Carolina's cuisine is thriving with Bacon

Charles Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, once wrote, "There is no heavier burden than a great potential." When I read the restaurants that have been the training ground for Carolina's new executive chef, Jeremiah Bacon, I felt the same way about a chef's kitchen experiences.

Bacon, a Charleston native and College of Charleston graduate, attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. He has worked at the River Café, a riverfront restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y., that has provided the food world with a new generation of American chefs; and Le Bernardin, the seafood restaurant of the late Gilbert Le Coze and incredible chef, Eric Ripert, who has managed to maintain its 4-star status consistently in The New York Times.

Bacon's resume also includes Per Se, the New York outpost where Thomas Keller of French Laundry fame takes dining to new heights. The Wine Spectator called this restaurant "dining perfection."

For Bacon to return to Charleston with a culinary equivalent of a Ph.D., my thoughts were: to whom much is given, much is expected.

His culinary pedigree is matched by the landmark restaurant in which he works. Home first to Perdita's and now Carolina's, Bacon has many ghosts in the kitchen. That is not a bad thing. As Ripert of Le Bernardin has said, "When you cook, you welcome ghosts."

Bacon has the opportunity to take advantage of the "garden to plate" initiative of Richard Stoney and the produce and herbs harvested for him at Kensington Plantation. Not to mention the coastal connections to rivers, streams and the Atlantic Ocean.

The menu is nicely balanced and the entrees are very fairly priced both for their composition and the fact that Charleston is a tourist attraction.

Lowcountry favorites such as Crab Cakes ($12), Quail ($10), Shrimp Salad with Fried Green Tomatoes ($11) along with Shrimp and Grits ($22), Perdita's famous Fruits de Mer (market price) and Crispy Whole Fried Flounder ($26) will please the many generations who have celebrated and taken their pleasure at Carolina's table.

Bacon genuflects at the knee of Southern foodways and includes grits, hominy, collards, peach jam and tasso.

He reaches into comfort food consciousness and creates Smoked Tomato Bisque ($6) with Aged Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwich ($6) and celebrates this port city with Piquillo Peppers ($9) stuffed with tuna that has been poached in olive oil and served with ricotta salata — flavors reminiscent of salad Nicoise; his Caesar salad is garnished with a parmesan tuile. However, we were confused by a "hand-pulled crouton" and even our waiter could not describe its preparation. Pulling cheese or taffy, yes; croutons?

Carolina's House Salad ($6) is dressed with Banyuls-Mustard Vinaigrette and can be garnished with crumbled blue cheese. Think port-like richness in a vinegar and you have some idea of what a great combination this is.

Shrimp and Crabmeat Wontons ($10) are crisp and grease-free; hallmarks of the kitchen's talent; however, their Soy Lime Ginger Aioli was tame, reticent in the flavors of soy, wasabi or ginger — all assertive in their own right — and the aioli was skimpy on the plate.

The Braised Pork Belly ($8) was slow cooked to melting tenderness, the plate studded with a mosaic of baby vegetables that would have benefited from just a little longer cooking time. You want them to surrender a little and not skip over your plate as you try to eat them.

Entrees reflect the bounty of the coast and Bacon presents every chefs' dream menu — it is hard to make up your mind. We opted for the New Zealand Lamb Rack ($29) and it did not disappoint: a tender pave of garlic Potato Gratin, snappy Green Beans and Oyster Mushrooms with all the creamy goodness of a green bean casserole with- out any of the dairy. The Pan Roasted Grouper ($24) was a beautiful piece of fish over Celeriac Mashed Potatoes with a surround of Spring Vegetables. Its Port Wine Broth, however, was lackluster in flavor.

That was the common thread we found in this menu that is surely designed to please — the restraint, the lack of intensity. The culinary skill is there and the potential for alchemy is palpable. Bacon avoids the "preciousness" you sometimes see on a plate today. To my taste, just a bit more bravado, concentration, reduction and these dishes would sparkle. Each dish we tried had an element or two that needed tweaking.

However, Bacon has made a big improvement in the food at Carolina's.

The dessert menu reflects the restaurant's commitment to a sense of the Port City of Charleston and the ingredients and cuisines that have shaped her history. Chocolate Malt Creme Brulee, Rice Pudding and Chai Ginger Sorbet are a few of the sweet finishes for your meal. Our waiter suggested the Almond Cake with Dates and Pineapple and this small, pound cake round was just the perfect size for two. The dates added a chewy element and the pineapple a sweet-tart accent.

Service is well orchestrated and the staff did the "little things" that set a restaurant experience apart from the mundane. A question about a summer beer and our waiter appears with a bottle; curiosity about the carriage routes on Exchange Street and a staff member comes over to explain the system.

The front of the house was genuinely engaged in their guests. Even the simple act of handing your car over to the valet was done with enthusiasm, humor and speed.

On the down side, the bar can get very noisy.

Don't let Carolina's be your fancy-dress restaurant; take advantage of this talent in the kitchen and support the efforts of sustainability and farm-to-fork initiatives that Crew Carolina is committed to.

Bacon has studied with the stars in the culinary firmament. In short order, his own will shine very brightly at Carolina's.