One of my favorite things we did was a carriage tour. We rode around in the covered cart and listened to our tour guide tell us stories about the Civil War, old (like 1600s old) churches, Charleston folklore, interesting families, etc. It was so fun and informative.
This is Bill, the horse from our carriage tour. Sadly, I cannot remember the tour guide's name. I just love horses and was too fixed on Bill.
Will had a hard time getting me to leave the tour at the end. I just wanted to see Bill.
Case in point...the third picture with Bill.
After our tour, we needed some refreshments. Sweet tea and a peach raspberry danish.
Yes, that will do the trick. (from Whisk Bakery)
Will's parents also happened to be in Charleston the same week as us, just for an overlap of a couple days. So because Will's grandfather was in the Navy and his dad was in the Coast Guard, we decided to tour the USS Yorktown that is harbored here. I love history of all kind, so Navy history was fascinating to me!
In the hangar looking at planes...
Yeah, I totally made them pose like they were steering the carrier.
Looking all official.
Not so official. But fun.
Mike and Paula
Me and my hubs.
After dinner at Hominy Grill. Multiple people had recommended Hominy Grill to us. And let me tell you...it did not disappoint. It truly is a neighborhood restaurant. Just nestled right in amongst houses. It's as cute as can be with white walls, big wooden chairs, and understated decor with a little country charm. I had the Southern Fried Chicken Breast with Country Ham Gravy, a Cheese Grit Cake, and Squash Fries. Squash Fries are amazing if you have never had them. Will had shrimp and grits. Everything was delicious. And for dessert I had vanilla pound cake and Will ordered chocolate pudding.
Now chocolate pudding might sound lame to you. But our waiter said "Someone on 'The Best Thing I Ever Ate' said this was their favorite chocolate dessert." (We love Food Network and this show - Food Network chefs talk about their favorite restaurant dishes!) I had a sneaky suspicion who said this so I asked. And he said...ALTON BROWN. Will's most favorite Food Network personality. So yes, we ordered it. And yes, it was the BEST chocolate pudding ever. Dark, rich, bitter. Not anything like a pudding cup.
Our meal was so good there that we seriously went back for breakfast the very next day. I had a Big Nasty Biscuit, which consisted of gravy, fried chicken, biscuit, and cheese. And they had homemade blackberry preserves, my favorite kind.
Cute parents!
It was so fun to get around the city in pedi-cabs.
Down by the waterfront.
What a stud.
This is right before we went to dinner at Fig. Fig is another restaurant that was mentioned on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" by one of our favorite Chopped judges, Alex Guarnaschelli. We didn't have a reservation, and we were told it would be hours before we could get a table. But we decided to wait, because...well, Will is a foodie and that's just what we do.
AMAZINGLY, we got a table within 30 minutes. In the middle of the dining room. At a perfect little table. I honestly can't remember what I ate for dinner (I remember it was awesome) because we had sticky sorghum cake for dessert. Which is like a Southern spin on the British classic, sticky toffee pudding (my most favorite dessert in the world). That sticky sorghum cake was TO DIE FOR. Will said his most favorite meal in Charleston was at Fig (which stands for "food is good" by the way).
My most favorite meal was at Husk. This was recommended to us as well, but we totally forgot to make reservations ahead of time. So we just decided to try our luck by showing up here. We figured we couldn't get as lucky as we did at Fig but we were prepared to wait.
It's a cute house in the middle of downtown with porches on the first and second floor. A huge magnolia tree is growing right in the front. What could be more Southern than that?
Next door, in what would have been the kitchen for the old home, in small brick building, they have a bar. We sat over there and waited for a table for a while. They called our name, and we returned to the main house. Up the stairs, through the dining room, and OUT ON THE PORCH we went. Yes. We got a perfect table on the upstairs porch looking out onto the street and that amazing magnolia tree.
The food was to die for. Between the two of us we had fried pork ear lettuce wraps, wagyu steak with spinach, cheese grits, and seared grouper. We were so full that we couldn't even think about dessert.
We actually did do some other stuff besides eat. We went to Folly Beach for a day. Our friend told us this was where more locals hang out. We walked on the pier, ate seared tuna nachos, and basked in the sun. Another day we went to the beach at Isle of Palms. This beach was more touristy, but still fun and beautiful. We ate a late lunch at Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island. If you are in Charleston, you should definitely go here. It's Edgar Allan Poe themed, because he served a military stint at Fort Moultrie, which is just down the road from the restaurant. My burger had a fried green tomato AND pimiento cheese on it. Yum. And Will's was called the Amontillado, which had jalapeño jack, guacamole, pico, and chipotle sour cream on it. YUM.
Ok, it does seem like everything revolves around food on our vacations...
Seriously, GO TO CHARLESTON.
Oh my goodness!!! We want to go there SOOO badly! We LOVED our trip to Savannah and have been told we have to do Charleston too. It's next on our list of cities to go visit! We'll have to get all the details from you on where to go and where to stay. =)
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