Best Of - Charleston, SC

[JoBird]

I just have to jump in here!!!!!!
Imagine my surprise when I found a Charleston post! It's my HOME; Home I say!!! I was born at Roper Hospital and lived in Charleston 27 years until my husband took me away from that glorious land by the sea! I miss it so much but our families still live there so we come "home" every July and December.
When we are there, we have a list of places that are "must eat" places... even my children get in on the act. Okay, here it goes:
1. California Dreamin'...Love their salads with house dressing.YUM!
2. 82 Queen... at night in the garden under the outdoor heaters for my January 3rd birthday
3. Wild Wings...for wings, of course!
4. Locklear's in Mt. Pleasant and James Island...for She Crab Soup...OMG!!!!!
5. Sweatman's BBQ in Eutawville, SC (near Holly Hill)...if you think Bessinger's is good, You haven't lived 'til you eat Sweatman's!
6. Hyman's seafood for the best salmon...EVER. And for boiled p-nuts-where I live they've never even HEARD of BOILING p-nuts!
7. Carolina's...for everything they serve.
8. um....okay, I'll admit it. I miss home and ANYWHERE you eat there in Charleston is awesome because you're just in a wonderful place!!!!!

Thanks for this...now I'm gonna' have to go call my Momma', cause I miss her

 

[*Flower*]

How did you know? Between the food and the heat and DFi watching Nascar and Football all afternoon I'm ready to zonk out!

As for the food options, I think it was a decent variety enough that your DH could find something. They had sandwiches, wraps, tons of ribs, tons of seafood, asian food, pizza, salads, appetizers, bbq items, etc.

PS A new find of mine...The Kickin Chicken's special sauce. I had it before and thought it was so good. I was shocked when the server told me what it was made of

Of course, after all this- I forgot to tell you that if you pick up the Thursday paper, go to the 'magazine' type section of the paper, and you'll find dining reviews and various restaurant listings. They usually start somewhere in the middle of the section. I do both the City Paper and this to get a reall feel for what I'd like to try.

And you'll have to give up the secret of the Kickin' Chicken's special sauce.....

 

[SRUAlmn]

I miss my momma too! Maybe you live near her now and since I'm near yours we could have each other's momma's as surrogates. My Mom is north of Pittsburgh, PA.

 

[SRUAlmn]

Of course, after all this- I forgot to tell you that if you pick up the Thursday paper, go to the 'magazine' type section of the paper, and you'll find dining reviews and various restaurant listings. They usually start somewhere in the middle of the section. I do both the City Paper and this to get a reall feel for what I'd like to try.

And you'll have to give up the secret of the Kickin' Chicken's special sauce.....

We always get the Post and Courier and the City Paper. My DFi was a sports writer in MD so he is a newspaper reading machine! We'll have to check out the Thursday section. Thanks!

Have you ever had the Kickin Chicken special sauce? They serve it with a lot of their menu items. It tastes a lot like Ranch dressing, but not enough like it. So I asked our server and he said it's a mixture of mayonaise, ketchup, and dill. (He said he thinks there might be one other thing but he couldn't remember.) I was so surprised that I would like that combo!

 

[*Flower*]

I just have to jump in here!!!!!!
Imagine my surprise when I found a Charleston post! It's my HOME; Home I say!!! I was born at Roper Hospital and lived in Charleston 27 years until my husband took me away from that glorious land by the sea! I miss it so much but our families still live there so we come "home" every July and December.
When we are there, we have a list of places that are "must eat" places... even my children get in on the act. Okay, here it goes:
1. California Dreamin'...Love their salads with house dressing.YUM!
2. 82 Queen... at night in the garden under the outdoor heaters for my January 3rd birthday
3. Wild Wings...for wings, of course!
4. Locklear's in Mt. Pleasant and James Island...for She Crab Soup...OMG!!!!!
5. Sweatman's BBQ in Eutawville, SC (near Holly Hill)...if you think Bessinger's is good, You haven't lived 'til you eat Sweatman's!
6. Hyman's seafood for the best salmon...EVER. And for boiled p-nuts-where I live they've never even HEARD of BOILING p-nuts!
7. Carolina's...for everything they serve.
8. um....okay, I'll admit it. I miss home and ANYWHERE you eat there in Charleston is awesome because you're just in a wonderful place!!!!!

