Charleston, SC Restaurant Recommendations Needed

My wife and I are heading to Charleston for the first time for a short vacation getaway. Any restaurant suggestions would be appreciated. We are open to all types of cuisine. Nice wine lists and if possible BYO/corkage would be a plus. We also frequently like to sit at the bar to eat (as it’s fun to meet interesting new people when traveling!) Outdoor seating in a “garden-type” atmosphere (for lack of a better description!) would be a plus as well. We are staying downtown in the historic district but will also have a car.

TIA,

Paul

Paul,
A great food city, and one of my favorite cities to visit.
My wife and I are seriously considering moving there at some point.
Anyway…you’ll probably get lots of opinions on food in Charleston, but these are my thoughts.
Keep in mind, most of my recommendations are newer places, not “old school” low country cooking.
These places are all easy walks or cab rides from historic district.

McCrady’s http://mccradysrestaurant.com/menu/...the place that put Sean Brock on the map. Do the 4 course tasting menu for $65, or the 10 course for $115. Seriously good new southern cooking in a formal setting. We carried in champagne and paid the $35 corkage, though they waive corkage with a purchase off their list. A nice list. Huge, and marked up a good bit.

Husk http://www.huskrestaurant.com/...Sean Brock’s other place. More casual. Great for lunch (get the cheeseburger) or dinner. All ingredients sourced from the southeast region. Beautiful old plantation style house with wraparound porches on Queen Street. Great place to spend a leisurely afternoon when the weather is nice. Good bar program. Corkage is $20 if I’m not mistaken.

Fig http://www.eatatfig.com/...Probably some of the best food in Charleston all things considered. Corkage is $20, but they have a great list and great cocktail/bar program.

The Ordinary http://eattheordinary.com/...Mike Lata’s new seafood place opened last summer…Great space. An excellent place to sit at the bar and tear into some oysters or other raw bar goods. Very casual, but kick ass food. Fun, vibrant place. $20 corkage.

Hominy Griill http://hominygrill.com/...go for breakfast or brunch. If you are hungover, order the Big Nasty. Enough said.

Two Burroughs Larder http://twoboroughslarder.com/...Tucked away little place that is a funky, hippie little joint that serves up inventive, organic and seasonal lunch and dinner plates. Had an awesome lunch here. It’s small, casual, and worth seeking out. Interesting wines, and an excellent craft beer program.

A bunch more places worth checking out like Edmund’s Oast, Gin Joint, SNOB, and Cypress Street…there is great food all over the city.
Have fun…I’m totally jealous now as I wish I was heading back some time soon!

Husk was awesome. The others Dennis mentioned are great. Charleston Grill is also wonderful…since it has been around so long, it is not as cool/trendy as the others…but still great. The somm there is Rick Rubel, he was the somm at my favorite Detroit restaurants when I lived there. Great guy.

If you want a slightly more casual setting, this is our favorite place to go in Charleston. Actually they do have higher end entrees, but we go for their wood fired pizzas and their wine flights. Really great.

http://socialwinebar.com/

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Thanks all for the great recommendations! Much appreciated…

Charleston Grill’s sommelier, Rick, is awesome. I highly recommend the tasting menu with wine pairings. Also, Fulton Five is not to be missed. Amen Street for lunch is good as well.

I’m down there most weekends during the warmer months and CG / FF have been consistent for the last 15 years.

I grew up there and love the city, but haven’t been out to eat there in a while – at least not for fine dining. Anyway, if you haven’t gone yet and are still looking for some suggestions to consider that have outdoor seating:

Cru Cafe (nice porch, good lunch and brunch)

The Wreck (in Mt. Pleasant – just across the bridge and you’ll need to drive, screened porch with very fresh local seafood – i.e., the shrimp boats pull up to the dock at the restaurant)

Blind Tiger (Broad St. pub with nice outdoor area and good burgers)

Bowens Island (fresh local seafood, you’ll need to drive)

Fast & French (aka Gaulart & Maliclet, aka G&M) (Broad St., good quick stop for a sandwich, soup, salad, etc. if you are on the go)

I am taking my son on a boy scout trip to sleep on the Yorktown at the end of the month. He is only seven, but already a foodie. He loves to help me cook. He is also an adventurous eater. Do any of the restaurants mentioned above have a food bar or tables that allow a good view of the kitchen? Also, someone mentioned a beer place that had a chefs bar, but for the life of me, I can’t find the post. Thank you for any recommendations.

Cypress, plus you should take a tour of his charcuterie operation.

Great, thanks.

Dave,

We had our best meal and most fun sitting at the “chef’s counter” at Edmund’s Oast. It is described as a beer garden, and it does have a great selection of beer on tap, but we brought a couple of bottles of wine that were handled perfectly. I think you and your son would enjoy it a lot. Really friendly service too and a great view of the kitchen. Best of luck and I would love to hear your review if you end up going there.

Paul

Really looking forward to trying Edmund’s Oast when we get back there. Heard nothing but good things about it.

I love this community. Thanks again. Have reservations at cypress, but will make some phone calls tomorrow to confirm plans.

We ended up going to Edumund’s Oast. We sat at the food bar and had three small plates and the large charcuterie board. It was perfect for my son, and I would recommend to everyone. The service, food and atmosphere was excellent. Redirecting...
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Apparently, I still don’t know how to post a @&$@&$ picture. Sorry, I hope the links at least work.

Links work, I just don’t think you can put a Facebook pic into your post. Food looks great!

Thanks for the report, Dave.
We are heading back to Charleston for July 4th and Edmunds Oast is on our list.
Looking forward to trying Leon’s Oyster Shop as well.

So glad to see you had a great time with your son there Dave, I know my wife and I can’t wait to go back…Who knows, maybe your little guy will become a famous chef some day!

All the best,

Paul

Will be in Charleston over July 4th weekend. So far Fig and The Ordinary. Might do Social and Husk. Maybe Edmunds Oast.

Great job finding place you and your son would enjoy.

Help posting photos here:

http://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=63101