Ocean Room at The Sanctuary, static.howstuffworks.com

The first Charleston Restaurant Week this winter was such a success that organizers have brought the event back early for a summer edition. We blogged about thesuccess of the first event, but I’m even more excited for the second round because there are over 70 restaurants to choose from this time around! The best part about summer restaurant week–it’s actually a week and a half!

The set-up takes the same format–restaurants are broken down into either 3 courses for $20, or 3 courses for $30. Last time, many of the fine dining restaurants in the 3 for $30 broke away from the format and did “4 for $42″ or “3 for $39,” but it seems that all restaurants are following the same format this time.

I HIGHLY recommend putting reservations in now, as many of the restaurants were completely booked. Where will you be dining? Enjoy!

blwilson.students.cofc.edu

Here’s what Parade wrote about CofC:

“College of Charleston is very hot right now for good reason. Beautiful and in a chic setting, it offers good academics and is easier to get into than it ought to be.”

“The campus itself is a piece of history located in the heart of Charleston’s historic district, and students studying historic preservation and arts management (Charleston is home to the Spoleto Festival) have a living laboratory at their disposal. Marine biology is also very strong.”

bonappetit.com

Pick up the September issue of Bon Appetit to check out the list of “Top 10 Farmers’ Market Lunches.” Charleston Farmers’ Market is featured on the list, and the story includes a photo of our downtown market!

Here’s what Bon Appetit said about lunch at the downtown Farmers’ Market:

Start the day with a crepe at Charleston Crêpe Company. After that, try the pickled okra from Fresh Pickle Works or shrimp and grits from Tasty Brunch. Marion Square, King and Calhoun streets

I recommend the chicken, bacon, mushroom, mozzarella and honey mustard crepe from Charleston Crepe Co.! I hear they have crepe cakes now too.

postandcourier.com

Here’s what Outside Magazine said about Surf Bar:

Folly Beach, South Carolina

Twenty minutes south of Charleston, Folly Beach is home to a burgeoning if mellow surf culture. Just off the water, Surf Bar is the epicenter of that scene, with local bluegrass acts, surf films on the patio, wood-fired cheese steaks, and the strongest Painkillers north of the Bahamas.

Roadfood is “a website devoted to finding the most memorable local eateries along the highways and back roads of America,” so we’re flattered to have Charleston’s restaurants included on this site!

Here’s what they had to say about their trip to EVO:

roadfood.com

If you doubt that we are in the midst of a pizza renaissance, get yourself to North Charleston, South Carolina, and dine at Evo. While the Palmetto State never has been known as source of great pizza, Lowcountry cooks are famously talented; and Evo – an acronym for Extra Virgin Oven – is proof that their creative juices combined with the best local products and a wood-fired oven can equal transcendent pizza.

But before we get to the pizza, may we detour to hors d’oeuvres? To a peak-of-summer panzanella salad, starring big chunks of megaflavored tomato and significant house-made croutons along with pickled red onion, crumbles of creamy blue cheese and basil, all dressed with bright balsamic vinaigrette: one of life’s memorable salads. For a more simple starter, you can get something called an “olive plate.” It is more than a plate. It is a big bowlful of black and green ones – many dozens – along with a bunch of whole garlic cloves that have been roasted until they are soft and sweet, the gorgeous cornucopia marinated in oil well perfumed by basil.

Now, about the pizza. Cooked briefly in a roaring wood-fired oven, it comes out with a crust that is thin and relatively lightweight – crunch more than chew – albeit sturdy enough not to wilt even under seas of melty cheese. Its edge bears the brand of a high-temperature bake in the form of a few char marks on the puffy parts. Toppings range from basic margherita to such wonders as pistachio pesto topped with mozzarella (made here twice daily) and just enough crème fraiche to elevate the eating experience into wanton indulgence. We enjoyed a special of locally made feta along with fresh okra and a puree of roasted garlic and corn as well as the awesome “pork trifecta” of house-made sausage, pepperoni and smoked bacon.

For dessert, it is hard not to indulge in a sampler of Sweeteeth brand chocolates (made by a former employee) that includes a salted caramel heart and a peach cobbler bon bon; but you must also reserve a significant amount of appetite for the amazing blueberry calzone – a pocket of pizza dough filled with dark chocolate melting around local blueberries and drizzled with South Carolina honey.

And here’s what they said about their trip to Wild Flour Pastry:

We missed out on the dish Chris and Amy most highly recommended at Wild Flour Pastry: the sticky buns that baker Lauren Mitterer makes only on Sunday. But after consecutive morning visits on a Wednesday and a Thursday, we hardly feel deprived. We ate what may be the best turnover ever, anywhere — a fine, flaky pastry radiant with butter flavor filled with a mix of Nutella and fresh strawberries. Served warm with morning coffee, it is a breakfast benchmark. In the same major league, Lauren’s coffee cake muffin is loaded with crunchy pecan halves; her raspberry scone strikes the ideal biscuity balance of savory and sweet; and her red velvet cupcake could be a lesson for lesser bakers who try their hand at the red velvet fad but wind up with cloying clods. This woman is a virtuoso who plays her oven like a Stradivarius!

