Middleton Place

Location:

4300 Ashley River Road

Charleston, SC 29414

Type:

Plantation & Gardens

Inn

Restaurant

Website:

www.middletonplace.org

Experience:

As you can tell from the header, Middleton Place is not simply a restaurant. This is an old plantation which is home to "America's oldest landscaped gardens." This is where the wedding ceremony and reception took place and I cannot stress enough how perfect of a setting it really was.

The wedding itself was as close to perfect as anything can come. Wonderful weather. Beautiful surroundings. Solo cellist. My sister looking better than any bride in the history of the world (and I will kill anyone who wishes to disagree!). The only thing that would have made me happier is if I could have stolen the day and used it for my wedding. Alas, simply not possible. I wasn't able to tour much of the garden as I was there for the wedding. What I was able to see was breathtaking though. This place really is magical. 

It is important to note that the restaurant requires reservations for dinner. No exceptions. And dress code is pretty strictly enforced. However, since the wedding was black tie, we all were appropriately dressed so I am not sure what the dress code actually is. Also it is worth noting that the restaurants are closed to the public on Mondays, but if you want to have an event, they are willing to be open to private parties, like say my sister's wedding. Enough about the rules and such and on to the important part... the food. 

There was a bit of a cocktail hour after the ceremony and during this time were some of the best appetizers I have ever had. There was a rack of lamb that was so good I literally followed around  the young girls who had it on their trays for a good forty-five minutes. They also had these little shrimp pastries which were okay and they had a crab dip that was almost but not quite as good as the rack of lamb.

When it came to the actual meal, I have to admit that I was already pretty full but I decided to truck through the meal like a champ in order to ensure I wasn't missing out on anything delicious. The she-crab soup was the first thing brought to me at the table and this alone made my decision to over-indulge in food well worth it. I am not even sure how to describe this stuff but it was very good. As far as the meal itself, I was a little less impressed. I realize that Middleton Place is known for their southern food but I can't say I was really impressed with it. The catfish tasted a bit like dirt, which in my experience either means it was cheapish meat (and for catfish that is saying a lot) or it wasn't cleaned very well. Either way, I couldn't eat that. Also on the plate was a ham biscuit thing that had honey mustard, only the honey mustard had obviously been made by the gods. I have no idea what it actually was but it was very good. There was also something called "Hoppin' John" that wasn't bad but again, not the best food ever. Or maybe I was just spoiled by the rack of lamb.

Now I think I heard someone say that the restaurant had made both the wedding cake and the groom's cake, but I can't swear by it. But for the purposes of this review I will go ahead and make the assumption that I did hear right. The cake was a white cake with a chocolate-raspberry filling, and it was AMAZING. The groom's cake was a French something or other, but was basically pastries with some sort of cream in them and I wasn't as excited about this but it was still good. 

Overall:

For the most part I was impressed by the plantation. The setting was ideal for a wedding, and the restaurant was more of the same. There were a few food type problems I had, but for the most part, it was extremely good. I am not really that accustomed to Southern cooking, so I have to admit that I am a little at a disadvantage to say whether or not this was excellent or not. But my new brother-in-law's family is very southern and they seemed to more than enjoy. So I will take it that it really was that good. And as I said, there were a few things I wasn't that impressed with, but the good far outweighed the bad. All in all, everything turned out as near to perfect as any bride could hope for and I have never seen my sister as radiant as she was that day, and I am sure that the place helped in making her that happy.

4.5 Carats

Bocci's Italian Restaurant

Location:

158 Church Street

Charleston, SC 29401

Type:

Italian

Website:

www.boccis.com

Experience:

Bocci's was the location of the rehearsal dinner. And literally everyone who was going to be at the wedding was at this dinner. Which meant we were a rather large party. I did get to the restaurant first and like I always do in a situation where I am going to be around a lot of people who I don't know very well, went straight for the bar. After two or three gin and tonics, other people started to show up and that's when the fun started.

