Charleston has charm down pat. Horse-drawn carriages, Antebellum mansions, and grocery stores named Piggly Wiggly. Tomorrow, March 4th, they will kick off their annual Charleston Wine + Food Festival.

Cookbook authors and owners of the Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue, Matt and Ted Lee, are hometown heros and unofficial ambassadors of Southern Lowcountry cooking.

Lowcountry is the low-lying coastal region stretching from Charleston to Savannah with marshland delicacies like oysters, shrimp, and crab, and recipes with cartoon sounding names like Frogmore stew and Hoppin' John.

The Lee Brothers will be appearing at the festival and were kind enough to share some of their favorite places to enjoy a local and authentic food experience.

Tempt your appetite with a few of their recommendations to the right, but if you are heading to Charleston, you'll want the full list.

From white table cloth service to plastic forks, here is the local lowdown from the Lee Brothers:

• Peninsula Grill
  Full-on Southern food with a decadent, high-end spin.
• Hominy Grill
  Updated Southern classics with a deep respect for tradition (and technique).
• Po Pigs Bo-B-Q
  Pork barbecue, fried chicken, amazing veggie (but not vegetarian) dishes.
• "The Wreck"
  The Wreck is basically a porch on the slab of an old shrimp refrigerator.

More Charleston recommendations...

To cook your own classic Charleston recipes:

• Charleston Receipts
  First published in 1950 and is the oldest Junior League cookbook still in print. [Available at Amazon.com]
• The Lee Bros: Simple Fresh Southern
  Easy, healthy dishes for the everyday, Southern style. [Available at Amazon.com]
• The Lee Bros: Southern Cookbook
  A thorough collection of classic Southern dishes. [Available at Amazon.com]

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