Tiramisu

A new little Italian has opened on the Island.  Pazzo is where the old La Famiglia was (which funny enough, that tosser from Alfred’s worked the room there...maybe THAT’S why it closed...ha!), sort of behind the Island institution Sante Fe.  The owners (also own Flavors on Pope Avenue) have expanded the interior.  The place has a nice buzz to it, charming checkered table cloths, casual Italian – bit more than a pizzeria.  The menu has all the classics – the Parmigiana’s, the lasagne’s, the eggplant’s – you get the idea.  Plus and few other fancier dishes.  There’s also an evening specials board, but our waiter forgot to tell us about that.  It’s only been open a month...so there were serving teething problems!  Nothing to do with rudness..at all...in fact everyone couldn’t have been nicer!  

  Now it’s not me (I swear) – this time I went to dinner with Luke, my son, Sophie, my daughter, and Elena and Ryan, friends of Luke and Sophie’s.  The serving problems stemmed from lack of attention, and I’m not talking about waiting a little too long to take an order.  It wasn't offensive, just perhaps curious.  I thought when the entrees came out we may have had to clear the table ourselves from our starters (I almost did).  There were a few guys “hanging” around, dressed in fancy chef’s jackets folding napkins while we were still playing twister with our plates. 

Sophie and Ryan ordered the Tortellini and Lasagna.  They were the best choices of all our entrees.

Ryan's Lasagne

  We all sampled each other’s and that was the table’s decision.  I had the Calamari to start then the Veal Parm (with the thought that I wanted to see how they did the “classics”). 

Calamari Fritti

The veal was more breading than veal and the marinara sauce was on the bland side.  It was served over a bed of angel hair in a bowl...to be honest; you couldn’t tell what was in the bowl.   Luke also had veal – rollatini – I liked it, he didn’t.  He thought it was bland and tough.  Elena started with a grilled pear salad then also had veal with Parma ham...she said she liked the way I made mine better (maybe she was just buttering me up?!?)  Her salad was huge! 

Grilled Pear Salad with Gorgonzola Cheese

So was Ryan’s portion of lasagna.  So while I hate to say this but we picked the wrong things and you shouldn’t have to say that about a restaurant...they should all be the right things or not on the menu...Si? 

Still juggling our stray ten plates, plus bread, we braved it and ordered desserts...a lot of them. 

Crème brulee, cheesecake, two canolis, and tiramisu...All fresh, made in house, delizioso and beautifully presented!

Again, the desserts came out en masse but at least this time there was back up and the extra set of hands cleared our dinner plates before we had canoli-marinara or tirami-veal. 

The table consensus was...definitely go there for desserts, molto buono.  While the service was dodgy (I’m putting that down to only being open for a month it was nothing even remotely as offensive as that idiot at Alfred’s!), we all decided we would go again, but stick to the pizza and pasta dishes.  It’s mid priced   So my initial thoughts remain the same, a bit more than a pizzeria a bit less then a “proper” full blown upscale give Michael Anthony’s a run for their money sort of place.  Overall...buono...they deserve a shot.  Oh and they are open for lunch.

Pazzo Italian Café

807 William Hilton Parkway

Plantation Center

Hilton Head Island, SC

843 – 842 - 9463

It pains me to do this.  It really does.  And here’s why...a hoity toity chef friend of mine, who has every single qualification, basis, grounds, raison d’etre to be very critical of his contemporaries, rarely is (I have only heard him utter one disparaging opinion about an eatery).  His reason being “They’re just trying to make a living and it’s a hard slog.”  I was taken a back at that since I expected there to be intense competition amongst chefs; scrutinizing every little aspect of a rival’s restaurant looking for any tiny crack in the establishment sniffing out anything that was rotten.  So keeping all that in mind, this is what I have to say. 

Alfred has been around for a long time.  He’ s been known on the Island for his sauces.  Terri absolutely adored her Roasted Chilean Sea Bass over mashed potatoes, fresh spinach with a chardonnay sauce. 

Chilean Sea Bass

Mic’s escargots were tender, velvety and not over powered by too much garlic.  When he FINALLY got the bread to mop up the rest of the sauce, well, he was satisfied and happy with his first course choice. 