Like many establishments in Charleston, Bocci's appears to have at one time or another actually been someone's house. The main dining area downstairs was not that big, and seemed like half of the dining room was taken up by a bar. Admittedly, I did not spend much time downstairs so the dining area might have extended into other rooms, but I cannot say for sure. Our party was placed up stairs on what looks like it might have been at one time, an open air porch. It was a large room and easily sat all 30+ of us at the table. The only part I found mildly disconcerting was the fact that the room tilts slightly and when you have been drinking for the better part of the afternoon and then come to dinner, have a few more drinks, and then have to stand in a tilted room, things can get a bit difficult.

I managed to get into a seat and remain there for fear of tipping over. And then the food started to show up. The groom's family had offered to pay for the rehearsal dinner, and they have selected the choices for the meal off of the large party menu.

The servers were nice enough but as there were few of them and a lot of us, and their tip was assured, we didn't receive the best of service. If you ever got their attention and asked for something, it didn't take them long to get you what you wanted, but it took some doing and cleverly laid traps in order to get the servers' attention. 

When it came to food, I was impressed by some things and put off by others. Their calamari was very good. I think I can speak for most of the table in agreeing as the plates were cleared in nothing flat. The salads were okay, nothing particularly special about them though. As far as the entrees, I was very mixed about them. I had ordered the beef tenderloin "burgundy" and it was all right. Although, I have to say that I think they were using a lot of spices and glaze to hide the fact that the meat wasn't all that great. The side of vegetables was pretty good but the garlic mashed potatoes were in fact instant potatoes. I am not the only one at the table that came to this same conclusion and I was very put off by this fact. I wasn't able to try any of the other entrees but from the general reaction of the party, I don't expect that they were any better than my meal.

Overall:

All in all, the meal was okay, made up mostly by the company I had (I managed to sit next to my brother and his girlfriend and we kept each other entertained). The meal itself though wasn't particularly amazing. I am not going to try to dissuade anyone from trying Bocci's but I wouldn't recommend taking a large group there. Perhaps their normal menu is amazing, because I have heard from other people that it is a pretty good restaurant. Pricing isn't that bad, but I was not impressed by anything I ate there.

1.5 Carats

Henry's Bar

Location:

54 North Market Street

Charleston, SC 29401

Type:

Bar

Experience:

After leaving Club Habana, I wasn't ready to call it a night yet. So I went down Market Street, trying to find another bar to spend some time and money at.

Eventually, I came across this bar called Henry's. There were a few guys out front and I stopped and asked them if the bar was any good. We had a short conversation about how I defined a "good" bar and I explained about my downer of a bachelor party. They then told me to come in and have a drink with them. After a little bit more conversation, they just put me on their tab and I wound up not having to pay for my drinks.

This place is a pretty run of the mill bar from the looks of things. I think there was a juke box on one wall, some booths on another. Not a whole lot to set this place apart from other bars. But the bartenders were really nice and it is PACKED on a Saturday night. Had it not been for my new-found friends, I would never have been able to actually get at the bar for a drink.

And the diversity of the people in the bar was also just a strange mix of everyone. There were a lot of college girls and guys hanging out, but there were also a lot of older professional looking types around the place. The fact that this diversity was present definitely adds to this places charm. As I had been told before entering, "Henry's is the place where everyone in Charleston eventually winds up." I guess this is true. It does seem like a catch-all type bar. Eventually my new friends ordered shots for every girl in the bar (and all the bartenders) and that really started a party going. 'Cause really, who doesn't like free shots?

I went back the next night, and admittedly, on a Sunday, there wasn't a very big crowd. But the bartenders were still really friendly and I found out that drinks were not too bad on the price front. They are on par with every other bar. Without the huge crowd hindering my view I realized the place is a lot  bigger than I had thought the night before. And for having such a large crowd in there the night before, the place was really clean, even the bathrooms, and that kind of gave me a good feeling. The bar is well run and well maintained. So really, how can you go wrong with that?

