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Chef Waggoner Releases Book
Chef Bob Waggoner of the Charleston Grill releases a collection of his diverse and prized recipes in his first book, Charleston Grill at Charleston Place. In his French-influenced Lowcountry cuisine book, Waggoner offers step-by-step directions and rounds off many recipes with an appropriate wine selection. Available at the Charleston Grill and Amazon.com |
By Tom Crosby
(December 2008) To find the celebrated Charleston Grill restaurant, customers navigate the marbled hallways of the Charleston Place hotel's upscale shopping corridors until they come to a green marble arch flanked by mahogany wood columns and huge potted plants.
A walk through Charleston Place, one of the poshest urban luxury hotels in the Carolinas, creates a feeling of elegance and sophistication that continues when you enter the Charleston Grill. Both the restaurant and hotel are repetitive winners of AAA's prestigious Four Diamond rating.
In 2007 the restaurant underwent a physical change, moving from an atmosphere resembling an exclusive upper class English men's club to an airy, light chic and sophisticated room with flowing curtains on mahogany columns, French-style wooden-arm cushioned chairs and a polished pinewood floor.
The redesign and revitalization of the menu won it the 2008 “Restaurant of the Year” award from the Charleston Post and Courier newspaper.
 Upon entering, you are greeted by two charming hostesses who instantly make you feel welcome and wanted, as if you were long lost friends who had finally found their way home, As you look out to the room you see the lounge where nightly you will hear Charleston’s best jazz played,
Quentin Baxter and Friends provide a soft jazz background sound from 7to 11 p.m weekdays and Saturday. On Sundays, they are replaced by the Bob Williams Duo, a father and son team playing contemporary covers on violin and guitar.
Colorful eclectic wall hangings, many of them portraits or paintings revolving around music and entertainers, decorate the walls, some of which retained their dark mahogany paneling, providing an artistic and tasteful color contrast.
The paintings are supplied by nearby galleries on King and Broad (many of the paintings are works by Jonathan Green, which he supplied directly). Other examples of his work can be seen at the Chuma Art Gallery in Charleston.
In addition, the 1940's and 50's black and white prints in the Grill showing people and scenes of Charleston, are on loan from the Museum of Charleston, the SC Historical Society and the Carolina Art Association. A trademark portrait of Ella Fitzgerald remains on one wall.
Inside the restaurant, ten-foot high glass windows form the L shape of the dining room and overlook a garden courtyard used by diners in the hotel's Palmetto Cafe, weather permitting. So lush is the exotic and often flowering greenery around the courtyard edges, activity in the garden is obscured.
Once seated, the linen-covered tablecloth holds silver cutlery from Cristofle Hotel-France and Luxembourg china from Villeroy and Boch.
 A fresh rose emerges from a bubble-bottom vase and a white candle lamp, along with crystal wine and water glasses, completes the place setting. (Stemware is Riedel, among the best quality stemware you can buy.)
The polished wood floor, windows fronting the garden, two walls with dark mahogany wood and the white ceiling with ornate crown molding adds to the restaurant’s sophistication.
Renovation
The 2007 renovation was designed to attract repeat customers, as well as to create a space for memorable occasions. To that aim the restaurant has achieved complete success as the Grill is now the “in-spot” to go to for locals in Charleston.
While there is no dress code, the attire (classy casual) worn by most customers remains a notch above most other Charleston eateries,
Diners find elegant touches in the rest rooms, with marble sinks and brass hardware, hand towels on shelves instead of a dryer or paper towels, a vase of fresh flowers, stylish beige wallpaper and paintings on the walls.
As our waiter delivered menus and explained the choices, our toughest choices came from the 45-page wine list, which is so varied it has its own index.
More than 42 wines and champagnes are offered by the glass, while the main wine list has prices beginning at $29 for a Yalumba Riesling from Australia to a 1982 Lafite- Rothschild at $2,500.
 There are many rare finds such as the 2004 Pingus from the Ribera del Duoro ($950) in Spain or the legendary and hard to find Sine Qua Non, Atlantis, from California ($300). Whatever your taste is and whatever your budget may be, finding a wine to satisfy is easy to do especially with the skilled service staff of the Charleston Grill.
