Southern Holiday Part 4: Charleston

Ahhh, Charleston, now that's more like it. We did a quick trip over to this magnificent port city. Beautiful Georgian architecture everywhere.

We stayed at the lovely Governor's House Inn.

 

We stayed in the Middleton Suite, which was utterly magnificent.

The beautiful home of Edward Rutledge--one of South Carolina's representative to the First Continental Congress, and the youngest sign and ratify the Declaration of Independence--was built in 1760.

 The staff was very nice and hospitable; there was afternoon tea, delicious breakfast of "Southwestern" casserole with fruit; and the friendly cat (Mr. Bigglesworth or something like that).

We had dinner at that FANTASTIC Fig (Food Is Good) restaurant downtown. Seriously, this represents the best of serious food in a casual, unpretentious, yet stylish atmosphere. Their specialty is pork. And I don't say this lightly: THEY SERVED THE BEST PORK I'VE EVER HAD IN.MY.LIFE.

 

Pork trotters (aka pig feet, slowly braised, chopped, and delicious with a bit of poached egg)

 

OH MY GAWD, this loin chop was INCREDIBLE. It's Heritage pig, a lean and absolutely delicious heirloom variety raised by a small farm in Alabama, called Fudge Farms. It was so, so, so FANTASTIC in an umami-rich brothy sauce topped with a bright and fresh flat leaf parsely salad. Beautifully simple and smartly composed combination.

 

The local Caper's Island oysters (you have to have the local oysters--there's a whole culture around it) and G had the Wagyu beef bistro steak with a bit of hen-of-the-woods mushrooms. Nice.

 

Sticky sorgum pudding, a southern and modern twist on the English sticky toffee pudding. Delicious. We brought our own bottle of 1999 Profile.

 

Romantic Charleston night scenes along our walk back to the inn.

I COULD LIVE HERE.