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Are you coming to my wedding? I'm getting married at the William Aiken House on April 26th, stop by for a drink if that's the weekend you're in town!

Anyway, okay the pressure is on! I have been living in Chas for 10 years now and we go out to dinner A LOT - so here are my recs:

Brunch:
Hominy Grill- Be prepared to wait, but it's worth it. You have to try The Big Ugly, trust me.
High Cotton- Great atmosphere, high end brunch.

Lunch:
Cru Cafe-This is also a fantastic dinner spot but so nice for lunch too, truly one of our favorites.
Gaulart & Maliclet Cafe (or as the locals call it 'Fast & French')- fantastic croque-monsieur, the seating is crowded/ community tables, but it's a unique atmosphere that I enjoy.
Jestine's Kitchen- this is kind of a tourist trap, but for a super southern lunch this would be my suggestion.

Dinner: (UGH, there are so many fabulous places not on this list, but here are my top 5)
FIG- my pick to experience local ingredients, this is my go to when I have out of towners visiting.
Fat Hen (John's Island)- this is kind of a hike, but so worth it. So good!
McCrady's- to my knowledge this is the only place in Chas that you can experience the molecular gastronomy trend... so if that's not your thing, be warned. The food is excellent but different that what your going to find in the more traditional places in Chas, I also think it's the most beautiful restaurant downtown.
Grill 225- best for steak
The Wreck- now, I haven't been here since college, but I'll go out on a limb and put it as my rec for bare bones, fresh & local seafood. It is not easy to find so make sure you have good directions from your hotel (or googlemap it before you go. This also serves as your warning to NOT go to Hyman's, enough said.

Hope you enjoy!

MML:

We will be returning to Philadelphia on the 25th! But thanks for the offer. :-D
Thank you for the recs. I just printed a list of all the restaurants in Charleston and now the highlighting will begin!

@MML - How about Fish? A few years back we celebrated our anniversary there. The ambiance was pure Charleston, from the entry through a vine-covered entrance to dining al fresco upstairs on the veranda. Utterly charming and so romantic. I think that probably added some of the magic to the cuisine, as well. It is possible we will be able to get to Charleston sometime this year and definitely wish to return there. A family member has a couple residences there and we have been invited to use them whenever, so I really appreciate your recs also.

We had a great dinner at Blossom Cafe and also a little place we found over the river, J. Bistro, in Mt. Pleasant. Thank you for the rec on High Cotton. We thought about that as well, but ran out of time. We managed to get to South End Brewery (isn't that almost next to High Cotton on the same street?) and we just had a snack there with some great microbrews. Also, isn't there a restaurant on Shem Creek that is supposed to be quite good?

Hope you don't have too many wedding crashers!

@crazyspice - You are so lucky to live in one of the greatest restaurant cities! I'd like to spend 2 weeks there the next time instead of just one. I just adore cities like Philly and Charleston, so rich with history and architecture ( we're photogs), and the FOOD!!!!!

Frederika: It's funny you shoud ask about Fish, they're doing the catering for my wedding! It is very good and is quite romantic, espicially if you can sit upstairs on the balcony... J. Bistro is great for Mt. Pleasant, but since Red Drum opened we always go there when we're over the bridge ( the best Steak Frites I've ever had in my life hands down is at Red Drum)

FYI our Food and Wine Festival was this past weekend and they've finally worked out the kinks... it's worth planning a weekend around it next year if you're looking for another excuse to visit!