Trust Thy Palate

When we first moved downtown in 2005, the area north of Calhoun known as "Upper King" was in its development infancy. I felt a rush of excitement when new entrepreneurs decided to roll the dice and open establishments closer and closer to the Crosstown. The Trusted Palate (http://www.thetrustedpalate.com) is one establishment that I have watched evolve with the neighborhood. 

And evolve it certainly has.

The first time I went inside and met Ian (the owner), there was no furniture or kitchen (in fact, there were no bathrooms either!) - just a large empty space surrounded by shelves of very good wines and walls of mirrors. And yes, mirrors - hand-made, antique mirrors to be exact - which were really cool.  The owner of the building had a mirror shop in the back and used Ian's wine store to display his product. You had to admit that it was pretty cool to sip fine wine and walk around looking at all the cool mirrors. So you see, back then, The Trusted Palate was just a wholesaler type-place where you could buy bottles of really cool wine - but if you talked to Ian (and he is always willing to converse with patrons), you knew the long range plan called for much more. 

The next several iterations of evolution involved the addition of furniture (the sofas, chairs, tables that you see today). Then came kitchen equipment and a menu with food (there was also another owner that came in the picture, but I think that ended as quickly as it started.) Then the mirror shop left and The Trusted Palate expanded to the entire bottom floor and added two bathrooms. (As a fellow renovator, I must give props to Ian for doing a lot of the reno work himself as well.) I should note that when the mirror shop left, the walls were repopulated with cool pieces of art from local artists. 

So there you have it - a history of The Trusted Palate in two paragraphs. And that history brings us to The Trusted Palate that we all know and love today. 

Great wine selection - Ian the owner, is a master of wine and has some kind of crazy doctorate in it and damn does he know his stuff. If you ask him to pick a bottle for you, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. They have also expanded into beer and have done a great job on the selection. Great atmosphere too - chairs are comfortable, the art is cool and the music is hip (although the word "hip" may not be anymore) - they do have live bands throughout the week (Wednesday-Saturday at 9PM). Bottom line is its a great place to kick back and enjoy a quality drink. Finally, the food. Good cheeses, olives and hommus - all things that go well with wine. 

So, just trust your palate and go - it won't be misplaced. 

It Really is Mystery Pizza

I would be remiss if I started a restaurant review blog and did not include one of my favorites in Charleston... D'Allesandro's Pizza in Elliotborough/Cannonborough. I know, I know... it's pizza, it's a college hang out, it's in the "developing" area of a city that is nationally known for it's choice of quality restaurants. But seriously - it is amazing (and rediculously reasonably priced).  

Beer is always a good place to start (words to live by and I am convinced that the PBR tastes better there than anywhere in the city.) Ordering wine is an interesting experience. Your choice is uh... red or white. But the best part is the glass that it comes in - if the option is decent wine, at least it comes in a generously filled tumbler! 

Follow with the Greek Salad, it's fresh and it's big. 

Next move on the pizza, which is super fresh and has a not too thin, not too thick crust. The choice of toppings is impressive. Some personal favorites include Supreme, Greek, It's Not Easy Being Green, Margharita, and you can't forget about the Chicken BBQ. If you are adventurous, get the Tara C., which is named for one of the original employees (cheers to you & Chris for getting it off on the right foot!). For goodnes sake, make sure you order a side of the tomato sauce (which you can buy a whole container of) - it is the stuff of legends. 

And most of all, let's not forget about the owners: Nick and Ben. They have been in the neighborhood since the early days when the area wasn't too... friendly. But they have stuck with it. The also put on an annual "Block Party" in Septemeber - this year's is in later September (thanks to the rains of Hanna). Some impressive break dancing at last year's event... need more be said?

Just go and try it - the VNOB gives thumbs up on this one. Yes, you might give the Mac dog look when you pull up in your BMW. Yes, you might get an odd look from some of the patrons at the local hang out across the street. Yes, you might get your leg whacked by the tail of the adorable Veschla/Lab mixpuppy sometimes tethered to the front pillar. But definately yes, you will leave a happy camper. 

Fuel Needs to Use Premium

UPDATE - Maybe someone from Fuel reads the VNOB? I visited again on Friday - got a table outside, prompt service, quality food - and bonus, it all arrived at the same time. I'll be going back again. 

Ok, I'll confess - this isn't going to be a totally objective opinion of Fuel because I live in the Elliotborough/Cannonborough and desperately want Fuel to succeed. But at the same time, I want to this to be a constructive message to the owners that they need to get their act together if they want to succeed. 

I have both dined and enjoyed many adult beverages at the establishment (which has an awesome outdoor patio) on several occasions and have both brought and recommended the place to several friends, but the experiences always have commmon thems: ok food (with the definate exception of the BBQ Buffalo Burger, the fish tacos and sweet potatoe french fries - which are orgasmic), slow service, and long waits for both food and drink. (I know, the last two are the same, but you get the point...). 

My latest visit was this past Saturday with a group of seven people. My girlfriend and I arrived about 15 minutes before the rest of the party and no one came out to even ask if we wanted a drink. Seriously, that has got to be the cardinal rule of the restaurant industry - you can be late seating me, you can take your sweet time bringing me food, but don't mess with my drink - especially not the first one when I am sober, thirsty and hot as hades! I am all for keeping things simple... just keep me buzzed and we'll get along just fine! 

Anyways, it then took at least 1 hour to bring us our food, and when they did bring it, they brought it in two separate waves - 4 people in the first wave and 3 people in the second. Ok, pardon me for ringing the sarcasm bell, but why do people go out to eat with friends? I'll give you a hint, it is not to watch them eat...

Then the icing on the cake. I asked the hostess to speak to the owner (because there is no sense in ever berrating the hostess or server when they clearly are at the mercy of the kitchen). However, this young lady made me feel my request was unreasonable. How hard is it to just say "Yes sir - I will go and get him for you." She insisted on discussing whether my situation warranted the attention of the owner. Huh? 

Well, I prevailed and the owner did come out, listened to our concerns, and asked what he could do to improve the situation. Snaps to him - he tried to make things right to the best of his ability, which I will give him credit for. But he did mention that that it was a busy night... Ok, I am no restaurant owner nor have I have ever worked in a restaurant (with the exception of that 1.5 year stint at the local McDonalds - that's another blog in itself), but we were able to score a reservation for 7 people outside at a downtown restaurant on a Saturday night (I thought we were lucky, but maybe the wisdom of the crowd as at work?) There were also several tables open when we arrived. So maybe the kitchen was understaffed or something, but it certainly didn't look like it was an overly busy night (especially compared with other nights). 

So, owners of Fuel, please fix your restaurant and refocus your team's effort on customer service. You guys have an awesome location with a great target demographic (and you know what they say about location), you are across the street from two of Charleston's other restaurant gems - Lana and Hominy Grill and a future pizza joint, you have a great theme (an old gas station converted into a restaurant called Fuel - are you kidding me?) , you did a phenomenal job renovating - the patio is awesome (did I mention that already?), the garage doors on the front that open remind me of swanky restaurants on St. Laurent in Montreal, and you have a neighborhood association rooting for you 110%. Don't let this opportunity pass when you are so close to perfection.