2002...
For the second year in a row, Peninsula Grill won Charleston's City Paper's Annual Best of Charleston Readers' Poll, racking up a whopping ten awards."
On the right, three cushioned booths for two, each sit beneath a huge wall mural of workers in a plantation rice field. The floor is heartwood pine softened by a weathered oriental rug.
National ranking for Peninsula Grill
Food & Wine names the restaurant among the Nation's Top Hotel
Restaurants. The May 2002 issue declared "hotel restaurants .... have become magnets for culinary talent and are now the hottest places to eat in town". Peninsula Grill was one of only two such magnets in SC cited by the guide. Unabashedly swank, the restaurant offers snazzy ambiance, in which the serious food delivers a playful punch and the service sets new standards.
(Holliday recently opened Hank's Seafood Restaurant in 1999 and Carter also oversees its operation with Executive Chef Frank McMahon. It has already won several awards.) |
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By Tom Crosby
Eating at the Peninsula Grill, located in the Planter's Inn at the corner of Charleston's tourist epicenter (Market and Meeting Streets), means you have found one of the most praised and publicized restaurants in this historic city.
This AAA rated Four Diamond restaurant boasts nearly two dozen reviews and articles on the walls from publications such as Conde Nast Traveler, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, USA Today, Food and Wine, Los Angeles Times, Travel and Leisure, Bon Appetit, Wine Spectator, the local Charleston Post and Courier newspaper.
 The ambiance and Low Country cuisine prepared by renowned Chef Robert Carter receives glowing praise from food critics and laymen alike.
Diners enter through the Inn's lobby (the Inn is also an AAA rated Four Diamond historic county inn), or a bricked alleyway off Market Street dividing the Inn's two buildings. In fact, in nice weather diners enjoy eating at wrought iron tables in the bricked area outside the restaurant's three French doors of black lacquered pine. The courtyard is also used by cigar smokers.
Entering through the restaurants, double doors (use the left hand one, please), on the left is a marble top bar fronting a wood framing of dark pine around a softly lit mirrored bar with eight bar stools. It is a popular after work hang-out for some locals and a pre-dinner stop for many guests and the only place smoking (cigarettes only) is allowed inside.
Beyond the foyer-like bar area, the hostess stand is manned by a pair of women who graciously and courteously escort you to your assigned table. (Reservations are a must - sometimes requiring more than two weeks notice for a weekend spot. Be sure to get a confirmation from the restaurant as some people leave voice mail or send e-mails expecting to be seated, only to discover others had earlier confirmed reservations.)
Absorbing the ambiance is easy. Green upholstered velvet walls, antique wainscoting, a muted white ceiling and six floor-to-ceiling square gray columns provide a plush environment. Wall hangings include 18th century portraits, some identified as John C. Calhoun and Andrew Pinckney, both statesmen and businessmen of their time, and their stern visaged wives.
Cypress molding surrounds the ceiling and the three French doors and brushed brass wall light sconces with dangling crystal spears cast indirect, ample lighting. A sea-grass braided rug covers the floor. Seating totals 110, with 13 tables for two, 18 tables for four and a cushioned bench along one wall with seats for 12.
Candles, in silver candleholders, illuminate the linen-covered tables topped with a small beige silk shade and decorated with Woodmere china and Sambonet silver. A unique Peninsula Grill serving feature places forks and spoons face down, instead of the typical face up.
At a Friday night dinner with no empty tables, conversation was animated, dress varied for men, suits and ties to short-sleeved casual shirts and for women ,dresses to pants and shirts There is no published dress code.
Now comes the good part - a conscientious and experienced wait staff knowledgeable about the menu and food prepared by and under the supervision of Robert Carter, a 1989 graduate of Charleston's Johnson and Wales University.
Carter, along with owner Hank Holliday, spent five-and-a-half years creating their vision of a swank 1940's cosmopolitan supper club with a menu incorporating classic elements of American haute cuisine from the first half of the 20th century. Carter's specialty is using local cuisine to create edible masterpieces.
 Three signature Carter dishes are James Island clams with smoked bacon and corn broth and wild mushroom bruschetta; pistachio crusted sea bass with crawfish, tomato and orzo pilaf in a spicy tomato broth and finally, wild mushroom grits with Low County oyster stew.
Some of our meal choices included Argentine steak tar tare with grilled croutons (pre-mixed raw meat with a spicy tang); an oyster sampler with broiled, baked and raw oysters enriched with sauces and breading; Atlantic swordfish steak two-inch high topped with sweet potato pomme frits surrounded by corn/mashed potatoes and in concentric circles, oysters, pimento, corn and a compellingly delicious sauce; and a flawlessly cooked
medium-rare filet mignon.
Diners received fresh baked sourdough bread served in a bucket basket and fresh limes to use with sparkling bottled water. A complimentary taste treat on our night out was a delicious stuffed deviled quail egg with a slice of salmon, caviar and creamed cheese on a flaky slice of pastry.
With more than 300 wines to choose from, the price range is vast, with several choices in the $23 to $30 range, escalating upward to peak at over $300 per bottle. The exquisite range of Carter's creations is matched by the variety of available wines, many offered by the glass.
At the finish, dessert offerings included ginger-vanilla bean crème Brule, banana Panna Cotta pudding, chocolate extravaganza (a sampling of mousse, cheesecake, ganach and genoise), and the Grill's signature Ultimate Coconut Cake with chocolate lattice and coconut anglaise.
The assortment of sorbets was our healthy choice and it came with a presentation worthy of a camera shot and sorbet mound of diced honeydew, cantaloupe and strawberry. A pastry half moon decorated with the words "Peninsula Grill" dominated the offering, which sat on a whipped cream platform surrounded by a chocolate criss-cross design with orange sauce between the lines.
The last indulgence was a tasty port wine, although choices include a chocolate martini for two or a Godiva chocolate cappuccino.
Cigars and after dinner single batch bourbon, cognac and single malt scotch are also available for enjoyment outside in the courtyard or if staying at the Inn, the fourth floor outside terrace garden.
Closed for lunch, the Grill offers a buffet $8.95 Continental Breakfast, used mostly by hotel guests. Choices include three kinds of cereal, yogurt and chilled milk; breakfast cake, croissants, banana bread and biscuits, and finally, fruits including fresh raspberries, cantaloupe, melon, strawberries, kiwi, pineapple and oranges. There are three cheeses offered and take-away fruit such as bananas, apples and oranges. A complimentary copy of the Charleston Post and Courier can be found on the hostess stand.
The Signature Breakfast for $12.95 includes everything above plus eggs. In addition, omelets cooked to order, grits, sausage and bacon.
The Grill's kitchen and wait staff often supports functions in the 36 seat, private Charleston room located off the courtyard garden, and work a separate kitchen in the Planters Inn 1,500 square foot banquet hall off the courtyard, which can seat 200.
Please call 843-723-0700 to make a reservation. |
