"There is a long hallway from Charleston's Cannon Street into the restaurant itself, and it's white and elegant with candles, so you could be forgiven for momentarily wondering if you've mistakenly entered a spa instead a restaurant. But round the corner and a marble bar with tall shelves dominates the high-ceilinged space and assures that you're in the right place after all. For a city that treats dining out as sport, Charleston has surprisingly few tasting menu experiences that allow chefs to take diners on a journey through flavor, texture, and presentation at their whimsy. Chef Orlando Pagan does so with a definite nod to the region's seafood and gilds it with luxurious flavors, from caviar to black truffle and foie gras in between. The dessert offerings are often points of pride for a team whose collaboration, which you can watch in the open kitchen, is like ballet." - Stephanie Burt
