DavidGHeiser.com » Seafood

Coast - Charleston Restaurant Review

David Heiser — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:16:00 +0000

There are lots of locations in downtown Charleston that will draw plenty of tourists off the street as they saunter by, window shopping for overpriced clothes and stereotypical paintings of marshes. One address that doesn’t fit that description, despite its location just a block or so from Marion Square, is 39 John Street #D.

Coast, a member of the Holy City Hospitality Group which also runs 39 Rue de Jean and Virginia’s on King, isn’t terribly difficult to find (it’s just down a small alley between John Street and Hutson Street off King Street), but you certainly aren’t going to run into it unless you’re out there looking for it.

Occupying a former warehouse, the interior of Coast features 40-foot ceilings and beautiful exposed brick walls. Though the space isn’t terribly romantic, it does provide a nice balance between low lit ambiance and a trendy, modern feel.

On the night we dined, our very friendly and knowledgeable server let us know that Coast was premiering its new menu, featuring several intriguing additions. While this threw a wrench in my pre-trip ordering plans, I was more than happy to take a bit of extra time to explore my new options. The new items all fall in line with the previous price points, with starters ranging from $7 to $13 (with most settling in right around $10) and entrees starting in the upper teens and capping out in the mid-twenties. A couple of the new items I didn’t get a chance to try, but will look to next time around include Crab & Avocado Ravioli ($9) and Togarishi Yellowfin Tuna with tropical salsa and cilantro vinaigrette ($13).

To start, we opted for Cornmeal Encrusted Oysters ($10) and Cioppino ($8).

Crisp to the bite but incredibly tender inside, these oysters represented some of the better fried seafood I’ve ever ingested. They were topped with caviar, served over a papaya coulis, and finished with a scoop of deliciously fresh tropical salsa.

The Cioppino is a hearty tomato based soup brimming with crab meat, shrimp, squid, and mussels. All of the soup’s seafood elements were cooked perfectly and the aroma of the creamy tomato broth was wonderful. I was also impressed by the portion size, which was plenty for two people (a rarity in this economy where I’ve discovered most restaurants are serving about half as much for the same price).

For my entree, I went with one of the new additions to the menu, the Crab Encrusted Tilapia ($19). What impressed me most about this dish was how Chef David Pell and his staff were able to keep the subtle taste of the tilapia from being completely overwhelmed by the bolder flavors of the crab meat and parmesan cream in the topping. Another nice component was the sweet tomato relish which cut through the richness and served as an excellent contrast to the plate’s savory elements.

My date chose another of Coast’s newcomers, the Caprese Escolar ($21). I was excited to try this dish because I’ve never seen mozzarella and tomatoes served alongside fish in this way. Where this dish really shined was in the first few minutes when the fish was still hot and melted the creamy, fresh cheese in your mouth. I also really enjoyed the smokey oak flavor of the grill that permeated the tomatoes and the buttery white fish. I’d be remiss if I forgot to mention the unbelievably tasty basil pesto mashed potatoes, which I couldn’t stop myself from stealing bites of at every opportunity.

Unfortunately, my girlfriend wasn’t really able to enjoy it because the fish made her mouth itchy and uncomfortable. I think she may have discovered a new food allergy (she’s leaning toward the fish, but I’m thinking it may have something to do with the wood used in Coast’s grill).

Overall, now that I have made my first trip back to Coast since I mooched off of my roommates during Parent’s Weekend of our freshman year, I fully plan on making a concerted effort to get there more often.

Apart from my girlfriend’s itchy encounter with the escolar, I really can’t find any flaws in Coast’s execution. The service was polite and efficient, our portions were generous, the food quality was excellent, and the prices are pretty reasonable for the location. If you have friends or family coming into town, Coast should be right near the top of your list when they invariably ask you to take them out for seafood.

