Charleston, 2014 James Beard Award Finalist - Great Expectations

I had to check out the Charleston. Charleston's Chef, Cindy Wolf, was the only woman in the Mid Atlantic Best Chef  finalist category and she had been nominated twice before. I sent a text to my pal Bebe to see if she would be interested in visiting. Bebe responded affirmatively immediately. I like dining with Bebe because her sense of taste is amazing, she likes exploring cuisines, and she has a discerning eye for presentation.  As the date of the visit grew closer I told friends about my excitement and the great expectations  I had about dining at Charleston.

The dining gods looked out traffic me the day of the visit, I navigated through rush hour traffic from Virginia to Baltimore well enough to arrive early.  I opted to sit at the bar and wait for Bebe. The  bar area speaks of quiet sophistication. - gleaming counters, comfy looking chairs.  I ordered a glass of Brut Rosé  while I waited. Bebe arrived and tried the Rosé as well after a moment of hesitation.  This Brut  Rosé was light, crisp, with a slightly dry finish. Bebe nodded and smiled after her initial taste. A server brought us potato crisps accompanied with crème fraîche to enjoy with the Rosé.

As gentleman approached us and asked if we were ready for dinner. We were guided to the dining room and placed at a table with a direct view of the kitchen. I gave silent thanks to the dining gods!  The gentleman gave us an overview of the restaurant concept: multi course dinner, select the dish you would like for each course. He then asked us if we would like anything else to drink and told us the restaurant had an extensive wine cellar. It turns out we were talking to  Tony Foreman, Charleston's Wine Director and co-owner of Charleston.

We decided to try the four course meal.  An assortment of bread and creamy butter was brought to the table. A sharp smell crossed the table, disappeared, and returned. I thought I smelled mildew. I asked Bebe if she smelled something as well. She confirmed that she did and asked if: 1)  I wanted to change tables  or 2) it was possible that it was her cologne. I liked the view from the table and  didn't want to move.

Course 1

We both ordered the Rich Lobster Soup with Curry. The bowls arrived with arugula oil, curry oil and lobster meat already in the bowl.

 

rich lobster soup prep

The aromatic curry was tasty  with hints of cardamom and other spices. Bebe  didn't finish her soup because of the significant amount of lobster cartilage she found in the lobster meat in her soup. I didn't encounter cartilage in the lobster meat in my soup, some pieces were a bit chewy, perhaps overcooked.

rich lobster soup

 

Course 2
Bebe's golden beet salad appeared to hastily constructed; she frowned. The ingredients were good though - Vermont goat cheese, frisée and balsamic vinaigrette

golden beet salad

The spinach and blood orange salad looked good, but tasted like water (the spinach tasted as if it were  was either frozen or old). I asked if the salad could be replaced and asked for suggestions . The wild octopus salad was recommended.

spinach and blood orange salad

The wild octopus salad was amazing. The octopus is poached in wine  and then seasoned. For those who may be leery about trying octopus this salad is a wonderful introduction. The firm octopus has no 'fishy' taste  at all. The fava beans add a touch of color and additional earthiness to the salad.

wild octopus salad

Course 3
Bebe ordered the Rockfish with French Green Lentil Cream, Vidalia Onion Beignets. She shook her head in disapproval after the first bite and moved the plate to me. The Rockfish dish was a study in contrasts. To me, the French lentils were savory and  heavy (reminiscent of dal makhani or black eyed peas)  and competed with the  Rockfish.



Rockfish with French lentils

I tried ordered the Turbot with oyster and button mushroom fricassée, lemon beurre blanc. The sauce on the turbot  had a delightful popcorn butter like scent. The mushroom fricassee was tender.



turbot

Course 4
Bebe ordered the Buffalo tenderloin and followed our server's suggestion to get buffalo medium rare. The  buffalo dish that arrived  was overcooked and tasted like cube steak. Our server urged Bebe to send the dish back to be prepared again.



buffalo tenderloin

 I ordered the duck magret and followed our server's suggested in meat temperature. It also arrived cooked longer than requested. Rather than send another dish back, I shared the dish with Bebe.

duck

 

cheese service is available

 It was rather late in the evening, so we initially declined having dessert. Our  server informed us that dessert is included in the multi course experience and encouraged us to select an item that we could take with us.







The service was attentive, helpful and efficient. The bathrooms were clean and bright. As a fine dining establishment, the type of food delivery missteps that occurred was  disappointing to experience. I felt embarrassed because Bebe was present at my invitation and had encountered a very uneven dining experience. It seemed as if Bebe was reading my mind when she said to me near the end of the meal, 'I know you're disappointed, but you have no control over the meal'.  The mildew smell had returned. I took that as my cue to exit.

Single diner note:  Charleston has a two party minimum to make a reservation via OpenTable.

Valet parking is available. Metered off street parking is available and be forewarned, parking enforcement is active.

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