Charleston: REVISITED

I wish I could stop visiting and just LIVE there! Robert turned 30 on January 24th, and our dear friends Brandi and Stewart were needing to get out of town (1 year old ;) so we chose Charleston for a weekend getaway. I promise I go other places and will blog about all of them soon, but I can't help but share our fun weekend details...

We stayed at the Market Pavilion and it was lovely! It is in the historic district and right by the water. Check out the rooftop bar even if you are not staying there. And preferably go in the Spring or Fall fo sho!! The first time we went was in July and it was HOT. This time January and it was COLD and RAINY. But regardless we still had a great time. What to do when its raining? Play darts, shop, and EAT a lot!

It was cold when we got there on Saturday, but thankfully not rainy, so we walked around the battery and toured a beautiful house, the Calhoun Mansion. It's 24,000 square feet! I wish I could get that remodel job!! Beautiful antiques, interesting history, blah blah blah. Let's talk about food.

Friday night we ate at the steakhouse in our hotel: Grill 225. Brandi got the lobster bisque and it was superb. Robert and I split the calamari...equally delicious. The three smart people at my table got steaks and said they were some of the best ever. My fish-eatin' self chose the tuna. It was good...but I would suggest getting the steak if you go. Poor Brandi almost went into steak overload due to the size of her steak, so if you are a gal (even with a big apetite), split something!! :)

Saturday we woke up to a oh-so-lovely rainy day. But being the troopers we are, we put our boots on and headed to King Street! The boys headed straight to a BBQ joint where the beer was, and us gals hit the shops. After purchasing a much needed (and pretty darn cute might I add) umbrella and shirt on the sale rack at J. Crew, we met up with the boys at my favorite store...Williams Sonoma! Y'all know I love to cook and I have been wanting a decent chef's knife for years, so Robert and I splurged on a Wusthof! My fave purchase.

What's next? Lunch of course!! I blogged about this in my previous Charleston post, but I've got to do it again. CRU CAFE. Nuff said. My favorite restaurant in Chas! It's a hidden gem...tucked away on a side street in an old house. Make a reservation if you go, apparently it's not hidden to the locals. We didn't the first trip and we sat on the HOT porch. But the food made up for it. My three travel companions got beef again...the burger. I got the same salad as before...the fried goat cheese salad (y.u.m.m.y.) and then the coconut oyster wrap with asian coleslaw. Also yum. Don't even get me started on the dessert. Go there.

After a little rest, we met an old friend, Cam Parker, for a drink, Brandi and I did a little more shopping, and soon after we went to dinner. Cam is a guy we know from growing up in Albany. He is now a chef in Charleston (jealous) and he just recently quit a job at the Peninsula Grill for a better opportunity. But he was so nice as to make reservations for us (along with him and his sweet wife, Missie) at this excellent restaurant for dinner. Wow, wow, wow. It was a multi course meal with many fun surprises and dishes we have never had before (and frankly can't pronounce). It was such a fun experience and we will never forget it! Thanks Cam!