An Oldie but Goodie!

Well everyone around Charleston knows about the the Charleston Crab House on the Wappoo River under the Wappoo Bridge, but I wonder if sometimes places like this are underestimated. We happened to go the other night with a friend cause I was craving seafood :) Anyway, we walked in and all of the signs were upside down, which was strange. We asked the host and he said that they had just undergone a makeover show which had to do with 'flipping', so they flipped all the signs in honor of that. I have to admit, from the last time I had gone, it definitely did look nice. Anyway, we asked for a table outside so we could watch the sunset, which is gorgeous there by the way, and he said that the bugs were really bad (go figure :)), but he could put us right by a huge window inside, which ended up being perfect.

As anyone who has been there knows, at this restaurant, they have the best hushpuppies ever. Not the oniony kind, which alot of people like, but I am not one of them :) We started off with the lowcountry sampler (calamari, mozzarella sticks and coconut shrimp), which was really good. I loved their calamari cause it wasn't greasy at all (and being Greek, I'm picky about that). The food came out pretty quickly. One of us got the hamburger, which he loved. I got my favorite thing, with was the friend shrimp platter, and the other ordered the Lowcountry Boil Platter. All of the food was really wonderful. None of the fried food was overfried, the steamed shrimp looked wonderful and smelled better, and the sausage was nice and mild.

I still have to say that watching the sunset and watching the boats was the best part of the night...in addition to the food.

And even better, we found out that they have a $5 corkage fee, so another great place to bring your own wine for dinner!

Enjoy your week and weekend!

Great Operetta and Musical Theatre at the College of Charleston

I personally know most of the people in this production, and am sure that it will be a great show! Will also have a cameo by Miss Kiri Taylor as Frederica in the 'A Little Night Music' scene to be featured. A wonderful treat!

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON OPERA TO EXPLORE ‘WHERE DO WE FIT IN?’
The College of Charleston Opera will present its final production of the 2008-09 season on April 24 and 25. The musical review entitled “Where Do We Fit In?” will include scenes from pieces that have been performed both on Broadway and in the opera house. The performance will include scenes from Frank Loesser’s Most Happy Fella and Kizmet, as well as Sigmund Romberg’s Student Prince. It will also feature large portions from Kurt Weill’s Street Scene and Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, with a conclusion of scenes from Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music.
This fast-paced production will promise great music performed by the voices of College of Charleston students. Regulars to the opera will recognize the talents of John White, Henriet Fourie, Valerie Osborn, Janelle Lentz, Ben Pulsipher and others who are fresh off the success of the production of Die Fledermaus. Additionally, this production will feature many of the College’s up and coming underclassmen.
The performances will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 in the Recital Hall of the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip St. Tickets will be sold at the door for $10 and $5 for College students and those 18 and under.
College of Charleston Opera is a program in the department of music at the College’s School of the Arts.

Great Event this Weekend!

Good morning all, just wanted to send off a great event for this weekend. Support local business and a great cause this saturday down at Freshfields. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is sponsoring an event in Kiawah with silent auction, wine tasting of 75+ wines, and live music. The event will also feature a silent auction with great items to bid on, including a trip for two to Sonoma and San Francisco. All of the proceeds will be used to grant wishes to Lowcountry children.
Go out and support this great event!

Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door.

More to come later tonight :)

Red Wine in the Summer?

So Summer is almost upon us, and with the weather starting to warm up, so many are starting to put their red wines into storage in order to partake of the summery, crisp, chilled white wines that seem to go along so well with the ocean breezes.

Well if you are anything like Baron and I, our red wines stay in circulation all year around. And if many of you don't know (and you can ask Joe at WineStyles), but there are some red wines which can be served very slightly chilled.

In this spirit, we thought that we would highlight for you our favorite red wines (all available at WineStyles)

Merlot

14 Hands ~ smooth and slightly sweet, but just earthy enough to have some soul

Pinot Noir

Stephen Vincent ~ the smoothest Pinot Noir we have ever tasted.

Salentein - sweeter and lighter, a true Pinot

Shiraz

Piping Shrike - very bold and earthy, a striking Shiraz with alot of kick!

