Road tripping through the carolinas

I don’t even know where to begin on all the good food I experienced while in North Carolina and South Carolina over the long weekend!  I’ve been eager to get home and share not only about the food but Gary at Sunrise Bistro in Mt. Pleasant.  I guess a good starting point would be the incredible snackle boxes my pretty lady put together.  We both have snackle boxes and while hers is the bigger one I have to say the dried mango and beef jerky in mine made for perfect snacking.  If you’re planning a road trip snackle boxes are the mess-free way to go. I was not surprised when two people stopped us outside a hotel to comment on our snackle boxes. They are certainly eye-catching and my pretty lady does a great job keeping them full with all our favorite snackles from Aldi. 

We stayed in one of my favorite cities, Asheville, on Thursday night.  I can’t remember how we came across the restaurant Curato, probably a combination of Yelp and IG.  We were quickly seated at the bar overlooking the kitchen which was popping with seven cooks.  Our server was excited to share with us his favorite dishes as well as the most popular ones.  He circled on our menu which I found to be very beneficial as we certainly needed more than 10 minutes to make our selections. We ordered the sautéed shrimp in an arbor chili sauce, mushrooms sautéed in a splash of sherry, seared scallops with confit potatoes, and sautéed seasonal greens with blueberries and candied pistachios.  For dessert, we ordered traditional basque-style cheesecake with pureed strawberries.  We loved the energetic vibe of other guests, servers, and cooks.  I was absolutely amazed by one cook preparing the suckling pig. 

While planning this trip we came across Bourbon n Bubbles on Instagram located in Charleston.  It was the only contender for our first meal in South Carolina.  With no reservations on Friday night, we decided to go at 4:00 PM to secure a table.  The decor with the laid-back trendy vibe, along with the hostess who was working hard, and techno music really made our night. We started with jumbo shrimp which my pretty declared was the best shrimp she had ever eaten.  It was pretty spectacular I must say. I ordered the red snapper with the skin on and she ordered the wagyu burger.  The red snapper was outstanding and my pretty lady made another declaration - it was in the top five burgers she had ever eaten.  We decided not to order dessert and catch a pedicab to see the sights and sounds of downtown Charlestown. With five minutes left in our ride an extreme thunderstorm started and we were drenched.  That certainly made for a great memory.  

Saturday morning we started at Vicious Biscuit but the line was out the door. My pretty lady quickly went to Google to find a different brunch place.  We landed at Sunrise Bistro about a mile from our hotel.  We were immediately greeted by Gary who seemed absolutely thrilled to see us and immediately made us feel welcomed while managing our expectations about ordering and their self-serve coffee bar. Despite being busy clearing and cleaning tables and seating hungry customers, he remained cheerful and attentive. We really enjoyed speaking with him and appreciated his warm, hardworking demeanor.  

My pretty lady ordered the smoked salmon eggs benedict and I ordered the shrimp and crab crepes.  Those crepes were so good we went back on Sunday morning!  Gary was once again excited to see us.  If you’re in the Mt. Pleasant area be sure and check out Sunrise Bistro for delicious food and real Southern hospitality. 

We headed back to Asheville on Sunday and decided we needed to try one of the Asian restaurants downtown.  We landed on Itto Ramen and Japanese Tapas.  Our expectations were high after waiting in the rain for 15 minutes to get a table.  The flavors were outstanding but the server was less than great.  My wine came out with the appetizer and the portions for the grilled shrimp appetizer and the tuna poke bowl were disappointing.  While my pretty lady enjoyed the appetizer it was simply not enough food for her.  I shared my seafood ramen to hold her over til we got more food.

We decided to check out The Exchange bar located in Restoration Hotel.  The decor is breathtaking with visual appeal at the highest level!  The noise level was a little loud for us and the people working lacked personality. Thank goodness the decor, drinks, and fries were exceptional.  If you’re in downtown Asheville, definitely check out Restoration to see the decor.  It’s breathtaking. 

Now you’re probably wondering why we hit the road to the Carolinas.  We attended a wedding on a plantation and it was stunning.  The trees and Spanish moss made for great photos.  The ambiance was great, the ceremony was beautiful and the reception was wild.  Unfortunately, a large tree fell and knocked a man over. He was out for a little bit, the ambulance arrived, and from what I hear he made it home to Kentucky and was grilling out yesterday.  I had the opportunity to chat with Edward Siler, a retired federal judge, who felt confident the gentleman was going to be just fine. The celebration continued and we had a great time. 

On Monday morning, there were not too many restaurants open due to the holiday.  We checked out Biscuit Head on IG and they posted they were open on Memorial Day. It was just a mile down the road and we headed that way. We were unsure about it as when we arrived the line was out the door. To our surprise, it was moving quickly.  We ordered our food at the counter and they seated us at a large table with other guests. We helped ourselves to the self-serve coffee and homemade jam bar.  I ordered a scrambled egg, potato, and bacon bowl, and my pretty lady ordered eggs with bacon. The biscuits were out of this world and I could tell the pimento cheese grits really made my pretty lady’s day.  We loved Biscuit Head and will definitely be back.  This was one of the most efficiently run restaurants I have ever experienced. 

My snackle box with beef jerky, mango, and nuts.

Love the kitchen view from the bar at Curate in Asheville.

This cheesecake dessert at Curate was soooo good.

Gary and the seafood crepes at Sunrise Bistro really made our trip.

My seafood Ramen at Itto.

Look at that Spanish Moss! Cotton Hall in Yasmassee was breathtaking.