I’d eaten at every other Charleston-area restaurant from Maverick Southern Kitchens, but for some reason, it took over eight years to have dinner at High Cotton, a downtown standby that delivered one of the only meals to elicit a rave review from my father in the past five years. The duck purloo that he loved so much wasn’t on the menu, but just about every other dish that Executive Chef Anthony Gray and his crew produced was excellent.

To drink, we ordered a caramel-hued Brooklyn Brown Ale and The Charleston Cocktail ($9), a mix of local Firefly sweet tea vodka, Madeira, lemonade and mint infused syrup. The drink was like a supercharged Arnold Palmer with some of the best qualities of a Mint Julep.

Pan Fried Rabbit Livers ($7) turned out to be a rich but terrific starter with crisp-crusted chunks of tender organ meat on white corn grits, dressed with smoked bacon, sweet pepper relish, roasted garlic and Marsala jus.

Bosc Pear, Beet and Lolo Rossa Salad ($8) was too salty, but was otherwise outstanding, with varied color, flavor and texture. The salad also included candied walnuts, Carolina feta and aged sherry vinaigrette.

Maine Lobster Bisque ($5 cup) was rich and not very creamy (a good thing), but only contained scraps of “buttery lobster meat.”

Prosciutto Wrapped Rabbit Loin ($23) featured juicy white meat medallions, smoky Hoppin’ John risotto studded with braised greens and a healthy drizzle of Carolina mustard BBQ sauce.

The meal’s only weakness: our sides. Vidalia Onion Creamed Peas ($4) were misnamed. They weren’t creamy, didn’t display the advertised smoked bacon and could have done without the shower of breadcrumbs.

Roasted Cauliflower ($4) centered on oversized, dry floret, and could have used more pine nut pesto.

The Milk Chocolate Pot de Crème ($6.50) was a satisfying special, ultra creamy, topped with chocolate whipped cream, a question-mark-shaped peanut butter tuile cookie and crunchy chocolate dots.

I purposely waited until the very end of 2008 to assemble by Best Of lists, knowing I’d find some powerhouse meals in South Carolina. High Cotton certainly qualified for inclusion.

Other recent South Carolina reviews:
Trattoria Lucca – Charleston, SC (December 30, 2008)
Jack’s Cosmic Dogs – Mount Pleasant, SC (December 30, 2008)
FIG – Charleston, SC (December 29, 2008)
Fat Hen – Johns Island, SC (December 28, 2008)
Tides – Kiawah Island, SC (December 27, 2008)

Related Posts

1. Trattoria Lucca – Charleston, SC – Tuesday, December 30, 2008
2. Jack’s Cosmic Dogs – Mount Pleasant, SC – December 30, 2008
3. Fat Hen – Johns Island, SC – December 28, 2008
4. FIG – Charleston, SC – December 29, 2008
5. Hominy Grill (Lunch) – Charleston, SC – December 27, 2005

This entry is filed under South Carolina, Southern, The South.