May River Grilll – Bluffton, SC – July 10, 2013
Chef Charlie Sternburgh Jr. is a true genius in the kitchen. The May River Grill is a tucked away restaurant in an unassuming row of shops in Bluffton, SC. But if you are so fortunate to happen upon this restaurant, consider yourself lucky and hope that you are lucky again to land Christian as your server. She knows the menu completely and can rattle off the many specials without pause. The menu includes a number of classic continental dishes such as, veal saltimboca, wiener schnitzel, seafood curry, baby back ribs, crispy flounder and many others. Chef Charlie has managed to infuse all of these items with a unique southern flair. On this particular night we were to have no less than half a dozen specials. I chose the walleye breaded in panko crust and served with a mustard, lemon, caper sauce that was fabulous. Everything was cooked to perfection. My wife, who is italian, and a pretty good cook in her own right had the veal saltimboca and declared it to be the best she’s ever had.
As starters, Chef Charlie prepared us some shoe string potatoes that were delicately fried and sprinkled with garlic, parsley and some cheese. Then we had some muscles prepared in a fra diablo sauce. They were fantastic. The muscles were fresh and prepared perfectly – cooked but not rubbery. The sauce was an excellent tomato based concoction saute’d in olive oil with onions, garlic and the right amount of chili pepper. Fantastic. Each of our dishes was excellently complemented with the Chalk Hills Chardonay, which Christian dutifully ensured flowed throughout our meal.
To finish things of, we had two excellent deserts. The creme brulee was one of the best we’ve ever had. The sugar topping was properly caramelized and not burnt. The creme brulee had excellent consistency, firm but fluffy and not like jello. The taste had the right amount of vanilla and sweetness. The raspberries that accompanied were fresh and sweet. The dollops of whip cream that was also freshly made had the right amount of sweetness. We also had a desert called Carlitos Peanut butter Dream. This desert was a peanut butter mousse served atop a pretzel pie crust and the peanut butter mousse was covered with nuts and chocolate. Another excellent selection.
Some other reviewer had commented that it wasn’t the best in the area. If that’s the case, I haven’t been there. It was by far one of the best meals we’ve had while here. If you get the chance, try it, but call ahead and make sure that Chef Charlie is cooking that night.
Comments