Cypress Vineyards - strong, stout and rich flavor without any bitterness

Cabernet Sauvignon

Calistoga - a rich, bold Cab that goes well with any steak dinner!

Robertson Winery - smoky and bacony, yet smooth enough to even drink alone.

Malbec

Malma - a hearty spicy malbec Argentina would be proud of!

Montepulciano

Della Scala - a light sweet red for any occasion

Sangiovese

Il Bastardo - a perfect medium bodied wine with enough sweetness and spice!

Pinotage

Robertson Winery - perfect with cheese! Smoky and Bacony.

Red Blends

Foxy - the perfect wine to drink anytime. Slightly sweet and earthy.

Kaesler GSM - a robust spicy wine that is perfect with dinner!

Tormarescu - a very nice slightly sweet blend to go with anything.

So don't put your reds in the cellar just yet....enjoy them for your summer cookouts instead of beer and for dinners with those you love!

Please visit our home website, http://www.charlestonscstyle.com/

Eat at Great Restaurants in Charleston for Less!!!

Good morning all, I wanted to let you know about a great deal a friend told me about. If you go to www.couponmom.com and go to the restaurant coupons site, you can choose from fantastic restaurants in Charleston such as Robert's, Joe Pasta, CoCo's Cafe, Oak Steakhouse, Swamp Bar, and more. To make the deal better, you can use the code from couponmom.com of FEAST to get 70% OFF the gift certificates (average of 3.00 per certificate, which is a steal :) - restrictions do apply, so check your certificates), but this is a fantastic deal to try some new places and not burn your wallet!!! If you use the certificates somewhere, let us know at charlestonscstyle@gmail.com.

Also, please check out our site at http://www.charlestonscstyle.com

Have a great weekend and keep your cameras handy!

Fun Events for this weekend!...

Ready for another great weather weekend? Well there is so much to take advantage of, including taking a walk around town and discovering all the alleyways and streets that we neglect as we drive by.

To start with, at Boone Hall this weekend is the Lowcountry Strawberry Festival, where you yourseslf can go out into the strawberry field yourself and pick your own baskets of strawberries. How fun will that be! This occurs April 18th - 19th at Boone Hall Plantation
http://www.boonehallplantation.com/

Gene's Beerfest! - enjoy a sunday afternoon with one of the largest beer tasting in Charleston! Gene's Haufbrau will be hosting this event outside at noon for $5 admission
http://www.geneshaufbrau.com/

Movies at Marion Square is BACK!!!!
This is something that I look forward to in the early fall, and the city is giving us an early treat with 4 weeks of movies in Marion Square starting this week on April 17th. You can curl up on a blanket and enjoy the wonderful vendors that the city brings with food and drink (please don't bring your own). Pets are welcome. The movie starts at sundown, so get there early to get a good seat.
This week is TWILIGHT!!
The other dates are April 24th, May 8th and 15th

Also, there is a new restaurant on James Island that I'm dying to go to having seen the one in I'On - O'Brien's Pub. Now I am a sucker for a good Irish Pub, so this is a must try for me. If you have been to the new location in the Publix shopping center of Folly road, please let us know what your experience was like!

Enjoy your hometown and have a great weekend...Don't forget the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings!

Saturday Walks in Charleston

With the weather being as beautiful as it has been, it is almost impossible to stay inside. Lately, we have taken to walking downtown and discovering all the beautiful places that we don't get to see everyday, especially as someone who has lived in Charleston all her life! Well this saturday was exploring the beautiful houses and shops south of Market Street. Churches, Washington Park (which is just as beautiful today as it was when my mother used to play there), waterfront park, Catfish Row and the alleys between Church and Meeting Streets (which are more than you probably think). One of the things we stumbled on on vendue was the fact that Rooftop was open for brunch! Who would have thought? I only remember seeing lines of people at happy hour trying to get in the elevator. So we went, and let me say it was such a lovely time there...Coffee and Beer (yes I know, a strange combination), a fantastic spicy quesadilla, great atmostphere with a view of the water. The service was great and we thoroughly enjoyed it! Next time you are roaming downtown at 11am and don't know where to go, try it.

