Charleston/Savannah

Heading down south in April. I was last in Charleston in 2010 and never been to Savannah. Any restaurant recommendations for me? Thanks in advance.

Scott

Charleston recommendations-

Fig
Two Burroughs Larder
Gin Joint
Cypress
McCrady’s
The Ordinary
Husk

+1 on all accounts. Charleston is such an extraordinary city. On my last trip I did FIG, McCrady’s, and Husk and all were superlative.

Last trip we hit Fig and SNOB. For this trip I’ve already got a reservation at Husk and will make one at The Ordinary when they open up 30 days for our date. Keep 'em coming!

Many local reviews are that The Ordinary is…pretty ordinary.
Fig (Latta just nominated AGAIN for Beard award–already has one)
Husk (Brock just nominated AGAIN for Beard award–already has one)
The Macintosh (Bacon just nominated for Beard award)
Charleston Grill (great wine list)
Hall’s Chophouse (Trip Advisor #1)
Co
Trattoria Lucca (Vedrinski also has a new-ish place front beach Isle of Palms)
The Grocery (Johnson just nominate for Beard award)
There is a fun wine bar on the corner of King and Queen (can’t remember the name)
Circa 1886 is stellar when Collins is on his game
If you want a fun change of pace, drive the bridge to Mt Pleasant for Red Drum Gastropub.
Get a drink at The Belmont on upper King St. Go early or you won’t get in

Give us a shout and we can hoist a glass or three
[cheers.gif]

Savannah? [popcorn.gif]

[wink.gif]

Local 11ten 1110 Bull Street Corkage was $15 in May 2012.

Elizabeth 105 East 37th street.

Vic’s 26 East Bay St. - No corkage May 2012.

Each of these restaurants are in different neighborhoods, and all of them have a different feel. Elizabeth is the most special looking of the group.
Vic’s is in the heart of the action by the waterfront.
Local 11ten is that off the beaten place restaurant that won’t disappoint either.

Research was done 2 years ago, so doublecheck on BYO and reviews.

Savannah restaurant recs: Savannah restaurant recs - Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum - WineBerserkers

Scott - thank you! Just swapped out The Ordinary for The Grocery. That place looks right up our alley. Too many good spots and not enough days!

Scott

I was just looking into a trip to Charleston myself. It looks like all of the hotels are (i) overpriced and (ii) meh. Anyone have any recommendations for nicer hotels?

We will be in Charleston at the end of July (Kiawah Island for the week prior) and plan on eating at Husk on the 26th.

Copying and pasting from an email sent a few months ago. We were there in October.

Savannah:

We stayed at The Foley House Inn, which is on one of the squares in the historic district. It is a charming old B&B, and it is dog-friendly. We did not try the breakfast that is included. Our first choice was The Mansion on Forsythe Park, which is a larger, more high-end place, but they were booked up. It’s overlooking Forsythe Park (duh), which is basically Savannah’s version of Central Park. There’s a farmer’s market on Saturday mornings. Ironically, we ended up eating breakfast here because we tried to go to a place out past the park, but it was closed. The food was very good.

We ate at The Olde Pink House on Friday night. They have sidewalk seating adjacent to the bar on the side of the hotel (full menu available). The food was underwhelming, and they were out of the wine I wanted, but it’s a nice place and a good setting - very close to the Riverwalk for post-dinner drinks and people-watching. Don’t forget - no open container law in Savannah, so get your drink in a “to-go” cup and roam around!

Charleston:

We stayed at the Charleston Place Hotel, which is an Orient-Express property above a shopping mall right in the midst of the main tourist shopping/dining corridor close to the historic district. The old market is literally across the street. It’s a pretty standard hotel - nothing special in terms of amenities and the room was just fine. Our backup was going to be the King’s Courtyard Inn. Here is a list of everywhere we ate while in Charleston:

  1. Martha Lou’s Kitchen - this place has the best fried chicken my wife or I has ever eaten. No joke. You are seriously doing yourself a disservice if you don’t go here, even though it is outside of town. No outdoor seating, so we got it to go and ate it in the car.