 For those of us (being me and David) who had never visited Alfred’s when we FINALLY (see the trend?) were given the menu, we were able to see all that was offered.  The choices were varied, but not overwhelming, pretty straight forward, something for everyone without being fussy. When the Maitre d’ FINALLY got around to taking our order, he did so churlishly (pen tapping with a “come on” attitude). When he FINALLY remembered to fill our wine glasses, he dripped wine all over the table.  When we asked for another bottle, he stood there brandishing it and announced;  “I’ll just pour.”  Not a hint of an offer to taste it or even one clean glass.

 I went with the grilled veal chop special with a mushroom demi glace.  Now I’m not being snobby, but he didn’t even ask me how I would like my veal cooked... “Chef’s temperature?” I suggested since the look I got (both hands on hips now with an eye roll) was something of a cross between I didn’t hear you and how dare you speak to me.  I was told that it came out medium “what do you expect?” and that was pretty much that.  The veal chop was cooked on the rare side of medium, which I did end up asking for and almost flipped the guy the bird (but decided to write this instead with the blessings from my dinner partners). 

So, our entrees came.  Mic ordered the halibut special with a potato crust.  David selected the sea bass based on Terri’s rave review...but wait only three dishes came out along with the proclamation from our maitre d’ that “I forgot to place his order,” pointing one of his fifteen pens in David’s face (hand still on hip and no apology).  “It will be out in three minutes, you guys can start,” he said while waving his pen at the rest of the table... No kidding!  We all looked at each other and proceeded to feed David “tapas” from our plates.

 David’s sea bass did come out in three minutes and was returned to the kithchen for another six to eight.  When it came back, it was the same piece of fish, re-plated, and still no apology. 

 It’s a tiny restaurant seating about forty and on the bland side.  Tables basic, chairs bog standard, nothing comfy at all. 

Now, based on where I was sitting I saw our imbecile of a waiter knocking back a brewsky then using the towel slung over his shoulder to wipe his mouth then bald head.  A sight like that makes one’s mind wander...and not in a pleasant direction.

I’m not saying our plates weren’t cleaned by the time we were finished.  The portions were healthy without being gluttonous.  Having said that, the salads we had as starters were thrown on the plate, not long on presentation or inspiration, Terri and I had the Gorgonzola and Spring Mix, David the Beefsteak Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella and Basil.

I guess if you’re known for your sauces and German favorites, you can overlook a few lettuce leaves?  The waiter on the other hand?  I don’t think so.  I’ll never set foot in the place again. 

To sum it up, if you go, Alfred’s is a Pray Eat Leave kind of place.   Pray you don’t get the imbecilic, rude, boorish ass that we did.  Eat what’s known to be consistent food, then Leave!

P.S. Mr. Congeniality didn’t even offer to take David’s meal off our bill...not a sniff of remorse simply a condescending smirky smile when we left.  I actually begged the boys to leave an insulting tip if one at all.

A few weeks ago the Picky Palate reviewers (me, David H, Terri and Mic) ate at EAT!  It’s a relatively new restaurant in the former building that used to be Spice (the islands only short lived Indian restaurant.)  It’s a good space, very shee-shee for Hilton Head and the lounge is down right big city-ish.  There are absolutely stunning chandeliers over the bar area.  The website www.eathhi.com has great pictures and do the place and food justice. 

We went for Tapas that evening and as you will see below over ordered by a plate.  We all left comfortably full not stuffed.  The Tapas menu offers you a choice of three small plate for $3.00 off.   Now they do have a full menu you can pick from, but that wasn’t up our alley.  The food was good.  Not great...good.  The company was great!  No one was disappointed and each one of us thought that it’s one to keep on the “short list” of places to go.   Fun for a group.  We’ve all been there before and the food is consistent.

So this is what we had...

Tomato and garlic hummus – very good and the home made chips served with it very good...you can’t go wrong with homemade chips!

Duck confit spring rolls – again...anything deep-fried...just bring it on...the sauces made this one and it was the table favorite.

