Laury's Restaurant — Restaurant in Charleston

My wife wanted to go here for our anniversary. She has never been and I hadn't been for 25 years or more. Good or bad, nothing's really changed since the last time I was here. The menu is basically the same. The decor is pretty much exactly as I remember it. That's good if you really like it. It's not so good if you like something more modern. Truthfully everything about this restaurant is dated. Ít feels like Trung tự impress your prom date in 1984. The food is okay. Ít tastes good but not great. Ít looks good but not great. It's "okay". Unfortunately, for the price, "okay" isn't good enough. I ordered the veal scaloppini piccata. At first, the capers were overpowering and the sauce was too thin for the pasta. As it cooled, the sauce thickened a little and the flavors blended and was much more pleasant. The veal was seasoned well and was tender but wasn't visually appealing. It's breaded but somehow came out grey. My wife had the duck. The menu says it's half a duck. I've cooked plenty of duck and this was not a half duck. She was served two legs, a thigh, and half a breast. There was plenty of food and the flavors were good so, nothing to complain about other than the description isn't accurate. She also ordered the escargot. On the plus side, they weren't chewy like they sometimes are. However, they were completely lost in the cheese mixture. I tried one and wasn't even sure I'd gotten anything but cheese and garlic in my bite. I had the fried goat cheese salad which was probably my favorite part of the meal. They offered us a free dessert for our anniversary which was nice. We picked the blackberry cobbler a la mode. If I were asked to write an advertisement for it, I guess I would call it unique. Typically, cobblers come in one of two types: a pie-type gobble which is fruit covered in a sweet biscuit-like topping, or a cake-type with a batter and fruit mixture baked into a most cakey dish. This was neither. This was a loose fruit compote mixed with what appeared to be dense, doughy dumplings, as if the chef cut noodles out of a pie crust and cooked it with the fruit. The effect was not pleasant to eat. Although I don't like an overly sweet dessert, the blackberries really need more sugar. Without enough sugar, blackberries are bitter. The cobbler was the low point of the meal and the only dish we really didn't like. The service was good. The staff friendly and less formal than I remember from the past. Laury's has a reputation for being "the" fine dining experience in Charleston. That doesn't really come across in the experience, though. I would like to see them update the menu and the decor. They are a piece of Charleston history but, unless you really are stuck in the 80s, there are fine dining options in Charleston with better food, a more modern menu, and an overall...

I posted this a year ago and it was removed? So I’m reposting.

As far as ambiance goes, this is one of the nicest restaurants in Charleston. The architecture and treatments are done really well. The setting makes for a very quiet and intimate dining experience.

As for the menu, it's a very old school, by that I mean they've probably been serving these entrees across America since the television was invented.

The salads are creative and flavorful, I had the fried goat cheese salad ($12) and it was sublime! Wife had the standard wedge ($8), no complaints. Then again, it’s just salad.

For entrees, I had the shrimp, scallop and crab Diablo ($46). It was OKAY. It definitely does NOT live up to the name. I'm a heat seeker. If you say Diablo you better deliver! If you want heat, or even spicy flavor for that matter, you will be highly disappointed, ketchup has more heat than this "diablo". That being said, the pasta was the hottest temp l've ever been served, steaming hot! The seafood was cooked to perfection. However, it had no flavor other than the mild flavors of the seafood. Definitely not worth the price!

My wife had the glazed salmon and shrimp ($41). Again, doesn't live up to expectations. If you read "glazed" you probably expect the cook to be finished with a glaze that thickens up and maybe has some slight caramelization. This "glaze" was just a bland sauce drizzled over the food.

Both of our entrees were bland, no flavor. Everyone wanted salt, but didn't want to ask. Note to chef, your food lacks flavor, please put salt and pepper shakers on the table, at the least, PLEASE explore MSG, your food needs it.

Chefs are artists and this chef creates pretty, photogenic plates, but the plates lack flavor. Again, the menu is probably the same as it was when they opened in 1979. They need a reboot! For a “James Beard Nominee” (I put that in quotes because ANYONE can be nominated, so it doesn’t mean much to me) I expect a menu that reflects creativity and has flavor that punches you in the palate, not a menu my grandma would have ordered from in 1950 that has zero flavor. Try one dining experience here and one at 1010, you’ll see for yourself the distinction between a James Beard nominee and a James Beard winner.

Don’t let the Google reviews fool you, many of these are from locals who have grown accustomed to a lack of options. It seems to me the bloated ratings for Laury’s are based on the diner’s local experiences, not having much to compare it to.

This experience was definitely not worth the price, I would’ve been inclined to leave a better review if the prices were aligned with the experience. At current prices, Laury’s does not meet...

We had an overnight trip to nearby Yeager Airport for a corporate flight. Wanting to experience what Charleston's best had to offer in Southern classic cuisine for dinner, I asked the locals there what they recommend no matter the price. Laury's was at the top of everyone's list.

So off our little 3-crew entourage went. First, the ambiance. It reminded me of a Southern plantation classic home on the inside except it was all open separated by different partitions for tables. It is a cozy feeling and it's hard to imagine this was once part of a railroad depot (still in operation on the other side).

The food and service were worthy of a 4-star restaurant. We split two appetizers between the three of us: Oyster's Rockefeller and the Parm crusted escargot. Both were fabulous but as one who is familiar with the alleged original Oyster's Rockefeller recipe from New Orleans (Antoine's - talk to Emeril about it), I've never had a version with Hollandaise sauce before. It was an interesting take but I would have preferred a more traditional butter sauce base.

For the main dishes I got the Beef Oscar (medium rare) and the other two ordered Steak Au Poivre and Steak Diane both medium rare as well. All three were more than worthy of their lofty $40+ menu cost and cooked perfectly. Rounding out the main course was a Russian River Mac Murray Pinot Noir. Only one had room for and ordered a dessert, the table side Banana's Foster (another New Orleans original). Again if I were blindfolded and just sat down in this place I would have sworn on my life that I was in New Orleans.

Bottom line: this is a MUST DO if you are a foodie and enjoy classic Southern/French inspired dishes surrounded by a gorgeous atmosphere. One thing I noticed is that this restaurant is only listed as $$ in pricing which is far from the truth being a white cloth restaurant. It needs to be at least a $$$ rating as our three-person bill plus tax not including tip topped $230. Regarding dress, we showed up in business casual but saw several patrons in nothing more than long sleeve t-shirts which took away from the richness of the overall experience someone (we true Southerners like to dress up for a...