Chateau Cheval Blanc, Shafer “Hillside Select” Williams Selyem and many others are offered in multiple vintages.
The restaurant has consistently won the coveted Wine Spectator “Best of Award of Excellence” award for excellence and actually offers more than 1,400 wine labels, with every great wine producing region of the world represented.
Wine Emphasis
The wine emphasis can be traced to 1997, when Chef Bob Waggoner, and his Sous Chef Michelle Weaver, were recruited by Orient-Express, owner of Charleston Place, to become the force behind the Charleston Grill.
At the time they were running the kitchen at the legendary AAA 5 Diamond Wild Boar Restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee. Waggoner, a California native, had worked with several legendary French chefs such as Lameloise, Barrier, Gagnair, Boyer and Meneau.
Once at the helm in Charleston Place, Waggoner and Weaver quickly made an impression, blending their French training with the abundance of Low Country ingredients to produce unique and mouth-watering menu items. (Low Country cuisine has its roots in South Carolina's coastal plain products coming from the rivers, streams and sea as well as those grown or raised on land.)
Waggoner, something of a "chef celebrity," has appeared on shows such as "Great Chefs of the South," "Gourmet Getaways with Robin Leach," and was interviewed by television food reporter Burt Wolf for a series of shows appearing on The Travel Channel, CNN and PBS stations nationwide. He is currently in production for public TV of a series to be called “You cook with Chef Bob”.
With the physical renovation came a revamping of the dinner menu. With an emphasis towards lighter and more relaxed food, a new menu concept was unveiled when the Grill reopened in 2007. Diners can now choose from 4 quadrants, “Pure”, “Lush”, “Cosmopolitan” or “Southern”, representing 4 distinct styles of food.
The Quadrants
In the “Pure” section you may find a beautifully prepared Sautéed Pheasant breast with Root vegetables and a Lemon Rosemary Jus. “Lush” will offer you a Goose Liver with White Asparagus and Duck Confit or Diver Scallops with Wild American Shrimp on a bed of Herbed Gnocchi. On The “Cosmopolitan” side of the menu there could be dishes from anywhere on the globe such as the Carnitas with Yellow Tomato-Ancho Chile Coulis or Lisbon Seafood Soup with a decadent Chardonnay Broth. Finally there is the “Southern” section where Waggoner and Weaver shine. Whether it is the amazing Charleston Grill Crab Cake which is 98% jumbo Lump Crab with Lime Tomato Dill Vinaigrette or the Braised Collard greens with crispy Bacon
 On our Saturday night visit, before we ordered, a circulating waitress brought a basket of different breads to choose from. She returned several times during the meal, permitting active sampling of a variety of fresh baked breads, including a house made Multi grain.
While others ordered appetizers, I choose one of the best salads I have ever eaten - baby lola rosa leaves with Clemson blue cheese, marinated shiitake mushrooms and roasted hazelnuts in a sweet port and fresh rosemary sauce. It was too tasty to be low in calories.
The entrees from each of the quadrants were outstanding. We all ordered different entrees and for me the Dry Aged Colorado Lamb Chops with the Wild Mushroom Risotto and the Black Trumpet Jus stood out as a dining highlight for someone who dines out regularly.
The dinner menu is seasonal; Waggoner and Weaver will often change or add an item more frequently to take advantage of high quality and unique produce, seafood and game from local purveyors.
The dessert menu offers seven spectacular choices from chocolate to cobbler to cake, yogurt or ice cream - all prepared with the individual touches that create memorable eating finishes.
We tried the Chocolate Pyramid with White Pistachio Mousse and Semi-sweet Praline Cream between Layers of Almond Genoise that featured a solid block of chocolate that required some muscle power to get to the magical taste.
We also tasted the Low Country fresh berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream, blackberries, huckleberries, blueberries and raspberries. After peeling off the crust, a spoonful of the interior jolts taste buds back to the days of childhood and fresh-baked berry pies topped with hand-made ice cream.
The left page of the dessert menu offers ports, cognacs, single mash scotch, single barrel and small batch bourbons and sweet dessert wines. A selection of six French cheeses with sun dried fruits and nuts are also available.
The finish was perfect, with a generous pouring of a 20-year-old Sandeman tawny port.
Call 843-577-4522 to make a reservation. (Updated December 2008) |
