As promised, this is the blog on my old stomping grounds. The lovely Beaufort, South Carolina. For those of you who have not been, please take this advice… go! Go check it out. I cannot paint a glorious enough picture with my puny words. It’s like straight out of a movie! Did I mention Forrest Gump was filmed there? Revel in the quiet life of the Lowcountry. Check out the beautiful scenery and the amazing wildlife, and oh yeah… the good food!

LOWCOUNTRY PRODUCE

We kicked off my homecoming with a trip to one of my favorite easy spots. Lowcountry Produce is a restaurant and produce market all in one. The best thing on the menu is the Ooey Gooey- a grilled pimento cheese sandwich with bacon and garlic pepper jelly. It is perfection between two pieces of bread! I recommend choosing one of the fresh salads like the wheat berry or lentil salad! I am also a big fan of the fried chicken sandwich and the Lobeco chicken salad (with dilly beans, beet chow chow, and crumbled goat cheese). Pick up some of their raspberry pepper jelly or dilly beans while you are there! I also recommend you take it to the Waterfront park to eat and watch the boats pass!

FAT PATTIES

So when I lived in Beaufort, Fat Patties was my favorite burger place. It was the first place I experienced the 50/50 ground beef and bacon patty. My favorite is the Virginia V- topped with pimento cheese, bacon, and coleslaw. Rounded out with the rosemary sea salt fries! Oh yeah, did I mention they make their own ice cream? The burnt marshmallow is fire! Get it?!

ALVIN ORD’S

Alvin Ord’s is a Beaufort staple. It has been there for years and it hasn’t changed one bit! It’s honestly a little hard to describe because it is so unique. They make their own bread in house- this big thick French roll. It’s unlike any other roll you’ll meet! Then, they top it with whatever you choose and run it through a toaster oven to melt the cheese and all the goodies on top. I crave this sandwich constantly after I moved. It is nostalgia on a bun. I love it. I’m not doing it any justice, but it’s just too good to put into words. You can only know by trying it!

CHOCOLATE TREE

This is it. The gem of Beaufort, South Carolina. Their main claim to fame. The Chocolate Tree is a chocolate shop. You would recognize it from the chocolate factory episode of I Love Lucy or also from Forrest Gump. Their chocolate is the best chocolate you will ever put in your mouth. It’s true. I’m sorry to every other chocolate place… but you just can’t cut it! My favorite thing is the seasonal chocolate covered strawberries. Big, juicy SC strawberries double dipped in their milk and dark chocolate. I ate six in two days. My only regret was not getting more!

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

There are too many good spots to fit into one blog (and one trip). So here are some other spots I love:

1. Rain-N-Bagels: as the name implies, Bagels! They also have Taylor Ham!!
2. Wren’s: upscale, delicious food. Have the chicken salad for lunch or the pimento cheeseburger for dinner.
3. Beaufort Bread Company: one of my absolute favorite haunts (they were just closed Monday and Sunday when we were there). Everything is fantastic from the bread, to baked goods, to the salads!  
4. Dockside: my OG seafood spot! It’s in a beautiful spot looking over the bay!
5. Upper Crust: pizza place with amazing salads (they put fries in one!) and great wraps made out of their delicious crusts.