i was in charleston this weekend. nico was mediocre. beyond that i went to Leon’s which was new for me, excellent. went twice. also went back (had been before) to the Ordinary which was great as usual.
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Thanks, Steve. Will prob end up at Leon’s and Ordinary as we do enjoy them. Glad to hear they are still doing well.
We had a great experience at Chez Nous a year ago, as mentioned in this thread, the menu is limited and they change it on daily basis but the quality is excellent and they have a small but precise wine list as well. If I recall correctly we got a 2019 M. Lapierre Morgon
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Sorry, I forgot to respond to your original post. I’m unfamiliar with Chasing Sage or Maison. Enjoy your visit.
James
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Bump. Headed to Charleston for a long weekend. Our favorites FIG and the Ordinary on deck. Will do Lewis and Rodney Scott for a couple of lunches. I know Charleston Grill, Chez Nous, Edmunds Oast, and Leon’s. Anything else we should consider?
really wanted to try the pizza at renzo but didn’t get around to it. looks super tasty. https://www.renzochs.com/
maison is good if you are looking for some classic french fare and ambiance…the beef tartare is awesome. i was really impressed by the wine selection at graft around the corner; could be an ideal spot for a bottle before dinner.
We have some friends headed down this weekend for the bbq event on Saturday.
Circa 1886, Zero George, 167 Raw are great spots. Drinks at Gin Joint, Husk Carriage House Bar, Doar Brothers.
The Ordinary was really excellent again when we visited back in Sept. Place is consistently on point.
If you get the urge to see the beach, Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan’s Island is always a good time, lunch or dinner. Just throwing out a place you hadn’t mentioned.
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I recently found myself on my own for one on Kiawah Island and was very happy to discover a wonderful by-the-glass (via Vinomatic) wine bar, with decent food and super-nice staff: https://fortyeightwinebar.com/
Jonathan
We’re blessed with really good French fare here in Durham so we probably won’t hit Maison but might take a peak at Renzo. Thanks!
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Oh no. Will that barbecue event mean that Lewis and RS will be packed (or more than usual)? Any local tips for navigating those places or just be prepared to wait?
Thanks for the recs. Is 167 Raw different enough from the Ordinary to want to hit both?
We eat at the Ordinary at least once every visit. It’s perfect for what it is. We like it so much we’re staying at the Hyatt down the block. I hope it’s OK…
Obstinate Daughter is on our list should we venture that direction, for sure. Thanks.
It’s my understanding that the bbq event is offsite at a bigger location, so the traffic should be bearable? My friends are staying on S. King near Husk.
Yes, 167 Raw is different enough. It’s hard to go wrong with great oysters. The tuna burger with Charleston Fermentory Sun Gazer is a great combination at 167. Enjoy.
James
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I commented in an older thread but thought I’d repeat here if you hadn’t seen that one.
I’m only one data point as I had heard a lot of praise for Rodney Scott’s before we went, but it was a huge miss for us. Not a single thing stood out and the ribs were basically inedible.
We were there for lunch and it was like nothing had been in the smoker long enough? Maybe just a bad day.
Lewis on the other hand was awesome all around. The beef rib was insane as well as the brisket, but most everything was worthwhile. The atmosphere is so much better as well. Does anybody actually prefer RS?
OK, just got back and thought I’d report on our experience. We did several “crawls”.
Ordinary, great as always. We got some ITB perks which made it extra fun.
FIG was its usual reliable, excellent self. As a restaurant owner, I’m always fascinated by places like this and Highlands which operate at such a high level for years in my region.
Little Jack’s Tavern for lunch. This wasn’t on our list but Leon’s had a long wait so we went here. I really liked the burger and my wife the shrimp cocktail. Bloody Marys were great for my afternoon nap.
Graft wine bar seems like the local ITB hangout. You can drink any bottle out of GGG stems for +$15 over retail. We ran into Cristiano Garella there as well as the folks from PortoVino. I’d be a regular there if it were in my town.
Ordinary, again. We got some ITB perks this time which made it extra fun.
Chubby Fish was a blast. Not the most refined meal we had and the wine list wasn’t great but an interesting twist on a mainly seafood menu. I’d go back, for sure.
Chez Nous for lunch. For my wife, the dish of the trip was the fish main course. Very delicate preparation with an interesting saffron and fennel set up. This has always been very good and continues to be.
Malagon for drinks. We had a very natty Godello that was OK and some Pinxtos which were alright, but quite heavy. The space seems over designed and neither fish nor fowl. It doesn’t have the joie de vivre and bustle of a tapas bar but it also isn’t a restaurant.
Proof for terrible cocktails. Neither my wife nor I could even finish ours. They were unbalanced with bombastic flavors. Stunt cocktails. We’ve been before, but I don’t remember disliking it so much. Terrible ambiance as well, IMO.
Estadio to rinse those cocktails out of our mouths with a Gin and Tonic. They have excellent renditions and the place feels much more like a reals tapas bar. The space isn’t all that to look at, but many tapas bars in Spain aren’t.
Chasing Sage was another really interesting place. Vegetable dominated, but not vegetarian although we ordered all vegetable dishes. Wine list was not very good but my cocktail was excellent. It’s the kind of place that could have seemed a bit self-satisfied in the way that new and hyped places can be if it weren’t for the friendly and engaging service. Most of the dishes worked well and we were able to find a bottle of D&R Familiar to drink. We sort of messed up by ordering everything at once, we should have ordered a few things and then ordered as we went as they don’t really course things. The waiter tried to warn us, but I didn’t get exactly what he meant. I wish we had something more vegetable focused like this in my town, we’d throw it in the rotation for a change of pace.
One of our favorite things about the trip was that we didn’t use our car the entire time. We needed the steps to offset the eating.
Lastly, Charleston was a a bit of a culture shock for us. With no masking, no distancing, and no vaccine requirements it was very different from where we live. If you’re fully vaxxed and boosted and can go with the flow (which is what we decided before going) there is plenty of fun to be had. However, if you require a different public safety approach to COVID-19 (like any at all) you may want to wait until it is played out because it’s like the pandemic doesn’t even exist there.
Great write up Nathan and thanks.
As for Covid protocol’s, welcome to the South !
just back from Savannah and Charleston, the former a waste of time. Love Charleston, second visit. Agree that Covid seems a non-issue, as I felt completely irresponsible in a couple places where we were packed in and without any safeguards. This includes FIG, good but not great this visit.
Circa 1886 rocked, atmosphere, service, food. Great concepts fusing Native American, African, European, and modern Charleston. Appropriate Covid precautions.
Zero George was super also. Prix fixe with minimal substitution if informed in advance but a beautiful setting, service, and we loved the food. Nice pricy wine list. Corkage allowed and I brought to all the restaurants. Appropriate Covid precautions.
Lewis for BBQ. Went twice. Would go again if I could. The fatty brisket is amazing.
FIG was solid but not real inventive. Last visit was better in 2017. Reservation system difficult. Real crowded. Real crowded.
Lewis
some Zero George dishes.
the menu
Well, I live in Chapel Hill-Durham so I’m technically in the south.