Charleston

We left Asheville in the morning and stopped in Columbia, South Carolina for a surprisingly tasty Indian buffet at Punjabi Dhaba, then continued on the Charleston, arriving at The Planter’s Inn about 3pm. It’s a Relais & Chateau hotel at an excellent price.

After walking around town and through the tourist shops on Market Street, we checked out Magnolia’s and decided to cancel our dinner reservation due to their felony cholesterol abuse. In its place we went to O-Ku, a Japanese restaurant about ten blocks north. It was one of the best Japanese meals I’ve had. In particular, the Toro four ways appetizer was amazing: otoro, kanpachi, hamachi and salmon, each with a perfect sprig of accompaniment and sprinkle of spice: pepper, salt, truffle, serano chile, or cilantro.