03/21/09

too expensive for great bread

by mfsimm

Call me crazy but I think for $278 for 2 before tip you should be raving about the restaraunt the entire ride home, My husband(who I surprised for his birthday ) was poliely quiet about my choice! I had cashed an expense check for $285 thinking that would be enough. Wrong I had to use my visa!! My husband & I go out every Friday night & this place is a rip off. Too bright for romantic seating, We felt rushed. The food was o.k. but hard to enjoy when for this price you expect perfection. Would not recommend

• Pros: service location
• Cons: prices; too bright no ambiance

06/09/08

Manager with an Attitude

by bluemariner

Took guests on Saturday evening. Food was fine, staff knowledgeable and helpful with special diet requests, but service was spotty as it was hard to get the attention of the staff which seemed to be somewhat over worked. Perhaps the lesson is don't dine there on a Saturday night. My wife spoke to the manager (Bill) today thinking they would like to know of the service problem. He asked the name of the waitress and my said she could not recall but the girl was "heavy set". The manager then stated that he would be sure to her my wife said that. He then noted that perhaps we simply cannot meet your expectations implying that the issue was our fault.

After the discussion with the manager the lesson change to don't dine there.

11/12/07

OVERPRICED AND OVERRATED

by jivyseid1

CHARLESTON- WORST FINE DINING IN BALTIMORE

I would not recommend this establishment to anyone. I read the other reviews where diners had mentioned getting sick from the meals they ate at the Charleston! I, too, got sick after the meal, and remained sick the rest of the weekend. The person I dined with was sick by the middle of the meal. The food was so rich and heavy, upsetting his stomach, causing him to get up from the table (in the middle of our meal) to take a walk around the block to ease the pain in his stomach. I felt horrible since the bill for just the two of us was over $200 (we ordered just a few drinks)...and the person footing the bill had to get up and leave the table from feeling sick! Sometimes you can feel as though you are going to "burst" from eating too much food, maybe if you dine at Little Italy and go for dessert at Vacarro's; however, the food was so disguistingly rich at the Charleston that after eating a 3 oz. portion, that sickness of eating too much quickly approached us. Yes, the waiter warned up the portions were "smaller than the avg. ," however, these portions were so small they had to serve the soup in what looked like coffee cup saucers. The entrees were served in shallow soup bowls!! I guess if the portions served at the Charleston were any larger, a LINE OF AMBULANCES WOULD BE PARKED OUTSIDE THE ESTABLISHMENT, WAITING TO TAKE SICK DINERS TO ONE OF THE NEAREST BALTIMORE HOSPITALS.

06/12/07

Charleston.....Worst Fine dining in Baltimore

by ryanbender4

I would not recommend to my worst enemy. Besides the fact that I ended up getting sick as I threw up the entire evening and besides the fact that 3 of the 4 people I dined with spent the next day on the toilet, I felt completely ripped off. The portions are extremely small, the quality of the food primarily the beef was of very poor quality, the service was professional but fair at best, the prices were absolutely rediculous ( and I dine regularly at The Prime Rib , Ruths Chris and Flemings) the atmosphere was fair but bright for fine dining and overall it was just a very poor experience. I will never again go to a Cindy Wolf restaurant. Even with the 8 pieces of bread each of us ate we still left hungry.

• Pros: Free parking
• Cons: Everything. We felt fleeced by poor food quality, small portions, & overpriced.

01/20/07

Move it in and Move it out

by johnlocke

Highly disappointed with the overall experience. This is merely another attempt for the Baltimore "elite? to attempt to fit in. If you want high class dining experience please do not go to the Charleston. While you will find the menu, both wine and food, to be exceptional your overall experience is stifled by the cattle like herding of the staff. First, they shuffle you in to the bar for an over priced cocktail. This move is expected however very low rent in my opinion. The next move is to rush you through the menu followed up by slamming each course down one after another barely giving you time to enjoy your wine, which is marked up the 400% instead of the standard 200% - 300%. Overall I felt as if we were being pushed through our evening instead of enjoying each course accompanied by a little conversation. If I want a fast food experience I will go to my favorite burger joint and not the Charleston..

