I love whenever I get the chance to be back in
Charleston and entertain colleagues. First and foremost it is without a doubt one of my most favorite things to do. I am often asked what do you enjoy doing when you are out and about. I thought I would share with you a typical night Well, to be honest it is and was anything but typical.
The evening started at one of my favorite starting places.
The Cocktail Club located at
479 King Street upstairs. It has a great team working there and the staff is always so helpful. I of course got there early to meet my good friend and colleague Catherine. As I was awaiting her arrival, they had a cocktail class pop up for the demonstration from
Ryan Welliver.He did a really fun Gin cocktail. Catherine arrived and we had a couple glasses of wine. I then quickly ran out to Mt. Pleasant to meet with a colleague and was back downtown by 8:30.
The night progressed over at Charleston Place inside their Charleston Grill.
First, Michelle Weaver is without a doubt one of my favorite chefs in town. She is lovely. I have had her on the radio show before and she just exudes hospitality which is so great!
OMG have you tried their crab cakes? It's a life changer. I sat at the bar and thought it funny that a guy was sitting in the corner at the bar sipping a cocktail and
Mickey Bakst (the GM) was wondering where he went. He had some sort of bad French Dinner (I never figured out where he ate). He quickly disappeared leaving Mickey asking where he went. I of course asked who he was. Apparently he was the CEO for all of Belmond properties. (WHO KNEW?!)
I moved on from there and went to the Macintosh to catch up with Dani a colleague and friend who is in the TV biz. I always love catching up with her to just chat industry gossip. So much fun.
That turned into a quick visit to Halls.
As per the norm, a friendly greeting at the door from Billy Hall. They were hustling and bustling. Hey did you know they just opened the next door space? It's a cozy little space with a separate bar so it's not nearly as crazy. They also added a restroom in that space which is just fantastic.
A glass of wine led into running into some of the cast of
Southern Charm Bravo TV's show. As usual people are wanting to get a bit crazy and go dancing by this point. Dani and I opted to take a night cap at Dudleys.
Dudleys is a fine establishment. No frills. I mean they use juice out of guns and when I asked for a pinot noir they literally had to blow dust off the bottle. I mean, it is what it is.
Although after 2 sips of syrupy concentrated OJ and even worse wine, we opted to leave and have a formidable night cap at my place. I played a little piano and a delightful end to the evening.
Charleston is a bit like groundhog day. The same people, the same places, and you can either feel very smothered or make the best of it. Having grown up in the city, I learned quickly to enjoy myself with good friends and then get myself to NY or LA for work as often as possible. It is a blessing that I work so much in the city.
Sex and The City? Well, not so much. However, cocktails in Charleston. . . SURE!
Lawson
