Delicious highlights from an unusual Charleston Restaurant Week
- Steven Keith
- 4 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Despite getting off to a snow-induced slow start last Monday, Charleston Restaurant Week picked up speed within a few days, with most places up and running with their special menus by last Wednesday – although Sam’s Uptown Café wasn’t able to offer their menu until Friday.
Due to the late start, several restaurants extended their specials into the middle of this week, with Sam’s running its Restaurant Week menu through this Friday.
I’ve been able to make it out to five places so far and am happy to report I enjoyed great food and service at every spot I visited.
Here’s a recap of my top dishes and experiences!
Black Sheep Burrito goes German
Taking inspiration from its sister Bahnhof WVrsthaus & Biergarten in Huntington, Black Sheep Burrito & Brews at 702 Quarrier St. in Charleston offered a Restaurant Week menu that swept us back to past vacations in Germany and Austria.
We enjoyed their mini kraut balls with a Thousand Island-like dipping sauce and pickled deviled eggs with a side of candied bacon.
We loved the tangy blackberry-balsamic compote and spiced cooked apples that accompanied a giant sous-vide pork chop and the jaw-droppingly large chicken schnitzel served with a “gravy train” trio of sauces: mushroom gravy, mustard cream sauce and peppercorn gravy.
Large, generously filled cream puffs in your choice of chocolate or banana capped off the European-flavored meal.
Although you might have expected tacos or other Southwest dishes on Black Sheep’s Restaurant Week menu, I love how they always shake things up to try something different when this celebration rolls around. They usually nail it, too.
Bricks & Barrels menu a homerun
It’s appropriate Bricks & Barrels sits behind the outfield at Go Mart Park on 1214 Smith St., because they absolutely knocked it out of the park executing this year’s Restaurant Week menu.
My youngest son and I not only enjoyed all six offerings last week, but were incredibly impressed with their quality and flavor. The jumbo jerk shrimp was zesty and plump, the creamy lasagna noodle soup is something I’ll now be attempting at home and both entrees were quickly gobbled up.
Our CAB Prime filet medallions topped with cowboy butter were cooked to a tender, juicy, perfect mid-rare.
And while the other offering was not a traditional carbonara with a slightly thicker pasta and guanciale (salt-cured pork jowls or cheeks), it was still a well-executed and generously portioned creamy pasta with a large sliced crispy chicken breast atop angel hair with a mound of big bacon crumbles.
The Fort’s pork shank was on lock
After hearing readers rave about Restaurant Week offerings at The Fort Bar & Grill, I popped into the neighborhood sports-ish bar at 100 Cantley Dr. at the base of Fort Hill and was able to score a single seat at the bar.
After sipping a marvelously smooth Sazerac, I enjoyed a flavor-packed roasted pear and blue cheese mixed-green salad with candied walnuts and house red-wine vinaigrette, then later inhaled the textbook-perfect crème bruleé that capped off my meal.
But the real star of the night came between those two dishes.
The Fort’s slow-braised roasted pork shank was not only Flintstone-large, but it was also so gloriously tender and juicy that it easily fell off the bone. Served with cheddar-whipped potatoes, rich pan jus and roasted rainbow carrots that were just a tad undercooked, it was a wonderfully hearty meal for a frigid winter night.
Ristorante Abruzzi leans into the greens
Who knew a James Beard-nominated chef known for exquisite pastas and fresh seafood would bowl me over with … a salad?
We met friends at Ristorante Abruzzi at 601 Morris St. inside GoMart Ballpark for a Friday night feast to enjoy every plate on the restaurant’s special menu. The braised short rib raviolo with Hernshaw Farms mushroom demi-glace and salt-cured egg yolk was unctuous and the blood orange panna cotta with almonds was a gorgeous work of edible art on a plate.
But it was the Cesare Sulla Neve with kale, Caesar dressing, Pecorino Romano and pangrattato (cheesy garlic herb breadcrumbs) that’s still on my mind days later. The greens were crisp, the dressing creamy and those breadcrumbs offered a satisfying salty crunch with every bite.
Paulie’s does what Chef Paul does
And, of course, our new favorite Paulie’s Fine Italian at 915 Bridge Rd. was dependably strong with a lineup of popular dishes from their regular menu offered at discounted prices last week.
We tucked into a cozy corner table for bowls of savory meatballs over creamy polenta and tomato gravy, “Sunday Ribbons” (pappardelle pasta with beef gravy and Parmesan) and lobster and bowties pasta with sherry cream, tarragon and breadcrumbs.
Add a splurge-worthy slice of tiramisu cheesecake with espresso, mascarpone and a crunchy ladyfinger garnish and it was another flawless effort from Charleston’s James Beard-winning Paul Smith.
Pro tip! In addition to a basket of plain white Italian bread served at the start of the meal, you can also now splurge $2 more to have it transformed into warm, buttery garlic toast.
Splurge away, my friends, it’s so worth it.
Last chance at Sam’s Uptown Café
And if you still want to squeeze in another Restaurant Week reservation before this year’s celebration ends, it’s not too late!
As I mentioned above, Sam’s Uptown Café at 28 Capitol St. is running its menu through this Friday, while supplies last. Your menu options there include …
Appetizers: Crab salad nachos with pineapple-papaya pico, avocado crema, frisee slaw and smoked-butter snow; or duck sausage on bone marrow crostini with brie, caramelized onion and balsamic glaze
Entrees: Chicken thigh and corn cake with shitake spinach beurre blanc, whipped rutabaga, honey-glazed baby carrots and corn brittle; or surf and turf with a proprietary blend of elk meatball, Kobe beef and Berkshire pork cheek served with a potato cake, fried oyster and eggplant croutons, all on a bed of rich vodka sauce
Desserts: Milk chocolate terrine with Grand Marnier sauce, buttercream, shortbread crumble and toasted coconut flakes; or maple crème bruleé with stewed apples, candied pecan granola and cinnamon Chantilly
To make a reservation, call the restaurant at 304-346-6222.
What were your Restaurant Week favorites?
I know the weather threw a whammy in some Restaurant Week plans, but I’d love to hear your favorite highlights of the week!
Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest as “WV Food Guy.” He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.