Since the weather was rainy and kept me from my outdoor plans (our quarterly Adopt a Highway at the Isle of Palms) my better half and I decided to eat our way through downtown Charleston.

There were two places we particularly wanted to try- one new and one not so new.

Our first stop was The Macaroon Boutique at 45 John St. If you are not hip to one of the latest dessert crazes and still think of a macaroon as a baked glob of shredded coconut, you are missing something quite delightful.  A French Macaroon is a creamy, airy, sweet cookie of a treat.  It’s as delicous as it is cute.

My lovelies

Loveliest of treats

We also treated ourselves to a freshly baked, authentic baguette and a dark chocolate raspberry spongecake for dessert later that evening.  I will be going back to the Macaroon Boutique to satisfy my next sweet tooth or if I need a hostess gift. The macaroons lend themselves to a lovely, colorful display in cellophane bags. They would be a welcome gift at any party.

While walking the calories off in a slight drizzle we saw the sign for this new place we’d read about and were anxious to try.  The Patat Spot at 41 George St. Who doesn’t love a good order of fries? This place could rival the legendary Pomme Frites in New York City.  They also serve falafel and hummus and I hear they have a crazy insane salad bar that is fresh and awesome.  But let’s be honest, I was just there for fried potato goodness.  We split a regular order of frites with the tangy peanut sauce. There are so many sauces that are tempting we just went with the staff’s recommendation.  It did not disappoint.  We had a window seat at the bar and watched the dog walkers and college students pass by.  This place would make a quick afternoon date memorable and worthwhile- and they are open late Thursday-Saturday until 3am!

So keep these two wonderful places in mind if you ever get a hankering for something sweet or fried. Bon appetit!