Ok so I came to Charleston, and this is the first time I've been here in a really long time even though I used to live here once when I was very young.

The thing that comes to mind is the cultural differences between NC and SC, but they aren't as stark as I remember. I just remember Raleigh people associating themselves with Atlanta more than SC. What's the deal with the hate? Why can't there be like a unified Carolina mentality?

3/1/2008 8:48:06 PM

is it particularly important to you that there be a unified carolina mentality?

3/1/2008 8:49:18 PM

because south carolina sucks

3/1/2008 8:49:23 PM

I think that it's pretty cool that low country food is slowly becoming more of a regional style in the Carolinas.

[no homo]

3/1/2008 8:50:17 PM

^ that's a good point

I went to tourist trap Hyman's seafood and enjoyed their Carolina delight.

Seems like multiple places can imitate that Carolina style and turn a profit. Low Country food is indeed regional increasingly....

3/1/2008 8:52:48 PM

my boss is from SC and likes to tell me how it was founded as colony for all the crazy people in England....

it was just a glorified Dorthea Dix...


and it hasn't changed much in 250 years

3/1/2008 8:59:58 PM

She-crab soup and shrimp and grits are getting much easier to find around Raleigh. I'm a big fan.

3/1/2008 9:13:57 PM

What the fuck is she-crab. Is there a taste difference between the genders of crab?

3/1/2008 9:21:39 PM

Oh and in Charleston TV watches you!

3/1/2008 9:22:36 PM

crab roe, homie

3/1/2008 9:22:47 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She-crab_soup

3/1/2008 9:35:29 PM

had some shecrab soup last night, love that stuff so much.

3/1/2008 9:56:04 PM

I'm in Charleston myself right now. Walked by Hyman's at about 7:30 tonight and it was packed. My friend who I'm visiting doesn't like seafood otherwise I'd go try it out myself.

3/1/2008 10:03:09 PM

what kind of douche has never tried shecrab soup?

3/1/2008 10:04:58 PM

california dreaming has pretty good shecrab soup

[Edited on March 1, 2008 at 10:07 PM. Reason : not sure about downtown, don't really venture there too much - too expensive for what you get]

3/1/2008 10:06:43 PM

going to Charleston in 2 weeks

gimme some ideas for fun stuff to do. i'm only going to be there for 2 days

ps, i need a good, fairly romantic place to go eat on a Saturday night (pref. downtown somewhere)

3/26/2008 8:26:45 AM

Quote :

"I just remember Raleigh people associating themselves with Atlanta"

huh?

3/26/2008 8:44:47 AM

Thats cause alot of Raleigh people aren't from the south and have no idea what southern culture really is.

3/26/2008 8:47:57 AM

^^ Yeah, not many people want to own ATL.


I've always heard that North Carolina was a valley of humility between to mountains of conceit.

3/26/2008 8:50:40 AM

^^^^ The Charleston Grill at The Charleston Place Hotel. You'll drop $200, but it's the only meal I've ever eaten that was actually worth $200.

[Edited on March 26, 2008 at 8:52 AM. Reason : .]

3/26/2008 8:52:04 AM

i'm gonna be in charleston in 2 weeks

3/26/2008 9:01:26 AM

Oak, Basil, The Boat House, Anson

All good places downtown.

Anson being my favorite, cant get enough of thier fried okra sprinkled with goat cheese and chili oil.

3/26/2008 11:26:24 AM

Quote :

"You'll drop $200"

On food...

Fuck

That

3/26/2008 11:33:06 AM

Like I said, it's the most I have ever paid for a meal, but that was the all the courses... and it was worth it. That number also includes the tip.

They bring out an appetizer from the chef that you don't order, you order an appetizer, two entrees, a dessert, another dessert from the chef (free), a bottle of wine, and a bottle of chamapgne...

Yeah, so $200 wasn't all that bad.

[Edited on March 26, 2008 at 11:56 AM. Reason : .]

3/26/2008 11:53:42 AM

ok...that is a lot

but just damn

3/26/2008 11:58:32 AM

It's probably the finest restaurant in Charleston too... very romantic and the wait staff hands and foots you.

