The Girls Do Charleston

Oh, baby!

Long time, no blog.

Universities are closing down, so work has been busy.  The garden is gearing up and baby chicks have arrived, so that’s busy.  Weekends have been full of family gatherings for the last few weeks.  And, I even got to go on a great girls trip with a bunch of my sorority sisters!

We all met ten years ago as freshman and after a whole lot of weekends over the last five years celebrating quite a few marriages, we found ourselves wedding-less in 2015. (However, there will be one baby…!)  

So, to celebrate our decade of friendship- and make sure that we all see each other this year- we headed south and spent an excellent long weekend in Charleston, South Carolina.

Charleston is one of my favorite cities.

As a kid, we used to visit the city when vacationing in Hilton Head and Kiawah Island.  I even considered the College of Charleston when trying to figure out where to apply to college when I was a high school senior.  The College of Charleston has a strong hospitality and tourism program thanks to the surrounding industry, particularly the restaurant industry.

Charleston has topped “Best Food City” lists in The Washington Post, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel and Leisure, The Travel Channel, Tasting Table and many more.

And, this may be one- of the many- reasons it topped our list too.

Once we decided on Charleston, I got a phone call from my old roommate, fellow Hospitality grad, and major food aficionado, Anne.  (Anne’s resume boasts gigs at Chicago’s Four Seasons and The Signature Room.)

“We HAVE to get a reservation at Husk,” Anne exclaimed.

I agreed.  Husk was on my radar too.  

I had tried to get in last summer when I was in town for a convention but couldn’t.  It was then that I had learned that Husk’s ever-changing, seasonal menu is full of Southern classics like okra, deviled eggs, grits and fried chicken with an elevated, modern-culinary touch.  Husk has partnerships with many local farms, growers, fishmongers and even a mill out of Columbia for the restaurant’s grains.

When Anne called, it was January and we couldn’t make a reservation until 90 days out.  So, we both made a note and revisited our reservation goals in March.  

And, it was then that the miraculous happened: We got one!

For NINE people.

On a Saturday…!

… at 5:00.

We have never made reservations so early (in time and in terms of a calendar…) in our life.  Even the dining courts didn’t open that early.  But, we didn’t care.  We were over the moon and couldn’t stop talking about all we were going to eat.

The night of our reservation arrived, we all got a little dolled up as Husk has a relaxed yet chic vibe, and headed downtown.  Husk’s building is a quintessential historic southern home with a big, wrap around porch on each story, complete with rocking chairs.  

Once seated, we started our meal with a handful of appetizers such as fried chicken skins with hot sauce and honey, pig ear lettuce wraps, and the most amazing pimento cheese on crackers.    

I decided that the night warranted bubbles, so I sipped on Thibault-Janisson sparkling wine from Charlottesville, Virginia.  Charlottesville is the home to University of Virginia which is where my parents met and is my namesake.  I thought it was appropriate for the evening.

For dinner, I chose a cider glazed pork dish that was paired with my favorite spring vegetables, asparagus and ramps.  I asked the sommelier to recommend a good wine to pair with the meal.  He brought out a chilled red La Sibilla Piedirosso from Italy.  It was light and a perfect compliment to the fresh flavors of the dish.

Other plates that were a hit at our table were the Cornmeal Dusted Catfish paired with sweet creamed corn that earned a trip around the table for everyone to taste and a huge vegetable platter for Haleigh, who is a vegetarian.  We also passed cast iron skillets of corn bread with bacon and the sweetest, creamiest grits I had ever had in my life.  It tasted like a dessert!

And speaking of dessert, we took one glance at the menu and knew we were in trouble.  

After passing four different options around the table… twice, I dubbed the fresh strawberry short cake my favorite of the night.  Although, it was tough competition and I knew the peanut butter pie would have been right up Adam’s alley.  

As we wrapped up the meal, we stopped by the bar at Husk thanks to a recommendation from our very helpful waiters.  

The “bar” is actually a small, old, building next to the home that still has the original exposed beams and bricks.  By that time of the evening, it was pretty crowded.  But, it is worth stopping in even if you don’t have reservations for a cocktail or bourbon.

While our meal at Husk lived up to- and beyond- every single expectation we had, it wasn’t the only great meal of the trip.  

I absolutely loved our lunch at Butcher and Bee, a super cute, BYOB brunch/lunch and late night spot.  Butcher and Bee was totally my style with long tables, mix and matched chairs, wild flowers in old mason jars as center pieces and chalkboard menus.  

I ordered the uber-fresh, seasonal house salad chock full of radishes, asparagus, spring peas, pistachios and lentils with a can of kombucha.  

From our group, I also heard great things about the grilled cheese, french fries, and massive cheeseburger with special sauce.

My group of girls also has a thing for cupcakes.  We have visited cupcake shops in any and every city we visit together.  So, naturally, we made a pit stop not once, but twice, at Sugar Bakeshop for cupcakes.

Sugar is the sweetest (no pun intended…) little place.  

I fell in love with not just the look of the shop but also their almond cupcake.  Blueberry Vanilla, Caramel, and Lime Curd Coconut were also favorites of the bunch.  In addition to cupcakes, Sugar also has tarts, cookies and pies on the menu… but we stuck to our tradition.

Before the trip was over, we were already having conversations about where we might enjoy our next cupcake.

Maine, Mexico, and Nashville top the list!

Note: We actually stayed in Folly Beach, not downtown.  We rented a great condo on vrbo.com that was within walking distance of the beach and the main strip of Folly Beach Island.  Staying in Folly Beach, we got a good balance of city and beach as downtown Charleston was only about a twenty minute drive.  

Folly Beach was full of great spots too such as Taco Boy (Kim Chi Beef and Avocado Tempura Tacos were to die for), BLU at the Tides hotel (great cheviche, fried green tomatoes and scallops… and Prosecco… we had a lot of Prosecco here), and Woody’s Pizza (the prosciutto and artichoke heart pizza was perfect).

And, the Folly Beach night life surprised us!  It’s actually dubbed the “Bachelorette Party Capitol of the World” by the locals.  We had a great time at Loggerheads (great outdoor deck and live music), Surf Bar (a “locals” bar), and we actually shut down Snapper Jacks (… thanks to a great DJ that played all our favorites from fratty-rap songs to Taylor Swift.).