All the other threads were dead. Going to Charleston for the weekend. Haven't been there since October for Halloween last year. Any recommendations on places to eat? We're already checking out Cork and might try to drop by Hominy Sunday for brunch if the line isn't too long. Need some more good recommendations.

We might also try to go kayaking. Haven't been kayaking in that area for years. I just remember how awesome it was because all the dolphins came and swam along side you. My girlfriend hasn't been before so I'm trying to show her the coolest stuff in the city over the course of the weekend. Any suggestions?

9/17/2010 10:56:36 AM

i used to eat at http://www.hoagiehaven.com/ almost every day when i lived in charleston

9/17/2010 10:59:01 AM

Yea, there is food there.

9/17/2010 10:59:26 AM

I haven't been there since I was in high school, but I remember really liking Hyman's (lol hyman lol).

9/17/2010 10:59:30 AM

there is food.

9/17/2010 11:00:35 AM

western charleston bbq is better

9/17/2010 11:01:23 AM

Al Di La in West Ashley...nuff said

9/17/2010 11:02:04 AM

uh oh. BBQ battle. There's a chilli cook-off in the office today. Now i'm thinking about Chilli.

We won't be getting in until 9:30ish tonight. Any good bars with good bar food open late? Maybe with music?

9/17/2010 11:08:34 AM

Quote :

"TEXAS STYLE CHILI"

9/17/2010 11:09:20 AM

oh yeah chili only has one l. The whole office smells really good right now. I have a feeling in a couple hours it's going to smell really bad.

9/17/2010 11:11:32 AM

9/17/2010 11:14:05 AM

http://turtleairforceones.ytmnd.com/

9/17/2010 11:15:55 AM

Who the hell goes to Charleston to eat chili?

I go to Charleston to eat low country boil, she crab soup and jbrick83's asshole

9/17/2010 11:19:17 AM

not planning on eating chili there. Just on my mind because the whole office smells like it. I want me some fish.

9/17/2010 11:22:16 AM

paging Nerdchick and/or TheBullDoza

9/17/2010 11:24:52 AM

Nerdchick would know best...Al di La is the best Italian restaurant i've ever been to...and its across from my favorite bar ever...which is important

9/17/2010 11:33:57 AM

F.I.G. is the best food for your money.

La Fourchette is the best French.

Al di La for Italian.

Hominy Grill is ridiculously overrated for brunch and definitely not worth the wait. You can get good brunch anywhere in Charleston and you won't be treated like herded cattle like that place. Go out to Sullivans Island on Sunday and get brunch at High Thymes and then chill on the beach. Red Drum in Mt. Pleasant has a great brunch as well. If you want the best deal, go to Moe's Crosstown. It's a dive bar, but you get Drunken French Toast (french toast soaked in a bourbon egg batter) with eggs and sausage/bacon for like $6 and you'll be full for the rest of the day (French Toast is money).

If you want to spend $Texas (F.I.G. and La Fourchette are expensive, but not the most expensive), hit up Halls, McCrady's, or Oak. McCrady's is just ridiculously good. Halls and Oak are the best steakhouses...I would lean towards Oak being the better of the two, but I haven't eaten at Hall's enough to form a solid opinion.

And go kayaking at Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant. There are two places, but the one next to the Waters Edge restaurant is the cheapest and run by a former NC State grad. Tell them you live in Charleston and you get like a $5 or $10 discount (I think it's only like $30 a kayak while the other one is around $40).

That's all I got. Oh...and if you want just seafood (first, you can get great seafood at every restaurant you go to), Hanks does it the best...and it's strictly seafood. Get the bouillabaisse.

9/17/2010 11:37:09 AM

Hymans has some good seafood from what I can remember. Slightly North of Broad (SNOB) is really awesome as well.

http://www.hymanseafood.com/

http://www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/snob/#

aldilarestaurant.com




[Edited on September 17, 2010 at 11:44 AM. Reason : d]

9/17/2010 11:41:17 AM

I was never impressed with hymans food... I thought it was a cool place with alot of history, but the food was always so-so

9/17/2010 11:42:37 AM

^^^Thanks!! Yeah F.I.G. looks delicious but we are trying to spend a little less than ~$35 an entree. We're all on a budget at the moment.

