While visiting Charleston to explore classic restaurants and new eateries, Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel discovered he was staying in a hotel room that was rumored to be haunted. Credit: Randee Daddona

Locals will tell you that the city of Charleston once had an offseason that stretched from November to March. Now it lasts for just a few weeks in January, a consequence of the South Carolina city having become one of America’s — and some even claim the world’s — great food towns. What is undeniable is that high-appetite tourists from all over the globe are drawn to Charleston for its Lowcountry and Gullah-Geechee marvels, along with culinary glories the town either created or insists are its own: shrimp and grits, crab rice, perloo, whole-hog barbecue, benne wafers, buttermilk biscuits, planter’s punch, she-crab soup, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese and frogmore stew.

Increasingly, however, they’re also coming for Charleston’s French and Italian places, its Filipino and Szechuan ones, owing to the unending attention the city receives from the national media, James Beard judging panels and of course, Charlestonians themselves. Hardly a week goes by when some new and noteworthy eatery isn’t opening in the city’s historic downtown, French Quarter or beyond. Indeed, the food scene is rivaled only by Charleston’s ghost scene, by which I mean the cavalcade of walking tours and horse-drawn carriage rides prowling the city in search of paranormal phenomena spawned by Charleston’s dark history, one in which the Civil War, enslaved Africans, countless disease epidemics and hurricanes all played a part.

Ghosts of restaurants past

It was during one of those few non-touristy January weeks that I traveled to Charleston in hopes of visiting some new and happening bars and restaurants, as well as a few old and happening ones. I took advantage of Breeze Airways’ fares, which start at just $49 each way (bag charges extra) and can fly you from Islip’s MacArthur Airport to Charleston in less than two hours. I stayed in one of its grand, pre-Civil War mansions, the sumptuous five-story 1843 Stevens-Lather house, which is now a hotel whose name, and also address, is 20 South Battery. It sits at the tip of the Charleston peninsula, across from White Point Gardens, at the spot where the Ashley and Cooper rivers meet.

The antique filled parlour room at 20 South Battery, a...

The antique filled parlour room at 20 South Battery, a boutique hotel. Credit: Randee Daddona

Since being taken over by its present owner in 2018, the house has been restored to a level of spectacularness that simply can’t be described in words, a resurrection all the more surprising when you consider that 20 South Battery’s beleaguered past includes being assaulted by Union forces in 1863, pressed into service as a motor hotel for raucous sailors on shore leave, falling into disrepair more than once, serving as apartments for college students, surviving flooding from Hurricane Hugo in 1989 — and most recently, being named the most haunted house in South Carolina by Forbes magazine.

As I am not the sort to believe in ghosts — not to mention business magazines when it comes to matters paranormal — I was not in the least alarmed by Forbes’ declaration. If anything, it was I who felt haunted, by the utter lack of Lowcountry delicacies on my plate as of late. And so, after passing a quiet, ghost-free night in room #8 at 20 South Battery, I made a pilgrimage to Hannibal’s Kitchen, a venerable soul food place specializing in Gullah-Geechee specialties. There I feasted on flavorful crab rice, a side of lima beans and okra soup, whose spectacularness also can’t be described in words.

Leon's Poultry and Oyster Shop in Charleston, South Carolina.

Leon's Poultry and Oyster Shop in Charleston, South Carolina. Credit: Randee Daddona

Later that day I came across Leon’s Fine Poultry & Oyster House north of downtown, deciding on the spot that any restaurant with a name like that mustn’t be ignored. Also not to be ignored: the eatery’s heavenly roasted oysters floating in pools of lemon juice, parsley and butter, and served with toast sticks to sop up whatever doesn’t make it into your mouth the first time around. And I couldn’t overlook 35-year-old Magnolia’s in the French Quarter, where the only items to have never left the menu in all those years are fried green tomatoes and Lowcountry egg rolls. The latter, a cylinder stuffed with collard greens, ham and chicken, arrives deconstructed, looking to all the world like a spent can of Pillsbury Poppin' Fresh.

Still later, upon returning to room No. 8, I searched online for a fun city tour I might take that evening. Top reviews went to a walking tour of haunted Charleston, a horse-and-carriage exploration of the city’s haunted history, a 45-foot catamaran that sails around Charleston’s haunted harbor, and most ominous of all, an adults-only "Death and Depravity" tour. That last was offered by Ghost City Tours, whose site also had the skinny on 20 South Battery, declaring #8 to be the most haunted room in Forbes’ most haunted hotel in South Carolina.

"The ghost that haunts this room is one you certainly do not want to encounter," read the site, going on to say that overnight guests have frequently awoken to "the inexplicable sight of a floating headless torso," a gruesome encounter that left them "running for their cars." I found this revelation unnerving, but slept a second peaceful night in room No. 8.

Ghosts of Charleston present

If I was so untroubled, why was I soliciting random Charlestonians’ views on the subject? While riding to breakfast at The Daily, a busy coffee shop near downtown, I asked my Uber driver, a cheerful woman from Brazil, if she had seen any ghosts. "Uh-huh," she replied without hesitation. Did she think Charleston has more ghosts than other places? "Yes," she said confidently, flatly declining to elaborate.

