"Drawing" up another Charleston Restaurant Week

Another year and another Charleston Restaurant Week in the books. Y'all know how much i love Charleston and its food, so let me tell you the place I dined at this time was out of bounds good! 

Nestled down near Waterfront Park in the Historic District of downtown Charleston sits the Vendue Hotel. With a perfect rooftop bar and even better restaurant downstairs, this is a location you can't miss! Sitting off the main lobby at the Vendue Hotel is the Drawing Room. An elegant, quaint restaurant, this is one of Charleston's best kept secrets. Now by taking one look at this place, you would think you needed to dress up, but let me tell you that you don't have to and consider this "Charleston casual." 

Now the three of us were seated at a table and handed the special Charleston Restaurant Week menu and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. To start the meal off, we were presented with an amuse bouche or in the english version appetizer. Served on a cracker, similar to a Triscuit, was a chilled bruschetta. Now for those of you who don't know what an amuse bouche is, I'll share with you. It is a french word meaning "mouth amuser" and it is supposed to be something that is to be eaten in one to two bites and lets you have an insight to the chef's approach to the art of cuisine. 

Now after enjoying this part of the meal, we browsed the menu for our starter course and entree. As all of you have learned, I have a very tough time making decisions (so I was smart and looked at the menu ahead of time). To start I ordered the Pan Fried Quail and for my entree I chose the Carolina Rice Pirlou. Wanna see how it turned out? Well keep reading, you know I am one to keep you waiting :)

So pictured to the right is my started course of Pan Fried Quail with King trumpet mushrooms. I love trying foods I don't have all the time/ never have had, so this was one I couldn't wait for. Topped with bacon and sitting in its own au ju, this starter was the perfect way to kick off restaurant week. One bite into the quail, you would have thought you were eating fried chicken. Complete your bite with some of the mushrooms and au ju and you just had yourself one heck of a good bite. Let me just tell you that this was gone in a matter of a few minutes... because yes everyone it was that good! If you are hesitant about trying quail, I recommend you coming here to the Drawing Room and trying it out, you will totally change your mind about not liking it! Shortly after finishing this we were presented with a little palate cleanser. Chilled quinoa salad with raw vegetables.  Definitely the perfect palate cleanser after that awesome starter course!

Now comes the main course... the Carolina Rice Pirlou. Pictured to the right, it was plated so appealing that I almost didn't want to eat it at first, but then my mouth was watering and I knew I could only snap a quick picture before i dove in. Shrimp, grouper, lobster, and scallops all served over a good serving of rice; this is any seafood lovers dream. My favorite seafood in that entire dish was how the grouper was prepared. Just by looking at this picture, I could go for another serving right now and it is only 11am. Now if you are not a seafood person, don't worry they have other options. If I may suggest, I would recommend the braised short ribs. They looked so good and if my entree was not on the menu, that would have been something I would have chosen. 

Okay enough about the main course... I have been dying to share with you dessert. I love dessert and that is something I do not try and hide, so this dessert took my by surprise and wasn't what I was expecting but still really good. To end this awesome meal at one of my new favorite Charleston dining locations, I ordered the Blueberry Clafoutis; topped with fresh blueberries and powdered sugar, I couldn't have chosen a better dessert to end my night. 

Now when i thought of a Clafoutis, I thought it was going to be a sort of light, airy cake; but nope I was completely off. This was a cold custard like dessert filled with fresh blueberries and topped with powdered sugar. At first I was kind of disappointed because I was looking for a cake of some sorts, but this actually was the perfect ending. It cleansed the palate after a very filling meal and I got a little bit of sweetness from the powdered sugar on top. 

So have I made your decision on your next meal choice in Charleston? I sure hope so! The next time you are wondering where to go for a good meal, sweet treat or homemade recipe, come right here and this southern girl will take care of you.

Remember: Missy's Munchies is the munchies fix to help your munchies kicks!