Posted by ayersian
, February 18, 2010 23:46
With some areas recording up to five inches of snow, Charleston looked like it had just rained by 10 a.m.: the sun was bright, the temperature rising, and the snow melting. By the afternoon, there was snow only in shady spots and a lone snowman here and there in front yards. Nancypalooza and Julie rode with us to Charleston’s Café on Johnnie Dobbs Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. We chose the Southern Benedict with fried green tomatoes and chippers (housemade potato chips), but a daily special also caught our eyes: deep-fried peanut butter & jelly sandwich! Lunch followed at Gullah Cuisine, also on Johnnie Dobbs, with she-crab soup, fried catfish, shrimp, and two trips to their hot buffet: fried chicken, pork BBQ, succotash, red rice, collards, mac & cheese, okra gumbo, stewed cabbage, and candied yams. Amy wanted to see the Angel Oak on Johns Island, so we drove across the Ashley River and over washboard roads to marvel at the massive, Tolkien-esque tree with its tentacle-like branches.
After snagging a rockstar parking spot, exploring Upper King Street was a cinch. The Southeastern Wildlife Expo was in town, and Cupcake on King Street was preternaturally packed with camo-clad cakehounds. We shared Pumpkin, Almond, and the curious Black Bottom (chocolate cake with a cheesecake center) cupcakes before a final, pre-dinner stop at Hannibal’s Kitchen on Blake Street. One glorious, $2 fried bologna sandwich and a Cheerwine later, we were heading toward Folly Beach and Bowen’s Island for dinner. Armed with oyster knives and rags, we pried open trays of roasted oysters and slurped them down alongside fried shrimp, fish, Frogmore stew, and deliriously good hushpuppies. Local patrons didn’t bat an eye at our Hawaiian garb, and we had a dining room to ourselves as we exchanged Roadfood gifts from around the country with each other. We said our goodbyes to a few Roadfooders and planned to meet with the remaining group for Sunday brunch.
