Lenoir — Restaurant Review | Condé Nast Traveler

"What were your first impressions when you arrived? Although located in the Renaissance Charleston Historic Hotel , Lenoir has a definite presence on Wentworth Street anchored by a beautiful neon sign, as well as a definite presence in the Southern culinary landscape, as it is Chef Vivian Howard's first fine dining(ish) foray into Charleston. Enter the door, and a central bar with bright yellow chairs dominates the space, which is light filled with windows that reach almost to the floor. There's a lot of color, too, from the dark green booths to the patterned floor, but it all works together, anchored by familiar objects, from Howard's butterbean pan collection to Southern cookbooks on the bar. What’s the crowd like? It's true that many diners might make their way here based on Howard's PBS star status (she hosted A Chef's Life ), and so you will most assuredly hear someone ask "is she here tonight?" during their meal. And she often is. But other diners range from families with children to date nights to single diners at the bar who might be staying at the hotel. What should we be drinking? Cocktail names are a nod to Howard's rural, Eastern North Carolina upbringing with colloquial phrases including "Hissy Fit" and "Above Your Raisin'", and they are mainly fruit-forward, though the house martini with a pimento cheese stuffed olive is building a cult following. The wines are approachable and affordable with a few standout splurges, and beers are regional selections from Eastern North Carolina and the Lowcountry. In short, the beverage list is as anchored in place and storytelling as the rest of the menu. Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss. The menu is creative and satisfying, and yet elegant. There's a variety of small plates, a patty melt, melt-in-your-mouth green olive spread compound butter with the buttermilk rolls, and handmade pasta, all to please a variety of palates. And how did the front-of-house folks treat you? General Manager Jen Bresnahan ran the front of house team at Husk for a decade, and here she's already sure footed, helping all from the host to the kitchen run the evening smoothly. The rest of the team seems to take her lead, and although the tables often turn pretty quickly, no guest seems to leave harried and in a hurry, so diners can concentrate on what they came for: the food and the fun of experiencing it. What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here? Lenoir attracts a regular crowd, but tourists are in abundance (it's in a hotel after all). Here, some families will enjoy themselves as easily as those on a romantic weekend, and solo diners have an easy home at the roomy bar." - Stephanie Burt