There are not enough positive adjectives to describe our visit to McCrady's restaurant tonight....I'll begin with the gracious hostesses and wait staff.  When we arrived, the hostess mentioned that they had noted my request for comfortable seating, due to my slight disability, and had two possible tables for us.  I was so pleased by their thoughtfulness and attention to detail.  This was the first restaurant to seat me in a comfy location after I noted my physical issues on my Open Table reservation request.  We chose an intimate table for two in their bar area, a subdued, softly lit area beside a two story bar/ wine cellar.  The booth area had a beautiful barrel ceiling and  soft cushions and pillows.  Our server, Claire, was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, giving us detailed descriptions of many menu items.  

As this is Charleston Restaurant Week, McCrady's offers 3 courses for $40.00 or 4 courses for $60.00- we chose 3 courses, beginning with the Charleston Stone Crab and Soft Poached Farm Egg.  The stone crab was served salad-style, with bibb lettuce, wild onions and grilled lemon.  There was just enough of a hint of lemon to be pleasing, but not overpowering.  The poached egg was cooked in the shell for close to 60 minutes, creating a creamy yellow yolk, surrounded by a white foamy sea of flavors- courgettes, Bonito and kimchee.  The result was a subtle blend of flavors- smooth and light.

For our meat course, we chose the Duo of Kathadin Lamp and the Thornhill Farms Chicken, per Claire's recommendation.  My husband's lamb was perfectly cooked, med-rare, tender and flavored with fennel and elderberries.  It tasted the way lamb should taste, and wasn't overpowered by the seasonings.

My Thornhill Farms Chicken was better than any chicken dish I have eaten in Charleston.  It was roasted skin-on, crispy, moist inside, served over pumpkin vines and topped with a dark meat juice that had an aroma that enhanced  the taste.  House-made sausage accompanied the chicken, which I dipped in local apricot puree.  The chestnuts served with the dish were roasted just enough- not too soft and still nutty in texture.  

Our server, Claire, suggested the Apple and Oat cake for our dessert course, served with green apple ice cream.  It's taste was better than your grandmama's apple crisp, turned up a notch by the ice cream.  Perfect.  I tried the Chocolate Pots de Creme, with powdered peanutbutter and vanilla mascarpone- a little bit of chocolate heaven!  I ate tiny, tiny bites, to make it last longer- it was creamy, smooth and mixed  chocolate and peanutbutter without blurring the flavors.  We finished with delicious french press coffee.  This could be our new favorite restaurant, which is a hard choice to make in a city that offers so many dining gems.  Hats off to McCrady's.