I enjoyed a terrific house-made raspberry pop tart at the eatery, and then a second apple one, owing to my mounting anxiety, before Uber-ing to my next stop, a cooking class. Is Charleston haunted? I asked the driver. "Absolutely," said the man, adding with genuine disappointment that he’d not yet spied a ghost with his own eyes. "I’ve tried so hard but I never have. I want to. And believe me, I’ve put myself in pretty scary situations trying to." Hmm.

Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel visits The Daily on King...

Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel visits The Daily on King Street. Credit: Randee Daddona

Not a minute too soon I arrived at Charleston Culinary Tours’ quaint French Quarter home for a "hands-on journey into Southern cooking," joining a fun mix of tourists and locals, meanwhile struggling to concentrate as instructor Martha Herchak walked us through recipes for buttermilk biscuits, pimento cheese and, most impressive of all, a Huguenot torte that Herchak had discovered buried in an ancient Junior League cookbook. I’d never heard of that divine mix of baked apples and pecans, here topped by sherry-goosed whipped cream, but both the torte and Herchak’s guidance were exquisite.

"I believe in a lot of things," announced a third Uber driver, meaning ghosts, God and the devil. I have him to thank for answering a question that had nagged me the entire trip — why so many Charlestonians paint the ceilings of their porches the same shade of blue. "They think that color scares ghosts." Of course they do.

Find treasures and trinkets along East Bay Street and at  Charleston City...

Find treasures and trinkets along East Bay Street and at  Charleston City Market. Credit: Randee Daddona

And then there was Abby Batut, 20 South Battery’s general manager, who stopped my clock with a matter-of-fact assessment of the ghost in room No. 8. "He grunts," she said, smiling through a beautiful Southern drawl. "He’s not evil but he’s very unhappy." By way of explanation Batut recounted the experience of a honeymooning couple to whom the apparition appeared. The bridegroom "went to grab the door and this force came over him," she told me, adding that the staff later discovered the door had been pulled off its hinges. "They checked out right away," said Batut of the couple. "They didn’t want a discount or anything."

I may have slept two hours that night, getting up frequently to peer through the shutters, check for torsos and monitor hinges. Having seen nothing by morning, that nothing untoward occurred offered powerful evidence that Charleston was not haunted after all. 

Ghosts of restaurants future

What finally made me a believer? The city’s newest eateries, if you’re wondering. Seeing firsthand how enthusiastically restaurateurs are welcoming Charleston's past into Charleston's present left me convinced that haunting is integral to the city’s DNA.

Petite Bouillabaisse at La Cave, a sipping lounge in Charleston.

Petite Bouillabaisse at La Cave, a sipping lounge in Charleston. Credit: Randee Daddona

Consider Lillian’s Petite Market & Eatery, a spick-and-span new spot north of downtown that opened in December. Shrimp and grits are on just about every Charleston menu, but chef Todd Garrigan’s are made with an heirloom grain, Carolina gold rice, which gives his version a nutty, buttery richness.

Jumbo shrimp cocktail and fried oyster and caviar at By...

Jumbo shrimp cocktail and fried oyster and caviar at By the Way in Charleston. Credit: Randee Daddona

Or the fried oysters with caviar, jumbo shrimp cocktail and elderflower spritzes at By the Way, a handsome, raucous and scene-y spot that two stars of "Southern Charm," a Bravo reality series set in Charleston, opened in January. Or the tiny bowl of bouillabaisse, filet mignon in puff pastry and mezcal cocktails garnished with charred baby corn at Felix Landrum’s chandelier-fabulous La Cave, a lounge that debuted next door to his wildly popular Félix Cocktails et Cuisine on King Street last October. And at the paint-barely-dry Seahorse, a cozy, dimly lit lounge that’s made for lingering, and also for gin-and-tonics ginned up with Icelandic yogurt, and irresistible bar snacks made with turnips. Yes, turnips, because they were in season.

A cocktail and potato chip sario pepe at Seahorse Cocktail...

A cocktail and potato chip sario pepe at Seahorse Cocktail Bar. Credit: Randee Daddona

So yes, Charleston is haunted, and in the best sense. Haunted by its devotion to dishes with long pedigrees and the freshest local ingredients, by its ceaseless need for evermore creative new restaurants, and by local chefs intent on coaxing daily miracles out of wondrous southern cooking. This is why loving Charleston’s food scene is a no-brainer. Indeed, a headless torso is all anyone needs.

EXPLORING CHARLESTON 

20 South Battery, 20 S. Battery St., 843-920-6159, 20southbattery.com

Hannibal’s Kitchen, 16 Blake St., 843-722-2256, hannibalkitchen.com

Leon’s Fine Poultry & Oyster House, 698 King St., 843-531-6500, leonsoystershop.com

Ghost City Tours, 2 Vendue Range, 855-999-9026, ghostcitytours.com

The Daily, 652 B King St., 843-628-7049, shopthedaily.com

Charleston Culinary Tours, 184 E Bay St., Ste 101, 843-259-2966, charlestonculinarytours.com

Lillian’s Petite Market & Eatery, 247 Congress St., 843-203-6698, lillianschs.com

By the Way, 45 1/2 Spring St., 843-582-0524, bythewaychs.com

La Cave, 550 King St., Ste 150, lacavechs.com

Félix Cocktails et Cuisine, 550 King St., #100, 843-203-6297, felixchs.com

Seahorse 254 Coming St., instagram.com

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