It’s become a tradition to travel and explore other food scenes during the long Thanksgiving weekend. I’ve enjoyed Thanksgiving dinners in Bangkok and Tokyo, and now it was time for a Southern meal in Charleston. I started Thanksgiving Day with lunch at Magnolias. The refined restaurant remains a forerunner in upscale Southern cuisine.
The place was bustling and I took a seat at the bar. I ordered the Dear Rosemary made with Searsucker gin, grapefruit juice, rosemary simple syrup, and a splash of soda.
Since I had a a dinner reservation later, I skipped the Thanksgiving specials and tried a few appetizers instead. I started with the Housemade Pimento Cheese with Charleston flatbread and the yummy Fried Green Tomatoes over white cheddar grits with country ham, caramelized onion chutney, and tomato butter.
Okay, so I had to try one more app – the Pan Seared Sea Scallops with brandy bacon cream and crispy Brussels sprouts over sweet potato hoe cakes were wonderful.
My Thanksgiving was off to a delicious start. After lunch, I walked around and stopped by the historic Charleston City Market to browse various vendors and Charleston’s Candy Kitchen for praline samples.
Eventually it was time for my Thanksgiving dinner reservation at High Cotton. The fine dining restaurant serves Lowcountry fare using local ingredients.
I was greeted with all smiles and the nice hostess showed me to my table in the lovely dining room with dark pine floors and brick walls. I was actually seated at the same table featured in a scene in The Notebook.
My meal started off with a glass of red wine and some bread and butter.
I ordered half a dozen Oysters on the Half Shell served with cocktail sauce, mignonette, lemon, and Saltines. They were very fresh, local, and really good. I also had the delicious Charleston She Crab Soup which had lump crab, sherry cream, and chives.
For my entree, I knew I had to get the Joyce Farms Heritage Turkey Dinner. It was a plate full of Thanksgiving classics and favorites – herb brioche stuffing, buttermilk mashed potatoes, green beans, turkey gravy, and orange scented cranberry relish. Yum!
I also ordered the Roasted Prime Rib because I wanted to feel like I was back home where my family eats a ridiculous amount of different kinds of food. The prime rib was nicely cooked and had roasted pearl onions, carrots, au jus, and horseradish cream.
This was one evening that dessert was a must. I had the Pecan Pie with bourbon whip and caramel sauce. I delicious ending to my fabulous Thanksgiving dinner. And a shout out to the lovely couple sitting next to me, it was so nice chatting with you guys!
My dinner at High Cotton was fantastic. The ambiance was really nice and the outstanding service let me experience true Charleston hospitality.
I walked back to the hotel and actually made it to my room, no cocktails tonight. I wanted to get up early in the morning to check out a popular breakfast spot.
Magnolias
185 E Bay Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 321-9333
Website
High Cotton
199 E Bay Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 724-3815
Website
