Tasty Travels: Charleston

One of the many things that I've been doing lately (other than neglecting poor Cooking to Perfection) is traveling. I absolutely love to travel, especially to places that I've never been. Seeing new parts of the world, trying unique dishes, and learning about different cultures and regional customs are a few of the reasons that I travel at any chance I get. I lucked out recently because I was invited to participate in one of my best friend's beautiful wedding in Charleston, SC.

Rainbow Row

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Now if you've never been to Charleston, SC, book your ticket pronto. This beautiful city that is rich in culture has so many sites to see, shops and restaurants to explore, and history to learn. I could go on and on about Charleston, but I'll stick with talking about the food. And I promise to keep it short and to the point, because the dishes of Charleston have a way of making you want to ramble on for days about how stinkin' delicious they taste.

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When I first arrived, I hopped off the plane at LAX CHS (I couldn't help quoting Miley), into a taxi, and went straight to Charleston Crab House. There, all of the bridal party and out of town guests enjoyed platters upon platters of low country shrimp boil. For anyone who hasn't been fortunate enough to eat this classic southern dish, low country shrimp boil consists of steamed shrimp, corn on the cob, potatoes, and sausage all cooked together with a heavy dose of Old Bay Seasoning. This might sound rather simple to some of you, but the combination of fresh seafood that you have to peel yourself, paired with spicy sausage and a few hush puppies on the side is enough to make you see your grandmammy (southern saying y'all). It was the perfect way to begin my stay in Charleston.

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Throughout the weekend, I was mainly busy doing bridal party stuff and spending time with old friends and the beautiful bride, but we were able to do a smidgen of site-seeing and browsing Market Street. One sweet that Charleston is known for are pralines. Pralines are a rich, creamy confection that is similar to fudge in flavor and texture, but are flatter and have pecans mixed in. While I didn't purchase any (because I'm still desperately trying to stick to this clean eating fad), many of my friends did. It's practically a sin to go to Charleston and not try their pralines; so, make sure you visit Market Street to get a dose of sweetness on your next trip.

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On my last night in Charleston, a couple of friends and I went to this tapas restaurant called Barsa. I'm not typically a huge tapas fan because I don't like sharing my food. I know, how selfish of me. But at Barsa, we all decided that sharing is caring and we'd give it a go. I'm so happy that we did. Every single dish at Barsa that we tried (all seven of them) were out of this world delicious. My two favorites were the Dato con Serrano y Manchego, which are dates stuffed with cheese, wrapped in serrano ham and drizzled with a balsamic reduction, and Tortillas de Camarones, which are shrimp fritters with a batter so light, delicate, and slightly sweet (resembling funnel cake batter to some degree) that it melted in your mouth. While this is not traditional Charleston cuisine, I'm so happy that we stumbled upon this restaurant. I highly recommend visiting if you are looking for an affordable, delicious, unique restaurant to visit in Charleston.

While this wasn't my first time in this incredible city, I know it definitely won't be my last. Until we meet again Charleston!