• Pros: Food and wine
• Cons: High Speed Dining and lack of ambiance

12/06/06

Expensive but well woth it!

by wolfgangc

I am a total foodie and I was in heaven! Amazing. The plates are small, but it's a tasting menu so this is to be expected. The service staff is knowledgeable on both the dinner and wine menus. Every dish was mouth watering from the soup down to the desert. If you can afford it, ask the wait staff to pair a fresh glass of wine with each course and go for the full tasting menu. It will be well worth it! Definitely a date night or special occasion restaurant, as dinner and drinks and gratuity for two will cost well over $300.

04/13/06

The Standard to judge other restaurants by

by seitschu

Every time it seems we do high dollar dining... and go somewhere else... I always say...well, that was nice, but it's not as good as 'Charleston'. Worth every penny.

• Pros: Exquisite food, surroundings, service
• Cons: none

08/07/05

Culinary Destination outside the DC/N VA pomp

by onedeadeyepalate

Finest table in Baltimore. Arrive on time w/rez or prepare to wait-comfortable bar serves finest hand-selected wines in the world w/Proprietor Tony Forman's vast expertise...Order apps at richly decorated bar w/wickedly creative martinis. Wine list/breadth/depth, Tony & Tom will patiently coach. Astounding service. Rely on your servers-completely pro. As with the intricacies of the world's finest winelist, your waitpersons have been tasted/schooled in Chef's offerings. Luckily you may trust them for friendly, conscientious recommendations like they are family. Nothing ordinary, even Beef Wellington deconstructed: blocks of rare tenders, slabs of foie gras, and silky crisp puff pastry-Great birds, reducted glimmering sauces taste French but flavors are Southern low-country flavor perfectly assembled w/courses delighting mouth as well as eye. Encourage Tom to show his best wines; this is not the place to skimp, you may never soon experience this level of competence. Incredible provincial cheese plate, sinfully beautiful desserts.

• Pros: Comp Parking, Smiling Service, Pretty People
• Cons: Don't be Late!, Very Busy, So Splurge!

04/03/05

A magnificent dining experience! Grandslam!

by katnfrog

Three of us on a Saturday evening and dining for the first time at Charleston. We were seated in the wine library where there was plenty of space between tables allowing us to have pleasant conversation. After making our selections from the menu, we asked for some suggestions from the sommelier, Thomas Capo, and he came through with some wonderful wines to complement the assortment of dishes we ordered. The food was impeccably prepared and presented. There aren't enough superlatives to describe the tastes and smells that accompanied each course. Service was always nearby when we needed something, yet unobtrusive. Timing between courses was excellent and we never felt as though our time was short. This was the absolute best in dining that any of us had ever experienced and don't believe there will be a better one. How do you improve upon something so close to perfection? You don't.

• Pros: Food!, Atmosphere, Wine Library

03/07/05

Don't Bother

by pjlevin

Charleston does capture true Charleston, SC feel. If you don't like it, don't visit Charleston, SC. Seated 30min late and hostess simply commented "typical Sat night". Server was polite but nesty hair was horrendous. First course was wonderful, then downhill. Tenderloin was too smokey and pork was missing ingredient (fresh cranberries the server raved about) and too tough to cut. When I told someone, he said, "everyone has commented how tender it is." I realize meat's condition is a variable beyond control but don't respond with other praise. Asked for salad instead - dressing was mostly salt. Ordered ice cream - only one flavor was right. Server giggled and stated flavors change so frequently it's hard to keep up. Grande finale was neighboring table telling server he couldn't drink the coffee because milk was curdled. Save time and money and drive down to DC to truly experience fine dining.

• Pros: Ambiance, Wine List
• Cons: Lacking Flavors, Service, Inconsistency