Charlie

Best Bites of Summer

This morning, we did a little math. First, we took every great eatery in Charleston. Then we tallied the menu items. Then, we calculated the number of times our astounding chefs invent new fare. Grand total: somewhere in the neighborhood of a kazillion jillion splendid dishes.

Which would take a looooong time to work through. (Trust us, we’re trying).

Then we remembered a forgotten part of the equation: Spoleto season. Restaurants stay open later. New menu items are introduced. Bars are more happening. Just ask any of the 98 people crammed into Fast & French last night pre The Ebony Hillbillies performance.

It’s the perfect time to sample your way through a big piece of our city’s pie. A pre-show cocktail here, an app there, a late-night dessert someplace else. The only thing better than hours of eating is, well, hours of eating in Charleston.

Here, we give you our top picks for a dining frenzy, plus suggestions from you, our brilliant readers:

Pre-Dinner Cocktails

CHARLIE’s pick:
O-Ku, where inventive mixology means refreshing creations like the Cucumber Cooler. Our fave: the Basil Gimlet ($9.50)

Readers picks:
Pimm’s Cup at McCrady’s ($8) and anything on Social’s happy hour menu (good-looking bartenders may have something to do with this) ($3)

Appetizers

CHARLIE’s pick:
Tristan, where unusual pairings of ingredients mean there’s no such thing as typical fare. Our top choice: the spicy Beef Tartare ($12).

Reader picks:
Suppli Al Telephono (fried risotto balls) at Wild Olive ($8), the Glass Onion’s Garden Salad ($5), the Beef Tartare at FIG ($11) and the fried chicken skins with honey and hot sauce at McCrady’s ($5)

Entrees

CHARLIE’s pick:
Such a toughie, but we’ll opt for a little classic, delicious romance. Chateaubriand for two served table-side at Cypress ($32 per person)

Reader picks:
MiBek Farms Patty Melt at Cypress ($8) and the Not Your Usual BLT sandwich at Mia Pomodori ($7)

Desserts

CHARLIE’s pick:
The home-made ice cream ($5) at Huck’s is worth the drive to Isle of Palms. Try the Chocolate Orange Blossom and pair it with a snifter of apricot-infused brandy ($13).

Reader picks:
The Chocolate Croissant at Macaroon Boutique ($2.50), homemade cakes at Grace Episcopal Tea Room ($4) and The Fusion from 3.14 Pies (available at Caviar & Bananas for $37 or by the slice at Ted’s Butcherblock for $5).

Of course, try all these and you’ll still have hundreds of great dishes left to try. As do we. So, readers, whad’ya say? What should we sample tomorrow night?

Story by: Heather Mueller and Caroline Nuttall. With help from Allison Skipper, Mackenzie Kay, Mandy Coleman, Rebecca Blackman, Anne Polito, Rachel Sneed, @bbeachbb, @Butcherblock, @SeanHughes, @torifly, @juliedom and @MaggieHackett