Tortilla chips served with house-made mango salsa. $2.99
Taco Mamacita, Sullivan’s Island SC
Hmm, definitely not authentic tasting for Mexican food which is perfectly fine, but it actually lacked flavor too! I was a little surprised that a mango salsa could be this bland. Hey, it was only three bucks so I’ll take it!
Fort Moultrie Tour sign. According to the sign, Fort Moultrie was active for 171 years!
This was a REALLY good deal! I guess they want to get you drunk early on – that’s my kinda place! They came is pretty large glasses and tasted great! Two for $5 with brunch entree
Crave, Mount Pleasant SC
Looking out towards Fort Sumter from Fort Moultrie. I still haven’t toured Fort Sumter located at the mouth of Charleston Harbor. It’s on my list, hehe.
Camarena Reposada tequila, Mt. Gay rum, blood orange, lime juice, lemongrass simple syrup, soda. $10
Basil Thai Restaurant, Charleston SC
This cocktail had a great combination of sweet, tart, refreshing, and flavor. I love color in my cocktails and this one had a beautiful soft peach color.
Ripley Point Marina. I’m not sure if I’d stay on this side of the river on future visits, but it was good to try it.
Layered with sausage, ricotta, asiago, and mozzarella cheese. $17
Mercato, Charleston SC
I was a little disappointed with this dish. I expected something more, something that made it special. Don’t get me wrong, it was tasty but not something I would rave about. I really enjoyed everything prior to this dish so that’s probably why I wanted to end with a bang.
Espresso. $3.50
Pineapple Fountain, Charleston Waterfront Park. Perhaps it’s the botanist in me, but I absolutely love this fountain!
Two double breaded chicken breasts with gravy, pimiento cheese slaw, butter whipped potatoes. $16.95
Poogan’s Porch, Charleston SC
Wow, this was SO large I could barely finish one large breast! I was sad to leave the rest on my plate, but it wouldn’t have kept well in my hotel room. The chicken was absolutely amazing though, as was the gravy. The mashed potatoes were silky smooth, but I didn’t really get the cole slaw. I know that pimiento cheese is a southern thing, but it didn’t do much for the slaw. I kind of wish the slaw could have been lighter and more citrus-y to balance out the heaviness of everything else.
One of the many cannons displayed at Fort Moultrie, Sullivan’s Island. Like the fried chicken dish above, this cannon was HUGE! 🙂
Shiso biscuit, peach cream and sorbet. 4 course dinner $60
McCrady’s Restaurant, Charleston SC
This was a wonderful way to end a marvelous meal! Since I totally ordered on the “heavy” side for the previous courses, this light and refreshing dessert was just what I needed. The shiso biscuit and leaves were delightful and tasted great with the peaches and sorbet. Mmm, noms!
Beautiful window planter with a hardy leopard plant (Ligularia sp., Asteraceae). This planter was a few doors down from McCrady’s and the Ligularia was absolutely stunning with it’s large, shiny green leaves and small yellow composite flowers.
Grilled flatbread, fig marmellata, and arugula salad. $7
Mercato, Charleston SC
This chicken pate is a classic Tuscan dish and Mercato did it justice! It was simply delicious! The fig marmellata provided sweetness and the bright, citrus-y arugula salad helped to cut the heaviness of the chicken liver. Noms!
Warm focaccia and olive oil. Complimentary.
Charleston Harbor. The view would have been perfect if not for the gross plastic bags in the water, lol!
Breaded and fried shrimp with mixed greens and tomatoes on a toasted roll. Served with cole slaw and fried okra. $8.95
Jestine’s Kitchen, Charleston SC
Mmm, this was SO much food for nine bucks! The shrimp were tasty and the sandwich was too large for me to finish, especially with the colesalw and fried okra. I ended up foregoing the bread midway through and just ate the center. I definitely gained a few pounds during this trip!
I also got a side of macaroni and cheese ($2.50) because I can’t deny the little fatty in me, lol! It was delicious!
View of Fort Moultrie from the visitor center, Sullivan’s Island. I took a little tour of this cute fort during a free weekend. It was really cool to learn more about the history of the Charleston area.
Anson Mills Carolina Gold rice, Espolon Reposado tequila, Amaro Nonino liqueur, honey vinegar, Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas bitters, lime. $12
McCrady’s Restaurant, Charleston SC
This was a new one for me – a horchata cocktail! And it was SO delicious! They used rice flour and lots of other ingredients as you can see. The result is a super refreshing and scrumptious cocktail with lots of flavor and a wonderful texture!
Open up the menu and choose your own adventure!
Pan seared scallop and pork belly with pickled shallots, microgreens, arugula puree, finished with bbq reduction. $8.95
Poogan’s Porch, Charleston SC
Found this restaurant through Yelp, and I’m SO glad I did! The food was amazing and the service was sweet (and on the young side, lol). This pork belly was done pretty well with a great sear and caramelization on the outside. You never know how fatty pork belly is gonna be when you order it, but this cut wasn’t too fatty at all. I really don’t mind either way, but this is Charleston y’all and I needed to save fat calories where ever I could, lol! I will say that the scallops tasted a little too sharp and metallic-y for me. They were beautifully cooked though, the flavor was just off.
Home made biscuit and honey butter. Complimentary. This biscuit was light and fluffy and everybody frickin’ loves honey butter so I was in heaven.
St. Matthew’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church. This is a pretty cool looking church along King Street opposite Marion Square.
With honey butter. $1.95
Jestine’s Kitchen, Charleston SC
I’m not sure if it was the actual corn bread or the honey butter that made these SO good, but they were irresistible! I could have eaten the entire basket all by myself!
Sweet homemade pickles. Complimentary. I’d rather have these free, delicious pickles than free dinner rolls any day!
United States Custom House, East Bay Street. Construction of this building first started in 1853 and was finally completed in 1879.
Allium, sumac and African blue basil. 4 course dinner $60
McCrady’s Restaurant, Charleston SC
There were so many components to this dish, but all I could think was, “Where’s the bone?” I guess it doesn’t say that the duck is actually served with it, but the “bone” is so prominent on the menu description that I just assumed it would be. Along with the cut of roasted duck breast is a seared tower of duck thighs! I actually preferred the thighs, lol, but the breast was perfectly cooked and very flavorful as well. I enjoyed that they included all parts of the allium prepared in different ways, the grilled bulbs were SO sweet and delicious! The white rice and onion sauce was on the boring side, but the duck reduction(?) was delicious. This dish is one the heavy side, so pace yourself! Hehe.
McCrady’s sign in front of the restaurant. The restaurant entrance is located in a small alley just south of the Market area, don’t miss it!
Vittle Monster 