It's not that much different than before. And most people seem to like it that way.
After a burst pipe caused severe water damage that closed Laury's Restaurant for more than a year, I cried nearly enough tears to necessitate my own massive cleanup.
I was briefly consoled when plans to renovate a new-and-improved Laury's were announced, but as promised re-opening dates kept getting pushed back (and rumors swirled that no work was being done), I started to fear we may have lost one of the city's top dining spots for good.
So I was thrilled when this summer's grand reopening finally rolled around and was downright giddy as the wife and I made our first visit walking back through those doors at the old C&O Railroad Depot at the foot of the South Side Bridge this past Saturday night.
And now I can finally answer the questions I've been bombarded with since Laury's made its comeback. Is it as good as before? (Pretty close.) Does it look and feel any different? (Not really.)
On that second point, I must confess to being a little underwhelmed when we first walked in. I'd heard the restaurant was taking advantage of the remodeling opportunity to modernize its décor and put in a larger bar. Both enhancements intrigued me, but neither are that noticeable.
There are some subtle new touches. The darker staircase looks a little more contemporary and the new painted ceiling is gorgeous. The bar, while a tad larger, still fills a corner nook but features no seating around it. There are a few lounge chairs nearby that are handy if you're waiting for a table, but not really conducive to just popping in for a drink. The French-inspired menu does feature a few new and slightly changed dishes, but most old favorites are still there as well.
But these are not all bad things. When it comes to elegance and an unbelievably quiet and relaxed atmosphere, there's not another restaurant like it in Charleston. That's a formula that's served them well since 1979, so I can understand not wanting to change it that much.
If you loved Laury's just as it was before, you'll still feel right at home. If you're looking for something a little different, you'll find that here as well.
Enough about the décor and ambiance, though. Let's get to the food!
Since we're such dedicated food reviewers - and not at all because we were wide-eyed and starving - Amy and I sampled eight different dishes on the menu that night. (Yep, that's four each for those doing the math at home.)
Individually, they ranged in quality from decent to outstanding. But as a whole, they created a well-above-average lineup that still puts Laury's among the city's top-tier restaurants.
I sipped a dusty martini with blue cheese olives and nibbled on fresh-baked rolls while scanning a solid menu and wine list, from which we also picked a nice South African chenin blanc.
To start things off, we considered the lobster-stuffed mushrooms and recommended spicy Caribbean bouillabaisse before settling on two other options. We really enjoyed the saffron scallops par fazi (pan-seared and served with jumbo lump crabmeat, asparagus and saffron cream) but found the portabello mushroom ravioli (with tomato, fresh basil, Parmesan and cream sauce) a little too heavy. Good, mind you, just overly rich and filling as a starter.
Next came two delicious salads. The Mediterranean quinoa was a little over-dressed, but its combination of fresh baby greens, garbanzo beans, roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, herbed goat cheese and olive oil vinaigrette was a tangy delight. The spinach salad's large gala apple wedges were difficult to eat but, again, the blend of fresh spinach, apples, raisins, toasted pistachios and Gorgonzola pear dressing was a hit.
With four dishes down and four still to go, we showed no signs of slowing down. Good thing, because the two entrées that graced our plates next required serious attention.
I was tempted by several nice-sounding dishes that are usually right up my alley. A rack of lamb with demi-glace and lemon-mint salsa verde; panko-breaded veal schnitzel with a bacon, caper and lemon cream sauce; a highly touted crispy roasted half duck with raspberry chipotle sauce; sea bass and scallops with roasted tomato sauce and corn risotto cake; and seafood risotto with scallops, shrimp, crab, bacon, tomatoes, spinach, corn and chicken broth.
But in the end, I was talked into trying the glazed salmon and shrimp. A dream-worthy dish, it featured perfectly cooked, still-moist salmon topped with juicy shrimp (both glistening with a jalapeño, brown sugar and brandy coating) atop savory edamame succotash with a dollop of roasted jalapeño cream.
The subtle interplay of sweet, spicy and earthy notes was fantastic, with neither overpowering the other.
A full lineup of steaks tempted Amy. Beef Oscar, filet mignon, New York Strip, au poivre, Bone-in rib-eye. But she gave in to Steak Diane, nine-ounce Black Angus pan-seared beef tenderloin medallions (ask for "rare plus," which is between rare and medium rare) with mushrooms, onions and garlic in a pool of demi-glace Dijon cream, served with spinach and shaved Parmesan cheese also in a pool of cream.
And when I say "pool," I mean the food was drowning in its sauce. The plating was pretty unsophisticated and, frankly, not that appetizing - but the food still delivered on taste. Decadent, for sure, so we saved half of it to take home. We still had dishes seven and eight to go, you know!
We've enjoyed the signature Bananas Foster before, made and flambéed table side, and we'd forgotten to put our order in for a coveted chocolate or Grand Marnier soufflé, which both require a 30-minute notice to enjoy.
So for dessert we sampled an OK triple chocolate mousse cake (OK in that it surprisingly lacked much flavor and almost tasted pre-packaged) and a delightfully not-too-sweet blackberry cobbler ala mode with tart fruit and warm, toasty crust.
Although we didn't fall in love with every dish we tried, we did thoroughly enjoy a wonderful dining experience. And I have to say, our service was excellent - in both knowledge and pampering. That led to a perfectly paced evening that was intimate, relaxed and unrushed.
After Laury's reopened, I'd heard some initial complaints that people really liked the food but felt their service wasn't up to par like before. I'd say that's to be expected and we should give them a little more time.
Fourteen months is a long time to be closed, making the re-opening almost like starting up a new restaurant - a monumental challenge that takes time to get right. Although several longtime servers have returned, there are some new faces to replace those forced to take other jobs in the interim.
Based on the vibe I felt from others I spoke to Saturday night, I have no doubt Laury's will be back at the top of its game in no time. The staff was visibly excited to be back in action and guests seemed genuinely happy to have such a treasured spot to come back to.
The enthusiasm of both groups was contagious and we're already making plans to go back.
IF YOU GO: Laury's Restaurant, located at 350 MacCorkle Ave. at the foot of the South Side Bridge, is open from 5-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information or reservations (which are strongly recommended) call 304-343-0055 or visit www.laurysrestaurant.com.
Steven Keith writes a weekly food column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and an occasional food blog at blogs.wvgazettemail.com/foodguy. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or by email at wvfoodguy@aol.com. You can also follow him on Facebook as "WV Food Guy" and on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest as "WVFoodGuy."