Michael S.
Yelp
This wasn't a good night at Laurel. The chef was traveling and it showed up in the kitchen with the food they served. The whole market fish was good but not outstanding compared to previous occasions and at $42 it's VERY EXPENSIVE given it no longer comes with an accompaniment. Same with the pork as it was accompanied by saffron rice. Other finer restaurants like Magnolias, High Cotton, Le Farfalle, Royal Tern etc, serve up the market seafood special with rice, a succotash. We had to order the $9 saffron rice hiking the price to $51. And for $9 you don't get much rice. That's asking too much for sea bass and it wasn't as good this time. The saffron rice has always been a showstopper but tonight it was very dry with less saffron flavor.
But the worst was the lamb "saddle" cut of meat that we were told by our server would be extremely tender and flavorful. Instead, my wife gets a plate of inedible connective tissue (tendons, ligaments, cartilage) and fat that neither I nor her could cut through. This lamb should have never left the kitchen. Maybe that's why they called the lamb cut of meat a "saddle" because it was like leather. I literally walked up to the open kitchen and told the server and chef that the lamb was inedible. My wife promptly ordered a substitute pork entree that was tasty but the portion was quite small for the price and cut of meat. By the time it was served to her, she ate alone as I couldn't wait any longer to let my fish entree go cold.
The kicker was the bill. While the server was friendly and attentive, no adjustment was made to our bill to recognize we were dining together but had to eat separately. No offer for a complimentary dessert or cocktail. Nothing. I will not return until the chef returns and our server Julian is there to serve better food and take care of its customers. I use to recommend Laurel to friends but won't anymore. It's pricey due to a la carte entrees and has inconsistent food.
The positives of the night were the excellent bread, pear cocktail and friendly server. It will be a while before we return. Better, more consistent food quality at other Charleston restaurants that offer a far better value than this a la carte menu.