1 - 82 Queen

Umm, Umm, Good. And that's really all you need to know. Because I love you, I'll tell you more.

The backstory. In K-town I have a friend named Toby. Prior to one of my vacations to the low-country he told me I should try 82 Queen. However, my friends are cheap. I love them, but they won't shell out the cash for a meal like this. So I didn't go. Oh well (or so I thought.) Then I moved down here and I heard my co-workers raving about said restaurant. I checked out the menu and thought to myself, "I'd like to try it one of these days." And in December I got my chance.

My team had our year-end party (that is PC for Christmas Party) at 82 Queen. And I fell in love. Not lust for I did not want this meal to end. It was a head over heels type of love. And this love lasted much longer than this relationship. Never in my life have I felt the need to take a bite of food and savor it in my mouth for as long as I did here. What fabulous fare did I dine upon you ask? I had the Grilled Pesto Encrusted Grouper. A finer fish has never passed my lips as did this grouper. I wanted to describe the food the way the judges do on Iron Chef America when they have been given a fabulous dish from the chefs. It was that good. Seriously. And did I mention it came with fried green tomatoes and grits? Well, it did. And they were delish. Ous. Perfect in fact. A finer grit has never passed my lips.

So, had I known what I was missing when I came with my frugal friends I would have left them to dine at a less than perfect restaurant and had a meal by myself. It would have been worth every penny and moment without them. Well, maybe not because I love my moments with my friends. But the food would be good.

P.S. There was pie. Key lime pie. Oh so very good. You should come visit and try it!

2 - South End Brewery

I have probably walked by South End Brewery a dozen times and never given it a second notice. However, my parents came into town the end of January to celebrate this and my mom's birthday. So I asked around and work and this was the suggestion that sounded best. So off we went. Mom. Dad. Me.

And it was delish. For starters we had "Roasted Garlic, Brie Cheese, and Tomato Chutney." They served it with their flatbread which is made in-house. At first I wasn't sure why my mom thought we needed an appetizer but it was probably one of the single best decisions she has ever made. I love my mom. Really. But she outdid herself with this one.

So on to the main course. I had the crab cakes with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. I love steamed vegetables and have never met a potato that didn't immediately say "eat me, Carrie, you know you'll love me." And I did. And I was in love. Oh, and the crab cakes were excellent too. Mom ordered the shrimp and grits. It's what the low-country is known for. The grits were some of the best I have ever eaten. And anytime you mention Andouille sausage I'm all there. So I ate a few bites of hers. After all, we were celebrating me too. And then my dad. Dear old dad. He doesn't do seafood. Unless it is from Captain D's. I just don't understand him. But the love is still there. He got the garlic rubbed pork tenderloin. Served over grits. The same grits from mom's shrimp and grits. And every bit as good.

All in all this was a fan-tabulous meal. My only regret is there was no room in my stomach left for dessert because the wood fired apple cobbler sounds divine. Maybe next time. There will be a next time. And I can't wait!

3 - Coast Bar and Grill

For # 3 I choose Coast Bar and Grill. This is the restaurant I went for my very first team dinner. It is located in an alley behind 39 Rue de Jean (its sister restaurant.) The atmosphere is young and hip and the old brick walls definitely add some fun ambiance to the place. In warmer weather you can choose to sit outside on the patio.

I had only been at my job for a week and a half when we went so I got to sit back, listen to the conversation, and enjoy some good food. For appetizers we had Fried Green Tomatoes and Asian Tuna Tartare. These were fabulous. The sweet pepper relish that came with the Fried Green Tomatoes was amazing. For the main course I had grilled Mahi-Mahi which came with sauteed vegetables, pramesan mashed potatoes and I got to pick my own sauce! I chose a tropical salsa and I did not go wrong. (Not to brag on myself, but still. It was what I like to call good eats!) I have eaten at Coast twice since this experience and neither experience let me down. Their Coast Crab Soup is excellent and I had a house special the other time which was 2 different seafoods. I don't remember exactly what they were, but who cares...it was an excellent dining experience. So, I rank Coast my #3 favorite restaurant in Charleston.

Why My Life is Like Mastercard

$12 - Daily Parking Rate at Charleston International Airport
$17 - Supper at The Cheesecake Factory
$20 - Money donated to Abby for being my chauffeure
$30 - Dogsitting Fee
$138 - Round Trip Ticket to Atlanta on AirTran

Showing up in Atlanta to surprise my best friend and her mom on their shopping trip

P*R*I*C*E*L*E*S*S

* And thanks to MasterCard for allowing me the priviledge of putting the plane ticket on their card. :-)

4 - Al Di La

Sorry, I've been a blog slacker. I actually wrote my #4 post and then it wouldn't post and then I decided that shouldn't be my #4 (it actually didn't need to be in the top 5) so here I am with #4. Whew. Now that I have that out of the way let's talk some Al Di La.

Al Di La was the second dinner I went to with my team here in Charleston. It was Halloween and they invited me to go out to eat. Unfortunately Al Di La is VERY local so there is no website. :-( However, you will not be disapointed in the surprise that awaits you. The menu changes regularly, but the food is amazing. I had a chicken dish with proscuitto and mashed potatoes. I'm pretty sure there was some other type of steamed veggie, but it was over 3 months ago. You seriously don't expect me to remember back that far do you? So, if you are in the Charleston area, want some Italian food, then I highly suggest Al Di La. (Click for a review of this restaurant.)

5 - Mercato

This week I am going to count down my 5 favorite dining experiences since I moved to the Low-Country. So, enjoy a "taste of the Low Country" with me.

I was treated to Mercato for #29. You can read about that here. This is an Italian restaurant in the downtown Charleston area. It is across the street from the Charleston City Market and Daughters of the Confederacy museum. But enough about location...this post is about food. And good food it was. For an appetizer we ordered an olive and pickle plate. Those who know me best know I can't stand olives, but I've never met a pickle that I didn't want to consume. And consume those little babies I did. They were very different tasting, but again it is a pickle. I. Do. Not. Discriminate.

On to the main course. I, being a web guru (and lover of knowing all things ahead of time) had already purused the menu prior to going to this establishment. Well, actually I had to pick a place so I perused a couple of different menus before decided on this one. But that's another story for another time. Long story short, I chose the beef marsala grilled flat iron steak with sauteed wild mushrooms, haricot vert, and mashed potatoes. Mmmm, Mmmm, good. The steak was cook perfectly, the potatoes were divine, and I learned that haricot vert is a fancy smancy way of saying green bean. All in all a very good meal. Mercato...you are #5 on my list.

Wordless Wednesday