Thanks

The Farmer's Market is Back!

If you were in downtown charleston this weekend and wondered what was going on in Marion Square, it was the Farmer's Market in its opening weekend. Every saturday morning from 8am-2pm local vendors or all types set up their booths in marion square to show their wares to the public. There are restaurants that set up booths for breakfast and lunch, including my favorite booth of all, Charleston Crepe Company. There is shrimp and grits, crepes, fresh lemonade, peanuts, jams and jellies and much much more. There are beautiful arts and crafts, including Pompeii jewelry who creates beautiful designs from the iron gatework that is so unique in Charleston. And to beat it all, you can get fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables every week from local gardens and farms. You cant beat the farmers market on a saturday morning. Dogs are welcome! Come out enjoy Charleston in Spring and support your local businesses!

Thanks

Bring Your Favorite Wine to Some Great Restaurants in Charleston!!

Have you heard of the trends in other parts of the country where people can take a bottle of wine to a restaurant for free to minimal charge corkage? This is commonplace in California and many other big cities..

Guess what? Charleston is catching up to the times with this. There are several restaurants who will allow you to bring your own wine to enjoy with dinner for a fee. I wanted to highlight a few for you to take advantage of while you are out for a night on the town or a simple dinner with family and friends.

Free Corking Fee with a wine bought at WineStyles in Mount Pleasant ( the best place to get fantastic wine in Charleston):

Outback Steakhouse (Mt. Pleasant location)

- 715 Johnnie Dodds Blvd, Mt Pleasant, SC - (843) 849-9456

$5 to $15 Dollar Corking Fee

Fleet Landing http://www.fleetlanding.net/ (one of my favorite seafood restaurants with a great view)

- 186 Concord StCharleston, SC 29401(843) 722-8100

Sienna http://www.siennadining.com/

- 901 Island Park Drive Daniel Island, SC (843) 881-8820

Locklear's (Mount Pleasant Location) http://www.locklears.com/

- 320 W Coleman Blvd # QMt Pleasant, SC 29464(843) 884-3346

Mistral http://www.mistralcharleston.com/ (great live music and food! a definite must for downtown)

- 99 S Market St, Charleston, SC - (843) 722-5708

Blossom Cafe http://www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com/ (lovely, elegant food with a homemade feel)

- 171 E Bay StCharleston, SC 29401(843) 722-9200

$20 to $25 Corking Fee (these places also have great wine selections, so if you take a wine, make sure it is worth the fee)

Samos Taverna - great greek food like your yiayia would make!

- 819 Coleman Blvd.Mt Pleasant, SC 29464(843) 856-5055

http://www.charlestonmag.com/charleston_magazine/feature/samos_taverna

McCrady's http://www.mccradysrestaurant.com/ ( great place for fine dining with a great Sunday musical theatre dinner by Robbi Kenney and friends)

- 2 Unity Alley Charleston, SC 29401(843) 577-0025

High Cotton http://www.high-cotton.net/ (great happy hour)

- 199 E Bay StCharleston, SC 29401(843) 724-3815

If you know of any other places that allow BYOB, please email me at charlestonscstyle@gmail.com and we will be glad to post it on the blog.

Enjoy!

Please Support Local New Music with the New Music Collection Thursday April 9th

Hello everyone, music is such an inherent part of Charleston, and this group has been doing some great work to promote local musicians performing new music. They are great, and I hope that you can go and have a good time with them!