Overall:

My point of view for Henry's may be a little biased due to having a couple of guys make my night rock, but that is not going to stop me from letting it happen. This bar really isn't special except for how popular it seems. And boy is it ever popular. Bars with a large following can be a lot of fun if you are the mood, and if you are in the mood for a big crowd, I could safely recommend Henry's to you. Although if you stay until last call and are in need of a cab ride home, you are unfortunately S.O.L. but that isn't the bar's fault and I will address that in my general review of the city of Charleston. So look for that soon. Until then... 

3 Carats

The Tinderbox/Club Habana

Location:

177 Meeting Street

Charleston, SC 29401

Type:

Cigar Bar

Website:

www.tinderboxcharleston.com

Experience:

So, I left off at the Kickin' Chicken and when the bachelor party was leaving here it was around 10:30 PM on a Saturday night and the rest of the guys had pretty much had enough. They wanted to go back to the hotel and go to bed. This being my only Saturday night in Charleston, and a decent buzz going, I was not going to turn in so early. I bid them a farewell, told them I would catch a cab back and wandered further into downtown to stir up some trouble.

I had been told of a cigar bar in the downtown area, and with a quick phone call for directions, I was on my way. A few blocks later, I was standing in a shop with all of it's walls lined with humidors. In short, I was home. A few inquiries later and I had purchased a cigar from The Tinderbox and was making my way up the stairs to Club Habana which as it turns out is A LOT like someone's house if they converted it into scotch and cigar bar.

The entire place is very dimly lit, which works if you bring some friends or more appropriately a special someone with you. However, I was by myself so I went to sit at the bar. Only trouble was that there was a bachelorette party going on and there were no seats at the bar. I decided to order a scotch and just wander around a bit. The bartender wasn't rude or anything but not overly friendly either. And the scotch was expensive. While I realize that scotch ordered at a bar is generally going to put me back a bit, the prices at Club Habana were even more than I am used to paying.

However, with scotch in hand and cigar in mouth, I started wandering around. I said it already, this place is a lot like someone's house converted into a bar. There are many rooms, each with large overstuffed chairs and couches in smallish rooms. I felt kind of strange just walking around so I finally took a seat on a couch only to realize that there were waitresses wandering around. I guess it was a good thing that I had ordered at the bar so that I realized what my drink cost instead of opening a tab with a waitress and winding up spending a shit-ton of money in a relatively short amount of time. 

The atmosphere here was nice and intimate but since I was alone I just watched the other groups, huddled together in conversation or plotting bank robberies. In the low light and high ambient noise, it is hard to tell exactly what is going on. It wasn't a bad bar, but just not what I was looking for that evening, so when my scotch had been drained, I went ahead and cleaned up after myself and took the glass back to the bar and then left, taking my unfinished cigar with me out into the downtown. So yeah, I was that weird guy in a lamb skin pea-coat walking around trying to convince everyone that a cigar is just a cigar. Really, it's just a cigar. Go away Mr. Freud, I am not talking to you any more.

I did return to The Tinderbox the following morning for my cigar purchasing as I didn't want to have to walk around with a bag full of cigars the previous evening. I then found out that the shop has a small supply of pre-embargo Cubans that are pretty inexpensive. And the guy working there was really nice and helpful in finding me cigars that I would like and suggested some smokes that I probably wouldn't have otherwise tried.

Overall:

I liked the place but wished I had taken someone with me. Do not go here by yourself, it just isn't worth it and you wind up feeling kind of sleazy just wandering around watching other people interact. However, it seems like a great place to take a date. The drink prices are high but the cigar prices are fairly low so it kind of evens out. And the service staff is helpful enough. All in all, if you are in town and like cigars, this is definitely a place you are going to have to stop by.

4 Carats

The Kickin' Chicken

Location:

(there are multiple locations in the Charleston area, check the website for address. I am going to be reviewing the one that I visited in downtown)

337 King Street

Charleston, SC 29401

Type:

College Bar

Website:

www.thekickinchicken.com

Experience:

For those of you keeping track, I have more or less been going in order of my experiences with different establishments. And we last left off with dinner on Saturday night, which was visited with the bachelor party.

