Lost in the Garden of Eden

On a whim, I went back down to Charleston on Friday to see my friend Jennifer and her son Eden. He is 7 months old and pretty much a butter ball with a smile that will melt the coldest of hearts. Anyway, it was great. I met Jen at Fast and French, on Broad Street between King and Meeting streets. Jen worked there many years ago when she lived in Charleston and she is still very close with the owners. We enjoyed a garden salad and the cheese and pate plate. Tout a fait parfait (insert accents where appropriate).

Then we strolled over to the battery, relaxed in the mid afternoon sun and giggled at the baby.

After that it seemed appropriate to go back to Fast and French for a coffee and some chocolate mousse cake. Jen's friend Melanie came to meet us too. Melanie's husband, Chris Crowley is the owner/operator of Coastal Expeditions, a sea kayaking outfit focused on preservation and environmental education. Going out on the water with them is a truely fantastic experience. Jen and Jason just moved down from NYC to take over one of Chris' other endeavors, Carolina Heritage, a canoeing on the Edisto River and they also have treehouses that you can sleep in. I'll be down there next weekend so I'll add some pictures.

Once we finished our coffee and dessert, we headed over to the City Gallery at Waterfront Park to the opening of "The Changing face of Charleston" Exhibition. The owners of Fast and French, Gwylene and Jean-Marie, had a couple of pieces in the show. Jen and Melanie saw many familiar faces and there were even a few people that I knew as well. It was a great exhibit and I was reminded why openings are so great, free appetizers, free wine and some interesting art and people. I'll be sure find good gallerys in Beijing.

The next morning was spent relaxing over coffee:

I stopped at Traci's house for lunch on my way back out of town. Pictures of the Magnus clan will soon be put in the mix.

Weekend in Charleston

Here is the first installment in a series of final family visits before I take off. This past weekend my Dad, stepmom, and I went to Charleston, SC. We ate fabulous food, drank spectacular wine and enjoyed beautiful scenery.


Our first night in town we ate at Fish, on King Street. They specialize in local, seasonal seafood with fresh herbs. Here are a few things we had:

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES - spicy red sesame aioli

SHRIMP TEMPURA - veggies, sweet and sour blood orange

GROUPER - stewed okra, plantation rice, black eyed pea relish

But the absolute best part of the meal and one of the best wines I've ever had was the Tempranillo, Multus "Crianza" - Rioja 2001. It was great. Light with a full flavor, went down smooth. Seek it out.

On Saturday night, we went to Coast on John Street, another fabulous meal! By the way, Tonisha gets mad props for these restaurant recommendations.

This is the Lobster tail poached in butter with a balsamic hollandaise sauce (we ordered two!) I talked my dad into trying the ALBARINO, VIONTA, RIAS BAIXAS, '04. I love an albarino, it's a spicy white wine. Yum!