Columbia, SC attractions

[jmjames]

Sadly, it looks like I'll be spending the weekend working and not likely to get out of the house.

Restaurant recommendations:

Pricey:
Blue Marlin - $15 - $25 per entree, excellent SC low country style food
Cotton Grill - Similar to Blue Marlin in price, menu, and quality, different selections
Al's Upstairs - $15 - $25 per entree, fancy Italian and seafood, VERY homemade
Camon - $10 - $15 per entree, sushi, best sushi (IMHO) in Columbia
Ruth's Chris - If you have to ask, you can't afford it... steakhouse
Ba'an Sawan - $15 - $20 per entree, Thai

Moderate:
Huller's Black Forest - $10 per entree, German food
Thai Lotus - $10 - $15 per entree, Thai
Ganbei - $10 - $12 per entree, Japanese/sushi (I recommend their "Chef's Choice" sushi plates, VERY reasonably priced, just over $1/piece)
Alodia's - $10 - $15 per entree, fancy Italian
Kovachi's - $10 - $15 per entree, homestyle Italian
Nonnah's - $5 - $10 per *desert* - don't eat a dinner here, it's nothing special, but their deserts are outstanding... they expect that most of their visitors are there for desert only

Cheap:
Pop's NY Pizza - Best pizza in the Columbia area, in this NYC/NJ boy's opinion
Nick's House of Pizza - Very good pizza too
Hudson's Smokehouse - Get the buffet ($10) and arrange for a wheelchair to take you to the car...
Maurice's BBQ - Maurice Bessinger may openly advocate segregation (I'm not making this up) but his BBQ is mighty good
Hite's BBQ - A real hole-in-the-wall BBQ shack, very good
Farm Boy's BBQ - Best BBQ I've had in SC, a bit out of the way (in Chapin), buffet runs around $10
Real Mexico - About as authentic as you can get for Mexican in SC, order the tacos with the corn tortillas, not the flour ones for the "real deal" and not the Old El Paso experience...

Hope this helps!

Yes, I eat out a lot...

J.Ja

[Al T.]

LOL

I scored one from the expensive list, two from the moderate, all from the cheap. Probably says a lot about me.

[jmjames]

LOL

I scored one from the expensive list, two from the moderate, all from the cheap. Probably says a lot about me.

That you'd be cheap to date?

When I first met my wife, I offered to take her ANYWHERE in the area, and I rejoiced when she said "San Jose's". First date cost me $11.71 before tip... had to leave $5 because I'd feel bad about a 20% tip on a tiny tab. Let's just say she now has more... refined... tastes... It's all my fault, I never should have taken her to a non-franchise restaurant...

J.Ja

[Al T.]

Yes, I am cheap. But not easy.

Jeremy, sorry we didn't get out and about, this weekend sort of sucked for me.

[JRL]

Not a problem, we tired ourselves out pretty well and the weather was not exactly favorable today for much of anything anyway.

Congaree was worth the visit, and hopefully we can see the rest of it sometime.

[Al T.]

Congaree was worth the visit

It is, isn't it? I remember the first time I went there, I was astounded.

Next time you are back, we'll have to see what you want to shoot and us three make some plans.