brian, was a complete pro. All in all, a standout dining experience.

We ate at Magnolia’s as well. I had been there years ago when they first opened and thought it was very good. I wasn’t too impressed this time, although they did a good job with our large party.

Gaulart and Maliclet Café, aka “Fast & French”, a French café/restaurant housed in skinny little historic space, is the place I’d love to have in New York. Cozy, casual, good food, charming service.

[joler]

I have been to Charleston many times, and in fact was once married there! I would not recommend Hyman's or A.W. Shucks (which is just a touristy place). I would recommend Magnolias (or her "sister restaurant Blossom's" and Peninsula Grille and also tops on my list is the Charleston Grille at Charleston Place Hotel...fabulous. Also, Hanks (for Seafood), Fulton Five for Italian, and I haven't been there in a while, but Carolina's Restaurant (near the Exchange) is very good - there is also a really unique liquor store on the corner across from there. Poogan's porch is fun for brunch although I've had mixed experiences there. Also great brunch is "Slightly Up the Creek" in Mt. Pleasant - it has beautiful water views and delicious shrimp and grits (which is actually shrimp, scallops and grits! mmmm!)

Be sure to go to the Library and have drinks in their rooftop lounge.

Hope you enjoy your trip - Charleston is one of my favorite places.

[vogelap]

This thread is just one (of the many!) reason why I love eGullet.

Wendy & I are going to Charleston SC (a place called "Folley"?) next week and she tasked me with finding 'a couple good places' to eat while there.

Now, bearing in mind that Charleston is Wendy's family vacation spot and that I've never been there, I turned immediately to eGullet for answers. A quick search located this thread which I printed and highlighted.

Now I feel like I've got a nice selection of restaurants from which to choose! I am going to TRY MY DARNDEST to get us (or at the very least ME!) to the POST OFFICE, having heard lots about it.

Are there any other restaurants/shacks that are outstanding?

I'm also looking forward to getting some nice fresh shrimp and making Shrimp & Boursin Fettucini while we're there...

[meatman]

the post office is on edisto you must visit bowens island its half way to folley from west of the ashley best oysters in the world

[deibu]

The Post Office is about an hour's drive away on Edisto Island, so it would take some time to get there, but it is really good.

[SethG]

I'm going on a family vacation to Kiawah Island. Besides what's posted above, do y'all have any restaurant recommendations?

Also: I want to cook! Any good grocery/farmer's market recommendations convenient to Kiawah Island? Any markets that might have international (Asian, Mexican) stuff, or is that insane?

[deibu]

Not sure about on Kiawah, but many small to mid-sized towns in South Carolina have small Mexican markets. The Latino population is growing pretty rapidly, so a lot of those stores have popped up to serve that market.

[Guilty Gourmand]

SethG, I hope you enjoy Kiawah--it's a great spot. There at the resort we have enjoyed good casual lunches at the Ocean Course Grill at the other end of the island (you have to call and make reservations and get on the list in order to get through the guard gates at the other end of the island). Nothing fancy but good solid sandwich and salad selections on the clubhouse porch overlooking the course and the ocean. For an even more casual lunch (burgers, fried shrimp), try eating at the Sundancer Grill by the pool at the Inn. The resort also has a very nice gourmet restaurant for dinner that we have never tried but understand is very good and draws some folks from Charleston for special occasions. We have, instead, always gone into town (40 minutes or so) for dinner and have had fantastic meals at Pennisula Grill as well as good experiences at Anson and Hanks. Closer by at the Bohicket Marina just outside the Kiawah gates check out Rosenbank Farms--pretty good regional upscale selections but it can get crowded at peak times.

As for grocery stores, there are a couple of Piggly Wigglies on the road to Kiawah Island that are pretty good stores by Pig standards but probably not what you are looking for. I would say you'll have to head for Charleston for the bigger and more ethnic selections and I'll have to defer to the locals on those. I believe the resorts are building some big markets right outside the Kiawah gate, including some sort of Fresh Fields or Whole Foods type market but the last I heard they were still a long way from being open. Have fun.

[gourmande]

Well, I visited Charleston S.C. for the very first time last week (was there for a British car show) and was totally blown away; I had no idea what a gem this place would be and we can't wait to go back.

There seems to be a wealth of very good restaurants in Charleston, but because of our schedule and the fact we were chosing on the fly and on our own (i.e., forgot to check here first), we were able to sample only a few but were pleased with most of our choices. Here are the restaurants we tried and that I would easily recommend:

Mistral Restaurant (French provençal) My choices: fish soup provençal; tomato asparagus salad; braised rabbit with mustard cream sauce; sorbet au Champagne; fruit and cheese plate. Excellent food, service and atmosphere. The owners are extremely welcoming and gracious - we felt at home as soon as we walked in.

Sermet's Corner (eclectic) My choices: baked artichoke torta; sauté of shrimp, sausage, mushroom and peas over couscous with lobster cream sauce; mixed greens salad. Excellent food, service and great atmosphere though a tad noisy and music a bit loud for moi. The chef is also a painter so his art adorns the walls, tables, almost everything.

Poogan's Porch (new southern) My choices: she crab soup; creole jambalaya; seasonal greens. Excellent food, service and atmosphere. The historic house provides a beautiful, relaxed setting for a "nouveau" lowcountry dining experience.

Hyman's Seafood (seafood and deli) My choices: a combination plate featuring broiled shrimp, broiled scallops and broiled grouper. All their dinners come with a choice of potato or rice (I chose red rice), salad or coleslaw (I opted for salad) hushpuppies and boiled peanuts . Unlike the other places we enjoyed, this is a very casual deli-tyle eatery (nothing fancy here). Excellent seafood and service, the other food items ok, atmosphere fine: wooden tables, servers rushing about, a bit noisy but fun.

We also lunched at a few pubs in the Market area, and though I didn't care for the food at either (couldn't even eat the soup at one), my dining partners enjoyed theirs. Ok, I'll concede, the Newcastle ale was good.

The worst food I had was at breakfast, at our hotel: dry scrambled eggs, paper thin and overly crisp bacon, hard biscuits, sausage gravy, grits, stewed apples, tasteless bread for toast, e-v-e-r-y single morning... Next time I'll bring my own yoghurt and fruit.

Edited October 29, 2003 by gourmande (log)

[Missy]

I'd highly recommend Slightly North of Broad. I had a meeting at Kiawah Island last June and made my way to Charleston for dinner each night. SNOB was one of the finest. Living near the Chesapeake Bay, I've had plenty of great softshells but nothing can touch the one I had there in size or crunchy fried goodness. It was like some giant mutant Japanese horror movie crab, except that you ate it and not the other way round.

[goodcatjack]

new boutique hotel at corner of E. Bay and S. Market: http://www.marketpavilion.com/index1.cfm, the Market Pavilion Hotel. had a terrific brunch at their Grill 225, and apparently, the bar upstairs is quite the place to be and be seen.