My mother in law was a real trooper and shared the drive with me when I moved down here. Thank God, the drive down 95 is a real snore. She stayed with us a few days, and her and I took in a bit of downtown Charleston. Her one request was to have a really good seafood dinner. Well, nearly every restaurant downtown has seafood, but we had no recommendation to go on what was worth it.
As the dinner hour approached we found ourselves taking in the Charleston Place Hotel shops and it's very classy lobby. Now having worked in hospitality for many years I knew the Concierge would be able to make an excellent recommendation for a seafood restaurant. I approached Rick at the Concierge desk working the evening shift and told him we were looking for the best casual seafood place nearby. Rick's advice was a restaurant called Amen Street Fish and Raw Bar on East Bay St. A little known tip...although lots of casual restaurants do not take reservations, including Amen, they will make exceptions for Charleston Place Hotel guests. Score!
Fifteen minutes later we found ourselves seated in a cozy nook. You can feel the history emanating from the aged bricks. The décor stays true to the architecture of the historical building, with a few surprises, like the chandeliers made from oyster shells. Service was friendly and efficient and we cooled off with some iced beverages to start.
We ordered the Jumbo Crispy Calamari as well as the Shrimp and Vegetable Spring Rolls for appetizers. Both were delicious, I found myself scraping the plate from the spring rolls, cleverly shaped as triangles and served with hoisin sauce, sriracha, and lemon aioli. For entrees my mother in law chose the Peel and Eat Shrimp, my husband ordered the special Seared Tuna, and I got the Lump Crab Cake with a side of green beans. We all shared some of our plates with each other, which made for a varied and fun dinner. The crab cake was very well done, with nice chunks of fresh meat. I especially enjoyed the green beans, which were seasoned and cooked to perfection, just a hint of snap when you bit in.
Normally, I don't have room for dessert, but the offerings were so tasty sounding we had to sample. Executive Chef Todd Garrison sent us a sample plate of the Chocolate Mousse, the Strawberry Shortcake and my husband's favorite Key Lime Pie. We didn't leave a crumb on the plate.
If you find yourself near The Market and hungry for lunch or dinner, give Amen Street a try. It definitely made my favorites list.
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