Mint basil pesto gnocchi – could have skipped that – very ordinary, bland and very luke warm when it was served. - sorry no pic

Fried Green Tomatoes – they looked good and tasted good.  David H, loved them

Tuna Tartar – Fresh and FAB

Beef short ribs with Asian glaze – very good, the boys loved them. Mic’s favorite

Beef sliders with brie and pickle – slightly on the medium well side, but still – it’s a slider and slide down very easily – again, big favorite for the boys

Foie gras – just enough for a little taste each.

Our wine experts (the two that actually know something about it rather than Terri and I who just know how to drink it) called the wine list uninspiring.  We settled on the Babcock, which was a nice chardonnay.

 The only slight UGH we decided was the waiter – he was okay, a bit too “charming and seasoned.”  It felt like he was working the bill a bit and bordered on slightly pushy.  He must have been eager to get his tip since he included it himself when the bill came.  With wine, the bill was around $60.00 per person including tip...the tip that the boys added in!

Reservations are probably a good idea especially around Heritage.  It’s a good restaurant and was we all decided...you know what you are going to get so that’s always a plus!

Eat!

The Village at Wexford

1000William Hilton Parkway, Ste B-6

Hilton Head Island, SC 29928

843 785 4850

Executive Chef:  Alphonse Lee Lucier

The Picky Palate Reviewers

Luke and I had a really, really nice dinner on Saturday at Michael Anthony’s.  This is another favorite on the island for us but this time I went in with a more critical eye as opposed to just a great big “I love this place!”

The décor is nice about as metropolitan was you are going to get here on Hilton Head.  Check out the website www.michael-anthonys.com.  It’s comprehensive, informative and the pictures, I think, give a true depiction of pretty much the entire dining experience.  There’s a Chef’s Table up stairs and I am dying to have an excuse for booking that one-day! 

The place was jam-packed and we went early.  Our table was for 6:45.  The dining room and bar was hopping, not with “early bird specials.”  The main dining room, the quieter room in the back, the bar area and upstairs all full. 

We had our favorite high top in the bar area.  We were lucky to get that.  It was a busy place to eat, especially Saturday night.  Pretty much the main drag for customers and staff to get everywhere, so my advice for anyone who wanted an intimate quiet dinner…don’t sit there.  We didn’t mind, but I can see where it could annoy others.

 The service was outstanding!  Our waiter, Byron, was on top of it and as busy as it was the timing was excellent from start to finish.  Our check was delivered after a nice two hour dinner and there was still no rushed feeling, foot tapping or sighing to get us out even with the bar area now heaving. 

Here’s what we had:

Me:

Insalata con Gorgonzola, Pera e Pignoli

Baby greens with sweet Gorgonzola, pears and honey roasted pine nuts

sorry no pic, it was too dark...but it looked great!

A little boring on my part, just since I ALWAYS order it, but I like it.  The pears are poached so they are still firm and not mushy at all.

Luke:

Risotto con Asparagi, Funghi Selvatica e Tartufo Nero

Creamy Arborio rice with fresh asparagus, wild mushrooms and black truffle

A little boring on his part too.  He ALWAYS orders this, but again, he likes it.  He did say it was very hot (temperature wise).  I noticed that there was a pile of asparagus on the edge of the plate though…ahem.

Me:

Costoletta di Vitello ai Funghi con Salsa di Tartufi

Grilled veal chop with fresh herbs and sautéed wild mushrooms

in a black truffle, red wine sauce

This pic is directly from their website

This was good, not too much of a black truffle taste though.  I love veal chops, this was huge and filling with the mashed potatoes as well.  Perfectly cooked I might add.  But what I should have ordered was the branzino(Mediterranean sea bass) Why?  I love it and this is the only place on the island I know that even attempts to get it in. 

Luke:

Petto di Pollo alla Milanese

Chicken breast pounded thin, lightly breaded and pan fried,

served with arugula and shaved Parmigiana

The picture doesn't really do this dish justice...sorry

Here’s a direct quote… “Mum, was delicious and huge…I’m stuffed” Okay, I NEVER hear my nineteen year old son say that he’s stuffed.   He loved it, a little freshly squeezed lemon juice…perfect!  But again, I did note not too much of the arugula left the plate…hmmm. 

Me:

Dolce Mista della Casa

A sampling of Michael’s signature desserts.

