Charleston Grill at Charleston Place

Book excerpt: Fusing South Carolina lowcountry cooking and his own French-influenced technique, Chef Bob Waggoner creates contemporary and sophisticated new Southern haute cuisine at his award-winning Charleston Grill using seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. From Grilled Okra with Maitre d Butter, to Grilled Corn Soup with Pork Cracklings, Smoked Bacon, and Micro Thyme, to Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Galette in a Lime, Pear Tomato, and Avocado Salsa, Waggoner brings home the sophistication and elegance of The Charleston Grill. Praise for Executive Chef Bob Waggoner: Food and Wine's "Reader's Favorite Chef in North America" Award (1999) Featured Chef at the James Beard Foundation Best Hotel Chefs of America Award (1999) 1999 James Beard Rising Stars of the 21st Century Saveur magazine's "100 Favorite Things" (2000) James Beard Foundation Best Chef, Southeast Nominee (2003) "The Charleston Grill feels like a splurge. There's a sybaritic message in its shiny green marble floor and dark wood paneling, in the interior courtyard overgrown with lush Southern flora, and above all in the deeply serious 800-bottle wine list with 28 Champagnes. Anyone missing the point would discover it very quickly when reading the menu, which is designed to ravish . . . " -The New York Times "This is where you go for Charleston's most assured and accomplished food. Presented in a swank dining room decked out with colorful folk art, Chef Bob Waggoner's cuisine summaries just how far the city's restaurant scene has come in the past 20 years." -Wine Spectator