You know how some people are pretty criers? I'm not one of them. The first time that I watched "The Notebook," I was in my parents' basement and I sobbed so hard that my family could hear me on the top floor of the house. True story. So when I found out that the restaurant from "The Notebook" actually exists and you can visit it, you can imagine just how excited I was. Sadly, it turns out that flights to Charleston from Scotland aren't exactly cheap, but that didn't stop me from immediately looking up the restaurant and drooling over the menu. The view from the window isn't so bad, either.
The restaurant is called High Cotton and you can find it in Charleston, South Carolina. You might remember the restaurant from the heartbreaking scene where Noah looks through the window and sees Allie dining with her fiancé, Lon. Honestly, Noah might dangle one-handed from a Ferris wheel, but the most unrealistic part of the film is that Allie chose somebody other than Ryan Gosling. I mean, just look at him. Forget melting chocolate in the microwave; that man's smile is enough to make anything melt.
You might expect a restaurant from "The Notebook" to have a laid-back, Charleston vibe, but High Cotton is so fancy that even Allie's posh parents would approve. It's the type of restaurant that uses white tablecloths, and you can even book a room for a private dining experience. Dinner is served from 5pm daily, and you can indulge in everything from oyster stew with applewood smoked bacon to tuna poke. The menu is mostly composed of fresh fish and oysters, but you can also choose to order a filet mignon or pork chops if seafood isn't your thing.
If you're not about that fancy lifestyle, then don't worry; High Cotton offers a more relaxed brunch on weekends. Treat yourself to a banana chocolate chip coffee cake, or crab cakes benedict. As the film says, Noah and Allie couldn't agree on much, but I bet they could agree those crab cakes sound frickin' delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Have I mentioned the cocktails yet? Allie may have been too busy kissing Lon to order a drink in the film, but I bet she was excited about the choices. You can sip on a Charleston cocktail made with lemonade, iced tea, and vodka, or the restaurant's self-proclaimed world-famous espresso martini. Make sure to toast to the fact that Allie eventually figures out that Noah is the hottest man alive and ditches Lon. Good job, girlfriend.
If you can't make it to Charleston to visit the restaurant from "The Notebook," you can always roll out the white tablecloth and make some brown sugar salmon at home. Or, alternatively, you can just watch the film with some good ol' Ben and Jerry's. Just make sure that your flatmates have their headphones in. Ugly crying is to be expected.