Manners Beget Manners, Friendliness Begets Friendliness - Charleston Part II

The people of Charleston are ever the polite, genteel and friendly folk.  In Charleston, people look you in the eye, smile and say hello.  Men hold doors open.  Strangers strike up conversations.  But I also noticed that even those who were in Charleston for a visit seemed to have picked up on all the good habits of its citizenry.  People from Florida, California, New York, New England.  We were all in a collective good and friendly mood just feeling like we were a part of the Charleston magic.

We had pre-dinner drinks Saturday evening at this little wine bar down the street.

Have you ever seen such a gorgeous antique bar?  It reminds me of the bed I slept in as a child.

The ladies in their dueling Terry Ross rings.

Me at the bar in my new booties, Chanel bag and pin, Milly jacket, Joie lace top

After drinks we made our way to FIG one of Charleston's most popular restaurants.  We've always got all of our meals planned way in advance and had booked reservations at FIG a month or so ago, but certainly before the most recent Bon Appetit article on Charleston.

I'll say this about FIG (which stands for Food Is Good), we had one of the best meals I've ever had.  The service was friendly but professional and our server's knowledge and enthusiasm about the food was infectious.  And the food, oh the food.  There was not a sub par bite or morsel to be found.  Everything we tried was local, fresh and tasted superb.

Chicken liver pate

Tomato tarte tatin and fromage blanc

Arugula, radish, heirloom tomato and ricotta salata

Corn flour dusted triggerfish, Carolina gold rice and field peas, Valencia tomato puree

Suckling pig confit, roasted beets

Bistro steak, potato puree, hen of the wood mushrooms

Swordfish, eggplant caponata, chanterelles

And let me say this, my main course was the triggerfish which is local to South Carolina and kind of like a snapper.  This corn flour dusted version submerged in valencia tomato emulsion was so good that I literally dreamed about it and woke up thinking that I would go back again that very night and order the exact same thing.  Now that's saying something.  But alas, FIG is not open Sundays so my dream of the FIG triggerfish double down was foiled.