The Ordinary
Smoked Amberjack Pate
The Ordinary Lobster Roll
Oyster Sliders
Baked Oysters, Bottarga
Sliced Heirloom Tomatoes
Black Bass Provencal, Eggplant Caviar
Baked Hawaiian Rolls
Sea Salt Potato Chips
Peekytoe Crab Louie with Radish and Tomato
Chocolate Pave with Coffee Cream
Lemon Pudding with Blueberries
Carolina Rice Pudding with Peaches and Figs
With a pre-dinner visit to Fig planned before supper with the family planned for our last day in Charleston a visit to The Ordinary for snacks with the family before dinner at McCrady’s seemed a perfect choice; the old bank proving a bit difficult to locate at first but, aside from some service glitches, well worth the effort from the moment we entered the beautiful, high-ceilinged space until we made our way downstairs to the exit. Clearly themed as an American brasserie and oyster hall yet dining with some who prefer their dinners less briny it was clear from the start of our meal that the selection of nearly two dozen $2.50-$3.00 bivalves would largely go unappreciated by our group but with such a selection of fresh seafood on display the eventual order would still entail a half dozen fish and shellfish plus an immaculate tomato salad, two sides, and three desserts all of very high quality. Pricey to be certain and extremely loud downstairs while the loft remained rather tame, The Ordinary is simply the sort of place where you get what you pay for and dollar-for-dollar the strongest dishes of the night were amongst the more price – specifically the $23 textbook lobster roll, $15 half dozen James River Oysters with bottarga, ample $17 crab louie, and $8 buttery smooth rice pudding sweetened ever so slightly with fresh local peaches, figs, and mint.
