Wrap Up of My Food Adventures in Charleston

Earlier this month I visited Charleston, SC with my friend Val. Since we tried the amazing Magnolia's Restaurant on our previous trip, we decided to try some lesser known restaurants:

Mercato
This Italian restaurant had a comfortable atmosphere and reasonable prices. It had a great wine list and our server made a good recommendation. My linguini scampi with local shrimp sauteed with fresh chilis and parsley was incredible. Unfortunately the service was terrible. The low point was when we waited forever to get refills - we actually stopped eating, stared down each passing waiter (and even a manager) and none one noticed! And it wasn't as if they were packed either.

Charleston Candy Kitchen
We stopped in here to try their free samples of fresh pralines. Needless to say, I walked out with a half pound of pralines to share with friends.

AW Shucks Seafood Restaurant
The food and service were very good here, though it was much more casual atmosphere than Mercato. I had the crab cake with their award-winning stuffed shrimp (plump shrimp, butterflied, stuffed with Carolina deviled crab, wrapped in bacon and deep-fried to perfection), it was fantastic. Of course my favorite part of the meal was their delicious pecan pie: