Suzy Castelloe taking over as chef de cuisine from her longtime mentor Michelle Weaver
(Left to right) Flounder a la plancha; Venison medallions.
Charleston Grill
For more than a generation, Charleston Grill has been one of the city’s white-tablecloth stalwarts. As the anchor of The Charleston Place hotel, it’s the kind of restaurant locals look to for a special evening out. Now, with last year’s change of hands to Beemok Hospitality Collection, the icon has emerged from an interior redesign and a passing of the torch in the kitchen with Suzy Castelloe taking over as chef de cuisine from her longtime mentor Michelle Weaver.
Gone are the walnut-wood paneled walls, chartreuse chairs, and Deco-inspired bar. In their place, local design pros Gregory Blake Sams and Athelie Derse turned to a palette of golden yellows and ochres offset by large-scale paintings by abstract artist Raven Roxanne. Plush booths are tucked into candlelit alcoves, and the forest-green lacquered bar awaits anyone without a reservation. The contemporary dining room, configured around a courtyard with mature trees lit by twinkling grapevine orbs, emanates warmth from the get-go. The effect, as one server put it, is “grown-up treehouse,” which seems spot-on—if said treehouse had live jazz and an epic Champagne list.
(Left to right) The renovated dining room; Moroccan carrot soup.
The menu, too, has changed, but not nearly as radically. Like Weaver, Castelloe leans into Lowcountry flavors and French technique with global flourishes here and there. A tray of ACE Basin oysters, heavenly on their own, are next-level with a few drops of a merlot mignonette. Medallions of tender venison in a Madeira reduction and a flounder a la plancha with brown butter and capers are both delights, as is a Moroccan carrot soup, its lushness cut by the tangy pop of pomegranate seeds.
Meanwhile, the room’s seamless service remains unchanged from the days of beloved GM Mickey Bakst (sans his winning personality, of course). Super attentive, friendly—but not overly so—and utterly unpretentious, the staff made an ordinary Sunday night feel nothing less than magical. charlestonplace.com/dining
