Charleston! (day 1)

Back in November, November 15th, to be exact, Scott Babe and I attended a charity dinner at Culin Ariane in Montclair. Do you remember Ariane from Top Chef, Season 5?! Anyway, her restaurant hosted this dinner along with Chefs Amanda Freitag and Carla Hall to raise money for Louieskids.org -- a charity dedicated to fighting childhood obesity. Along with money from the dinner, items were up for auction. The biggest being a Package for 2 in Charleston, South Carolina:

Two nights at Charleston Place Hotel
Lunch for 2 at HUSK restaurant (Named 2011 Best Restaurant by Esquire Magazine)
Dinner for 2 at FIG restaurant
Harbor Tour for 2 + carriage ride
Round-trip Airfare for 2 with Southwest Airlines

WE WON THIS. I was SO HAPPY.

Please enjoy the next few postings on our romantic getaway in one of the most charming cities in the States.

Checking-in at Newark airport

 

 I'm a nervous wreck when it comes to flying. 

Scrabble on our iPhones made it a bit more tolerable.

Charleston Place Hotel around 4 pm:

 

After we settled in, we checked out Meeting Street, which was lined with adorable cafes and shops. On Church Street we found an Irish pub. We were ready for a pint of Guinness after the long travel time to get here.

St. Philip's Episcopal Church in the background.

A Pint of Guinness is listed on Snacks!!! hehe

 Walking to dinner

McCrady's

We had a warm welcome from host & hostess. When I made the reservation on OpenTable.com, there was a field for notes. I thought, it can't hurt to tell them that we are celebrating our 1st anniversary! The two staffers congratulated us and when we were seated, our waitress, Jodie, gave us sweet wishes as well! 

 

 Strube Ranch Wagyu Beef Tartare - Egg Yolk, Ramps and Mizuna

My appetizer: South Carolina Peaches: Burden Creek Goat's Cheese, Pistachio and Nasturtium

 Grilled Rudderfish for Scott with Heirloom Tomato, Corn Kimchee and Chrysanthemum

Grouper Crusted with Herb and Vegetable Seeds:

 Lettuce Cream, Smoked Goat Cheese, Courgettes and Lemon Thyme

Duck Aged and Roasted on the Bone: Allium, Sumac and African Blue Basil

Mine: Strube Ranch Wagyu Flatiron: English Peas, Yeast, Wild Flowers and Onion

♥

Bonus!

We then checked out the night life along East Bay Street:

Our friend Jeff had recommended Magnolia's to us. 

We will have to plan another trip down!

 

Pavilion Bar at Market Pavilion Hotel

The view!

 Confederate Museum

 Scott Babe being adorable!

Back to our hotel.