3/26/2008 12:17:26 PM

i still think the best places to eat there are the little "hole in the wall" places that tourists would probably not step into on their own.
MMMMMMM The Kickin Chicken was my FAV (http://thekickinchicken.com/) it used to be right on king street and i think it is still thurr. YUM.

http://www.hoagiehaven.com/ another one of my favs

i used to love groucho's deli too. and andolini's pizza...seriously used to eat there like once a week.

god, the food in charleston is so awesome. the upscale seafood places are great too, someone already mentioned The boathouse. but the random little places scattered downtown that look semisketchy were SO good. i need to go back there to eat asap.

3/26/2008 12:25:56 PM

magnolia is great for romantic dinner, and right down the street there is a bar with a rooftop patio that is awesome. candles, nice breeze, and nice outdoor setup. Vendue inn is the name of the place i think. Good for pre or post dinner drinks. Also might have good food. I didn't eat there though, so I can't comment on that.

3/26/2008 12:29:20 PM

^^Way flock to the chains. (except for hoagie heaven) (but for hoagies, i'd go to this place near CoC,

[Edited on March 26, 2008 at 12:35 PM. Reason : ]

3/26/2008 12:30:11 PM

Quote :

"magnolia is great for romantic dinner, and right down the street there is a bar with a rooftop patio that is awesome. candles, nice breeze, and nice outdoor setup. Vendue inn is the name of the place i think. Good for pre or post dinner drinks. Also might have good food. I didn't eat there though, so I can't comment on that."

That's where I stayed on my honeymoon. We went to Magnolia one night and it was just alright. The steak was good but the atmosphere wasn't all that. Evidently, that bar on top of the Vendue Inn is where the locals like to hang out. We met some CoC kids there and we hung out with them a few nights. They said it was the best bar in town. I only went there once (on super bowl sunday) so I didn't get to experience the average night.

Charleston Grill, however, was awesome.

Johnson's Pizza. Very good. Get some.

East Bay Crab Shack... fantastic food.

[Edited on March 26, 2008 at 12:33 PM. Reason : .]

3/26/2008 12:32:20 PM

the bar is called The Library.

Finding a good resturant in not hard at all there.

3/26/2008 12:36:42 PM

Holy geez the list of tourist traps in this thread is ridiculous. There are at least a couple dozen restaurants that are better than the ones coming up in these posts (with the exception of Charleston Grill and Basil...although Basil is ridiculously overpriced...once a month they raise the prices and lower the portions...but its the only decent Thai place you'll find within 100 miles).

And never go to Hymans...they buy their fish at the lowest grade possible. Worst quality fish you can probably get in North and South Carolina.

[Edited on March 26, 2008 at 12:42 PM. Reason : .]

3/26/2008 12:40:50 PM

^^^ I think Johnson's pizza is meh.
Anyone going to be there for the bridge run?

3/26/2008 12:43:12 PM

Quote :

"Evidently, that bar on top of the Vendue Inn is where the locals like to hang out."

Not really...although between the two rooftop bars (the other one being the Market Street Pavilion), it is the least touristy. It does have a great view of Charleston at night and a good atmosphere. But once the weather gets nice, it has a line of tourists down East Bay.

[Edited on March 26, 2008 at 1:04 PM. Reason : .]

3/26/2008 12:47:39 PM

^ Eh, I'm just going by what the locals told me.


Basils was good, but kind of out of the way if you're staying downtown and attempting to walk... we drove there from our hotel and it was a little tricky, the food was alright to me. Get the regional food while you're there.

3/26/2008 12:56:44 PM

Quote :

"Way flock to the chains"

they are "chains" only in that they have more than one location. like kickin chicken has downtown, mt pleasant and james island or something. that seems pretty local to me!! same with andolini's. its not like an "outback" chain. its like the village deli in raleigh, it has several locations, but i don't think of it as a "chain" in the sense of like, applebees or something. those places are still pretty localized. i know that groucho's is more of a chain, but it was good. the east bay deli or whatever was also good.

and hoagie haven is (or was) near cofc

[Edited on March 26, 2008 at 1:01 PM. Reason : .]

