Eating in Charleston

{by alicia}–Ohh, you guys. I had this carefully crafted post all written and ready to go, and then my computer decided to crash and ruin everything. So here we are, for the second time, to recap all of the glorious things I consumed in Charleston. Forgive me if I come across grumpy and/or concise, but my rage meter is beyond measure. SO LET’S GET STARTED.

Since we drove into Charleston bright and early, our first stop was at Black Tap Coffee. I couldn’t help but fall in love from the moment I walked in–the interior was all minimalistic with clean lines and full of natural light. Plus, my coffee was on point. This doesn’t strike me as the type of place that would franchise, but I wish they would.

The simple syrup was genius. I hate the gritty residue sugar leaves behind, so it was amazing being able to seamlessly blend in this sweet, magical elixir. Such a simple (ha) concept, and it was all over Charleston. Why don’t I ever see this in Columbus? Am I going to the wrong coffee houses?

You know what else is genius: coffee + booze. There’s this great place off King Street called Kudu Coffee & Craft Beer, and though I can’t vouch for the beer (twas too early for me), I can recommend their other type of brew.

While waiting for my drink, I noticed a little courtyard–isn’t this picturesque? And there’s that creeping fig again. I wish we had the time to sit back and enjoy the scene, but we had to hit the pavement to our next stop.

A stop that happened to be Sugar Bakeshop. I guess I wasn’t too heartbroken.

You know what goes well with coffee? Cupcakes.

We walked away with caramel, coconut, and of course, vanilla (because that is the flavor I measure all bakeries against, plus I’m boring, shhh). But it’s okay! I made up for it when we went to Kaminsky’s. This dessert bar is a tourist hotspot–like lines wrapped around the building hotspot. I think we waited 30+ minutes for a table, but I assure you, it was BEYOND WORTH IT.

A shot of the menu. They have all sorts of drinks and ice cream treats on it.

There isn’t a printed bakery menu as the offerings depend on whatever is in the display case, and it’s ever changing. The case was jammed full of temptation–some of the cakes were massive. And though this was an insanely difficult decision, we ended up snagging the last slice of coconut cream cake and a massive hunk of chocolate brownie cake (with vanilla bean ice cream). This was the perfect night cap. It’s lucky we don’t live here, or our health and bank account would hate us.

Besides top notch coffee and sweets, the general food scene was impressive. Our first meal was at S.N.O.B. (Slightly North of Broad), which I highly recommend. The food is bistro-style lowcountry fare, and everything we ate was so delicious. Thom’s burger and chips were some of the best I’ve ever had–the house made chips were tossed in cayenne, sugar, and maybe paprika? Oh man, so good.

In contrast, our last meal was at The Rarebit (also eclectic comfort food. I detect a theme). He had the hot chicken, and I went all out on country-fried steak with the most delicious (aka carby) sides.

I was all over my plate, but not so much husband’s food. I have to say I was disappointed by the lack of hot in the “hot” chicken. It wasn’t that long ago I tried the real deal in Nashville (and burned my face off in the process), so perhaps my standards were too high? At any rate, he liked it.

We’ve covered food, coffee, and dessert, so let’s talk about booze–namely the two bars that really did it for me. The first is The Blind Tiger. It’s old, historic (the building was erected in 1803), and I just loved the vibe. Plus they had cider on tap (it is the summer of cider after all), so it wasn’t that difficult to win me over.

“Where did you pinch the hooch rummy? Is some blind tiger jerking suds on the side?”

The second place is the Rooftop at the Vendue. Um, guys, I wish I knew this hotel existed when I was booking our room. The concept is “experiencing art out of the frame,” so the interior was just beautiful and jammed with sculptures, painting, and modern art. We were entranced by everything during the short walk from the entrance to the rooftop elevator. I don’t know about the rooms, but it’s in a great area, is beautiful, and has a rooftop bar–stay here!

The rooftop bar was a lot of fun, and would be perfect if you have a big crowd. There are all sorts of nooks and crannies to hang out in. The drinks are a tad pricy, but it’s vacation, right? 

We only had two days to cram all sorts of amazing things into our faces, but I think we did okay, considering there are only three meals in a day (a travesty).

