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Charleston's Unexpected Dining Diversity

By: Staff Writer, PremiereCharleston.com

13-Apr-09

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Judging by Charleston's waterfront real estate and Southern locale, the uninitiated may assume that their Low Country dining choices might be limited to A) shrimp and B) grits. Well, Charleston takes it to the extreme by combining those two ingredients into a longtime local favorite! More about that later. No matter what their taste, culinary surprises await the Charleston diner, as well as old favorites prepared in both classic and novel ways.

Charleston's Rich Cultural History
Charleston has been a cultural doorway to the world since her founding in the 17th century. The shipping and fishing industries brought people from around the world to the Holy City, and the dining establishments represented this cultural infusion.

Charleston's Wealth of Restaurant Talent
More recently, Charleston's culinary success also stems from the longtime presence of highly regarded culinary schools. As students, young chefs fan out all across Charleston to fill restaurant positions. After graduation, many of them stick around! This way, Charleston enjoys a constant infusion of fresh talent concocting new dishes, or breathing fresh inspiration into old favorites.

Downtown Charleston/Historic Market Street Area
Of course, there are great restaurants and memorable dining experiences to be had all over the Low Country. For now, let's focus on the historic downtown Charleston area. Here, along King Street, East Bay, Meeting Street and the Historic Market Street area, you will find a practically endless selection of restaurants serving Low Country favorites, seafood, French, Soul Food, Thai, Indian, Greek, Italian (and not just pizza!), barbecue, Fusion/Eclectic, Southwest...well, you get the idea.

Seafood

Charleston has enough seafood choices to make a convert out of the most hardcore red meat-lover! From the fanciest fine dining in the Historic Market district, to the most modest waterfront grille, it's difficult to find a bad seafood dish in the Low Country. Some local seafood restaurants of note: Hank's ($24 average,) Fish ($20 avg,) Hyman's ($20 avg,) AW Shuck's ($17 avg,) Fleet Landing ($17 avg.)

Low Country Favorites
No, we weren't kidding about the shrimp and grits. Aside from that favored local curiosity, you will find other classic Low Country dishes like Frogmore stew, she-crab soup, hoppin' john and, for dessert, how about a piece of Huguenot torte? Have we piqued your curiosity yet? Then pull up a chair! Some popular spots for Low Country food are: 82 Queen ($30 and under,) Poogan's Porch ($30 and under.)

Soul Food/Creole/Gullah Restaurants
Not to be ignored is the contribution of the former African slaves, who brought with them foods that today's southerner could hardly live without, like sweet potatoes, okra, black-eyed peas, and on and on. If you have ever had the urge to try down-home African American soul food, Charleston is the place to do it!  A couple of local favorites include Jestine's Kitchen ($20 and under,) and Hominy Grill ($30 and under.)

Begin Your Charleston Dining Adventure!
This is by no means a complete list. These are just a few ideas to get your Charleston dining adventure underway! One thing is certain...wherever you happen to be standing in Charleston you are only steps away from a memorable dining experience! For more information, visit the Charleston Convention and Visitor's bureau at http://www.charlestoncvb.com/visitors/index.html

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