Tristan Dining Review . . . We met about 7:30 PM on a
Saturday evening intent on indulgence. The
five of us took in the surroundings trying to
characterize the décor. The word
"Wonka-esque" came up in the conversation. We
enjoyed the surroundings. The room was not
full, and the noise level was reasonable, in
spite of the open kitchen. Each course was
presented and delivered with care, typically
involving several servers, well timed. The
She Crab soup was brought out, starting with
a bowl with a morsel of crab meat about the
size of a half dollar. The server poured the
soup out of something like a gravy boat. I
didn't try the house salad, but my friend
Stephanie did. She was as delighted with her
choice as I was with the Caesar. Simply
prepared, as several bibs of romaine hearts,
each carefully painted with dressing. I'm not
a fan of anchovies, so the fried white
anchovy went undiscovered.
Sadly, I had never really tried lamb before
and so chose the lamb ribs, hickory smoked,
with chocolate barbecue sauce as my appetizer
choice. They were nicely charred and moist.
The sauce sweetly unique. I tried my wife,
Cara's crab cake. It was very crabby, lightly
seasoned, and just enough other ingredients
to hold it together on the plate. My friend
Trae considers himself a competent crab cake
authority and offered his stamp of approval.
I also tried a bite of the Osso Buco which
was quite good. My first experience with Osso
Buco.
At this point, I could have left with my
appetite quite satisfied, but on with blessed
excess. I had ordered the Tomhawk Ribeye,
aptly named with its 12 inch rib bone. My
dinner friends galked and commented on its
size, daring me to finish it. Pat Sadjak was
sitting behind me, so I was not the witness,
but was told that he did pick up the bone to
complete his task. Trae dared me to ask him
what he thought of his steak, but I decided
to maintain my dignity. It's just not cool to
interrupt a man's dinner, only to satisfy my
group's craving of celebrity contact. And I'm
just not that introverted. Had I had a couple
glasses of wine, I would have probably taken
the dare, but as I was drinking San
Pelligrino, my inhibitions remained. Maybe if
I'd had a Rock Star energy drink before
dinner, I might have gathered up the courage.
There was a seafood choice Trae tried called
butter fish for it's high fat content and
rich taste. A solid choice. Well worth a try,
especially if bored with the typical choices
of grouper or mahi. Oh, I don't want to
forget. The vegetable accompaniment with my
steak was very enjoyable. I had to ask the
waiter what it was. I though I remembered
something about Brussel sprouts and was
correct. They were Brussel sprout leaves,
sauted in butter. Very nice.
Finally, on with the dessert. I really like
crem brulae, but three of us ordered it and I
wanted to offer a broader commentary. Trae
asked the water what was his favorite to
which he replied the cheese cake. It had
"beet" somewhere in the name. I don't like
beets, but trusted that a cheese cake dessert
with beets would taste nothing like the
product my grandmother forced me to eat when
I was 8. And I was correct. No beet
taste…thankfully. Just sweet rich
delight. I especially appreciated the texture
of the graham cracker crust…so moist
and sweet. I need to rewind a moment. In
between appetizer and my monster steak, we
were offered an intermezzo…I don't
remember the name of the fruit but it was
exotic and oriental, fruit sorbet, we all
agreed was packed with flavor for such a
small morsel.
We've all tried many of Charleston's popular
and excellent restaurant choices and agreed
that Tristan is easily comparable with
Charleston's best, and one of the few
contemporarily designed choices. All of the
choices delivered solid performances,
creative without going over the top. The
facility, the staff, and the food all get top
scores. Sadly, the room wasn't full, possibly
due to Tristan's less than ideal location.
It's a bit hidden, even though it has a
Market St. Address. It's somewhat dwarfed by
the French Quarter Inn. You'll have no
trouble finding it. From Meeting St., turn
left on Market. Turn right on Church and left
before you get to Tommy Condon's. Don't be
concerned about parking. Valet parking is
available.
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