Turtles on a log, sighted on a bike ride on Isle of Palms
Most of you know I love Chucktown….it’s one of the loveliest cities in the U.S., and in my book…THE loveliest in the south. Great weather, fabulous food, terrific shopping, plenty of culture, sight-seeing, nature and golf(key for my crew)…and the beach….Charleston has it all. Really, what more can you ask from a city?
white wine, on the porch of the marsh house.....
There are so many places to stay in Charleston…Kiawah island, Wadmalaw, in the city proper…but we always stay on Isle of Palms, in a community called Wild Dunes. There are two top golf courses on the island, and while there are plenty of houses on the beach…we love to stay on the marsh. I am excessively fond of the marsh….sometimes it almost feels like you’re looking over a savannah in Africa.
Bouillabaisse on the porch...we ate late that night...
You eat well in Charleston, very well…in restaurants and out….though the marsh house has such a great kitchen and eating area on the porch, we have to tear ourselves away to go into town. But we do. This bouillabaisse above was fabulous, and really very easy to make….we used the recipe from the NY Times Cookbook-here.
Breakfast menu at Sea Biscuit on IOP
And we tried some new restaurants this year that were recommended….
Love the Glass Onion....very casual but serious about food...
The Glass Onion is run by three young chefs…one from Atlanta, one from Charleston and one from Birmingham….love the place…check out the menu-here. And we also managed to get into the hottest new place in town….Husk.
tables on the porch at Husk....
We had to wait a while for a table for five(always an issue)….but it was worth the wait. Very farm to table, locally sourced, organic..that sort of thing. How local? Check out their interactive plates page on the website.
My son, shucking the heck out of some oysters....
And we had a lovely oyster extravaganza one night….from a half bushel of local oysters….oysters on the half shell with regular cocktail sauce and mignonette sauce(simple vinegar sauce-recipe here),
Mignonette sauce...simple to make...
an experiment of mine coating them in grits and smoked paprika(tasted good but looked like a hot mess), and sautéed with onion, garlic and jalapeno. And Callie’s Biscuits, of course….the best in the world.
Gator spotters...
And we did some nature watching….these little kids were with their Mom, and had spotted some cute baby alligators(right by a very BIG alligator) on the grassy side of the lagoon. We all watched them for a while…at a distance of course. There are plenty of gators on the island, just like this one.
Part of the hair bow selection at Southern Belles....
And Charleston is a city that takes hair bows for little girls seriously…I don’t think I’ve ever seen a selection like the one at Southern Belles shop. And they don’t pretend to not take football seriously….take a look at this one…
Cheer for Clemson much????