Thanks for this...now I'm gonna' have to go call my Momma', cause I miss her

Welcome JoBird!

I must admit- I can't get into the boiled peanuts. Everyone seems to offer them to me cold, and they're just SO slimy (IMHO).

I really liked Brett's (til he closed it)- but Circa 1886 is so WARM and no attitude issues with the staff at all! And the GCs that I've got make it even better!

 

[JoBird]

Karen, sorry! I live in NW Arkansas, but a couple of years ago, I did live in upstate NY so I was closer to your Mom's then BUT...
If you look really, really hard, I know there are a lot of sweet old Charlestonian ladies that would LOVE to be a mom to a displaced child!
Happy Birthday, BTW!!!!!

 

[JoBird]

Welcome JoBird!

I must admit- I can't get into the boiled peanuts. Everyone seems to offer them to me cold, and they're just SO slimy (IMHO).

I really liked Brett's (til he closed it)- but Circa 1886 is so WARM and no attitude issues with the staff at all! And the GCs that I've got make it even better!

Well Thanks for the WARM welcome!
I think for a lot of people the boiled p-nut thing is a big issue. I just grew up eating them and miss them terrribly. But then again I miss a lot of things, the p-nuts are just one of many!

 

[SRUAlmn]

Karen, sorry! I live in NW Arkansas, but a couple of years ago, I did live in upstate NY so I was closer to your Mom's then BUT...
If you look really, really hard, I know there are a lot of sweet old Charlestonian ladies that would LOVE to be a mom to a displaced child!
Happy Birthday, BTW!!!!!

Thanks.
I think I'll just carry around a sign that says 'Will you be my Momma?" Especially today!

As for the boiled peanut thing, I'm with Flower

 

[bcvgal]

I just had to jump in too. I LOVE CHARLESTON!!! It is one of my fave places to be. I would love to live there. There is no place better(except WDW) than standing in the gazebo in White Point Gardens or swing on the swings at WaterFront Park. The kids playing in the pineapple fountain, eating shrimp and grits-yum. Fave carriage ride Old South. Poogan's Porch-yum. Fave hotel-Mills House. Stayed at Charleston Place but love Mills more. I could go on and on. Just thinking about it makes me .

Pralines-A gift sent from God

 

[SRUAlmn]

I just had to jump in too. I LOVE CHARLESTON!!! It is one of my fave places to be. I would love to live there. There is no place better(except WDW) than standing in the gazebo in White Point Gardens or swing on the swings at WaterFront Park. The kids playing in the pineapple fountain, eating shrimp and grits-yum. Fave carriage ride Old South. Poogan's Porch-yum. Fave hotel-Mills House. Stayed at Charleston Place but love Mills more. I could go on and on. Just thinking about it makes me .

Pralines-A gift sent from God

Hi Thanks for the input and welcome.
Come and visit, and bring my friend Kelly with you. She lives in Charlotte too!

 

[mrsgus06]

We always stop by Hucks Produce at the corner of Maybank Hwy and Woodland Shores Rd to pick up boiled peanuts on our way to the County Park! Did you know that 9 kids can go through 6 lbs of peanuts in 2 hours? My best friend and I started to buy our own seperate stash so we could have a fighting chance! Nothing says love like a hot boiled peanut! I agree about Sweatman's BBQ! They have wonderful food, but it is so far away that hardly anyone knows about it.

 

[applechips]

Jumping in here too! I am in Columbia, SC! (I am originally from Pennsylvania though). We've been to Charleston lots and lots of times. I would love to live there (did for a summer) but for now we are in the midlands--been here about 5 years.