McCrady’s - Charleston Restaurant Review

David Heiser — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:29:00 +0000

Disclaimer: Before I get started with this review, I’ve got to divulge some things in the interest of full disclosure. 1) Until recently, I worked for a company called Table Maestro, a central reservation service which has McCrady’s as a client, so I’ve developed somewhat of a relationship with the staff, 2) McCrady’s staff knew I’d be coming in, so I definitely got some special treatment. All that being said, I don’t personally benefit in any way from giving them a positive review and, by all accounts, their service is stellar for everyone, not just friends of the restaurant. Alright, let’s get down to business.

McCrady’s has received some big time accolades in the past few months, most notably Chef Sean Brock’s “Rising Star Chef” James Beard Award nomination and their appearance near the top of Opinionated About Dining’s list of the Best Restaurants in North America and Europe, both of which I’ve previously discussed here. It is always a major name in the local debates about the best restaurants in the city and the structure itself is a landmark. It was built in 1788 and once hosted a dinner party for George Washington. I had never had the opportunity to dine at McCrady’s before (I’m a college student living on a budget after all), but I’ve always wanted to and was hoping to get the opportunity to do so while they still remembered me from Table Maestro. So, when I learned my mother was coming into town for a weekend I used my best PR skills to pitch her how great an idea having one really nice dinner on her trip would be. Needless to say, my pitch worked and I was granted an opportunity to embark on a three hour, nine-course journey that was unlike any other meal I have ever experienced.

When we arrived at the restaurant and seated, the perfect ambiance of the dining room immediately struck me. Everything from the lighting to the wonderful art on the walls screams of class and sophistication. Our waiter was exceptionally knowledgeable, answering any and all of our questions without more than a moment’s thought. The menu, while not particularly extensive, offers options to please any taste, and the nightly specials display the chef’s creativity (a word that you will find yourself using quite frequently after a dinner at McCrady’s). The menu is broken down into first, second, and main courses and the cuisine is described by the restaurant as “modern American with unique style and presentation,” a wording that really doesn’t give you much of an idea about what to expect. The food at McCrady’s is the result of a unique melding of Chef Brock’s frequently noted interest in molecular gastronomy and his commitment to using the very best and most local ingredients, which frequently come from the restaurant’s own farm on Wadamalaw Island (check out Chef Brock’s blog for pictures and more information).

After placing our orders, we were treated to two tasting dishes selected by the chef. First, an amuse bouche of chilled corn soup with a pickled chanterelle and grape tomato, an excellent, light start to the meal that would follow. Next, we were brought the chef’s rendition of chips and salsa, an item which I’m assuming was drawn from the current tasting menu which focuses on chips and salsa as its theme. This was truly an innovative dish which I couldn’t fully wrap my head around, let alone accurately describe, but in short it was two powders which distinctly tasted like and played the part of tortilla chips and a clear gel that they somehow managed to make taste like a full salsa.

For my first ordered course of the night, I selected the nightly special, sashimi bluefin tuna toro with a cucumber foam and soy glaze ($18). Toro comes from the fatty underbelly of the fish and is the most sought after (and expensive) part of the tuna. The texture of the toro was tender to a degree that you must experience to believe, it basically melts in your mouth. The taste of the tuna was complimented masterfully by the subtle cucumber foam and the soy glaze that packed quite a bit of flavor without overwhelming the fish.

Following our first course, we were pleased to be given another round of chef selected tasting dishes. The first of which was a prawn served with local corn, tomato, and bacon. The prawn was perfectly cooked and the combination of it alongside the corn and bacon made for one of the highlights of my evening. The final tasting course we received that evening was my mother’s favorite dish of the night, a thin slice of house cured meat, which I believe was a lonzino, over potato wrapped with truffle. The meat had a nice, delicate texture with just the right amount of saltiness.

