Charleston Grill at Charleston Place: French Influenced Lowcountry Cuisine [Hardcover]

Bob Waggoner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2007

Fusing South Carolina lowcountry cooking and his own French-influenced technique, Chef Bob Waggoner creates contemporary and sophisticated new Southern haute cuisine at his award-winning Charleston Grill using seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. From Grilled Okra with Maitre d Butter, to Grilled Corn Soup with Pork Cracklings, Smoked Bacon, and Micro Thyme, to Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Galette in a Lime, Pear Tomato, and Avocado Salsa, Waggoner brings home the sophistication and elegance of The Charleston Grill. Praise for Executive Chef Bob Waggoner:

Food and Wine's "Reader's Favorite Chef in North America" Award (1999)

Featured Chef at the James Beard Foundation Best Hotel Chefs of America Award (1999)

1999 James Beard Rising Stars of the 21st Century

Saveur magazine's "100 Favorite Things" (2000)

James Beard Foundation Best Chef, Southeast Nominee (2003)

"The Charleston Grill feels like a splurge. There's a sybaritic message in its shiny green marble floor and dark wood paneling, in the interior courtyard overgrown with lush Southern flora, and above all in the deeply serious 800-bottle wine list with 28 Champagnes. Anyone missing the point would discover it very quickly when reading the menu, which is designed to ravish . . . " -The New York Times

"This is where you go for Charleston's most assured and accomplished food. Presented in a swank dining room decked out with colorful folk art, Chef Bob Waggoner's cuisine summaries just how far the city's restaurant scene has come in the past 20 years." -Wine Spectator

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

In a city of good food and ?ne dining establishments, the Charleston Grill is one of the most popular and most honored restaurants. Located in Charleston, South Carolina's Charleston Place hotel complex, the Grill has been under the experienced and imaginative direction of Chef Bob Waggoner for ten years and has garnered almost every award given in the culinary world.

Fusing traditional South Carolina Lowcountry cooking with his own French-inspired technique, Waggoner has created a unique and sophisticated southern haute cuisine. Relying heavily upon abundant local produce and seafood, the recipes range from grits and okra to foie gras and sweetbreads. Now these diverse and prized recipes are accessible to the home cook. Waggoner offers step-by-step directions and rounds off many recipes with an appropriate wine selection.

Bob Waggoner is a native of California who lived, trained and worked in France for many years before returning to his native country and cooking at several award-winning restaurants.

During his tenure at Charleston Grill, he has cooked at the James Beard House, received Food and Wine magazine's "Readers' Favorite Chef in North America" Award, received an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University, and has appeared on the Food Network and other nationally syndicated television programs. He received an Emmy for his own television show, Off the Menu and is currently developing a pilot for a new television series called Bob's World. He lives in Charleston with his wife and daughter.

Charleston Grill has consistently been awarded Mobil's Four-Star Dining Award and AAA's Four-Diamond Award, as well as The Wine Spectator's "Best of Award of Excellence."

About the Author

A California native, Bob Waggoner received his formal training with Michael Roberts at Trumps in Los Angeles, and later in France at a constellation of Michelin-rated restaurants. At age 26, he became the first American chef to own his own restaurant in France, the acclaimed Le Monte Cristo. After 11 years in France, he returned to the states to cook at several award-winning restaurants. Now after more than 10 years with the Charleston Grill (located in the Charleston Place Hotel, an Orient Express Luxury Property), Waggoner has appeared on Gourmet Getaways with Robin Leach, Great Chefs of the South, as well as the Food Network's In Food Today; Ready, Set, Cook; and The Best of. He won an Emmy for his television show Off the Menu, and is filming the pilot for a new travel show, Bob's World. He is the host of a weekly cooking segment for an ABC television affiliate that highlights Charleston's culinary scene. He has also cooked at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith; 1St Edition edition (August 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 094171196X
• ISBN-13: 978-0941711968
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,387,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just another cookbook, September 3, 2007

By 

Michelin Star - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charleston Grill at Charleston Place: French Influenced Lowcountry Cuisine (Hardcover)

Those who don't know Chef Waggoner from visiting his restaurant or watching his TV shows will get a great introduction, not just into his cooking style but also into his witty way of looking at the world, thinking about the ingredients to go into your recipes and how to prepare them.... Chef Waggoner style.

All recipes come with the classic framework of ingredients, how to process them and a wine pairing suggestion and of course, Bob's opinion.

A fun way to cook and to prepare a unique fusion of South Carolina Lowcountry cooking and the French twist Bob Waggoner gives his creations.

5.0 out of 5 stars South Carolina Native, October 30, 2011

By 

Catherine DuRant "ccdurant" (SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Charleston Grill at Charleston Place: French Influenced Lowcountry Cuisine (Hardcover)

Love this book. Frequent Charleston regularly and love the cuisine. This book is a great example of the high style and dining that makes Charleston such a great culinary experience.

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book with some intimidating recipes, April 11, 2010

By 

jazz lover "jl" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Charleston Grill at Charleston Place: French Influenced Lowcountry Cuisine (Hardcover)

The photos are gorgeous and there is one for every recipe. The recipes are clear and written with some humor but sound easy to prepare. There are some unusual and hard-to-get ingredients that will deter me from making a few of these dishes, but the Salmon with lime wedges in the beginning is lovely with the chives and purple chive blossoms and I will definitely try that. The book is worth the Amazon price of $12 that I paid. Charleston is my favorite destination so having his book will be a special treat.