And we're off...

Several months back, my mom suggested that she and Colin fly to Charleston, while Wes, Sawyer and I drive.  It would give us more room in the suv, no one would have to ride in between 2 kids for 8.5 hours, and they wouldn't have to take any luggage on the plane, thus making it a lot easier.  Sold!

That left Wes, Sawyer and I to hit the road.  We like to break the trip in half and spend the first night in Asheville, NC.  We would normally like to get out of town in enough time to eat dinner there but that wasn't in the cards for us this time.  A quick reminder and update on Wes' broken toe - well he had to have surgery and have a cadaver pin put in.  That's all well and good but that left him in a boot with stitches and thus, no water.  As in no pool, no ocean, no shower!  Great timing when you're about to leave for the beach later that week.  He went Friday to for one last appointment and he got all but 1 stitch removed.  So close, yet so far away.  To add to the fun, he also had to cram in a full day of Continuing Legal Education in order to get it before the deadline.

We finally hit the road and didn't have much trouble at all, thankfully.  Our hotel was nice enough.  We got to see a disgruntled guest upon our arrival that made me laugh.  Imagine a large man getting mad and literally turning his back to the front desk attendant, as if that was going to do a darn bit of good.  Sawyer slept well which was no surprise given that he didn't sleep at all in the car.

The next morning I couldn't wait to get up and get going because I had a breakfast spot already picked out.  We were ready to leave by 7:30 (yes, Sawyer is an early riser) but sadly found out the restaurant didn't open until 9.  I decided to eat a pre-breakfast in the hotel lobby and then I felt guilty so Sawyer and I walked around the perimeter of the hotel until it was time to leave.  I'm sure I burned about 10 calories but it made me feel a little better!

I had been wanting to try Tupelo Honey since the last time we went to Charleston 3 years ago.  I read a review on another blog and I knew we had to stop this time.  The only regret I have is that we didn't get to eat every meal there!  It was charming, local, had lots of vegetarian options, and was delicious.

It was a beautiful morning, so we chose to eat outside on their covered patio.  A young couple came in behind us and were seated close to our table.  I overhead the guy talking to the waitress and after a little bit of conversation, I deduced that he worked there.  I later asked him and he said he did in fact work there.  I told him that spoke pretty highly of a place if the employees choose to eat there on their days off.  He said he thought the food was awesome and he ate quite a few of his meals there.  I can see why!

Wes was sold on the Fried Chicken and Biscuits.  Me?  The girl who lives and breaths pancakes?  The Sweet Potato Pancake was calling my name.  After all it was deemed their "claim to fame" and was served with whipped peach butter and spiced pecans.  I went all out and upgraded with Grandma's Maple Granola and pure maple syrup.  If you're going to do it, you gotta do it right!

Our waitress told us she'd be right back with our biscuits.  Biscuits?  Am I in heaven?  Dough and dough!  These biscuits were the real deal.  Huge, fluffy, and as tender as they come.  To top it off, they served them with fresh blueberry preserves.  Talk about delicious.  They literally melted in your mouth.  Wes and I split one because we both knew we had a lot more food coming.

Um, yes, the portions are huge here!  Wes' entree was large enough for 2 grown men to share.  2 of the huge biscuits, 2 pieces of fried chicken, all topped with milk gravy.  He wanted to keep eating and eating but eventually had to make himself stop.

My pancake was huge, tender, and yummy.  Admittedly, I've had better but there was certainly nothing wrong with this pancake.  I didn't get any peach flavoring in the butter, nor did the pecans taste spiced but I definitely tasted the sweet potato and the granola was a great addition.

If you're ever in the Asheville area, Tupelo Honey is a must try.  We really wanted to stop here on the way back through but we were too stuffed from breakfast to stop.  The lunch and dinner menu sound equally delicious.  I especially appreciate all the vegetable side dishes - very unique things like smashed root vegetables, cheesy smashed cauliflower, brown butter brussels sprouts, and candied ginger cornbread.  We're definitely planning a return trip sometime soon.