I had the privilege of dining at Magnolias in Charleston, SC on Saturday evening. The experience was quite good...
The decor is very attractive, contemporary Southern, with ample table space and attractive table settings. The staff is very cordial and well versed on the menu and special items for the day. The wine list is adequate with a great mix of high end and quality less expensive wines. The overall atmosphere is comfortable and not intimidating at all. My girlfriend and I sampled as much as possible. Here is the review: Scale of 1-10, 10 being orgasmic
Cocktails:
Stoli Martini with olives - her 9
Oban Single Malt rocks with twist - me 9
Course one:
Down South Eggroll - her
Stuffed with kale, tasso, chicken served with red pepper puree
spicy mustard sauce and peach chutney
Stuffing was too sweet, not as savory and rich in smokiness
from the tasso as hoping. Too much sauce on the plate but
rated 8.
Blackened Green Tomatoes with Cheddar Grits - me
Great variation of a Southern favorite, Fried Green Tomatoes,
I am glad I tried this dish. The tomatoes were slightly spicy
tangy. The grits were great but I still enjoy the Fried version
more. Rated 8
Course Two
Grilled Portobello Mushroom - her
Layered with Fresh tomato, avocado, Goat cheese, shaved
The mushroom was great, very clean rich flavor that was
complimented very well by the goat cheese and fresh tomato
but too much avocado and the tomato chutney was way to
sweet. Alot on the plate, could've been a meal in itself.
Rated 7
Smoked shrimp & Scallop Salad - me
with parmesan fried oysters, saffron & dill dressing
The oysters were fabulous and the dressing was very nice.
The lettuces were crisp and shrimp & scallops smoked very
well. Rated 9
Course 3:
Coriander Crusted Ahi Tuna - her
with potato cake, greens and jalepeno & Mango salsa
The Tuna was overcooked, ordered MR came out Medium,
and was not appealing. The tuna was seasoned well but dry
and tough. The potato cake was very flavorful but merely warm
and the greens were to sweet, like in the eggroll. The Salsa
very good, light and zippy. It would have been much better with
properly cooked piece of fish. Rated 6
Wasabi Glazed Tuna with Mushroom Risotto and Vegetable Slaw
The tuna was cooked MR, as ordered but was still tough. The
risotto was flavorful but not creamy, almost broken-like. The
glaze was not bad, but reminded me of wasabi and duck
sauce. Not what I had envisioned from Magnolias. The
vegetable slaw was good but not exciting. Rated 7
Wine
Santa Margherite Pinot Grigio, 1996 - Rated 9
Dessert:
Apple Brown Betty - her
Very disappointing! Dry and barely any apples. Very flat
flavor. Rated 3
Magnolias Warm Cream Cheese Brownie - me
with White Chocolate Ice Cream
WOW!!!!!!!! That what the best. Exactly as expected and
better. The brownie was like a Black Bottom, topped with
ice cream that had chunks of white chocolate. Caramel sauce
and mocha fudge sauce on the plate. Rated 10
Overall the experience was very enjoyable. I recommend it if you are in the area. [email removed]Charleston, SC