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| - Alton's is located in what was once Charleston Chops, and the building is updated, but still richly appointed. It has, most notably, two flowing staircases at either end of the restaurant, which while beautiful, did become tiresome watching harried servers race up and down all night. Maybe a dumbwaiter and a server or two just stationed upstairs?
When we were seated, a waiter immediately greeted us and brought us a carafe of water and took our drink orders. They actually had "sweet tea" which I commend them for because many nicer restaurants only offer unsweetened tea. The only comment I can make that may leave room for improvement is that the water could use some ice.
Our appetizers were delicious. We ordered Lobster bisque, tuna poke and shrimp cocktail. I had the shrimp cocktail, and it was truly one of the better ones. They used Jumbo Shrimp, and they were perfectly poached, not too chewy. They served it with two sauces, a typical cocktail sauce and a tartar sauce. They were both tart and tangy, but I preferred the typical cocktail sauce. Both my diners proclaimed their appetizers to be delicious.
Not an appetizer, per se, but my friend and I wanted to share it for our appetizer, so the restaurant kindly split it onto two plates for us: the Crab and Shrimp Louie. Tender seafood atop mesclun adorned with sliced avocado, tomatoes and topped with a homemade creamy and tangy 1000 Island dressing. It was delicate, but very satisfying. And very fresh.
For our entrees we all got something a little different. Robert got the Slow-cooked Baby Back Ribs served with chili lime grilled corn and creamy cole slaw. The spicy and smoky sauce on the tender ribs had a wonderful kick. The corn was also wonderful, with a tang from the lime and a deep savoriness from the grilling. Harry ordered a Crispy Chicken Salad. It was loaded with fresh avocado, rich eggs, bacon and draped with a creamy thick homemade Ranch dressing. Dick got the seared ahi tuna. It was seared lightly and crusted with sesame seeds. I got the grilled swordfish on cheese grits with lobster gravy. Honestly, the fish was really firm and not my favorite texture, but that wasn't the chef's fault. That is just the nature of the swordfish. It had a nice chargrilled flavor. What I LOVED was the cheesy, creamy grits that this fish rested on. I'm not sure I've ever had better grits, even in Charleston. The lobster gravy was lighter than you'd think, but still creamy and flavorful. No chunks of lobster, though, which did disappoint me somewhat. Laid across the top as a garnish were grilled asparagus spears, and they were wonderful, just cooked enough. I made a meal off of the grits and asparagus.
Dessert was a bit of a fiasco. We enjoyed homemade Oreo ice cream sandwiches and bread pudding. The cookie sandwiches were delicious, topped with chocolate sauce and best eaten with a spoon instead of picking it up with your fingers. My bread pudding was merely ok. Nothing special, I'd opt for something different next time.
(taken from my review on my personal blog)
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