The restaurant reminded me of a large, elegant dining room in a stately southern mansion. Palm ceiling fans slowly turned and the sounds of a live jazz ensemble spilled into the main dining room. As we were taken to our table I admired the heart pine floors and antique brick. We were seated at a nice table that overlooked East Bay Street and began to look through the menu.
We were quickly greeted by a bus boy offering us water, followed by a lovely server who was very helpful and knowledgeable about the menu. She helped steer us to the evening?s Charcuterie offering and described each and every item that we would be served. She even told us her favorite, a very spicy dry-cured sausage that was to become our favorite too!
Though the restaurant would get somewhat busy while we were there when we first arrived, it was quite slow. Needless to say that our Charcuterie arrived in no time. The house-made dry-cured sausages, hams, pates, mustards, pickles and green beans were delicious. They were served with warm, crispy, toasted slices of bread, or we had additionally had the option to try the items with the piping hot rolls that had been served to the table a little earlier. Our server checked back to see if we were enjoying everything and then again to take our dinner order.
I ordered one of the evenings special?s which was a tile fish that was topped with shrimp and served with purple potatoes and arugula. Missing Maine lobster from New England my husband ordered the Grilled Petit Filet and Butter-Poached (Non-New England) Lobster Tail.
Our meals arrived in no time and they looked great! My tile fish was a light white fish that was complemented nicely with sliced purple potatoes that had been tossed with arugula. Although the picture doesn?t show it, the color combo was visually appealing. The meal was very tasty but unfortunately, my grilled shrimp were undercooked. When our server came to check on us, she quickly took them away to replace them.
My husband?s filet and lobster was terrific. His filet was cooked perfectly and his very small lobster tail was sweet and tender. His dish was served with a corn flan that was delicious.
Before I knew it, our server was back at the table apologizing for the shrimp error and replacing my shrimp. Sadly, I must report another sad shrimp tale. The new shrimp on the block were also undercooked. That was okay as the rest of the meal was filling and the service was honestly over the top.
Although the restaurant?s food and service was really very good, the atmosphere was a tad sedate for me and I probably will check out other restaurants in the Charleston area before returning. This is not to dissuade anyone from visiting High Cotton as my bet would be that you would enjoy it.
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