Saphron in Prince Fred.
Yes, I finally got to have dinner there after talking about it for almost two years. My Jani B and I went there tonight and it was the best total dining experience I've had in a very long time.
We were welcomed at the door by Charlene and her husband John, the owners. They introduced themselves and John escorted us to our seats. It felt very much like going over to friends' home for dinner.
First, the restaurant itself is beautiful. Elegant without being fussy, with cinnamon walls and dark wood flooring, comfortable seating and low lighting. Considering it's in a strip mall, we were not expecting the atmosphere of kind of shutting out the busy world.
We were cared for by the charming and efficient Bruscia, who took our drink order and informed us of the specials. When she came back, she brought a basket of corn muffins that had been baked that morning. These were quite possibly the best muffins I've ever had in my life - warm, very light, sweet, with raisins on the bottom.
We started with the shrimp and grit cakes with collards, and the low country eggrolls. The shrimp was perfect - lightly grilled and not rubbery, but not pearly, either. The grit cake....they press out grits into a cookie sheet and refrigerate them until firm, then cut them into rounds and deep fry them. Then they give you a side of well-seasoned collards, that aren't cooked to within an inch of their lives, to retain a fresh taste and firmer texture.
The eggrolls were filled with collards, sausage and bacon, and served with a red pepper sauce that set them off perfectly.
Jani had the Triple Treat, which was a small filet mignon, two large scallops and a crabcake, served with garlic mashed. The filet was cooked perfectly medium rare and had a savory sauce drizzled over it, tasty but not overpowering. The scallops were meaty and firm, but not rubbery in the slightest. And the crabcake....it was very different than what we're used to at the local restaurants that have what we consider good crabcakes. It was almost creamy, yet very meaty, with hints of tarragon and cayenne. It is not served with cocktail or any other sauce - it's not that kind of crabcake and doesn't need anything to enhance it. If someone would have described this crabcake to me, I wouldn't have eaten a single bite of it, yet it was ridiculously good.
I had the Cilantro Roasted Shrimp, served on a bed of red rice with saffron butter. The shrimp were just as well-grilled as with the appetizer, but this rice was to die for! I could have eaten a bowl of just that and been happy, and normally rice is what gets pushed aside and forgotten. I couldn't tell you what was in it, other than the saffron, but it was savory and delicious.
Although we were full and swore we couldn't eat another bite, we shared a piece of Charlene's homemade bread pudding. After the wonderful meal, it would have been a shame to snub dessert. And this was a beaut! First of all, it was very light, not heavy like you think of bread pudding. Sweet, but not overly so, studded with raisins and drizzled with a very light caramel sauce. With it, we had french press coffee, which Jani had never had before and now is a huge fan. $4 sounds like a lot for coffee, but you get the whole pot, which is probably 3 cups or so.
A word about their beers and wines:
As I was looking at the beverage menu, it dawned on me that there was no crap beer and no crap wine to be found. If you want a beer, there is no Coors or Bud for you - you get Samuel Smith lager or another nice beer and act like you're civilized. This is the way it should be in a restaurant such as this. If you want to swill crap, go next door to the Outback.
Saphron isn't a bar, and they have no television. It's not that kind of place. The food and ambiance is the main attraction. You go there to relax and be catered to, not watch TV and chug Budweiser. They have a children's menu, but I wouldn't take my young kids to a place like this - again, it's not that kind of place and no matter how well-behaved you think your kids are, they will detract from your experience.
There has been mention on here of the pricing at Saphron - that it's fairly high. I didn't think so, especially considering what you get. I hate to bust on Tides, but their prices are a good bit higher than Saphron, however the atmosphere isn't there and neither is the food. And the staff isn't nearly as gracious.
Overall, Saphron gets an A+. I was expecting (and looking forward to) a more down home southern cooking type of thing, and instead got a true upscale, yet relaxed, dining experience with warm hospitality. Very pleasantly surprised.