  2. Xiao Bao Biscuit - tucked away in a quieter part of Charleston, you’ll need to drive here, or find a cab or something that will take a dog. (We took a pedi-cab.) You may have to wait (they don’t take reservations). The food is pan-Asian, and it is very, very good. Go for the cocktails here - the wine list is short.

  3. Queen Street Grocery - this is a hidden local gem where we ate breakfast - just a short walk from Charleston Place Hotel. They have a few small outdoor tables. It’s a small neighborhood market, but they serve breakfast/lunch - they are famous for the crepes (savory and sweet).

  4. Husk - you probably know all about Husk. All I can tell you is that we were underwhelmed by the food. Maybe it was an off night. Oddly, for a restaurant known for its Southern cooking, the best thing we had was an Asian-inspired lettuce cup with fried pig ears as an appetizer. Otherwise, the meats were overdone and the flavor combinations seemed odd. Great wine list and excellent cocktails. The bar next door (not connected) is amazing and a must.

  5. The Gin Joint - not sure if you’ll have an opportunity to go out for a drink at some point, but this place made me the greatest cocktail I’ve ever had in my life. Also, an incredible selection of hard-to-find bourbons.

  6. Hominy Grill - back in the quieter part of town, this is classic Southern cooking, and it is really good. We went for breakfast on the day we left town, but I’ve heard the other meals are just as good.

+1 on Hominy Grill

Visited both last November, as a place to visit preferred Savannah quieter, felt more like a local ‘town’. However, the food was much better in Charleston.

Charleston:
FIG - all around great meal and excellent service
Husk - even if the food wasn’t great the place is worth seeing. Aforementioned pig ear wraps are worth the trip.
Husk Bar - (a must if you like bourbon)
Martha Lou’s Kitchen - If you’re looking for soul food, it’s a mighty fine choice
Trattaoria Lucca - excellent, although a bit noisy, one of the best places of pasta I’ve ever had
82 Queen - meh, in fact probably worse than meh, although we had lunch there not dinner

Savannah:
The Mansion on Forsythe Park - One of the best hotel stays ever, great helpful staff, lovely location, great for dogs(should that be a consideration)
Olde Pink House - We ended up eating there twice, once ok, once excellent
Elizabeth’s on 37th - Was good, not great

Husk has a killer Sunday brunch as well… (And you can make reservations)

Any opinions on Anson in Charleston? When I was there a few years ago, I popped in for shrimp and grits at the bar and enjoyed some skillfully made cocktails. I’d return. Looking at the other diners’ plates, it seemed like they have a handle on cooking meat. I’ll be riding through again this year and appreciate the other tips.

Haven’t been in years but used to be really good.

I wish some of you would let me know when you come to town. Maybe we need to plan a Southern Gentility Berserkerfest

We had dinner at Fresh Market in Savananah tonight. I was beat after a hard week at work and a 4.5 hour drive and was not in the mood to go out. We head to Winter Park tomorrow.

I went back to Anson a few months ago after a 20 year hiatus. We used to go on occasion when we lived there, but the newer restaurants seem to always win out during our now short visits. The whole crispy flounder there is a classic Charleston dish and no one does it better. Served with an apricot shallot sauce. If you have the time, I would go for that dish alone. So many great places to eat as mentioned above such as McCrady’s, FIG, and Husk, but I will second the Charleston Grill as well. It’s been around for years but the food is outstanding and the wine list is probably the best in town.

We usually stay in the Market Pavilion hotel. Good location and nice enough.

Thanks, sounds like it’s good but falls outside the top tier. I went based on a shrimp and grits recommendation. After all, they sell their grits to the world, don’t they? I hadn’t been wowed by s & g to that point, but there, I saw what the fuss was all about. Much like the bowl of she crab soup I had in Savannah after several misses.