Sunday, January 21, 2018

Circa 1886
Located in the carriage house at the Wentworth Mansion

     There's a reason that Circa 1886 remains in my top three best restaurant experiences in Charleston, and that reason is service.  It of course goes without saying that the food at Circa 1886 is unsurpassed locally in quality, flavor, and presentation.  But it is the service, the unparallelled attention to detail by the staff, that brings me back to this restaurant over and over again.   Even when our usual waitor, Charles, is busy with other tables, he always stops by our table to say hello.  And Kaitlyn steps right in to give Charles a run for his money in the favorite waitstaff department, a win-win for anyone lucky enough to have either as their server.
     Reservations are needed, but the staff will put you on a wait list if the restaurant is already booked.  I have always received a call and a table when this happens.  We have a favorite table, and never have a problem with it being reserved for us.  The bar staff are fun and creative, especially nice for me, a non-drinker, as they create new, delicious mocktails for me each time.  My favorite contains ginger beer and lime juice and is served in a copper mug.
     Whether it be at one of their many themed dinners, Blue Jeans and Burgers, Bourbon and Bacon, or the Dickens Dinner, the menu is varied, changes often, and includes something to please everyone.  Chef Marc Collins never disappoints.  On a recent visit, our server Kaitlyn suggested the Piedmontesse Beef and the Heritage Pork Belly.  My dining partner was leaning towards the Cider Brined Chicken (excellent) and the Wedge Salad, but took Kaitlyn's advice and was happy that he did.  The pork belly, lean with a rich, smoky flavor, was served over butter beans, fried peanuts, and yazu apple butter.  The beef dish was presented with pureed foie gras, hominy, fingerling potatoes, and a vidalia onion, each flavor complementing the perfectly prepared meat.  
     My appetizer was a favorite, the Chevre and Beets, three types of chilled beets served with greens and spiced pecans.  A pour-over of goat cheese veloute blended the beet juices into a lovely cream sauce.  For fun, I ordered the Broken Arrow Antelope and I was not disappointed.  The meat was tender, prepared medium-rare as the chef suggested, with smoked blackberry barbecue sauce, an apt flavor complement to the meat.
     After coffee and a double espresso, we tried two new desserts, the Pumpkin Souffle and the Caramel Apple Cake.  The souffle was light as air and the apple cake had a delicate sponge.  As a treat, our server brought us a third dessert, the Circa 1886 Smores, which the pastry chef has tweaked,  improving the toasted marshmallow and increasing the amount of graham crumbs surrounding the chocolate cake and house-made graham cracker.
     We here in Charleston are lucky to have many fine restaurantd, which I take advantage of on a regular basis.  Whether you want barbecue (Rodney Scott's and Lewis's) or biscuits (Callie's Hot Little Biscuit) or mussels and frites (Rue de Jean), there is always somewhere wonderful to find them.  But when I want delicious, creatively-prepared, locally-sourced food, served on white tablecloths by the best waitstaff in the business, I recommend Circa 1886.
     

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