Charleston Critics Can’t Agree on Newcomer the Establishment

Perhaps it was the date of the visits to the Establishment, but critics Hanna Raskin (Post & Courier) and Vanessa Wolf (Charleston City Paper) have very different opinions of the plates coming out of the kitchen at 28 Broad St. More specifically, it may have been the period in the tomato season that determined the fate of the reviews.

Raskin visits a bit early and receives not-quite-ready tomatoes, which is always a big no-no for the writer, and the rest of the meal doesn’t really hold up. Wolf finds “perfectly ripe heirloom tomato slices” in a salad that is “elegant and lovely celebration of the season,” and she absolutely adored the rest of the menu at the Establishment.

The experience isn’t wholly negative for Raskin though, she finds the service superb, and finds “a number of bright spots” on the menu, like the deckle or wedge salad.

Wolf enjoyed the Establishment so much, she turned her review into a poem.

If I should think of love
I’d think of you, The Establishment,
Your arms outstretched,
Offering me a bowl of razor clams ($13).
Adorned with delicate,
yet pungent garlic blossoms,
I blush as my breath grows bad.

The critic concludes with “Reserve your table and prepare to be swept off your feet.”

• Atlanta Restaurant Group Puts on a Show at The Establishment [P&C]
• The Establishment’s Dishes Are so Divine, You Might Just Wax Poetic [CP]