Charleston Wine and Food Festival
After two canceled flights and a last minute save by JetBlue, we sat in JFK at 7:00 A.M. sipping hot coffees, eager to escape the below freezing NYC temperatures. Luckily we departed right on time, finding ourselves in the Holy City just two hours later. The moment we stepped out of Charleston International Airport into sunny, 70 degree weather, we knew it was going to be a spectacular trip.
We rode down King Street, hooked a left on Market and turned onto Meeting, passing historic homes, colorful shops and brick-and-cobblestone-paved roads before arriving at our hotel, the Mills House. We dropped off our bags and set out to our first event- a blind tasting competition for local sommeliers at the Culinary Institute. We were so impressed by the local talent; it was the perfect way to kick off the trip. Our next engagement wasn't until later in the evening so we went back to the hotel, freshened up and set out to explore… and eat because we were starving.
We met up with friends and had an amazing lunch at S.N.O.B. on East Bay Street. The atmosphere was perfectly sophisticated, and the Shrimp n’ Grits were out of this world. Elated to be in warmer weather, we toasted with Rosé Champagne to all the Charleston Wine and Food Festival festivities to come.
Laura’s first event was the Pole to Plate dinner at FISH restaurant. Everything- from Chef John Ash's Roasted Snow Grouper in Spicy Coconut Broth paired with Clos Cibonne Côtes de Provence Cuvée Tradition Rosé (top left) and Chef Nico Romo's Triggerfish dish paired with Thierry Tissot Mondeuse "Mataret" Bugey (top middle), to the brilliant Seascape Mignardises dessert (top right) that looked almost too beautiful to eat- was pretty much perfect. The only thing more amazing was the crowd that joined us. The dining room brimmed with laughter and conversation, and everyone was so lovely. Our first dinner at our first ever #CHSWFF was seamless.
The next day we had lunch at Leon's Fine Poultry and Oysters. We ordered Char-Grilled Oysters, Fried Oysters Rockefeller, and basically all the fried poultry you could ever dream of. The oysters were some of the best we’ve ever had, and the chicken was good too, y’all. Shout out to our server, Zach, for the complimentary milkshakes!
The most fascinating event on our itinerary was the revealing of a 151-year-old bottle of wine uncovered in Bermuda in the shipwrecked Mary-Celestia blockade runner at the From Deep Below event… and a handful of lucky wine pro’s including Laura got to open, swirl, smell and even taste it.
Or maybe not so lucky…
We were honored to be at The Riviera amongst such accomplished women from the food and wine world and the talented female country soul band, Underhill Rose (top left), at the Southern Betty's Brunch. If there were any socially acceptable way to stuff about fifteen of Chef Michelle Weaver's Foie Gras Sweet Potato Biscuits (bottom left) in our bags for later, trust me, we would have. Let's not forget the mouthwatering Fried Chicken from Poole’s Diner (bottom middle) that we'll be dreaming about forever; the perfectly baked and frosted sticky buns from WildFlour Pastry (top plate of bottom right photo); and the Grits and Greens courtesy of Vivian Howard (the nearly devoured oval plate in bottom left photo).We might have been floating into a food coma, but we would’ve been crazy to pass any of that up. Top it all off with a glass (or four) of Veuve Clicquot Rosé plus some fantastic company, and it’s safe to say that if they don’t have brunch like this in heaven, we’re not sure we want to go.
After stuffing our faces, we decided to walk it off- onward to the Culinary Village at Marion Square for more food and more booze! There was so much to look at. We went from gulping local beers like Westbrook and Holy City, to hanging out in a ball pit, sampling tasty cocktails, making our way through the Grand Tasting Tent and checking out the cigar lounge. We were especially captivated by the adorable framed photo station :)
Unfortunately, there were too many places to hit in one short weekend, but we did get to mark quite a few off our lengthy list.
We stopped in at St. Alban (top left) for a quick snack and a coffee, and it was the coziest, most adorable little joint- it felt like we'd stepped into our long lost friend's living room. We may have gone to Charleston Grill (top right) more than once during our stay; it was just that awesome. A bowl of popcorn accompanied by a bottle of Château Rayas '06 Châteauneuf-du-Pape was the perfect fix. Callie's Hot Little Biscuit (bottom left) was THE BEST cure for a hangover. Two Boroughs Larder (bottom right) is hip, laid-back and, simply put, cool. The food definitely didn't disappoint either.
Everything about Charleston—the history, people, accents, architecture, cuisine and inexplicable charm that saturates the city—is so charismatic and singular. Charleston has a graceful presence that we are grateful to have been absorbed into for a few days. We can’t say thank you enough to all the people who made this experience unforgettable, and we were honored to #toasttothedecade with y’all. We'll be back soon to cross everything else off our list! Now more than ever, we’re fired up for our Charlotte opening in June… stay tuned!