Thursday was my last full day in Charleston and boy, did Dad and I live it up! We spent most of the day packing the car in the worst heat of the week (of course) and then took in some final sites before we started a restaurant crawl I'd had in the works for a while.
We started the night at my favorite wine bar, Bin 152. This place is 1/4 wine bar, 1/4 cheese and charcuterie shop, 1/4 art gallery and 1/4 antique store. The owners, Franny and Patrick, are so delightful. We each had a glass of wine and some Giddy Goat Pimento Cheese. It was a wonderful way to start off.
From there, we moved on to Hank's Seafood, which is what I consider the best seafood restaurant in town. It's an old warehouse so it can be loud, but I like the atmosphere alot. The Chef, Frank McMahon, has some wonderful dishes on their menu including the Low Country Bouillabaisse (a personal fav!), grilled Swordfish, seafood Platters that can be grilled or friends, and these Seafood Towers, that always look incredible. This is my favorite picture of Chef McMahon, with Frank Lee from Maverick Southern Kitchens, from the 2009 Charleston Wine and Food Festival (and, for the record, Dad and I had a dozen Gulf Coast Oysters which were also spectacular!).
From there, we moved onto to the Peninsula Grill at the Planter's Inn Hotel. I'd been here once before with the Boyfriend and was really impressed by their lamb, goat cheese smashed potatoes, the Lobster "3-way" appetizer, which Dad and I split, and, of course, their Coconut Cake. We even brought a piece home to share with Mom and Pam!
Our final stop of the night was at my favorite restaurant in town, FIG. FIG stands for "Food Is Good," and damn, is it ever when you're there. The Chef, Mike Lata, even won the 2009 Best Chef Southeast James Beard Award. I had my 26th birthday here and the Boyfriend and I were here in April and I wasn't disappointed either time. While it's hard to pick menu regulars to recommend (because Chef Lata changed the menu every day), I do suggest trying the Gnocchi and Tomato Tar-Tatin appetizers and the Triggerfish entree when they are available. The Boyfriend and I decided that the gnocchi was one of the best things we've ever eaten together so Dad and I had that and their Sticky Sorghum Cake with Walnut Ice Cream. Heaven. Dad even said of all the places I took him, he most wanted to come back there! Picture below is from my birthday, when I was lucky enough to meet Chef Lata!
All in all, it was a lovely evening and the best way we could have spent my last night in town!
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