Tiramisu, Panna Cotta and Profiterole

Okay, I had my Miss Piggy Hat on!  Here’s how this trio of delights went.  The Panna Cotta was hands down the best I have ever tasted! I loved the caramelized peel on top…  Gone in a flash.  The Tiramisu, was light and fluffy and delicious…a perfect amount and taste.  The profiterole, gone in one bite…

Luke:

Sformata di Cioccolata con Gelato Vanilla

Hot soft centered chocolate soufflé cake

served with vanilla gelato

Another dessert hit.  Didn’t see anything left on that plate…guess since there were no green veggies.

Our dinner bill came to $159.09 + tip.  That included a couple of rather expensive glasses of wine.   Not cheap, but you get what you pay for and this was well worth it!  The food is consistently good, the service consistently nice, the place is consistently busy…all in all…I really don’t think you can go wrong here…that’s if you can get in!  Advanced reservations an absolute must!

Michael Anthony’s

37 Orleans Road

Hilton Head SC 29928

843-785-6272

Usually a trip to Harbour Town in Sea Pines = playing golf or attending the PGA Heritage tournament that comes our way in April (Note to self:  don’t forget to get your tickets)

Wednesday night a few of us took advantage of the 1^st Annual Hilton Head Restaurant Week, stepped out of our same ole same ole restaurant boxes and hit the Harbour Town Grill.  It was…my friend Terri, her hubby our mutual friend David and me.

 We decided to give this one a go mostly due to the exceptionally delicious looking Prix Fix menu at $25.00

I can tell you every one of us enjoyed our meal!  It was such a nice surprise.  First off our waiter, James, was delightful.  He was attentive, friendly and happy.  The atmosphere is more pubby than restauranty which makes total sense considering the location. It was a little noisy since the tables are pretty close together.  But like I said…really not that big of a deal.

I like when a restaurant does the little things.  James started us with a little amuse bouche of pimento cheese and garlic cheese.  What was nice was that the pimento cheese actually tasted like it should rather than just colored orange.

Mic and David ordered the lobster crepes.  I usually stay away from lobster since I can’t stand it over done and rubbery.  I had a little taste and wished I ordered it.  The lobster was tender, the crepe light and a nice hint of Pernod…good choice!  Teri and I had the poached pear, walnut and Gorgonzola salad.  I love salads like this so I was sold right off the bat.  I would have liked a few more greens and a touch more Gorgonzola but that’s my personal preference and the salad was fine.

On to our mains.  Veal Oscar for Mic and me.  The veal was tender the portion generous.  The “crab crust” looked messy but was tasty the béarnaise sauce was runnier than it should be and the fries…not really many there but again, that was fine with me since the portion of veal was so generous.  In fact, the fries, not even necessary with a dish like this…in my opinion.

Veal Oscar

Terri had the Chicken Cordon Bleu (no picture since it didn’t really turn out).  Again a classic done well and a more than satisfying portion.  I think the only one who left the table hungry could have been David, he order the Grouper Royal.  He had trouble locating the grouper but the shrimp and scallops were very good and cooked well.

Grouper Royal

James, our waiter, informed us when we sat down that there were only two Trio of Crème Brulee left…Terri shot gunned one.  There were okay. They were more like a pudding than custard.  I know that might not make sense but they were dense rather than silky.  The Godiva chocolate brulee really didn’t have enough chocolate flavor.  The texture of the vanilla bean was like I said was thick not silky.  And the blueberry one…eh…okay. 

Trio of Creme Brulee

I had the Tiramisu.  It actually had mascarpone cheese in it.  So often tiramisu seems to be more whipped cream based with a hint (if at all) of mascarpone…this was different.  The ladyfingers could have had a longer bath in the espresso, but I was just happy for the texture and the mascarpone. 

Tiramisu

Mic and David had Deep Fried Tempura Strawberries…. they were…uh…interesting.  I think Mic said, “Why would you want to fry a strawberry?”  Not bad, very different…just okay. 

Deep Fried Tempura Strawberries

Now…all the above came at you for $25.00.  We thought it was very reasonable for the amount and quality of the dishes that hit our table.  Including our wine each of us walked away with a $51.00 bill.  Well worth it and the Harbour Town Grill is one for the list for good food…The dining room is small so I am sure you would need reservations and probably can even forget about it during the Heritage golf tournament. 

