Monday May 12 2008

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Oak Steakhouse
Charleston, South Carolina
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OAK STEAKHOUSE
17 Broad Street
Charleston, SC 29401
843/722-4220
www.oaksteakhouserestaurant.com

Dinner:  Monday – Saturday, 5 – 11 pm
Food: Service:

Reviewed by: BeBe King


Chef Brett McKee

In a previous review of dining in Charleston, we commented on our surprise at finding such an extraordinary number of outstanding restaurants there.  Then we started to notice that the food and wine magazines are way ahead of us in noting this phenomenon.  Charleston is a charming, historic city with many sights and tours to delight visitors.  And then a further tour of its many first class restaurants is a must!

Beautiful Oak Steakhouse Restaurant

One of these is the Oak Steakhouse, located in a 150 year old bank building in Charleston’s French Quarter.  It has been recipient of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and the AAA Diamond Award.  In keeping with its name, Chef Brett McKee speaks steak and steak and steak and he does it with an Italian accent.  

As an appetizer, we had an over-the-top wonderful Italian Gorgonzola Fondue with Applewood bacon, fried potato skins, Granny Smith apples, bread sticks and ciabatta.  It is impossible to decide which of those diverse accompaniments paired best with the silky fondue.  A delicious Steak Tartare of filet mignon included julienne cucumber.  A memorable Baby Spinach Salad was dressed with truffle bacon vinaigrette and included crumbled prosciutto di Parma and a fried goat cheese patty.  The Oysters on the Half Shell were served with both the traditional horseradish cocktail sauce and red wine vinegar.  Carpaccio of Beef garnished with shaved black truffles, Parmigiano Regianno and arugula sprouts would have benefited from the addition of some oil.

Marinated 36 ounce Bone In Rib-eye

For our main courses, we all chose steak:  filet mignon, steak au poivre or New York Strip.  A selection of sauces was offered with the steaks and we sampled Foie Gras Truffle Butter, Bearnaise Sauce, Balsamic BBQ Sauce and Sauce Choron, all of which were excellent.  In addition to eight steaks, Oak Steakhouse offers Lamb, Veal, Pork, Fish and Crab entrées and a 17 ounce Burger.

We shared several side dishes:  a yummy Rosemary and Parmesan Potato au Gratin, Collards with Bacon and Roast Brussels Sprouts with a disconcertingly sweet brown sugar sauce.  And we had to try Chef McKee’s signature Lobster Macaroni and Cheese, which is marvelous.

For dessert, we shared Chocolate Indulgence, a six layer devil’s food cake with chocolate butter cream finished with chocolate genache.  In addition, we had Brett’s Mother’s Cheesecake with Berry Compote and a fresh Berry Cobbler with Ice Cream.  All were delicious.

Bank Vault Wine Cellar

The wine cellar at Oak Steakhouse is lodged in the bank vault, which was discovered when the building was being restored.  From it we sampled bottles of an intriguing Domaine Chandon Etoile Rosé Champagne and, in keeping with the Italian theme, a Barbaresco Pio Caesere 2003.

The young wait staff is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and charming.

The first floor of Oak Steakhouse houses a bar and open kitchen.  Dining rooms of various sizes are located on the second floor.  The bank that formerly occupied this site must have been incredibly elegant.  Wood-burning fireplaces abound.  Eighteen foot ceilings, arched windows, mahogany paneling and the original heart of pine floors have been lovingly restored. We were particularly struck by the chandeliers, which are decorated with glass beads and ribbons.  Altogether the décor adds warmth and charm to a first class dining experience.

Oak Steakhouse's Chef Brett McKee doing his thing

SHEM CREEK

An important gastronomic fact one needs to know when visiting the Charleston area is that Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant is home port to a large fleet of shrimp boats.  Informal restaurants line the creek on both sides and they specialize, of course, in shrimp and other seafood and also serve meat and chicken entrées, sandwiches, salads, etc.  If you’re lucky enough to be staying with friends, after you’ve eaten, seek out the purveyors of shrimp, which abound on Shem Creek, and take some home with you.

We had lunch at Water’s Edge (1407 Shrimp Boat Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC; 843-884-4074), which serves lunch and dinner seven days a week.  We arrived in an ordinary automobile, but had we owned a boat, we could have docked at the restaurant.  While contemplating the menu, we ordered a Baked Crab Dip of crabmeat, spinach, artichoke hearts and cream cheese that was delicious.  Mussels are a family favorite at Water’s Edge.  A Seafood Pasta with fresh fish, shrimp and scallops with one’s choice of marinara, spicy cream or Alfredo sauce was excellent as were the Crab Cake BLT served on Texas toast with curried Remoulade sauce and the Grilled Mahi Club served on herb ciabatta bread with bacon, smoked Gouda cheese, chipotle mayonnaise and guacamole.  Almost every table at the indoor dining room has a view of the water and there is a large deck for al fresco dining in good weather.
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