dining around charleston

Over the weekend the GS and I went to Charleston. And LOVED it. We got an AirBnb right by the College of Charleston campus and rented bikes, so we were able to walk/bike everywhere. There are so many amazing restaurants in Charleston, so we hit as many as we possibly could.

Dinner Night 1: FIG

This is a really cool place because the menu changes daily based on what is fresh and local. We started with the razor clams appetizer. Neither of us had had razor clams before- they were poached in a vegetable broth and served with fennel, tangerine, cress, and some kind of spicy broth. They weren’t chewy or gummy at all the way clams can be.

Ethan went with the pork schnitzel, and I ordered the amberjack. I am still convinced that I was given chicken and not fish (amberjack is supposed to be fish). It had ZERO fishy taste and had the exact texture of chicken. So it’s either the least fishy fish I’ve ever eaten, or somebody screwed up. The middle was also pretty undercooked. Ethan ate that part, so for his sake I hope it was fish. His schnitzel was really good and we loved the arugula salad on top. The service there was awesome, too- our server made great recommendations for meals and local beer choices.

Breakfast Day 2: Poogan’s Porch

This is a pretty classic southern breakfast spot, and the inside is really cute and charming. They brought us fresh biscuits with honey butter (the best biscuit I’ve ever had in my life) and then I ordered an omelette with fried oysters on top, and Ethan had the shrimp and grits with a blue crab broth and poached eggs. They were both excellent, but portions were huge and I’m not a big breakfast person. I typically just have cereal, so we had a lot of leftovers. But they had a great menu and the service was excellent- our waitress gave us a bunch of recommendations for local bars and restaurants to check out.

Lunch Day 2: Fuel

Fuel is an old gas station that has been converted into a bar/restaurant. Such a cool vibe in there! They had a ton of TVs so we got to catch some Sunday football, and they had a good draught list. We started with the ho cakes (corn cakes) and then I had the black bean burger and the GS had the pulled pork tacos. Both were really flavorful- the burger wasn’t my favorite texture for a bean burger (I like them thin and crispy and this was a little mushy) but it tasted awesome. The service here wasn’t that great but it could have just been our server, because the place was packed. They were also featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives once!

Dinner Night 2: Edmund’s Oast

Don’t let the crappy lighting in these pictures fool you- this place is AWESOME. It’s definitely off the beaten path (the only place we had to cab to) but it is so so worth it especially if you’re into beer like we are. They have over 45 beers on tap, with a ton of local and seasonal choices. They specialize in charcuterie, and then they have several small plates that are perfect for sharing. We went with the dried charcuterie platter, the corn bread (amazing), and the acorn squash with serrano ham, parmesan, and fried sage. Oh, and that chocolate loveliness was the fudge brownie dessert. The GS insisted they weren’t brownies, because it was pure fudginess. This might have been my favorite stop.

We went casual for breakfast and just grabbed iced coffee and a muffin at Black Tap, which was within walking distance from where we stayed. They have a bunch of cool specialty coffees, but I wasn’t blown away by the regular cold brew. We also had an afternoon iced coffee that day at Bakehouse Charleston, which was pretty good. Lunch Day 3: Husk

This is probably one of the most buzzed about restaurants in Charleston, and with good reason. My friend Stephanie lived there for a year and recommended that we go there for lunch instead of dinner, so we did! This is another place that changes their menu daily, and has a different menu for lunch and for dinner. We started with the crispy pig ear lettuce wraps, which were buffalo wing inspired. AMAZING. Ethan said it was his favorite thing he ate the whole time. Who knew pig ears were so delicious? Then he stuck with the pig theme and ordered pork belly with brussels sprouts, while I had the quail with butternut squash, spinach, steel cut oats, and brown butter jus. Both were unbelievable. We weren’t overly impressed with the service- we waited almost an hour even though there were 5-6 tables open that we could see. It seems like the kind of place where they want you to wait so that you know it’s prestigious, even if it’s 1:00 on a Monday. Our server was also not great, but again the food made it all worth it.

We had a late flight out and killed time beforehand at Holy City Brewing, where they have about 20 beers on tap and do beer flights and pints.

We had SO much fun and ate such amazing food that I can’t wait to go back. There are so many other places that looked awesome that we didn’t even have time for, so I’m sure we could do another weekend trip and eat at all new restaurants. And then I would bore you with more pictures…

The GS is responsible for most of the pictures because his iPhone camera is much more sophisticated than mine. We make a pretty good eating and picture taking team.

Not so great at our selfie game, though. This one looks like I did a very poor job selecting and applying the right foundation color. Spoiler alert: I don’t wear makeup, period.