Restaurant Week kicked off here in Charleston, SC and it is pretty much the happiest time of the year. First of all, Charleston is a top rate city that is constantly voted as the most beautiful city in the US, the friendliest, and one of the bests for visits. The fact that we have everything from beaches, to plantations, and other historic architecture, to restaurants that rival the cuisine in even the largest cities doesn’t hurt with those ranking. (Heck even Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively just snuck here to get married, because my town is fabulous! Can I get an AMEN?!)
This is an amazing time to visit though because in Charleston we do it right! It might be called restaurant week, but that is just because Charleston Restaurant Twelve Days didn’t have the same ring to it. Plus, it happens twice a year- in the fall and spring. Close to a 100 restaurants participate all offering different three course price fixed meals (from $20-$40 depending on the level of the classiness of the joint).
This is also a time of year where I put my healthy eating, drop 10 goal, on hold for a second and relish the fact that I moved to live in a city I am abso-freaking-lutely in wild, crazy love with. (Don’t worry I did have super healthy breakfasts and lunches and am still working out, I didn’t fall totally off the bandwagon, a foot just slipped out into some of the most fabulous food my amazing city has to offer.)
My first Charleston Restaurant Week adventure was to 82 Queen with my parents. (Who offered to buy, score! Turns out 30 = Not too old for free food!)
Dinner outside in their beautiful courtyard and my $7 ring too class it up!
The weather cooperated amazingly, only night it has felt a bit like fall all week. (w/the dadmo)
I love this city! – Beautiful old courtyards, gorgeous greenery, and sparkly lights make my heart swoon!
First, we were treated to homemade garlic, chive biscuits.
Then my appetizer came – Eggplant fries drizzled in local honey.
Holy crud these were amazing and so fabulously lightly fried!
For dinner I had the BBQ, bacon, shrimp and grits, but I had to try a few bites of my mom’s jambalaya too. You know just for quality control.
Dessert was key lime pie with a graham cracker crust that was divine.
Note the fact that I was so excited I forgot to take a picture until my mom reminder me I was being a bad blogger.
Then
since one night out wasn’t enough (and since I didn’t pay it didn’t count, right?) I met T to walk and we quickly changed clothes in the Whole Foods bathroom like the classy ladies were are before meeting C at Graze for our dinner reservation. I was excited about this because I had never been there before and Charleston Restaurant Week is the perfect excuse to try new places, cheaper!
Conversation with mom:
M: Where are you girls going tonight?
A: Graze.
M: Graze? Like…
A: (cutting her off) Like I will be eating so much a big fat cow would be jealous of my GRAZING abilities!
…. and I did:)
Appetizer – Local peach stuffed with goat cheese then covered in sweet pecans and balsamic.
I am really at a loss for words….
(Enjoy it while you can.)
My Meal – Blue cheese encrusted filet mignon with green beans and roasted potatoes in a demi glaze so good I sopped it off the plate. 
Then T suggested instead of us each choosing a different dessert we just have them bring out all three and share so we could try them all. Have I mentioned that my crazy, ridiculous all consuming love for my city is still a second to the level of fabulousness my friends and family bring to my life.
Apple tart, raspberry cheesecake, molten lava cake….. Heaven
Peace, love, and Restaurant Week.
Abby
Does your city have a restaurant week?
Have you ever been to Charleston? Have I made you want to come yet?
(If you do I will hook you up with tons of local tips. Love this town!)
I saw that stuffed peach appetizer advertised somewhere and thought it sounded neat, glad I could see a picture of yours. My husband and I did not participate in restaurant week, I guess we’re bad foodies but we went out for Indian last Saturday night and my parents took me out for Mexican Thursday… hubs and I don’t go out a lot. Also… I never saw much I could eat on the menus, either.
That’s pretty awesome your parents took you out for such good food though :). You are never too old for free food, my parents paid for mine too. Granted it was a lot cheaper, but still.
Our city is super beautiful and it was so funny watching the news talk about Blake Lively’s wedding… I’m thinking oh yeah, I drive by there all the time… guess weddings there will be high dollar now!
I’m like you, I try not too go out too often, so I totally used this as an excuse.
Where did you guys go for Indian? I have heard okay things about lots of places, but want to find a great one.
And yes all this Ryan & Blake stuff is cracking me up. They are all over all the magazines and I have to chuckle to myself. Apparently all of us “normal” people saying Charleston was amazing for years wasn’t enough, but when Blake and Ryan do it! Wowza!
We went to the one on Rivers Avenue. I’ve also been to Nirlep in West Ashley but haven’t made it to Taste of India yet. Both were good but neither was as good as the Indian buffet in Florence. We’ll go back to them too.
Abby!!! Yum. That food looks incredible (and also oddly wholesome!). No restaurant week here – I guess I’ll just have to pop in to Charleston to get married during a restaurant week, crash on your floor, then run it all off in the morning.
Does Mr. The Rake know of your plan to storm
Charleston and get married?? Lol!!!
Sarah at 5’10 I am a pretty intimidating woman. If she can get him here between the two of us we can hold him down and make it happen.
Romantic right?
You and Rob should come be witnesses/extra Mr. The Rake Wranglers.
Then we can all go for some gorgeous Charleston runs and eat our weights worth in southern delciousness!
I am TOTALLY HAPPY about this.
Heck, I’ll even buy you a blow up mattress!
Oh wow – Abby, you and I are the same height – he’s 6 foot – we can take him! He doesn’t look overly impressed about this plan – but he never looks impressed.
This post made me want to hop on a plane and eat for the rest of the week! I’m actually banning restaurants for the entire two weeks pre-race because I have not used one single ounce of self control lately!!! Eat for both of us while you have the opportunity :-). Just promise to post the pictures!!!
Obviously my self control has been lacking too. I was doing amazing and then got down on my self about the injury and then restaurant week craziness. I am getting back on track too. Good luck with getting the eating on track and dominating your race!
I’m sitting here, not having had any breakfast yet, drooling over the food you’ve eaten! Makes me wish I lived closer to Charleston (but there’s the rather large Atlantic Ocean in the way!)! Time for granola, I think! I’ll just have to pretend its key lime pie….
It is quite the amazing town.
My solution is that some super rich relative I have never met dies and leaves me a fortune.
I’ve always wanted to travel overseas so I will use the money to run with you in England and Kate in Australia.
Touring and working out. Plus I’ll sneak all sorts of southern fabulousness on the plane for you!
Um, yum! That looks amazing! Charleston is pretty awesome =) I actually have a friend from high school who lives there, so I go down and visit
It is such a fun city to visit. Glad you get to come down. You should definitely make sure you hit spring restaurant week as one of your visit times.
I love restaurant weeks! Alexandria (my town in VA) is just outside DC and does their own restaurant week the week right after DC does theirs. I get 2 in a row and absolutely love it! I love historic towns with great architecture, it’s what drew me to Alexandria in the first place. We visited Charleston in May and I absolutely loved it, and couldn’t get over how good the food was. We ate at Poogan’s Porch (I think) and I also gained an obsession with fried green tomatoes while we were in town! I hope I can go back soon, it was such a great area to be in! If you’re ever up here I’ll show you around, we’ve got tons of great spots too!
So sad… my hotel for MCM was in Alexandria.
I totally could have met you and it would have been a ton of fun.
Stupid leg making me defer.
Next October I guess. Wow, that sounds like a long time away though.
It is a great town It might be a blessing in disguise that your town doesn’t do this. Makes for a few rough days on my waistline, but so tasty!