Well the party didn't stop there. It was fairly early on a Saturday night and so we decided that we should go and do something else. However, I said in the last review, that half of our party does not drink alcohol which led us to have more problems trying to figure out where we were going. Well, since none of us had any other ideas, we decided to ask the young guy that was working the desk at our hotel. 

Rule of advice. If you are looking for something to do on in a town you are unfamiliar, the stoner kid working the hotel front desk on a Saturday night is probably not the best person to take advice from. But hindsight is 20/20 so we took his advice (and promises of pool tables) and made for the Kickin' Chicken in downtown Charleston.

When we found the place, we quickly realized that there were no pool tables but as it took us over an hour to come up with a single place to go, we didn't dare try to make for another location so we just took up residence at a table in the back and watched the UNC v. Duke game that was on TV. And the place did have plenty of TV's to watch. 

The place is pretty much a typical college bar. Not much money spent on the decor, but instead all of it put into really nice giant plasmas everywhere to watch sporting events. Food consisted of typical bar food (wings, sandwiches, appetizers), and other than cute names, I didn't see anything particularly interesting. Their draught beers left much to be desired as they only had the same four as every other bar on the planet. The one beer they were pushing as if it were new and interesting was Yuengling, which is an okay beer, but it isn't anything really special. 

The waitress was fairly nice to us, and at one point when they ran out of clean glasses and she had to resort to plastic cups, apologized profusely as she could tell that the older members of our party were not happy with this development. Since we had been to dinner a few hours earlier, we ordered a few appetizers and split them around the table but none with much gusto. The food was all right but nothing that couldn't be served at Corner Bar in Everytown, USA. 

(Picture from ladies room coming soon...)

Overall:

Other than the name, this was the same wing bar that exists next to every college campus in America. It didn't feel as clean as most bars which lends itself to some atmosphere but this place just had no personality. Needless to say I wasn't impressed. The only thing I really liked about this bar was that during a trip to the restroom which I accidently used the ladies, there was a poster soliciting the sale of eggs. It's sad when that is the best part of a bar. I am going to follow my newfound rule and never get advice from the stoner kid working the hotel front desk again...

1 Carat

California Dreamin'

Location:

1 Ashley Point Drive

Charleston, SC 29407

Type:

American Fare

Experience:

As with Tropical Toast, I wound up eating at this place twice. Once for dinner on a Saturday night and once on Monday afternoon for lunch. The reason was more due to the location than anything else (it was literally across the parking lot from where I was staying). Although, anyone that knows me knows that if I wasn't at least satisfied with my first meal, I would have gotten a cab to go somewhere else instead of going back.

My first experience was on a Saturday night during my soon-to-be brother-in-law's bachelor party. This bachelor party was not organized very well in advance, and we had to take into account that half of the members of the party were over 50, and the other half were in their mid-20's. Added to this was the complication that half of our party of ten do not imbibe alcohol ever. Not to be completely defeated, my uncle suggested that we all go to dinner and when we agreed he admitted that he had already taken the liberty of making us a reservation at California Dreamin'.

When we got there, it was crowded. VERY crowded. If you are going to go on a Friday or Saturday night, I would strongly suggest reservations. The restaurant is in a circular building with the kitchen toward the middle which allows for the giant windows surrounding the outside and giving patrons a view out over the water from pretty much wherever in the restaurant they are seated. The other thing worth noting is that while there isn't a strict dress code per-say, they do have standards and will not seat people unless they are at least looking decent, so no shorts or ripped up pants.

As I said, we were a group of ten and we had reservations and I barely had time to finish one drink at the bar before our table was ready. Our waiter was very friendly and made good suggestions. There were a couple of appetizers ordered but I think that the crab claws were the hit on that front and were quickly devoured by our group. Also, if I remember correctly, the waiter said that all of their salad dressings were made in house and the salad was pretty good, although it does come with almonds and eggs, but are perfectly happy to leave these items out upon request.

