It struck as as the kind of place that wouldnt lose as much luster with a casual lunch...no? We figured we'd go just for the experience of it....and to try some of the signature small eats like the pig ear lettuce wraps and fried chicken skins.

So next question--if you're all saying a dessert nightcap at Peninsula Grill is a way to go, which desserts are worth skipping out of McCrady's, FIG and the Ordinary? I'm imagining the Ordinary?

Thanks to all for the advice.

We settled on dinner reservations for FIG and McCrady's and then talked ourselves into reservations for a third night at The Ordinary. The fourth night we'll use to check out Bowens Island.

We also decided we didnt want to miss out on trying Husk, so we made a lunch reservation. We'll make sure to hit Hominy for a breakfast/lunch and Martha Lou's for another lunch. Then try to sneak in a piece of coconut cake to go from Peninsula somewhere along the line.

With 4 days and nights, that's a pretty packed food schedule. 3 reservations and a must hit non reservation in 4 nights is a little less flexibility than we'd like...especially with a lunch reservation and 2 more must hit non breakfast/lunch placees...but I think committing to the Ordinary and Husk sounded worth it.

Will definitely report back so others can benefit from the forum the way I did (or hope to).

so i probably shouldnt expect bowens island to have oysters on may 1?

Bob's my uncle?

Headed down there May 1 and hoping to still get some oysters at Bowens, but worried the season is already (or will be by then) over.

Any insight?

is the farmers market there every day?

Any must hits in the market? Or is it a tourist trap that should be appreciated historically and architecturally, but not culinarily?

Thanks in advance!

I'm assuming 30 days

Unfortunately, doing this drive on a Sunday...

any particular story behind why they're abandoned and collpasing? or is it just flight out of town?

Reading good things about Carolina Bar-B-Que in New Ellenton, but most of what I'm finding is a few years old. Still worthwhile?

This says May 15...so I figured I'd be cutting it awfully close.
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/shellfis...

Going to be doing a 1-way drive from Charleston to Atlanta. Won't have a ton of time for a major detour, but wondering if anyone can recommend anyplace worthwhile to stop along the way?

Thanks in advance.

Bumping this to see if anything might have changed in the last 5 years. Doing the reverse trip though...charleston to Atlanta.

Very late in closing the loop...but Frodnesor is right. Its just a selection from the menu. But a very good deal.

any idea when the season ends? headed down there may 1 and hoping we aren't too late.

any idea when they stop serving the oysters at bowens? will may 1 be too late?

reminder is set...you're all very convincing. thanks!

Had it there solely for the she-crab soup.

Where would Martha Lou's rank in that list?

Think we're sold on McCrady's over Husk for dinner. And if we can get into FIG, we'll do that. And probably try to do Bowen's for a third dinner like everyone suggested.

Thinking, from what I'm reading, that Husk might not be a bad lunch stop. Can you walk in on a Thursday or Friday afternoon or do you need reservations for that? How would you rank Husk, Hominy Grill and 82 Queen, in terms of lunch experiences?

Don't think a meal at Peninsula Grill is going to make our Charleston itinerary, but we're still curious about the coconut cake. Do they sell it by the slice to go by any chance? Is it really worth it?

Thanks in advance.

So husk for lunch maybe?

Thanks for the advice. The McCrady's over Husk opinion seems pretty unanimous around these boards, which I never would have expected once I started digging.

I'm also sold on FIG...but will hold the SNOB reservation just in case. If for some reason FIG doesn't happen, is there a better backup than SNOB?

This is our first trip to the area. We're going to have at least 3, maybe 4 nights...just wanted to keep some flexibility and only book 2 nights in advance. The problem is, we're going in early May...and I'd expect any oysters to be flown in from up north at that season. Is Bowens a reservation expected kind of place?

Think the more I read the more convinced I am about FIG...assuming I can get a reservation. But why McCrady's over Husk?

30-something New Yorker couple headed to Charleston for a long weekend (3 or 4 nights) and after reading a bunch of board posts, trying to make some tough choices...with an emphasis on unique, Lowcountry-type experiences. Won't put too much more exposition into this....

Have a Friday night reservation at Husk lined up. But read suprisingly mied public reaction, so willing to entertain the idea that we're better off at McCrady's instead. Anyone want to make that argument?

Also grabbed a Saturday reservation at SNOB, but only because FIG isn't accepting reservations yet for our dates. Seems like we won't go wrong with either, but wondering if there's a consensus among the two?

Haven't dug too deep into other places...more concerned with getting down Friday and Saturday night reservations. But more than welcoming of other general feedback or advice. From what little we've read, maybe 82 Queen for she-crab soup, Hominy Grill or High Cotton for shrimp and grits, Peninsula Grill for coconut cake, and Glazed Donuts because the wife loves donuts.

Any thoughts?

just bumping this...to see if there are any other opinions?

would there be an appetite for something like this if it was available for a dollar or two in an app store?

Or I'm guessing to plot all the addreses based on current GPS location on a map...

Yeah...Google Maps does a lot of this well. I'll use it when I'm going somewhere on vacation. I could see it being great when I need to find something nearby in a pinch. But as you mentioned, it's not very good for searching....as in, find me all the Italian restaurants in Lower East Side. If Google would just allow you to add tags to places, maps would work great...especially with the link to Zagat/Google Places for reviews, hours and menus.

If you're someone posting on Chow, though, you're probably the kind of person who's always being asked to recommend a "good restaurant in a certain neighborhood at a certain price point with a certain kind of cuisine" by everyone...and I can't imagine jotted down notes are easy to comb through.