 |
|
The passion for the freshest ingredients can be tasted and perhaps that is why the restaurant has earned the AAA Four Diamond rating every year since it opened in 2004.
Dinner Hours: 6-10 PM Mon-Sat. Sienna is closed on Sundays.
View Menu (PDF) |
By Sarah Davis
(October 2008) Sienna Restaurant owner and chef Ken Vedrinski has proved that formality isn’t mandatory for a great restaurant. At this AAA-rated Four Diamond restaurant on Daniel Island, just outside of Charleston, Vedrinski has skipped table cloths; soft, staid classical music; and even a kitchen tucked away. Instead, he’s opted to go with a much more contemporary feel that exquisitely blends beautiful honeyed woods with simple white plates and a place where guests can watch their creation being made just for them.
 At the corner of an intersection, parking for the first-time visitor can be a little confusing, especially since a gas station is on the backside of the building. But just find a spot in the lot behind the building and follow the sidewalk to the front of the restaurant. Here, you’ll see the entrance way laid with tile that harkens back to an old drug store – small white squares with black tiles spelling the word Tecklenburg. Strangely enough for this Italian restaurant, Tecklenburg is a town in Germany. Also lending itself to the old drug store feel are the windows that make up the front of the building. You’ll be able to peek in and see people sitting at the bar, just as plenty of people have done sitting around a soda fountain.
But that’s where the drug store similarities end and a modern touch begins. Funky music plays while people watch TV on the flat screen above the bar. Tall circular tables over a brick floor provide extra room for those who opt for the bustle of the bar rather than the dining area.
The yellows, greens and other soft hues of nature extend from the bar through a small curved archway topped with brick overhead. Going through here, guests will walk by the restaurant’s wine room and three semi-private booths, complete with curtains that could be closed if you liked. Those who opt to dine in the dining area will find this walkway gives good separation from the bar.
 On select special occasions, the restaurant will allow small parties to dine in the wine room, surrounded by the restaurant’s mostly Italian collection of wines. Sienna serves more than 15 wines by the glass, ranging from sparkling wines, whites and reds. However, don’t expect to find Chardonnays in that list of whites. While the restaurant does offer a small collection of domestic wines, it still sticks to its Italian roots. You’ll be able to order a glass of Pinot Gris from Oregon, but not a Pinot Grigio (the French version). More than 60 bottles are available on a regular basis, but be sure to ask about their reserve collection for special occasions.
The brick flooring of the bar is replaced with very light planks of wood flooring, a pleasant contrast to the more dark-honey color wood that wraps the lower five feet or so of the walls. The contrast also complements the simple wood tables. With such rich, natural hues, you’ll be glad Vedrinski didn’t hide it with stiff white table coverings.
Colorful glass artwork is tuck in wall nooks, and large yellow sheets of glass hang from the ceiling, giving more separation between the booths that line the wall to your left. On the right, a tall counter is the only separation between the dining area and the kitchen, where staff quietly prepare meals that offer a new twist to Italian traditions.
 While the booth seats are purple suede, seats for tables in the center of the floor have green cloth cushions and wooden backs and arms with the contemporary beauty of metal framing.
A small white plate topped with a tightly twisted mustard-colored napkin sits over a simple brown placemat while the flower arrangement is made of small clay pieces of art tucked in blown-glass vases. Flatware continues the clean lines found throughout the restaurant. Simple stick-like pegs make up the handles.
The menu, however, is anything but simple. But, you may notice a Southern (as in the American South) influence on the menu that otherwise is proudly Italian. Appetizers include a cone of fried shrimp, fish, asparagus, zucchini and onion rings accompanied with a honey-mustard sauce. Or you can opt for the endive salad that will make your mother proud when you clean your plate. Of course, when a sweet Gorgonzola topping, olives and other delicious bits are included in the course, who couldn’t help but eat it all.
All meals are accompanied by delicious chibatta and Italian flat breads made fresh daily by Pastry Chef Caitlin Kelly. Not only is the bread delicious on its own – chips are made with parmesan for extra flavor – but the tomato and olive pesto for topping is a must have.
Diners then have plenty of options for meals. Pasta and rice items can be served at half-size as a side item to your entrée or served at full size and fill you up with food left on the plate.
 Menus are completed daily, sometimes not until 4 p.m. or a little later, according to Su Chef Rhett Elliott.
“We go to the Farmer’s Market and see what is really fresh,” he said. “Then we all come back and discuss what we can make for that evening.”
And the passion for the freshest ingredients can be tasted, perhaps why the restaurant has earned the AAA Four Diamond rating every year since it opened in 2004.
Most seafood items are caught by local fishermen on a daily basis – such as the barrel fish – that was on the menu the night we were there. Items not typically found off the South Carolina coast are flown in daily.
Of course, tomatoes are a necessity for any Italian restaurant, and Sienna gets them fresh and local. After faithfully buying heirloom beauties such as the Cherokee purple tomato from Owl’s Nest Farm in Cross, SC, the farm decided to grow San Marzano tomatoes just for Sienna’s sauces.
Although the menu changes daily, some options might include local red snapper with fingerling potato salad and warm white balsamic tangerine vinaigrette or Berkshire pork in three preparations of saltimbocca, crispy cheek and scallopini.
Guests may choose two options the four-course tasting menu or the Chef’s Ultimate Tasting Menu, a seven-course option. A four-course meal is offered for about $59 ($79 with wine pairings), but all diners at the table much choose that option.
Desserts are something that should not be missed, especially the Ultimate Desert Tasting ($15) that gives diners a sampling of Chef Caitlin’s finest creations. Have a taste of chocolate mousse, and then move to a Nutella gelato, followed by a rice pudding with pine nut brittle and a moist cake with fruit drizzled on top. Sipping on a cappuccino while having your pick of sweet tastings is the perfect topper to the evening. (Updated October 2008) |
