Charleston Day 2

AG was happy to go to a jazz brunch with me and A, so on Sunday morning we got up and headed to High Cotton (199 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401). The band actually plays in the bar area, so we abandoned our restaurant reservation and sat at a bar table in order to see the action up close. Thankfully they serve the same menu in the bar, so we didn't have to sacrifice any food options. I went for crabcakes benedict, while A chose chicken and waffles (but this was done fancy-restaurant style, with a chicken breast rolled around sausage, sliced and then fried in discs). Everyone was happy, and the jazz was good, but like the last post, you'll have to wait a bit to see the chicken and waffles of our dreams.

After a tour of Charleston, we did some more strolling about in the historic district, and a bit of lazing around in a waterfront park. But of course, before long, it was time for cocktails.

After some silly attempts to sit at rooftop bars (it was way too windy) we ended up at Husk (76 Queen Street, Charleston, SC 29401), which is a very good thing as it was my favorite cocktail bar of the entire trip. We drank our way through what seemed like most of the cocktail list (especially since V had his flight cancelled and came back to join us), with my favorites being No Whey, Jose? (Si Senor, whey, Chocolat Royal, jalapeno muddled tequila, mole bitters), Edmund's Sherpa (Sage gin, mole bitters, lemongrass and white pepper simple syrup, pickled elderberries, lemon juice, Himalayan sea salt) and Lee's Nest (Vodka, cardamon bitters, strawberry black pepper jam, whey, confederate jasmine bitters). A loved the the barrel-aged Manhattan as well, but my aversion to bourbon and rye whiskey makes me too biased to judge. We also made our way through some bar bites, including BBQ pork neck, and a burger where bacon was ground into the beef patty. All of it was excellent, this would be the first place I would head if I found myself back in Charleston.

Next stop was Charleston Beer Works (468 King St, Charleston, SC 29403), which was described as a bar with a huge selection of beers. I would describe it more as a sports bar with pitchers and wings, and a few interesting beers (their list was long, but a lot were unavailable, which seems a little bit deceptive...) It being Sunday, wings were 25% off, and pitchers of Bud were only $8, so that's what we went with. Those who know me know my buffalo wing cravings are frequent and usually denied, so I was delighted to fulfill them here, and they were meaty, spicy and crispy - everything one wants in a buffalo wing.

But as I was with three men, wings were not going to be enough for dinner, so we walked a few doors down to Closed for Business (453 King St, Charleston, SC 29403). This is a proper craft beer bar. Even if AG hated his beer (tasted too much like bacon, he says).

And they have ridiculously artery-clogging items on the menu. To wit: CFB Fries (fries with gravy, cheddar cheese curds & minced red onion), Crispy Green Beans (individually battered and fried green beans), the Pork Slap (fried pork cutlet, house-smoked ham, swiss cheese, green tomato chutney & house sauce served on a challah bread bun), and the Spicy Chicken Sandwich (fried chicken, spicy red cabbage slaw, pepperjack and cheddar cheese, hot pepper mayo, served on a soft baguette). The fries were really oversalted, so we left quite a bit behind, but the rest was great, although we were all a little disgusted with ourselves after dinner.

To drown our self-disgust in booze, we ended at the cocktail bar upstairs from The Macintosh (479 King St, Charleston, SC 29403) where I had a virgin cocktail (designated driver, fun!) and the boys all had Bulleit rye whiskey (and A had a snooze). Getting back to the hotel for some sleep was the only logical conclusion to this day.