Other places you should try:
–Hominy Grill: You WILL need a reservation at dinner (as I learned the hard way), but if all else fails, grab some carryout from the window.
–Husk: This establishment has won all sorts of awards for their amazing cuisine. Make sure to get a reservation here as well.
–Poe’s Tavern: It’s Poe-themed (I’m already sold) and the menu is nothing but booze and burgers (still sold). Only catch is that it’s on Sullivan Island (20 minute drive). Plan a beach day and grab some lunch here.

Sightseeing in Charleston

{alicia}

I know, will I ever shut up about my vacation? That would be a negative. In fact, there was so much to say about my trip to Charleston, SC that I had to break it up into two posts. Today we’re going to focus on things you must see, and later we will talk about the food.

I should also warn you that this is going to be a photo-heavy post. This actually breaks my heart a bit because there were so many more pictures I wanted to include. But enough about that, let’s start with one of the loveliest moments from the trip (one of MANY): The Battery.

Isn’t this ridiculously scenic? The Battery was named after the defense artillery that shacked up there during the Civil War. There were even cannons posted along White Point Garden (the nearby park). As if there wasn’t enough to gawp at, there were also these insane antebellum houses that lined the street.

I found Barbie’s dream house.

Umm, I’d like to move in please. K, thx.

If you head north on East Battery, it will turn into East Bay, which will bring you to our next point of interest. Rainbow Row reminds me of the South’s version of the Painted Ladies in San Francisco. The pastel-colored houses run from 79 to 107 E. Bay and are a huge draw for tourists and photographers.

A bit obscured, but you get the gist.

I can’t even hate on the hordes of snap-happy people because I was probably the worst. I was taking pictures of everything–this includes brass door knockers in the shape of pineapples, and streets I found quaint.

I mean, look at the road and palm trees!

The problem was everything was quaint! Oh, stairs covered in creeping fig? LET’S TAKE A PICTURE.

Don’t be too impressed. I only know this is creeping fig because a tour guide told me so. Apparently, English ivy causes damage to homes because of the tendrils that work its way into every little crack–who knew?

Charleston is highly walkable (the farthest we walked to any given location was 25 minutes), so if you enjoy this sort of thing, I’d advise you to hoof it through the neighborhoods. You are bound to stumble upon all sorts of eye-pleasing sights. The houses here are so charming!

This was actually the entryway to a church.

Another church! This time the French Huguenot Church. See that rain? The weather was perfect except for this moment.

This epitomizes Charleston to me.

I even came across a garden with my namesake, which is funny because I spent the whole vacation whining about not being able to find a “Share a Coke” bottle with my name. This sort of counts.

Mine!

I haven’t been able to find any information on who Alicia actually is (my guess is that it might have something to do with Alicia Rhett?). If anyone knows, please share!

If you’re looking for something a bit unique (and possibly sacrilegious), check out the Unitarian Graveyard–allegedly haunted by Poe’s Annabel Lee. We didn’t stay long because I have a tendency to creep myself out.

It was many and many a year ago/In a kingdom by the sea/That a maiden there lived whom you may know/ By the name of Annabel Lee.

If you’d rather rest your feet for awhile, there’s also the possibility of taking a carriage tour. Many companies depart from the City Market, so head there to get your ticket (around $20 per person), and reserve a time and carriage. Just ask one of the operators sitting at the carriages or in the kiosks.

For people who are leery because of animal treatment concerns (I was one of those people), our guide assured us that Charleston has strict regulations to protect the horses and mules. While this was comforting, I still felt conflicted about it, and I’m not sure I’d do it again. Don’t get me wrong, Palmetto Carriage Works was great; I’m just having a moral dilemma here.

Since the city is so small, and traffic gets out of control, the tours are divided by zones. The route you take will depend on the luck of the draw. We ended up in the Battery and Museum districts. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and had all sorts of nuggets of information–this is the guy who taught me about creeping fig! He also pointed out St. Philip’s leaning steeple:

I guess I can sort of see it? An earthquake caused it to tip.

We only had two days in this wonderful city, so I’m sure I missed a lot. Feel free to comment and tell me where I should go next time!

Honorable mentions:
–Philadelphia Alley
–King Street
–Sullivan Island (technically a 20-minute drive from Charleston)