cmfong,

Miss Queenie says woof.

oh yay....woof back at ya, Miss Queenie!

cmcfong, funny you mention that. I couldn't do a reservation for lunch at SNOB, but saw Magnolia's on Open Table so booked our lunch there, thinking I might cancel it if we could get into SNOB or somewhere else. But after looking at the menu, I'm thinking we just might keep it.

I know people rave about Garibaldi's but other than the crispy flounder, I don't see anything on their menu that makes me think of Savannah rather than any good Italian/seafood restaurant here in New Jersey or Florida for that matter.

Yes...do go to the Pink House.
We also love Vic's. Ask for a table by the window so you can look out at the river.

I don't think you will regret the decision to book Magnolia's. I have never been a big fan of SNOB because the noise is so overpowering.
I had a wild Georgia shrimp at Garibaldi's in October which was exceptional. It may have been a special that day. I was impressed with the professionalism of the staff and the quality of food. No view to speak of, though.
Have fun. It is a great city.

I agree with cmfong. Magnolia's is a Charleston staple.

OK, now another question. Is 82 Queen for lunch and Magnolia's for dinner a better option instead of the other way around? Which has the best atmosphere at night?

The weather looks like it's going to hold, so do 82 Queen at night. All those little twinkly lights on the patio might be just what you want!

It may be too late, but we were there April 30. We got there at 10:30 and there was already a line. We finally were seated around noon. The food was very good, so you have to decide it you want to wait.

We also ate at 82 Queen (flew in and out of Charleston). It was very good and a neat place.

You are in for a treat at Magnolia's. We were there a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it the most of all our SC meals. If you like scallops, you will love their appetizer. Here is the menu description:

PAN SEARED SEA SCALLOPS
on sweet corn hoe cakes with a caramelized
apple and smoked bacon cream sauce, sautéed
spinach, and balsamic syrup

We were sopping up every last drop of the sauce with the also good bread on the table.

We waited in line about 50 minutes at Mrs. Wilkes, guess we got there about 12:15 or so. Very enjoyable, especially if you get dining companions who are presonable. The veggies are wonderful.

Enjoy!

If you walk up to the outside booth around feeding time and ask for bar seating you can walk right up. Bar seating doesn't necessarily mean at the bar, either. With two people they will probably put you in a booth or at a table on the top floor where the bar is.

Recap:

We arrived at Mrs. Wilkes about 1 PM on Wednesday. The line was to the corner, about an hour and a half we suspected. We didn't do it. Instead we walked back to the center and walked right into Lady and Sons for the buffet. OK, so I know some people say it's awful. The fried chicken was excellent! The creamed corn was wonderful. Other sides were good. The simple peach cobbler was great -- as opposed to the $8 version the night before at Pink House which didn't even taste like peach! No complaints at all, but obviously the "experience" at Mrs. Wilkes is more fun -- if it doesn't involve standing on a sidewalk for an hour and a half or so.

Other than the cobbler, Pink House was great on Tuesday night. I loved the small dark room as we requested, opposed to the big dining room which seems more like a hotel ballroom for convention dining!

Vic's on the River Wednesday night was really very good. Our only problem was not really being able to enjoy it after that Paula Deen buffet at noon. Peter had crispy flounder at both Pink House and Vic's. He much preferred the presentation and sides at Vic's, but perhaps the flounder itself was a little better at Pink House. The fried green tomato appetizer at Vic's was really great -- much better than the one at Pink House. I had a fried pork chop stuffed with wild mushrooms and brie that was simply fantastic. I only wish I had been hungry enough to eat the whole thing!

On Wednesday, we drove up through Beaufort on the way to Charleston and got side tracked in a couple of art galleries, so at a quarter to 12, I had to call Magnolia's and cancel our lunch reservation. We had a BLT at a little ice cream shop in Beaufort instead.

82 Queen in Charleston was wonderful (although a bridal shower near us was so rowdy the atmosphere was kind of ruined). I had the crispy flounder here and we decided it was the best of the three versions.