One of the great things about Wild Flour Pastry is that you can taste just about everything Lauren makes, going beyond cupcakes and morning pastries to lemon chess tarts, key lime pies, milk chocolate creme brulee and passion fruit pot de creme, because everything she makes, she makes in single-serving sizes. Of course, her whole repertoire is not available every day, but you can count on enough selections to sate the most voracious appetite.

The place is a tiny storefront with only two tables for the dine-in trade. And by the way, Lauren lived for several years in Seattle. The coffee and espresso are first rate, too.

Come back soon!

Cayusa, Flickr

The sixth annual New Ideas SC Contest is asking SC residents to share their innovative ideas for a chance to win cash prizes to make your business idea come true.

It can be an idea about a product or a service and entries must be received by September 20, 2010. Ideas can be submitted in several categories: Bio-Science, Environmental Sustainability, Engineering, Software & Internet Technology and the most popular – Wildcard.

Winners will be chosen based on the idea’s viability, innovation/vision and profit/revenue potential. Category Winners receive $2500.00 and Category Runner-Ups receive $1000.00. All Category winners receive a scholarship to the FastTrac® entrepreneurial training class of their choice (NewVenture™, GrowthVenture™ or TechVenture™). The grand prize winner will receive $5,000 to jump start this business idea, plus a ‘Dream Team’ of advisors and a scholarship to the FastTrac® entrepreneurial training program of your choice.

Click here to submit your idea and  questions, like: “What is your overall business concept or idea? Give us an ‘elevator pitch’ in 500 words or less” and “What market need or problem are you addressing with your idea?”

Prizes will be awarded at the Small Business Innovation Summit on November 3, 2010 in Charleston, SC. This event attracts business leaders, economic developers, entrepreneurs and technology based service providers to showcase technology and innovation based business opportunities. Past topics include aerospace, bioscience, alternative energy, entrepreneurialism, funding a business, intellectual property, marketing, educational resources, attracting talent and much more. The Summit will focus on innovation within the small business community– how small businesses through innovation can create jobs and guide South Carolina into the future.

The strategy is called “Opportunity Next,” and is meant to guide the regional efforts needed to strengthen the economy, improve wages and fuel job growth in a global economy increasingly defined by knowledge and innovation.

We’d like to invite YOU to participate in the survey to share your vision for the region and give your opinions about life in the Lowcountry. Click here to take the survey.

Here’s what they said about Beachwalker:

Nature lovers will appreciate the pristine condition of this barrier island, just 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Charleston. Beachwalker Park is the only public beach on Kiawah Island; the rest is a golf resort. The gentle surf, wildlife sightings, and amenities, including a snack bar and umbrella and chair rentals, draw day-trippers and resort guests alike. Visit the Heron Park Nature Center to learn how to explore the surrounding flora and fauna. Kayak through preserved mangrove forests and lagoons. Don’t miss the weekly oyster roast and BBQ on Mingo Point, where you can savor the sunset and listen to music.

www.christopheharbour.com

Here’s the full list:

1. Coast Guard Beach – Eastham, Massachusetts
2. Coopers Beach – Southampton, New York
3. Hanalei Bay Beach – Kauai, Hawaii
4. Kiawah Beachwalker Park – Kiawah Island, South Carolina
5. Santa Cruz Beach – Santa Cruz, California
6. Siesta Beach – Siesta Key, Florida
7. Coronado Central Beach – Coronado, California
8. Crane Beach – Ipswich, Massachusetts
9. Stinson Beach – Stinson Beach, California
10. Lifeguard Beach – Ocracoke Island, North Carolina

The manicured charm of Charleston will give your eyes a much-needed rest from the gray-cement blockiness of insert-your-neighborhood-here. Ogle the antebellum mansions and Federal-style houses on foot: Whether you’re interested in the Civil War, pirates and prostitutes, or ghost stories and voodoo, there’s a walking tour that covers it. Try Bulldog Tours, the only company that has access to the city’s dungeon, so you can see the gritty—though pleasantly polite—underbelly of this Southern town.

So what other cities give a NYC  run for their money? Charlotte, NC, Lexington, KY, Philadelphia, PA and Savannah, GA were all mentioned alongside Charleston. Thanks Time Out NY!

www.adamsprops.com

Movies start at 9 p.m. at The Great Lawn, and the audience can purchase food and drinks on-site. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket for your viewing pleasure too!

Movie schedule:

• July 24- E.T.
• August 14- City Slickers
• September 18- Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
• October 2- Rudy