Charleston Day 2

On our second day in Charleston, we went downtown to hit some of the more touristy spots...and of course do some good eatin'! 

We started our day with breakfast at Toast..along the way we picked up a paper at the newsstand featuring the concert we went to the night before.  I'm not a huge breakfast lover, so my meal consisted of this lovely creme brûlée latte and some hasbrowns  

 while my husband went all out with the "Lowcountry Eye Opener"

 Shrimp Etouffee, Carolina Stone Ground Grits and Fried Green Tomatoes with a side of homemade biscuits.  Oh Mike was in heaven.  FO SHO.

 After breakfast we took a Gullah Tour around the city with a most entertaining guide.  Then we walked around the market and shops downtown until we worked up an appetite for lunch :)  This time we stopped at a local brewery--Mike loves to try local beers wherever we are at and we love the atmosphere at these places. 

 After the large breakfast, we just had some yummy appetizer--crab dip and Caribbean shrimp. 

We spent the rest of the day walking around exploring.  The weather was perfectly sunny and not hot at all.  Here we are at Waterfront Park.  

 We skipped the Battery/Rainbow Row this trip.  There was a lot of construction going on there and it was honestly just a mess.  So instead we decided to drive out of the city and visit Sullivans Island and see the lighthouse.  We both really loved the island and would love to make it back to vacation there sometime.  It was so quiet and cute.  A perfect family vacay spot for sure. 

 Cooper River Bridge--Mike wants to do this run sometime, we may try to make it back next spring so he can do it...

 and what we were waiting all day for...

dinner at Hominy Grill.  I did extensive research on where to eat in Charleston.  We only had 1 night to eat in the city and there were so many options.  We settled on Hominy Grill, as recommended by every show on the Food Network.  We also liked it's casual atmosphere and that it was a little out of the the touristy areas. 

 The meal was seriously amazing.  It was a beautiful night and we were lucky to score a seat on the porch.   We had a pretty late dinner reservation and because of that a few things had been sold out, so my first choice wasn't available.  Even still... i had the best steak, with fried mac n cheese and cucumber salad. 

 and Mike had what they are famous for...Shrimp and Grits.  He said they were the best he'd ever eaten.  I don't love grits, but i tasted them and they were pretty good. 

apparently this place is most famous for it's chocolate pudding, but of course it was all gone.  I can't imagine what makes chocolate pudding so special but it was featured on Food Networks' The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  So obviously, that's just a reason to go back again :)