I recall going to a nice Italian place in Charleston, on a corner near the open air market. I believe its next to or near a big church. I can't recall the name of it. But anyway, its yummy!

Just wanted to say hi to my fellow South Carolinians!

 

[SRUAlmn]

Hi I'm originally from Pennsylvania too! Small World

 

[applechips]

oh cool! I am from the Philly area. I was just celebrating Penn State's win over Ohio State lastnight and it made me a little homesick!!

 

[SRUAlmn]

oh cool! I am from the Philly area. I was just celebrating Penn State's win over Ohio State lastnight and it made me a little homesick!!

Aw I was never a big Penn State fan. I lived outside of Pittsburgh, so we were more Pitt fans, and I dated a guy who went to Ohio State so I was a fan of them for a while- don't hate me

 

[*Flower*]

We always stop by Hucks Produce at the corner of Maybank Hwy and Woodland Shores Rd to pick up boiled peanuts on our way to the County Park! Did you know that 9 kids can go through 6 lbs of peanuts in 2 hours? My best friend and I started to buy our own seperate stash so we could have a fighting chance! Nothing says love like a hot boiled peanut! I agree about Sweatman's BBQ! They have wonderful food, but it is so far away that hardly anyone knows about it.

Okay- I need directions to Sweatman's!!!!

Who's going to help me out here??

TIA.......

 

[JoBird]

Okay- I need directions to Sweatman's!!!!

Who's going to help me out here??

TIA.......

Sorry... I left last night in the middle of the chat!! Here's the deal about Sweatman's... I have been many, many, many, many times and still could not tell you the exit to get off of on I-26!! I did look on mapquest just now and if you go on and start in Charleston, getting directions, type in going to Eutawville, SC and it will give you directions to the town itself. Once you get to the town (one stoplight or two, maybe ), you could ask directons to the restaurant. Everyone knows where it is in that town, because there is nothing there. Oh! I forgot! There is a steak place there called Chef's Choice and when you go in, they take you to a cooler where you pick out your own steak and then the chef fixes it for you. When I ate there last it was WONDERFUL but that has been about 12 years ago...if I make that long behind trip, I'm going for BBQ!
Beware, though, this is a COUNTRY, and I do mean COUNTRY place. It is not fancy and more likely than not you will see hunters there with their camo on and probably a deer or two in the back of thier pick ups with their hunting dogs howlin'...

 

[SRUAlmn]

Sorry... I left last night in the middle of the chat!! Here's the deal about Sweatman's... I have been many, many, many, many times and still could not tell you the exit to get off of on I-26!! I did look on mapquest just now and if you go on and start in Charleston, getting directions, type in going to Eutawville, SC and it will give you directions to the town itself. Once you get to the town (one stoplight or two, maybe ), you could ask directons to the restaurant. Everyone knows where it is in that town, because there is nothing there. Oh! I forgot! There is a steak place there called Chef's Choice and when you go in, they take you to a cooler where you pick out your own steak and then the chef fixes it for you. When I ate there last it was WONDERFUL but that has been about 12 years ago...if I make that long behind trip, I'm going for BBQ!
Beware, though, this is a COUNTRY, and I do mean COUNTRY place. It is not fancy and more likely than not you will see hunters there with their camo on and probably a deer or two in the back of thier pick ups with their hunting dogs howlin'...

 

[Rex Rules]

I liked Poogan's Porch for lowcountry cuisine and also 82 Queen and Magnolias.

I love 82 Queen! My DH proposed to me there! I am so glad to hear it is still there.

 

[mrsgus06]

I have not been to Sweatmans since hurricane Hugo hit in 89. Had to evacuate James Island, stayed with a friend of the family that lives down the street from Sweatman's and I think he was married (and divorced) to the owners daughter. Its been so long ago, I can't remember. Anyway, due to the evacuation, we decided to get our fill of hot food before the storm and boy, am I glad I did. We had all of our family and some of theirs, what a great pre hurrican party!