I got the impression the first time i went there that Hominy was overrated. I'll have to check out some other places for Sunday brunch. Maybe High Thyme. The menu looks delicious.

^^yeah always wanted to check out both those places.

9/17/2010 11:43:39 AM

Kick ass brunch place in Charleston Place.

9/17/2010 11:47:19 AM

http://www.coastbarandgrill.com/

I went here once and remember it being pretty good. Seafood.

9/17/2010 11:47:22 AM

Quote :

"Hymans has some good seafood from what I can remember. "

Hymans is HORRIBLE. Tourist trap. They buy the lowest quality seafood possible because they buy it cheap and in bulk. Avoid that place at all costs.

SNOB is good...but I think just as pricey as F.I.G. (entrees there are usually $27-$32...but worth every penny...Chef Mike Lata is the fucking man...recent James Beard winner and suppose to be on Iron Chef this upcoming season...along with McCrady's chef Sean Brock).

Food in Charleston is amazing. Can't go wrong with most places.

^Coast is solid...not quite as good as Hanks, but also an average of about $5 less on the entrees as well. It's sister restaurant attached to it, Rue de Jean, is also a solid French place as well. I would put it about 1/2 notch below La Fourchette, but also a little less pricey. Can't go wrong with any of those restaurants.

[Edited on September 17, 2010 at 11:50 AM. Reason : .]

9/17/2010 11:47:59 AM

lol...yikes. Yeah, i guess it tasted just fine to me...I dont think i payed for dinner that night, so eeeh. i would listen to the rest on this one

9/17/2010 11:50:04 AM

yeah I was turned off my Hymans website and menu. I don't mind spending ~$20-25 an entree. Hanks sounds good.

9/17/2010 11:54:25 AM

yes Hymans sucks


Tsunami has pretty good sushi (and an assload of hot waitresses)
FIG is good (pricey)
Snob is good (pricey)
Poogan's Porch is pretty damn good
Bowens is good

9/17/2010 12:20:08 PM

Went to Magnolias for brunch when I was down there a couple of weeks ago... it was amazing


they have apparently been on food network a couple of times too, so I'm not the only one who thought so

it isn't very cheap, but in charleston, not alot is

http://magnolias-blossom-cypress.com/magnolias.asp?catID=20428

[Edited on September 17, 2010 at 1:01 PM. Reason : s]

9/17/2010 12:59:05 PM

http://coconutjoes.biz

9/17/2010 1:12:39 PM

there was a really cool place that I had breakfast a few times with Ken. What was it called, qntmken? Kind of near that area/courtyard where the Saturday market takes place.

9/17/2010 1:12:40 PM

I have always loved Tommy Condons (Irish pub near the market). The shrimp and grits are amazing! Plus lots of good beer on tap!

[Edited on September 17, 2010 at 1:39 PM. Reason : asdf]

9/17/2010 1:39:25 PM

^How long ago?? there aren't many breakfast places in Charleston (unfortunately), but there was a great one called the Bookstore Cafe that was really close to the Saturday Market at Calhoun and King. Unfortunately their rent was too high and they packed up and moved to Mount Pleasant.

9/17/2010 1:40:20 PM

Early Bird Diner is by far my favorite breakfast joint in Charleston imho...its on 17S, 5 min from down town

more than likely you will eat at a good restaurant. All charleston has is dank food.

9/17/2010 1:42:12 PM

thanks. we want to be able to walk to eat. yeah everywhere i've been in Charleston is pretty good.

9/17/2010 1:49:22 PM

Quote :

"Early Bird Diner is by far my favorite breakfast joint in Charleston imho...its on 17S, 5 min from down town"

YES!!! Me and TheBullDoza LOVE Early Bird. Just as good if not better than Hominy, (Early Bird's grits are DANK) and even on Sunday you hardly ever have to wait for a table. Worth the drive for sure. If you want something downtown for dinner, I like The Buccaneer. The food's OK for the price, but the real attraction is the pirate museum in the waiting area!!

