Prior to last weekend I had only read and heard about Charleston. I had high expectations before I even arrived and I can honestly say the town met if not exceeded every single one. Before we even got downtown we stopped at Taco Boy for lunch. If you go, you have to eat outside. They have a huge (dog-friendly) patio and sitting out in the sun was perfect after being stuck in the car for almost two hours. We started with margaritas and a trio of salsa, guacamole and queso with chips. I’ve never tasted salsa and thought to myself “wow, that is really good salsa,” until I ate here. If the portion sizes had been bigger I would’ve immediately filled up on chips before we even got around to ordering tacos. I decided to try three different types to make the most of our visit and ultimately went with shrimp tempura, Al Pastor (pork), and kimchi beef. They were all incredible but the kimchi beef was probably my favorite; the flavors were so different from what you would usually get in a taco.
Full from lunch we drove down to King Street to walk it off. We parked towards the end of the shopping area so we could access stores, food, and the bay. We found ourselves at the waterfront which was absolutely beautiful. How cute is this pineapple shaped fountain we saw there??
We continued on through the downtown area and through the historic market. When we got there it was closing up for the day as we passed through so we didn’t get to see too much of what was being sold. From there we went back to King Street and I knew we had to stop at Jeni’s for ice cream. I had seen Julia Engel of Gal Meets Glam rave about it and when we got there the line out the door confirmed my theory that it was a must-have. I was overwhelmed by all the unique flavors.
For spring they were featuring Savannah Buttermint, made with peppermint with sea salt, butter, and white chocolate flecks, and Brambleberry Sorbet, made with sweet-tart purple berries and sugar syrup. I only had a taste of the Brambleberry but it was delicious – so light and smooth! I ended up getting the Savannah Buttermint and Milk Chocolate in a waffle cone – which they make fresh every day!! I had already wanted one but seeing a woman making them by hand pushed any doubts out of my mind. If you don’t want a full waffle cone, they also put a little piece of waffle in their cups and bowls. It was by far the best ice cream I’ve ever had. If you’re ever in Charleston it’s one-stop you can’t miss.
We had a late dinner at Hominy Grill and were able to get a table outside since they were close to closing. Hominy has a lot of classic southern staples on the menu like chicken and biscuits and shrimp and grits so it’s great if you’re looking for a good, Southern meal. I got the ribs which were a little heavy after such a long day but really tasty. The meat was tender and they weren’t drenched in sauce which was nice. The highlight of the meal though was the chocolate pudding for dessert. It was thick and the whipped cream was clearly handmade. Everything we ate during the day was so good – if you didn’t think Charleston was a food town, think again. Stay tuned for the post on day two of the trip coming soon – think more food and even more beautiful sights!
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