I didn’t initially choose The Charleston as my restaurant for this week. It’s a product of my rage googling, after I tried to go to a different restaurant and was met with really loud Kenny G elevator music, a 45 minute wait, and people basically sitting on top of each other during a pandemic. (I obviously still believe in eating out during COVID, but I also believe in social distancing the fork away from each other.) 

I’ll admit that I only briefly glanced at the Google Reviews before I chose, and I am fully willing to credit Jesus for taking the wheel and steering us all the way to a better restaurant.

At first glance The Charleston is a charming old home strung up with globe lights and nestled down the street from Draper City Hall. Inside though, it is fine dining all the way. We’re talking white tablecloths, waiters in three-piece suits, and a baby grand piano (I was almost tempted to pull a BYU-student-in-the-wilk and attempt to bang out Jon Schmidt’s “All of Me”). But despite the obvious care they put into the experience, it’s incredibly charming and warm, and not at all snobbish.

On to the food. 

We started off with Chef Silva’s Artichoke Soufflé and crostini. It was um, perfect? Seriously, it was creamy and rich, and as one of my sophisticated companions noted, “the artichokes were like, actually the perfect size.” A lighter hand with the cheese made it possible to taste the nutty flavor of the artichoke heart. The crostini did its job and delivered the prize without being too dry and crumbly or overly salty. Overall excellent and I wish we had ordered two.

I would also like to note the we literally had the best waitress on this planet. One of us is allergic to gluten, and we were actually scolded when we didn’t tell her ahead of time so she could go through the menu and deliver GF bread.

For our main course we ordered the Mushroom Risotto, Creamy Cauliflower Soup, Coq au Vin, and Cognac Creamed Filet Mignon, respectively. I ordered the filet mignon, so I’ll spend the most time on that. The 6oz fillet is served on a celery root and potato puree, which had all the comfort of mashed potatoes, but was enhanced by the sweetness of the celery root. The cognac cream sauce was both fruity and spicy, and made an excellent compliment to the fillet. I kind of picked around the mushrooms, so I can’t give a report on that. My only beef (get it?) with this meal was the temperature of the fillet. I usually order my steak medium rare, and while it was a great cut, mine came out more of a medium. My guess is that it cooked a touch after it was plated on the skillet. Other than that, it was the comfort of meat and potatoes but dialed up ten notches. 

I stole bites of the other meals, because I’m a terrible friend, and I loved what I tasted. Especially the pearl onions in the Coq au Vin. They had simmered in the red wine sauce and literally burst with the flavor. I also was told that the chicken was cooked to a flawless tenderness. It’s also served on that delicious potato puree. The creamy cauliflower soup tasted like a more complex and satisfying version of homemade baked potato soup. And according to its orderer, she would “bathe in it” if she could. The mushroom risotto was also incredible with the ideal blend of cheese, garlic, and onion. Home runs all around, except for that little steak blip.

Earlier in the night I watched a piece of Chocolate Mousse Cake drift past me, and I thought to myself, “you need that.” Tragically, they were sold out by the time I ordered, and I went for the Passion Fruit Mousse Cake instead. Again, I was saved by divine intervention because that passion fruit cake was magic. I love the flavor of passion fruit, but it can often taste overly synthetic and give you a sour aftertaste. This mousse was light and sweet, and paired with vanilla cake layers, was the ultimate finale to our meal. 

For those of you who are tragic alcoholics, we recommend the Cosmopolitan, Pomegranate Prosecco, or a dry Cerulea Gin Martini with olives.

Finally, I give The Charleston 4.999999999 forks. I was a little disappointed in the temperature of my steak, but the rest of the meal was just so, so good. It was elevated comfort food with a French Brazilian influence, and I actually felt guilty for leaving my husband at home to eat Sensuous Sandwich.It gets $$$$ because it’s real fine dining. All said and done it was between $60-70 a person including a tip.