We travelled to Charleston for a long weekend with friends in early October. What a great city!! We had a jam-packed weekend: Taking a horse-drawn carriage tour for a historic overview of the city. Shopping on King Street for antiques and clothing. Scoping out three different beaches (Isle of Palms was my favorite). Researching cool real estate opportunities in Mount Pleasant...here are photos of I'on, a planned community in Mount Pleasant, across the Cooper River via the Ravenel Bridge:
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| Ravenel Bridge |
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| Two images from I'on in Mount Pleasant |
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| Nathanial Russell House |
We also toured the historic Boone Hall Plantation, the Nathanial Russell House with its graceful floating staircase, as well as the Edmunston-Alston House overlooking the Charleston Harbor.
In addition to its beautiful architecture, Charleston is known for its food. And we did our best to sample as much as we possibly could! Here are a few of the places we dined:
Basil
A cool, fun Thai restaurant with great food. Beautiful presentation. Don’t miss the Tom Kha Gai (a soup made of sliced chicken breast in coconut milk with galangal roots, lime leaves, lemon grass, mushrooms, cilantro and scallions). Enough for two. Also try the Fresh Basil Rolls…shrimp, rice noodles, bean sprouts and lettuce, wrapped in a transparent rice paper wrapper with a basil leaf showing through the wrapper, served with a special sauce. Numerous mains to choose from, too. We had the Basil Duck. Yum.
Magnolia’s Uptown/Downsouth
Memorable Southern cooking. Our lunch menu favorites:
• Fried Green Tomato BLT with Lump Crab Sandwich
• Shellfish Over Grits...sautéed shrimp, sea scallops and lobster over creamy white grits with lobster butter sauce and fried spinach
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| Cypress |
Cypress
Comtemporary Southern cuisine with an Asian edge. Flying saucer shaped lighting in the ceiling changed colors throughout the evening.
Husk (NOT!!)
We managed to score reservations for this restaurant voted Number One New Restaurant in 2011 by Bon Appetite magazine. In my opinion, they try way too hard to be trendy and hip. Deep-fried chicken skins… fried pig ears… Come ON!!! Main Courses equally strange…and not very good to boot. But we paid dearly for that meal. Never again. A black eye for Charleston. I’ve included it on my list here solely to save you the pain.
Some of best food we had was at some of the most casual of venues.
Poe’s Tavern
We ate outside on the patio at this cute little café on Sullivan’s Island. The Island inspired Edgar Allan Poe to write “The Gold Bug” while he was stationed there during his time in the army. Amazing burgers—eleven different kinds!!! An absolute must if you go to Charleston. Make sure you order a side of the onion straws. The most thinly sliced onions, dipped in a light batter and deep fried. I am a huge onion ring fan and these were by far the best I have ever had.
The Hominy Grill
A great place for breakfast. Get there when they open, or you will be waiting in line. The weather was sunny and clear, so we ate on the patio.
I had the Shrimp and Cheese Grits. So great, I asked if they had a cookbook with the recipe…and they did. Here is the recipe from my signed copy by Chef Robert Stehling. He’s been making this recipe for more than 20 years. I will probably make it for another 20.
Shrimp and Grits
Cheese Grits
(serves 6)
Ingredients
4-1/2 cups water
1 cup stone ground grits
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp Tabasco
Preparation
Bring water to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Whisk in grits and salt. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until grits are thickened, approximately 35–40 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, butter, pepper and Tabasco. Adjust seasoning as desired.
Shrimp
(serves 2–4)
High heat will keep this dish from getting mushy, but be careful not to overcook the shrimp (they cook fast)!
Ingredients
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons flour
1-1/4 cups sliced mushrooms
1 large garlic clove, minced in garlic press
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
Preparation
1. In medium skillet cook bacon over low heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 1-1/2 tbsp fat in skillet…adding peanut oil if needed.
2. Toss shrimp in flour. Shake off excess.
3. Cook shrimp in fat over medium-high heat until them begin to turn pink…one minute or less.
4. Add mushrooms and bacon. Cook another minute.
5. Add garlic, but do not let it brown.
6. Finish with Tabasco, lemon juice and onions. Remove from heat.
7. Serve immediately so the shrimp do not overcook. This is a very fast sauté — only about 3 minutes cooking time total.
WOW!
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