High Cotton Brunch: Charleston, NC.

 

Have you ever imagined a place, only to arrive and realise it’s nothing like you had expected?

This happened last weekend when NB and I went to Charleston, SC. The Charleston of my mind was a low populated town of plantations, massive colonial homesteads and not much else. So slap my cheeks and call me Charlie when we arrive in this quaint city of magnificent architecture and gastronomical treasures. The lack of three-tiered, verandah wrapped homesteads surrounded by acres of field has made me acknowledge that I must stop referencing the entire South solely from Gone With The Wind (until I travel to Georgia that is, and I’ll expect Rhett Butler to be every man on the street!).

 

 

Charleston is South Carolina’s oldest city and you can jump into a horse and buggy for an historic tour, or simply walk down the main street to the French Quarter to see the eclectic design of the homes that are a tribute to the past three centuries.

NB and I were in town for Sunday brunch, which is a magnificent occasion in this part of the world as most shops are closed and, after church, the day is to be spent eating and drinking with family and friends. I like that.

We had made our reservation at High Cotton a few days before and I’m glad that we had because all the tables in the big, sunny dining room had been filled and ‘walk-ins’ were seated in the darker bar area.

 

We started with mimosa’s while a table of elderly women next to us thirstily sipped Bloody Mary’s, Pimm’s Cups and Classic Bellini’s – brunch isn’t brunch around these parts without a juicy cocktail!

I spied that every table had a basket of cornbread on their tables and I was like an excited puppy when our waiter brought a serve for us. I had never tried cornbread before, and I think this recipe was the sweetened one because it tasted like cake, delicious, yellow, breakfast cake…drool.

 

 

When I had devoured the cornbread, and felt too sheepish to ask for more, we ordered our meals. It was a tough decision because the menu was divine, what would you choose between BBQ Duck Hash, Crab Cakes Benedict, Huevos Rancheros or the Farmer’s Market Omelette? I know! In the end I went the way of the egg and ordered a delicious vegetarian omelette with goats cheese and a side of home fries AND a side of grits! No holding back ladies! The eggs were a rich yellow and the goats cheese had gone gooey and mellow, similar to the way I am after watching The Notebook (my favourite movie of all time AND filmed in South Carolina).

 

 

 

NB went with Huevos Rancheros and it was very brave of him to steer away from Eggs Benedict, we fear he has an addiction. I stole some beans and salsa when he wasn’t looking and they were delicious. I’ve been addicted to beans since Bottega

 

We left just enough room in our belly’s to walk around the corner and devour a brownie sundae with three scoops of icecream at Kaminsky’s.

 

 

I think we might have just started a tradition!

 

Tell me Blushers, where is your favourite weekend away and do the breakfasts make you smile?

Blush. Eat. Sigh. Love.