It seems that I have spent the last seven days eating my way through the Lowcountry.  Starting with last Sunday at the Lowcountry Local First Potluck Dinner and ending today with brunch at the re-opened Granville's downtown.  The Potluck Dinner was a fabulous way to kick off my gastro-journey, with small plates from a variety of local restaurants. With beautiful weather and Middleton Place as the setting, my husband Drew and I visited the tables of Halls Chophouse (delicious shortribs), Raul's Seafood (heavenly softshell crab), Cru Cafe (tasty BBQ), Duvall Catering (Seafood Stew - yum)!  We took our plates outside to the picnic tables where enjoyed music from Elsie Testone and feasted on local ingredients prepared by some of the best Chef's in the Lowcountry.  We topped off our delicious "entrees" with a piece of Glass Onion's famous poundcake and several pieces of handmade chocolate (with bacon, among other unique flavors) from Sweet Teeth Confections.  After all of the wonderful food and great company, Drew and I got lost in the gardens of Middleton Place, where we imagined what it would be like to own such a plantation back in the days of Scarlett and Rhett.  Best of all, the evening was a crazy bargain at $40 per person (member price) - thanks Lowcountry Local First!

When my former Mother In Law (don't ask), came into town to hang with me while Drew was gone for the week becoming a genius Building Analyst, I knew there would be no cooking needed during her visit.  She couldn't wait to try as many restaurants as possible in three days.  We went straight from picking her up from the airport to Buccaneers, Charleston's only Green Certified restaurant.  I had been dying to try it and it did not disappoint.  The atmosphere was ideal for me, Mary and my three daughters, ages 4, 10 & 13.  The food was inexpensive and very tasty, the apps were especially good, we enjoyed the sweet potato chips, crab dip and particularly the homemade pickles.  When I saw the cucmber infused lemonade with sweet tea vodka, I had to try it and I begged Ada, the Assistant Manager to make me a quart or two of the lemonade to take home! You better believe I will have that drink at one of our Green Fair events!  All in all a delicious bargain and green to boot!

Our next stop on Tuesday was one of my favorite restaurants, The Glass Onion in West Ashley.  Mary could not stop talking about how fresh and delicious the food was.  We ordered the smoked softshell crabs (me), and the oysters with brie (Mary); and of course I couldn't let her leave Charleston without trying GO's famous bread pudding (the best dessert in the Lowcountry).  Sarah brought us over some of the delicious deviled eggs and when dessert came she threw in a piece of pound cake on top of the bread pudding.  I have to say the softshell crab was the most unusual and fabulous crab I have ever had!  As always, the bread pudding delivered and Mary talked about it the rest of her visit.  Wednesday was a full day of dining, starting at Three Little Birds behind Earthfare in West Ashley.  This little restaurant really brings it when it comes to fresh local food!  We stuck with the breakfast items and the black bean cake eggs benedict - healthy and delicious, salmon and cream cheese omlet and best of all the french toast stuffed with strawberries and goat cheese.  The fresh squeezed juices and smoothies (any variety or combo you like) were a real treat!  From there we moved on to lunch at Monza, downtown; and some of the best Italian pizza around.  Again the fresh local ingredients were key to a simple but amazing meal.  Adding a local farm egg, sunny side up to the top was the crowning touch and a yummy surprise.  Mary and my daughters were skeptics, but they are doubters no more, it made the pizza! The only gloomy spot in an otherwise delightful culinary week was our most expensive venture at Peninsula Grill.  One of Charleston's famous fine dining hot spots, we took the girls for a high end topper to "Gramma's" visit.  Unfortunately, this swanky place could not hold a candle to our more modest previous endeavors.  Waiting over an hour for our food (not fun with a four year old) and having it lukewarm upon arrival did not bode well.  While the food was fairly good (my scallops were terribly salty), the deplorable service (our waiter barely appeared in the two hours we were there and did not apologize for the slow service) made the experience not remotely worth the $200 price tag.  The bright spot was the coconut and chocolate cakes we took home and ate in bed - that coconut cake is really beyond compare!  I recommend dessert and after dinner drinks at the bar for Peninsula Grill. 

I finished off my week of non-cooking today on Mother's Day at Granville's, on Rutledge.  Now Drew and I used to eat regularly at Granville's, we loved their $5 tapas and well priced wine selection.  The food was always great in a nice atmosphere.  We were really bummed when they shut down.  At first they re-opened for Sunday brunch and last week they opened for Tuesday-Friday dinners.  We had a fun and satisfying brunch with really great service (they made our daughters chocolate milk by melting shaved chocolate), and delicious food.  Best of all, all of Granville's brunch selections are $10 and the mimosas and bloody marys are $3.  It made it especially easy to have three mimosas - Happy Mother's Day to me!  There is no doubt that the best thing about living in Charleston is the amazing selection of fabulous, affordable local food!  I cannot wait to showcase it at the Green Fair in September - stay tuned!!