3/26/2008 12:59:13 PM

Best Restaurants in Charleston:

Charleston Grill (2nd best...great chef, great sommelier, long history)
FIG (best overall...awesome chef)
La Fourchette (best French, probably most romantic)
Rue de Jean (also good French, good atmosphere, good bar)
McCrady's (great all-around, progressive chef/cooking style)
Al di La
Cru Cafe (great local southern food)
The Wreck (best seafood..in Mt. Pleasant)
Basil (best Asian food in town...great atmosphere)
Il Cortile (best Italian)
Le Club Fez (awesome new french/moraccan restaurant)
Monza (best pizza in town...neopolitan-style wood oven pizza)
High Thymes (best brunch, awesome dinner too)

Bars:

Raval
Chais
Rue de Jean's bar
Blind Tiger (kinda touristy, but best outdoor patio and good all-around setup)
Library Rooftop at Vendue (also a little touristy, but great view and rooftop opens up when weather is good)
Squeeze (narrow little bar on East Bay where you can get away from the tourists)
Poe's (best beachbar on Sullivans)
King St Grille (not a great bar, but best place to watch a game)

There are other good bars, but those places stand out the most.

One thing Charleston does lack is good breakfast places. The famous Hominy Grill BLOWS. I'm a breakfast fiend, and this town is sorely lacking in breakfast options (Lost Dog Cafe on Folly is great, but its too damn far away from most people).

3/26/2008 1:16:07 PM

LOST DOG CAFE!!!! i forgot about it. <3

what about bagel nation? does that still exist haha.

[Edited on March 26, 2008 at 1:19 PM. Reason : .]

3/26/2008 1:18:59 PM

I'm a fan of Coast, as long as I can get one of the tables in the alley

3/26/2008 1:23:05 PM

A friend of mine lives in the apartment next to/above the King St. Grille. I went there to watch the disappointing Duke/State game over spring break and enjoyed the atmosphere. He goes to CofC so he knew the best places to eat.

^^went to Bagel Nation twice for breakfast!
^^^Also went to Poe's, Lost Dog, Kickin Chicken, and Andolini's among many others while down there. That was a good week of eating.

[Edited on March 26, 2008 at 1:27 PM. Reason : ^]

3/26/2008 1:26:55 PM

went to McCrady's last year. Excellent food for sure. Maybe best meal I have personally had. Very cool shit going on at that restaurant. I met sean brock (executive chef at McCrady's) due to the fact that the chef i used to work for is one of his best friends. This guy is one of the most talented chefs in the United States. Very innovative and way outside the box ideas. I highly recommend this place.

3/26/2008 1:27:36 PM

For breakfast, St. John's Island Cafe....but only if you are coming from Rockville/kiawah/seabrook


Brick, is FIG the place w/ a 2 story wine rack behind glass?

[Edited on March 26, 2008 at 1:30 PM. Reason : ]

3/26/2008 1:29:11 PM

yea i usually did my walk of shame straight to bagel nation. it was so easy on the hangovers. i wonder how distorted my view is of the places i used to eat at in charleston considering i was always high drunk or hungover when i ate at them.

does freaking gilroy's still exist? so disgusting but that definitely contributed to my weight gain at the beginning of college.

3/26/2008 1:32:45 PM

Charleston has big fucking NYC sized cockroaches that come out at night when its hot out

like the size of a JBC

3/26/2008 1:34:12 PM

haha....PALMETTO BUGS, duh

3/26/2008 1:35:24 PM

Nope. I THINK that's Cyprus...but I could be wrong on that one.

3/26/2008 1:36:14 PM

I never had to go out for breakfast during my stay. The Vendue Inn had complimentary breakfast... shit you got to order from a menu... They had the BEST GRITS ever. I thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast there. I don't know if you can just go in and order though.

3/26/2008 1:36:28 PM

Quote :

" does freaking gilroy's still exist?"

Hell yeah it does. I was pretty hammered after work one night and ate about 20 of their hot wings in 5 minutes....and I'm basically allergic to hot wings (sensitive palate for hot sauce). Wasn't feeling to great the next day.

3/26/2008 1:37:39 PM

what do people think of 82 queen? good? bad?

3/26/2008 1:37:52 PM

Mediocre. Good food, but nothing special.

3/26/2008 1:39:33 PM