Melfi’s Gives Patrons an Experience ‘Near Impossible to Replicate at Home’

Post and Courier critic Hanna Raskin warns in her latest review that if you invite her to a dinner party, she may fill the lulls in conversation with the proposition that restaurants will soon die off for more home cooking. Thankfully, Italian newcomer Melfi’s has altered her opinion.

Through a very savvy combination of service and design, the restaurant has achieved the kind of convivial atmosphere and sophistication that’s near impossible to replicate at home. Melfi’s hasn’t just breathed life into the notion of dining out: It’s given it a couple of chest compressions, and probably ensured its immortality. Thanks, Melfi’s, for throwing cold water on a perfectly good hot take.

Raskin is a fan of the din of the dining room and the thoughtful touches to decor and service at Melfi’s.

Of course, dining out is more than stuffing calories into one’s body — but how about the food? The critic heaps the most praise onto the wood-fired peppers and the “tender lamb chops, fragranced by a garlicky green sauce that cleaves to their crust, teem with vigor.” She also says the pizza is all about the crunch and that salads mostly lived up to the “beautiful” moniker.

Have you tried out the North Central addition yet? Agree with Raskin?

• Melfi’s in Charleston Demonstrates Why America Shouldn’t Give Up on Restaurants [P&C]
• All Melfi’s Coverage [ECHS]