Harbour Town Grill

Harbour Town – Sea Pines

Hilton Head

843 363 8380

This has always been one of our favorite restaurants, but I thought a good one to review, as we hadn’t been here in forever it seems.

The one thing that I have always liked about this restaurant and hoped it still held true was its consistency.  I’m happy to say, that has not changed and really why should it?  Charlie has been doing this for a long long time.  He has a steady loyal (sometimes mature) clientele.  The dining room has a cozy feeling there won’t be any “new and trendy” music blaring from the speakers in the dining room or bar area.  That’s not a bad thing, it’s not a trendy place, and it’s a consistent good place.

  The menu is definitely varied but does slant more towards seafood.  The menu is hand written and prepared daily based on what is brought in.  It is a pretty classic type French country menu.  Charlie’s own take is this…simple meals with fresh ingredients…and that has been his recipe for success.

 The wine list is extensive and the restaurant has won all sorts of awards the most notable being twelve years in a row as a Wine Spectator favorite.  There are a decent number of wines by the glass that range from $5.50 for Tunnel of Elms Chardonnay to $11.00 for a Rutherford Hill Merlot.  I settled on the Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay at $9.50 a glass.

Looking at Charlie’s now with a more critical eye the first thing I thought was…I would come here on my own.  I don’t like dining out on my own unless I really know the place or feel comfortable and Charlie’s dining room is like someone’s home.  Not in a creepy way.  The bar area has lovely welcoming big cushy chairs if you want a nice cocktail and conversation prior to dining.  The dining room is spacious and eclectic but like I said, not in a creepy way.  It’s not cluttered and is interesting when you look around.  The tables are not crowded on top of each other and each of the tables are a nice size, so if you have four at a four top, you are not jostling for position with your wine glass, cutlery or elbows.  Nice!

So it was just two of us last night.  Luke ordered the Rack of American Lamb with Rosemary au jus.   The serving was three chops.  I’m sure he could have chowed down on a fourth as the bones were pretty much picked clean.  It was cooked to perfection for the rareish side of medium rare…. lovely.  The au jus was a little on the light (meaning quantity, but nice the lamb wasn’t swimming in a sauce either).  The Dauphinoise potatoes (which is a Charlie’s staple – served with just about everything – although I did notice a slight down sizing in the portion from before) were tasty and one of Luke’s favorite dishes.  He liked that they were cut really thin and layered.

Rack of Lamb

 I had the Flounder Sautéed Meuniere and as usual was consistent and good.  The portion I thought was actually larger than normal and possibly necessary.  I didn’t finish it all but that could have something to do with the order of Pate Maison we started with.  Luke never ate Pate before and while he liked it, he thought it too rich and not one for his hit parade.  I, on the other hand, loved, loved loved it.  It’s a nice sized piece with a creamy texture with not an over powering flavor and served with chopped onions, egg and cornichon.  Personally, I didn’t think the garnishments were necessary since the Pate is just so damn good on its own! 

Flounder Meuniere

On to dessert – Pave au Chocolat for Luke and I had the Blueberry Cobbler.  The Pave au Chocolat didn’t last long on the plate.  It was served with a light vanilla cream and a scattering of berries.  Rich smooth and chocolaty. 

Pave au Chocolat

 I hate to say this, but I was disappointed with my dessert.  For one thing, the plate was just too hot.  I am not talking warmed, I mean HOT.  So hot in fact that when the waitress came to clear it, she needed to use a napkin to hold it.  I thought the berries jelled too much into more of a paste and there wasn’t enough crust for the berry amount and to be honest…it didn’t look much on the plate…just a blob of berries and ice cream all melted together due to a too hot plate. 

Blueberry Cobbler?

Cost:  $109.55 + tip with two glasses of wine. One starter, two mains and two desserts. 

Over all, you can’t go wrong here.  Food good, service good.  Charlie has got his menu and wine list down.  It’s still a wonderful island favorite…In fact, we are lucky to have a place like this where you always know what you are going to get at Charlie’s Etoile Verte.  Reservations during the busy season a must.

Charlie’s Etoile Verte

8 New Orleans Road

Hilton Head, SC 29928

843-785-9277