Also the Charleston City Paper (it's like the Independant) has a cool restaurant guide

http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/dish-dining-guide-summer-2010/Category?oid=2214641

9/17/2010 2:24:03 PM

I haven't read this thread to see what else was recommended but I highly recommend Poogan's Porch for brunch and Jestine's any time. Jestine's is awesome southern fried chicken with lots of sides. It was featured on FoodTV, Oprah, and tons of other places.

9/17/2010 2:51:37 PM

http://www.eatatchais.com/

Someone recommended that. The 5-7pm tapas happy hour specials look delicious. I guess I should go to Charleston and get seafood though.

9/17/2010 4:21:15 PM

Just blow $500 on a nice dinner at Oak with a couple bottles of wine

and jbrick83 whats the name of that BBQ place in Mt. Pleasant on the right side of 17 a couple blocks after you come over the bridge? Its got a pig on the sign or something?

Cause their burgers are off the chain

9/17/2010 4:24:37 PM

$500?!?!!?!

fucking crazy is what you are

9/17/2010 4:25:42 PM

Ok, spend $250-$300 and drink a few top shelf liquor drinks instead of nice bottles of wine, whatever

When I go on vacation (literally have no fucking clue the last time I was on vacation) I like to enjoy myself, and at least one night I like to have a real nice dinner

9/17/2010 4:29:59 PM

Quote :

"Just blow $500 on a nice dinner at Oak with a couple bottles of wine"

My last big wine tab was $1500 at Capital Grill in Charlotte. Luckily I wasn't paying the bill.

Quote :

"When I go on vacation (literally have no fucking clue the last time I was on vacation) I like to enjoy myself, and at least one night I like to have a real nice dinner"

Sounds like you're implying it takes $$$ to enjoy yourself.

Quote :

"Ok, spend $250-$300 and drink a few top shelf liquor drinks instead of nice bottles of wine, whatever"

I could probably do this drinking scotch. Wine is easy to rack up the bill too.

[Edited on September 17, 2010 at 4:33 PM. Reason : s]

9/17/2010 4:31:41 PM

Quote :

"Went to Magnolias for brunch when I was down there a couple of weeks ago... it was amazing "

yup. Magnolias for the motherfucking win. My family eats there at least once every time we're in Charleston. We also bought their recipe book so we can make it at home honestly one of my favorite restaurants in the world.

9/17/2010 4:35:30 PM

Definitely agree on Magnolia's if you're looking to splurge a little on some amazing food. It's more of a special occasion type experience, but really worth it at least once.

9/17/2010 4:36:13 PM

Quote :

"Sounds like you're implying it takes $$$ to enjoy yourself. "

Nah, just that if I'm on vacation, I find it worthwhile to go have at least one very nice meal

9/17/2010 4:43:28 PM

MY friend worked as a pastry chef at Fig and said to go there for brunch...not sure if it's any good since we didn't get to go there but it seemed like a nice place.

9/17/2010 4:44:53 PM

Last time I went to charleston we ate at a place right on the water that used to be a navy hangar or dock. I can't remember the name of it, but it was AWESOME.
We sat outside on their porch and i had the best seafood pasta of my life.

I also got a shrimp poboy from the noisy oyster near the market. that was great also.

in other news, i should have never read this thread while i'm starving

9/17/2010 4:47:54 PM

Damn we just left. Going to get there late. Just passing Carowinds now. Yay free tethering!

9/17/2010 6:59:31 PM

Quote :

"Poogan's Porch is pretty damn good"

and if you hop over to Sullivan's Island, Poe's Tavern

9/17/2010 7:06:45 PM

82 Queen had a great brunch when I was there a few weekends ago

9/17/2010 11:06:05 PM

I'm going to keep this thread in mind. I live in Charleston and have only enjoyed maybe 10% of the restaurants mentioned in the thread

9/17/2010 11:17:00 PM

F I G

9/17/2010 11:23:22 PM