I left the Taste of Charleston‘s main event this past Sunday with a full stomach and in disparate need of a nap. Both were signs of time well spent. I had a great time at Boone Hall Plantation for this year’s event. I was salivating the entire time as I passed booth after booth featuring local dishes.
The slightly overcast weather wasn’t enough to keep the crowd away as there were plenty of people at the Taste before noon. You would have been hard pressed to find someone without a plate full of southern comfort and a big smile on their face.
Many Holy City favorites were present – Wild Wing Cafe, The Fat Hen, Kaminsky’s, Poogan’s Porch, the Crab Shack, Tristan, Hall’s Chophouse, Trotter’s, Gilligan’s and Carolina’s amongst others. Each had savory, sweet, or just down-right delicious samplings of their menu. The only down side to the event was there were many similar dishes. There were lots of pork-based dishes, tuna concoctions, and everyone’s “famous” she-crab soup. This isn’t to say they weren’t tasty, but just redundant. My favorite was Kaminsky’s Pumpkin mousse dessert. It tasted like pumpkin pie and was perfect for the fall event.
There was also a beer garden featuring craft beers from around the country. There were locals (Holy City Brewing) and famous outsiders (Sweetwater) which gave you a nice variety of sudsy libations.
The Taste of Charleston also had live music, a waiter race, free pony rides, and cooking demonstrations. There was plenty to do, eat, and drink, which means it was another successful year for one of Charleston’s signature events.