Critic: Newcomer Wood & Grain is One of Mount Pleasant’s Best Eats

Post and Courier critic Hanna Raskin visits chef Patrick Owens’ latest this week, raw bar and wood-fired pizza-plus-seafood restaurant Wood & Grain, which opened in Mount Pleasant’s Bi-Lo shopping center back in June. And Owens is on to something good, finds Raskin.

While Raskin doesn’t love the slightly abstract name (she’s not a fan of the “[noun] & [noun]” naming convention that has trended of late), she’s overall a fan.

Roast octopus with butterbeans and romesco is a highlight, as is a scamp grouper ceviche, mixing heat and zing with the fish into a satisfying dish.

Salads are a mixed bag — greens come “severely overdressed”, but a fruitier option (peach, watermelon, feta, mostarda, prosciutto) hits the spot. Perhaps surprisingly, given the positive tone Raskin strikes, the pizza (a headliner at Wood & Grain) has something of a tepid reception: the margherita “takes a few liberties with tradition” with a sweeter tomato sauce and piles of mozzarella. It’s “fine if you view pizza mainly as a chaperone for beer,” is her slightly damning, if amusing assessment.

Despite those flaws, Raskin is still more than happy to declare it “one of the best restaurants in Mount Pleasant” — possibly the best, on a good day.

• If the name is confusing, the food is not: Wood & Grain is clearly terrific [Post & Courier]
• Wood-Fired Pizza Brings the Heat to Mount Pleasant [ECHS]