As far as dinner went, I was craving red meat and order the sirloin. Also for anyone who has never gone out for steak with me, I am kind of insane about my meat. To say I like it rare, would be putting it mildly. When I cook my own steaks I get my heat source as hot as possible, sear either side of the meat for 30 seconds to a minute and that's it. So I asked the waiter if they could do the steak "as rare as legally possible." He told me he would give the cook my exact words. My steak came out PERFECT. My baked potato was left forgotten as I reveled in my steak. It was incredible and had that cold, red, bloody, raw center that most restaurants simply refuse to bring me. Although the baked potato wasn't bad either. 

All in all the dinner was really good. Their selection of draught beers left a little to be desired but they do have some local brew and that was decent enough, and their liquor wasn't overly expensive if you would rather have a go at that. These are the things that led me to come back on Monday afternoon while waiting to get ready for the wedding itself.

I have to say, as good as my meal was on Saturday, I was very disappointed with their lunch offerings. The restaurant isn't exactly cheap and when I ordered a burger while sitting at the bar, I have to say I was expecting a little more than just a standard fare burger that I was served. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't outstanding either. Something that any chain restaurant with a burger on their menu could have brought me. So I was a little disappointed with that.

But I do have to point out that the bartender went out of his way to discuss beer and brewing with me.  And when I ordered a beer that was only on tap on the patio bar (which was closed) he went out and got it for me anyway. The service was still really good, and the bartender was telling me of local breweries and suggesting different beers that I might try, and this gave him bonus points that the food didn't get.

Overall:

Like I said, prices are a little high here, but not unreasonable. I would recommend coming for dinner, but again, make reservations. The restaurant itself is a little out of the way if you are staying in downtown but only by a few minutes (a 6 dollar cab ride from the heart of downtown) and the view more than makes up for this. From my experience, the service staff is all very friendly and helpful, so I have no complaints on the service end. I can't say that I could recommend this place for lunch though and that gives me a little bit of hesitation. All in all though, it is worth a try.

3.5 Carats

Tropical Toast at Diana's

Location:

155 Meeting Street

Charleston, SC 29401

Type:

Caribbean Diner

Website:

www.tropicaltoast.com

Experience:

We actually liked this place enough to have breakfast here two mornings in a row. Although, admittedly, the second morning was only because we went somewhere else which had an hour wait to get in. So instead we decided that our breakfast the morning before at Tropical Toast was good enough to be repeated. This was great for me as it let me make up for a terrible mistake I had made the previous morning:

I had ordered the wrong thing.

Being that we were a large group and it was generally difficult to make decisions and the round everyone up to go places, a small number of us had set out the first morning for breakfast. My sister recommended that we go to this place. However, we wound up parking on the wrong side of downtown and then had about a 12 block hike to the restaurant. Being accustomed to hikes for food on vacation (notoriously was the one in Tulsa) I was up for it. But not really being accustomed to my sister making decisions about restaurants, I can't help but say I was nervous.

When we finally arrived, I was kind of in shock. This place looks like Jimmy Buffet on some severe happy pills went NUTS. It's bright. VERY bright. Which I can't say I enjoyed first thing in the morning. But they do serve booze at breakfast and that I approved of. A few mimosas later and I have to say I was a fan.

The waitress was really nice and remembered us the next morning (even to the point of remembering which of us had regular and which had decaf). Food was brought to us quick, which was a little surprising as busy as they were, but it was hot and fresh and tasted damn good.

Now I do have to admit, the first morning, in spite of being told that I should order the "famous" Eggs Meeting Street, I instead ordered an Irish Omelet which was an omelet with cornbeef and hash. Served with a choice of home fries or grits and toast or english muffin, there is definitely enough food to feed even the hungriest breakfast goer. The omelet wasn't bad. But when I saw the Eggs Meeting Street I was ashamed that I hadn't ordered it. This was something I remedied the following morning.