Yes, I finally got to have dinner there after talking about it for almost two years. My Jani B and I went there tonight and it was the best total dining experience I've had in a very long time.
We were welcomed at the door by Charlene and her husband John, the owners. They introduced themselves and John escorted us to our seats. It felt very much like going over to friends' home for dinner.
First, the restaurant itself is beautiful. Elegant without being fussy, with cinnamon walls and dark wood flooring, comfortable seating and low lighting. Considering it's in a strip mall, we were not expecting the atmosphere of kind of shutting out the busy world.
We were cared for by the charming and efficient Bruscia, who took our drink order and informed us of the specials. When she came back, she brought a basket of corn muffins that had been baked that morning. These were quite possibly the best muffins I've ever had in my life - warm, very light, sweet, with raisins on the bottom.
We started with the shrimp and grit cakes with collards, and the low country eggrolls. The shrimp was perfect - lightly grilled and not rubbery, but not pearly, either. The grit cake....they press out grits into a cookie sheet and refrigerate them until firm, then cut them into rounds and deep fry them. Then they give you a side of well-seasoned collards, that aren't cooked to within an inch of their lives, to retain a fresh taste and firmer texture.
The eggrolls were filled with collards, sausage and bacon, and served with a red pepper sauce that set them off perfectly.
Jani had the Triple Treat, which was a small filet mignon, two large scallops and a crabcake, served with garlic mashed. The filet was cooked perfectly medium rare and had a savory sauce drizzled over it, tasty but not overpowering. The scallops were meaty and firm, but not rubbery in the slightest. And the crabcake....it was very different than what we're used to at the local restaurants that have what we consider good crabcakes. It was almost creamy, yet very meaty, with hints of tarragon and cayenne. It is not served with cocktail or any other sauce - it's not that kind of crabcake and doesn't need anything to enhance it. If someone would have described this crabcake to me, I wouldn't have eaten a single bite of it, yet it was ridiculously good.
I had the Cilantro Roasted Shrimp, served on a bed of red rice with saffron butter. The shrimp were just as well-grilled as with the appetizer, but this rice was to die for! I could have eaten a bowl of just that and been happy, and normally rice is what gets pushed aside and forgotten. I couldn't tell you what was in it, other than the saffron, but it was savory and delicious.
Although we were full and swore we couldn't eat another bite, we shared a piece of Charlene's homemade bread pudding. After the wonderful meal, it would have been a shame to snub dessert. And this was a beaut! First of all, it was very light, not heavy like you think of bread pudding. Sweet, but not overly so, studded with raisins and drizzled with a very light caramel sauce. With it, we had french press coffee, which Jani had never had before and now is a huge fan. $4 sounds like a lot for coffee, but you get the whole pot, which is probably 3 cups or so.
A word about their beers and wines:
As I was looking at the beverage menu, it dawned on me that there was no crap beer and no crap wine to be found. If you want a beer, there is no Coors or Bud for you - you get Samuel Smith lager or another nice beer and act like you're civilized. This is the way it should be in a restaurant such as this. If you want to swill crap, go next door to the Outback.
Saphron isn't a bar, and they have no television. It's not that kind of place. The food and ambiance is the main attraction. You go there to relax and be catered to, not watch TV and chug Budweiser. They have a children's menu, but I wouldn't take my young kids to a place like this - again, it's not that kind of place and no matter how well-behaved you think your kids are, they will detract from your experience.
There has been mention on here of the pricing at Saphron - that it's fairly high. I didn't think so, especially considering what you get. I hate to bust on Tides, but their prices are a good bit higher than Saphron, however the atmosphere isn't there and neither is the food. And the staff isn't nearly as gracious.
Overall, Saphron gets an A+. I was expecting (and looking forward to) a more down home southern cooking type of thing, and instead got a true upscale, yet relaxed, dining experience with warm hospitality. Very pleasantly surprised.
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I'm still craving more of those collards! They were SO GOOOD!!!