My second ordered course was definitely the simplest, yet possibly best dish I tasted all evening: a salad of locally grown heirloom tomatoes and arugula over housemade ricotta, pine nuts, and raspberry vinegar ($12). I’m admittedly a little obsessed with tomatoes; I find it difficult to resist them when they are green and fried, and impossible to resist them they are paired with fresh mozzarella. This dish featured some of the very best tomato I have ever ingested. Bright, delicious flavor that gave the impression that this particular tomato had been hand picked by a farmer and handed to the chef 10 minutes earlier. The housemade ricotta was wonderfully creamy without any overpowering richness. These two elements paired with the raspberry vinegar forced my face into the same involuntary look of complete joy that Giada de Laurentiis gets every time she ever tastes something on TV.

Our entrees followed and did not disappoint. My mother opted for the local wreckfish($28),which is a white fish, similar to grouper with a nice meaty texture. My mother really enjoyed it, however, while I thought it was good, it didn’t blow me away like many of the other dishes that evening did, perhaps it was merely a victim of stiff competition. I decided to go with the spice roasted rack of lamb with local eggplant, pine nut puree, and golden raisins ($34). The lamb was cooked to an ideal medium-rare that left it wonderfully moist. The flavor combination of the lamb with the pine nut puree was rich and decadent, continuing the gradual, logical progression that the meal had steadfastly followed from the first amuse bouche.

In what may have seemed like an impossibility around the evenings fourth or fifth course, both my mother and I still had room for dessert. Being a sucker for all things chocolate, I chose one of pastry chef Winburn Carmack’s creations that seemed like it may have been designed specifically for me: crispy chocolate mousse topped with milk sorbet and accompanied by espresso and Irish cream glazes ($9). In case you thought there was any possibility that I would express any other emotion but love for this dish, you can go ahead and clear those thoughts from your head right now. The mousse was out of this world, the milk sorbet was light and refreshing, and, if McCrady’s wasn’t such a classy establishment, I would have been very tempted to lick my plate clean. One other interesting part of our dessert course was the sampling of McCrady’s famous liquid nitrogen strawberries that were brought out smoking and ladled onto our plates. Our server instructed us to eat them immediately and we quickly became the stars of our portion of the dining room. As soon as you bite into these ultra chilled fruits, smoke starts uncontrollably bellowing out of your mouth, which makes you look like you just walked out of Snoop Dogg’s tour bus. As we paid our check, we received one final treat, a piece of melt-in-your-mouth-chocolate covered in shredded coconut, a perfect end to a full on perfect meal.

A couple concluding points I really want to drive home: 1) the service at McCrady’s was far and away the best I have ever experienced in a restaurant. I loved Mickey Bakst and his staff at Charleston Grill, but the attentiveness and sense of pacing of McCrady’s staff is unmatched. If we ever had a need someone was available, but I didn’t once feel like I was rushed or smothered. Our courses were brought out in a smooth succession, with just enough time between them to allow for conversation breaks. General Manager André Guillet really has the restaurant running like a well oiled machine. 2) One of the most impressive aspects of my experience at McCrady’s is how they managed to provide us with so many courses over our three hours in the restaurant, but left us feeling merely full and satisfied rather than overwhelmed or stuffed. The meal started out light and, as I mentioned earlier, progressed smoothly through the final course.
All-in-all, my dinner at McCrady’s was, bar-none, the best meal of my life. While I understand that I received a few more items than the average diner would receive, my absolute favorite dishes of the night were those that I ordered off the menu, which you have access to as well. I want to personally thank Andre, Chef Brock, and wine director Clint Sloan for taking the time to come say “Hello” to me, I cannot recommend your restaurant highly enough. For the college students in my readership: start planting the seeds now, whether it’s for parents’ weekend, your birthday, or graduation, you want to convince your parental units to take you here, above anywhere else, if they can afford it. Hell, if you’ve got the money and a significant other who you really want to impress, start saving your pennies, eat ramen and Easy Mac for a few weeks and take them out for a meal they will always remember. Don’t expect to make it out of McCrady’s for less than $65 a person, but rest assured that you will not regret your purchase.

