The Ocean Room is located in The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, the only AAA-rated Five Diamond beachside resort in the Carolinas. |
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By Tom Crosby
(February 2009) The curved wooden staircase leading to the Ocean Room restaurant in Kiawah Island’s Sanctuary resort brings back memories of grand staircases that once graced historic Southern plantation homes.
It is a fitting image, since The Sanctuary, the only AAA-rated Five Diamond beachside resort in the Carolinas, was designed to showcase Southern charm, gentility and hospitality and the Ocean Room, rated Four Diamonds by AAA, preserves the tradition.
The Sanctuary, with public areas that resemble a rich Southern plantation owner’s estate, has 225 luxurious bedrooms, spacious public areas and the Ocean Room restaurant to combine elegant dining with views of ocean waves lapping a white sandy beach.
It will soon be renamed Ocean Room Prime and become the resort’s signature steakhouse featuring a variety of signature dishes of steak and chops open for evening dining only.
Located on the second floor and reached via the staircase, the Ocean Room entrance is preceded by a lobby “landing” area with seating areas, artifacts and art objects on tables, awards on walls and an upscale, relaxed atmosphere.
The restaurant and bar entrance go through a 8-foot tall, artistically wrought iron gate built by Savannah master ironworker John Boy Smith that incorporates a sea theme with images of an egret, sea grasses and sea oats.
First comes the Old World style bar, which has the same exclusive and luxurious feel as a proper Englishman’s private club, with red leather seating areas, a limestone fireplace kept crackling with burning wood in winter, rich dark mahogany paneling and a bar in front of a liquor display with stools for those who enjoy bartender conversation.
Waitstaff, exhibiting the service Four Diamond restaurants are known for, quickly approach guests, deferentially taking drink orders while offering, if asked, a less sophisticated menu for those without Ocean Room reservations.
 Fusion drinks were popular during our visit. Dress is resort formal, meaning men are requested to wear jackets, although the dress code is not rigidly enforced.
The 32-seat bar atmosphere incorporates the “master of the house” Southern theme, where the owner of the mansion would entertain his golfing and hunting buddies in grand style.
From the bar to the restaurant is a step down to the bi-level dining room, with two walls of 10-foot high windows overlooking the ocean, the Ocean golf course and the manicured lawns of deep green that resemble a Turkish carpet and are meticulously maintained by the Turtle Point Golf Course landscaper.
Tables next to the windows are another step down and encompass two sides of the room. These tables, in turn, overlook a balcony that partially encircles the restaurant and is perfect for sitting outside for drinks or a smoke, while enjoying ocean breezes.
Two intimate dining rooms on the Ocean Room’s other walls seat about 16-people each. One is known as the “Wine Room” with a polished walnut floor and walls lined with exotic wines resting in mahogany wine racks.
Cell Phones Off
Upon entering, a table holds a sign requesting cell phones be turned off so as to not disturb other diners.
The dining room seats 108 amid a sea of tables covered in white linen. The room’s centerpiece is a crystal chandelier hanging from a concave circular dome above a marble table on which sits an antique champagne holder now growing plants. Oversized wine bottles are often displayed here.
Small red stools beside the tables allow women to rest their purse on them, without keeping it in their lap or laying it on the floor. Waitstaff match black and white napkins to diner’s attire. Overhead, Italian glass chandeliers hang. Walnut doors lead to the rimming balconies. The (color) rug is an Italian silk and wool weave.
Wooden cushioned chairs with a back weave surround the tables, with small brass candleholders and bud vases resting atop the linen tablecloths.
 The dining room’s palatial opulence contributes to a refined, elegant atmosphere. Like all veteran Four Diamond rated waitstaff, our waiter had an intimate knowledge of the menu offerings, ingredients and preparation.
Immediately after ordering, warm, fresh bread was served. Our wine steward, when asked, said he was training to become a certified sommelier and was already very knowledgeable about wines, recommending an excellent vintage to match our meal.
Even a grand sommelier, would be daunted by the wine list, which contains more than 1,500 different wine choices, from a glass of Sangiovese from Tuscany for $15 to a bottle of Pomerol 2005 Chateau Petrus from Bordeaux, France for $6,500. Wine choices are from France, Germany, Italy, United States, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Austria and Spain.
Our food – from appetizers, to entrees to dessert - was top notch, with creative dishes, local ingredients and even exotic choices, like antelope. Chef Kevin Ives has a reputation for innovative New Southern Cuisine, which will now be applied to the new Ocean Room Prime menu.
Our meal concluded with profuse “thanks for dining with us” from the wait staff, wine steward, maitre D’ and hostess – just what you would expect as a guest at an Old South Plantation. (Updated February 2009) |
