Charleston Restaurant Week: A review of Basil, Lana, and Queen Anne's Revenge

Charleston Restaurant Week

Basil (Downtown Charleston) – 3 Courses for $20

Her Take:

This was not our first time eating at Basil.  We have been several other times.  It is definitely on our top favorite list for Charleston.  The first time we visited Basil, I didn’t know what to get as the menu items are hard to pronounce…our waiter mentioned that the Pad Thai was the number one dish in their restaurant.  So, I got the Pad Thai.  Let’s just say, I will never order Pad Thai in another restaurant because I know it will not be as good as the dish at Basil! Even so, I try to order something different every time we’re there.

For restaurant week, I ordered the Fried Wontons, Pad Woon Sen with Chicken, and for dessert I had the Coconut Custard.  The fried wontons are my favorite appetizer here.  They come with a sweet sauce that goes perfectly with the cream-cheesiness inside.  The Pad Woon Sen is made with cellophane noodles (the really thin ones), cabbage, eggs, onions and several other vegetables.  The coconut custard wasn’t my favorite; I think the texture bothered me. I did try the coconut ice cream a friend of ours got, and I liked that a lot better. It tasted like a very frozen pina colada. 

There are two other things I really enjoy at Basil. One is the Thai Boxer—this is a drink made with coconut milk, ginger beer, and fresh basil leaves. I love it and would drink three every visit if they weren’t $9 a piece! The other thing I enjoy about Basil is the service of their staff.  Our first time together at Basil, the manager asked us if this was our first time. It wasn’t mine, but it was Matt’s.  He then brought us a free appetizer, the Basil Spring Rolls. Matt was sold from there! Also, we have had up to 14 people in our party and the staff is very accommodating and friendly-even though it’s always busy in this place.

Her Verdict: Still one of my favorite places to eat in Charleston. If anyone knows of a better Pad Thai- I won’t believe you J

His Take:

As my third visit to Basil, I was already stoked. Our first two experiences were so great, I had high expectations. I would not be disappointed.

I ordered the Tom Kha Gai (Chicken Coconut Soup) as an appetizer. I saw two ladies enjoying it outside the restaurant, and when I asked, they recommended it for its great taste, healing powers, and hangover curing properties. I had to get it. It was smooth and savory, and the coconut flavor was not overpowering. The cilantro added a great kick to it, which balanced well with the buttery, coconut taste. Yin and yang were definitely at play here. Although I wasn’t hung over, I can see how it may be a remedy.

For my meal I got the tilapia. There were at least 3 nice-sized fillets that were baked in a savory, almost curry style sauce. It was served over vegetables with white rice on the side. It was very tasty, flaky, and tender.

I couldn’t pass up the fried green tea ice cream for dessert. It was a big scoop of ice cream, and it was lightly fried in an oriental style. It was almost like one of those sugar-coated donuts you can get at a Chinese buffet, but with ice cream in the middle. It sat on top of a star-shaped drizzle of berry sauce, and was decorated with a cherry on the side.

His Verdict:

I already loved Basil before we went, but I can easily say this is one of the best spots we’ve tried in Charleston. The taste is great, the value is great, and the service has been awesome every time. Highly, highly recommended if you are craving Thai.

Queen Anne’s Revenge- Daniel Island

Her Take: The decorations are fun, old, and very pirate-ish.  We had the 3 courses for $20.  I ordered the beet salad for the appetizer, Filet Mignon with bleu cheese sauce and potatoes au gratin for the main course, and chocolate mousse for dessert.  The salad was good, beets are usually not my favorite but the vinaigrette dressing really made this salad.  I ordered my filet mignon medium and Matt ordered the same but medium rare.  Unfortunately, we switched plates twice between the two of us because we couldn’t figure out which steak was which.  The dessert was yummy- I don’t think someone can mess up Chocolate mousse.  I also ordered a mojito which was excellent and very strong!

Her Verdict: I’m glad we went for restaurant week but I don’t want to go again.  The potatoes looked like they were cut out of a pan and made for a large crowd rather than cooked to order.  However, if they were only judged on their mojitos I would return…

His Take:

I was very excited to go here, as the surrounding Daniel Island is pretty upscale. I ordered the stuffed mushrooms, Filet Mignon with bleu cheese, and berry pie. I’ll be honest, I was expecting a bit more from this place. Maybe it was because of restaurant week, or maybe it’s always like this, but the food seemed…mass produced in some way. The mushrooms were ok, but I feel I could get the same taste from any stuffed mushrooms. The steak was brought out haphazardly, and they didn’t seem to care who ordered which, so I assume they weren’t truly cooked to order. Leah and I kept switching plates because she was convinced we had the wrong ones. I think they were both cooked the same way. Bleu cheese sauce goes well on beef, but it seemed to be only that: melted bleu cheese. And the dessert I was really anticipating because it was supposed to be made with brandy or whiskey, I can hardly recall, as it just didn’t stand out. I was fed, but I was expecting more.

His Verdict:

I won’t be returning here. It seems a bit like a tourist restaurant. I enjoyed the pirate theme, but the food and atmosphere were lacking. It was practically empty as well.  For a fun dinner, look elsewhere.

Lana (Downtown Charleston) 3 for $30

Her Take: After finally finding parking downtown for Lana, (Tip: If it’s the weekend, you do not need to pay for meters downtown!) we arrived to what looked like a small café in an old house from the outside.  On the inside, it was very rustic and wooden.  I was very excited about the food once inside this historic building.  I did a Google search to see if this was in fact an old house, but couldn’t find any information. 

For my appetizer, I ordered the Gnocchi.  It was in a tomato sauce and was very good.  This could have been the main course and I would have been happy.  At the end of the dish, I ate something spicy-I think it was crushed red pepper but it was very spicy! For the main course, I had the braised beef short ribs with parmesan risotto.  The beef was amazing and the risotto was even better. However, I have made roast in the crock pot with that kind of flavor but not the tenderness.  For dessert I had chocolate cake with espresso gelato.  I got it just for the gelato but tried our friend’s honey panna cotta and was secretly wishing I ordered that.  

Her Verdict: I probably won’t visit again.  It was great, but nothing really stood out to me other than the ambience.

His Take:

I got the shrimp appetizer, the fish (for the life of me I can’t remember what kind, but it was local), and the olive oil cake. The shrimp was very fresh. I have lived near water since I was 15, and I know the taste of good shrimp. It was served with a cold eggplant capanata salsa verde, which was an interesting complement. The fish was excellent. Our server told us the catch of the day, and it was local. Very fresh as well. The sauce it was served over was golden and buttery and had zucchini, potatoes, shrimp, and squash in it. My olive oil cake was moist, I take it due to its namesake ingredient, and I enjoyed it as well.

His Verdict:

Good, fresh seafood. The catch, however, is the price for what you get. For the fresh local seafood, I understand a higher price. But otherwise the prices are a bit high for what you get ($20+ per entrée). If the prices were a bit lower, I would consider going again.