Here is the information about their latest fundraiser

NMC SPRING FUNDRAISERThursday, April 9, 20097-11pmMusic starting at 7:30! Eye Level Art Warehouse2143 Heriot St, Suite F$30, 2 for $50$100 VIP package which includes reserved seating at the event and a gift package with CD's, hand printed art, and more!Recession, Scheschmession! The NMC brings you culture for under $20,000 a year, Charleston. We are a small organization that devotes it's resources to bringing amazing cultural programming to our local community. For better or for worse, we operate with an all volunteer staff, and we pass these savings along to you!!! We don't ask much, but a tiny budget is a budget nonetheless, and as a 501(c)3 organization we have to depend on your generosity to keep us chugging along. Lucky for you, we try to make this process as fun as possible. We'll have live music from the Re-United Morimoto, Quentin Baxter, The Opposite of a Train, Slowrunner, The NMC Ensemble and more. We'll have complimentary food, beer, and wine generously donated by Ted's Butcherblock, Sermet's Corner, Normandy Farms, Maya Morrill, City Lights, The Recovery Room and more. We'll also have a silent auction of items donated to the cause by local and national artists and businesses. If you like music and want to support local culture there's nothing better you could do on this night than attend our event. Silent auction will include works by Nathan Durfee, Molly Hayes, Gayle Brooker, DALEK, personal chef services by Maya Morrill, sweets by Sugar Bakeshop, tickets to events by JAC, Spoleto USA, PURE Theatre, Private Serenades by Cary Ann Hearst, and much much more! Tickets are available at 52.5 Records, located at 561 King Street, ONLINE on our website, or by calling 917-690-2031.

Lowcountry Flower Town Festival 2009

Good afternoon all! On going to the Flowertown Festival on Saturday Morning, the weather could not have been better! All the vendors were out with their wares enjoying the crowd of excited people. There were all kinds of booths and things going on. The azaleas, dogwood and wisteria were in full bloom and gave a lovely atmosphere to Main St.

Here is a link to the pictures that were taken at the event: http://www.charlestonscstyle.com/flowertown2009.html

I hope that you enjoy :)

Wonderful Opera Concert Sunday afternoon! Barbara Kilduff with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra

This Sunday at 4pm at Holy Spirit Catholic Church on John's Island, Barbara Kilduff, coloratura soprano, will be performing opera arias with our wonderful Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Please come out and support the symphony in this concert as well as get to hear a Met Singer at her best!

From http://www.kiawahisland.org/ArtsCouncil/Default.aspx
Maestro David Stahl leads his orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic-the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and an opera orchestra in the Staatstheatre am Gaertnerplatz in Munich, Germany so he is a natural to present an operatic afternoon with the CSO and former MET performer coloratura soprano Barbara Kilduff singing favoite arias from Strauss, Mozart, Bizet, Lehar, and Delibes
From the Boston Globe about the performance of Mozart's" Die Zauberflote": "Barbara Kilduff fearlessly threw off the Queen of the Night's two punishing arias and she made a bold and vivacious impression." Barbara Kilduff was Adele in the 25th Anniversary Gala recording of "Die Fledermaus" with Julius Rudel conducting for the MET. "...Barbara Kilduff is the perfect Adele" from the Opera Magazine.

Cool events this weekend :)

Hello everyone, just wanted to make you aware of a couple events in town this weekend if you aren't running the Cooper River Bridge Run tomorrow morning!

All weekend - 37th Annual Summerville YMCA Flowertown Festival in Azalea Park
From their website : More than 200 artists and crafters from all over the country display their works for your appreciation and purchase. Each day during the 3-day event brings you live entertainment, a Children's Jubilee, and a tennis tournament to enjoy. Additionally, fabulous festival foods are preparedto tempt your taste buds and to give you a "taste" of Summerville and the Lowcountry area of South Carolina.
http://www.summervilleymca.org/flowertown/

This event is a favorite of many in Charleston, a definite must see and a great time :)

Sunday 12 till 6 - Lowcountry Cajun Festival at James Island County Park
From their website:Celebrate Louisiana living and Charleston charm during the Lowcountry Cajun Festival at James Island County Park. Enjoy a full-day of Zydeco music, Cajun and Creole foods, children’s activities and all around ragin’ Cajun entertainment!

Full-bellied fun is what this festival is all about as local and regional chefs cook up a variety of mouth-watering foods. Savor the tastes of the South with authentic Cajun and Creole faire. Non-stop music throughout the day will keep your hips swingin’ and toes tappin’. No outside food or beverages allowed. Pets are not permitted.
http://www.ccprc.com/index.aspx?nid=137

Great food, great music, great fun :)

Hope to see you there!