DH’s Extra Note: In direct contrast to my above advice, I will be investing a large portion of my expendable income for August at McCrady’s on August 31st for the 12-course Richard Blais (of Top Chef fame) dinner as he teams up with Chef Brock for what I’m sure will be a mind-opening culinary experience.

Bowens Island Restaurant - James Island / Folly Beach Restaurant Review

David Heiser — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:20:00 +0000

If you’re looking for the best dining room view in the Charleston area and you’re looking in Downtown or Mt. Pleasant, you’re not going to find it. In fact, if you do want to find it, you may very well need a map. Bowens Island Restaurant, an establishment that features plastic furniture and doesn’t accept credit cards, is located right along the Sol Legare Creek, about a half a mile down a dirt road right in between James Island and Folly Beach.

Once you do manage to find the restaurant, you are immediately struck by the overwhelmingly casual atmosphere. There are no real menus to be found, just a handwritten piece of paper taped to the glass of the building where you place your order. The options aren’t plentiful, but there is enough variety to please most seafood lovers. There are local favorites like shrimp and grits and Frogmore stew, as well as standards like fried shrimp and crab cakes. There is a section for seasonal items, including their specialty, oysters, which were unfortunately out of season during our visit. After ordering, you seat yourself at one of the plastic tables surrounded by lawn chairs that are spread inside the dock house and wait for your name to be called. Surprisingly, even though we were there around 7 p.m. on a Saturday, the “dining room” wasn’t particularly crowded. Still, service was fairly slow, but, fortunately, the view alone provides more than enough distraction while you wait. From our table, we were able to look directly out over the creek and watch the sun begin to set. Short of literally eating on the beach, I can’t possibly imagine a better setting to enjoy a plate of fresh seafood.

It had been a while since I had ordered any fried seafood at a restaurant, so I was eager to dive into my seafood platter ($13.75) which came with fried fish, shrimp, a crab cake, French fries, hush puppies, and approximately a thimble full of coleslaw (my apologies, your cholesterol may have jumped about 15 points just from reading that last sentence). I’ll start out with the positives. The hush puppies were fantastic. They were enormous and cooked to golden brown perfection. The fried shrimp were also wonderful. The outside batter was nice and crispy while the shrimp remained juicy and flavorful. On the down side, I found the crab cake to be dry and largely lacking any distinct crab flavor. I love jumbo lump crab cakes, which put the focus on the actual crab itself, but Bowens Island’s version seemed to have a much too high percentage of breading. I also found the batter on my fish fillet to be too thick, which overwhelmed any flavor the fish may have had. Praise or criticism aside, if you choose to order the seafood platter you can be fully assured that you will not go home hungry. Your body even may, as mine did, manifest physical signs of its disgust with the amount of fried food you’ve forced it to process (about 5 hours after our meal when I was trying to go to sleep I was hit with a particularly unpleasant stomach ache, but nothing that a few Tums couldn’t fix).

After your meal, you return to the counter where you placed your order to pay your bill. Nothing seems to be done with too much attention to detail here when it comes to change or tip; you’re left with instructions to throw a few dollars in the bucket “for that lovely young lady out there.”

It’s places like Bowens Island that make me cringe every time I drive down Meeting Street and see the massive line outside Hyman’s. It’s not even that Bowens Island’s food blew me away, it’s the fact that the food was comparable (and probably a little better) in taste and superior in quality to Hyman’s, but a little more affordable and with exceedingly better ambiance.

All-in-all, despite my stomach ache, I fully plan on dining at Bowens Island Restaurant again. The next time, however, I’m going to order something that won’t cause my body to hate me. I’m excited to try their Frogmore stew, which I’ve read nothing but positive opinions about, as well as their shrimp and grits. If you need more motivation to check it out, it is interesting to note that, before a fire destroyed the building, the restaurant’s original incarnation (at the same location) received recognition at the 2006 James Beard Awards as an American Classic. So, go ahead and make the trek, Bowens Island is a great location for a casual summer date or the perfect place to cap off a long day spent at Folly Beach.