Two fried green tomatoes, on top of which they place two crab cakes, on top of which they place two poached eggs and then top the whole thing off with Remoulade sauce. This was not something I could have come up with in my wildest culinary dreams. And it was SO good. Even those in the party who are normally opposed to fried green tomatoes were impressed by this dish devised by some Charlestonian genius chef. Like seriously, this guy (or gal) needs a medal.

On top of this, the coffee was strong and fresh. And the greeter at the door was hilarious and kept us entertained as we waited for seating. Very hard to find fault with this place as a breakfast must if you are in town. I just wish I could have sampled their lunch or dinner menus. But alas, we only had so much time.

Overall:

Prices were not too bad considering the size of the meals. It might be a little high for breakfast being somewhere in the $8-12 range plus mimosas. But really, where can you eat for less than that these days? Service was nice and the decor was... well it was. But don't let the decor put you off. The food is better than that scared feeling you get when you open the door and it is brighter inside than out (even on a clear day with the sun shining). Thinking back on the Eggs Meeting Street and mimosas, I would highly recommend this place for breakfast.

4 Carats

The Wreck of Richard and Charlene

Location: 

106 Haddrell Street

Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

Type:

Seafood

Experience:

Finding this place is no easy task. We were following someone who had been here several times and even he got lost along the way. It is set toward the back of a residential neighborhood and has no sign (at least from what I could tell) of any sort. It was dark but even when we found the establishment, I wasn't sure that we were at an eatery.

The restaurant was pretty great. We had a very large group and showed up about an hour and a half before they closed. We did have to wait a bit as it was a Friday night and they were busy and they do not accept reservations. And come to mention things they do not accept, they don't accept any form of payment other than cash. Which can be troublesome if you are not aware of that prior to them bringing the check.

The atmosphere is a little on the barren side. It is kind of like eating on a dock actually. Most of the furniture is patio furniture, and we were lucky to eat there on a cool night, 'cause as far as I could tell, the entire dining area is a screened in porch with no AC. But the staff is more than friendly and it really works for the place. Keep in mind, it is a restaurant entitled "The Wreck". You can't very well be expecting lavish expenditures on the decor. And as long as the weather is fair and there is a breeze, the lack of AC isn't really a problem. I might avoid this place in July and August however.

When the servers come to get your order they drop off bowls of boiled peanuts as a snack while you wait. I thought this was sort of a fun southern touch and fit nicely with the theme (or lack thereof) of the restaurant. As for the food itself. It was decent enough. The seafood was fresh, cooked to order and pretty darn tasty. They were out of most of their soups by the time we got around to ordering which was a bummer 'cause their soups looked pretty good. I ordered grilled dolphin (mahi mahi for those of you who insist on calling it that) and damn was it good. Comes with white beans, hush puppies and fried hominy (which was a shock as I thought it was a hush puppy). From what I could tell, everything was from scratch. I shared in a little of the food from others as well as everyone sort of passed their plates around. The shrimp in particular were incredible.

Then came desert. They  assured us that they made all of their deserts from scratch, but I don't know if I can vouch for this. Several people ordered banana pudding which they said was good enough. As for me, I ordered key lime pie as I am always on the look out for a good key lime pie. Once again though, the lateness of our arrival came back to haunt us as the pie was almost frozen. Not to be hindered by this, me and everyone else in my situation just picked up our key lime pie-sicle and munched down. It was really damn good once you figured out the trick to avoid the dreaded brain freeze. 

(pictures of this coming soon)

All in all this place was pretty good. A little on the pricey side, especially if you are looking for big portions. The portions aren't small mind you, but they are not the Super Sized feeding troughs seen all too often in restaurants these days. The price is more than worth it though when you consider how great the food tastes.

Overall:

I would like to have given this place 4 carats. It could have been better, but not a whole lot. If you wind up in the Charleston area and don't mind crossing that oh so cool suspension bridge into Mount Pleasant, I would suggest you find this place if you are in the mood for some good seafood. But, I would also suggest you call and get directions 'cause it is NOT easy to find. And don't forget to bring cash. All this taken into consideration I have to knock a little off the score.

3.5 Carats