Charlie's L'Etoile Verte — Restaurant in Hilton Head Island

I really want to love this place. The ambiance is lovely, and the staff largely seem friendly and eager to please. The wine list is superb--no denying that. However, the food was just...fine. Nothing exceptionally notable or exceedingly awful. The pate maison was silky and served with cornichons, hard-boiled egg, minced red onion, and a mustard sauce, yet it was served with just five simple water wafers which don't allow you to spread the pate. Something more substantial like brioche toasts would work so much better. The escargot were nicely cooked but overly salty with an excessive amount of Parmesan-like cheese on top. For the main meals, my local flounder meunière was cooked correct but wildly under sauced and not nearly enough lemon in the sauce. That might be a personal preference (and there was a lemon wedge with it). My wife had the grouper cheeks in papillote, and while the cheeks themselves were perfect, the scallop and shrimp with the fish were overdone--the shrimp, in particular, were hammered. Oddly, the same accompaniments came with both dishes; in fact, the same thing comes with all the entrees: a very simple house salad (greens, dressing, and feta cheese), potatoes au gratin (perhaps the best thing on the table), and a deftly done vegetable medley of summer squash, carrots, and zucchini. The only dessert we tried was the bread pudding, which was literally served as two slices of a compressed bread with virtually no sweetness to it and lacking any sort of depth of flavor that cinnamon, nutmeg, or coriander would have added. It was by far the biggest disappointment of the evening. The service was commendable overall, but we felt rushed. While you may think a nice French cafe would be a relaxing spot, it wasn't really. We were in and out in 75 minutes. For example, we ordered our drinks appetizers and received the drinks promptly. I had no more than taken my first sip when both the pate and escargot came out--maybe two minutes after ordering. The runner wasn't exactly rushed, but she didn't present them either--just set and go. The entrees came out rather quickly, too, and while our server was very friendly and competent, there was a breathlessness about her that she passed on to us. Great for diner, not so much for a relaxed French experience. None of the dishes were explained to us--no description or mention of the technique used which I'm fairly certain was due to the dishes being mass-produced and kept warm. In the end, we were satisfied with our meal and our service, as well as with the overall experience. Yet, we weren't wowed. Charlie's is a solid restaurant but not one we feel compelled to visit again...

To begin, let me say first that I like to eat and I like really good food. I also like to dine in an atmosphere where I can enjoy a conversation with my dining partners without having to scream at them across the table. If you don't enjoy that or like that and it is not your cup of tea then save yourself some time and skip this review. We have visited Charlie's in Hilton Head on numerous occasions when we have been here. Every time has been a delightful experience including the one we just had today. We went to Charlie's and the two of us had an absolutely wonderful time dining out on the porch. We split a meal because we're older and don't eat as much as I used to. For a main course, tonight we had their special fish cakes with an absolutely wonderful bearnaise sauce. They were very very well done and full of lots of different kinds of seafood. They were served with scalloped potatoes and vegetables. As in good restaurants the vegetables were not overcooked. We also had a wonderful salad consisting of mixed spring greens with feta cheese and olives and a wonderful dressing. The bread was crusty and good and served with an unsalted butter. We enjoyed a glass of wine and found the price of wine was much better than a lot of places. It was a generous poor for $8 a glass. We then had coffee and my partner had a latte and then I had an absolutely wonderful chocolate mousse that came topped with wonderful strawberries blueberries and other fruit. It was scrumptious. The whole experience was just wonderful. We live in Florida and there are many places in Florida where you pretty much are eating bar food that is mostly comfort food. So it was nice for us to have this pleasant experience. I would recommend Charlie's to anybody who's visiting Hilton head. It is just outside the entrance to the...

Charlie's L'etoile Verte is excellent. Our family comes to Hilton Head a couple times per year from New Jersey, New York, Chicago, London and Australia. It is one of, if not our singular, favorite restaurant on the island. The inside of the restaurant has the feel of someone's home. It's probably slightly nicer than casual. You can get away with anything from flip flops and a polo up to perhaps a blazer and button down. The restaurant lends itself nicely for a date night or family dinner. Charlie's specializes in seafood but traditionally always offers Filet Mignon, Roasted Duck, and Rack of Lamb. My understanding is that the seafood offering on the menu changes regularly (maybe daily?) to the point that the menu is written by hand on a single page. This most recent visit our table of 7 got the: Filet Mignon; Swordfish with Roasted Peppers; Sesame Crusted Tuna; Blackened Snapper; Carolina Red Trout; Rack of Lamb; and Mahi Mahi in Mango Vinaigrette. For appetizers we got 3 orders of Mozzarella and Tomatoes with Pecan Basil Pesto and for dessert we got Key Lime Pie, Caramel Cake, Chocolate Mousse, and Biscotti. There is also complementary bread and butter (the butter is nicely spreadable) and each meal comes with salad, scalloped potatoes and greens (brussel sprouts in our case). Every single thing was delicious. We ate everything. Some dessert was left over because we simply couldn't finish as every plate that came before it was cleared. Charlie's also always has an excellent wine selection. Lastly, the hosts/hostesses and waiters/waitresses are always excellent. They are very friendly and manage to make the meal/experience all the...