Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Charleston Restaurant Week--La Cuisine Du Chevalier (The Knight's Kitchen)--Simple and Sublime

This restaurant is a little over 4 miles outside of downtown Summerville via Central Ave in the suburb of Knightsville. Everything about this restaurant is unpretentious--its location, its entrance, and its decor. Unpretentious, except for its food presentations, which are mouth-wateringly resplendent and photographic, including its service. The restaurant name is La Cuisine Du Chevalier or The Knight's Kitchen, La Chev for short. I can't say for sure, but I would presume Knight's in its name is a play on where it is located. I unfortunately did not ask.

La Chev describes itself as upscale French food with their own Lowcountry spin. It is located in a busy Knightsville shopping center. For first time patrons, it is not immediately noticeable upon entering the parking area. You will need to search through numerous store front signs to find it. Like I said, upon approach, it is unpretentious. Its entrance is flanked by two outdoor table settings and a sign where specials are posted. Upon entering, its interior and decor is much the same, simple. It seats 40 people.

We had reservations set for 7 pm, but it is not required. We were greeted by the hostess and directed to our table. The setting was orderly with a white table cloth, water glasses, wine glasses, silverware wrapped in black napkins, and a flower bowl. It was a full house with a lot of happy chatter. Our table was a little too close to our neighbors, making conversation almost unavoidable. I believe in being polite, but diplomatically attempted keeping it to a minimum.

Our server arrived, who turned out to be a personable, diligent, conscientious young gentleman through our whole sitting. He knowledgably described the various entrees we were interested in and offered personal thoughts on his favorites. Our water glasses were always filled, used dishes were timely removed, and wine glass refills addressed.

Fig & Prosciutto

We chose the Charleston Restaurant Week menu, 3 courses for $30. My choice for the first course was the Fig & Prosciutto, my companion chose La Chevalier. My choice was a well proportioned salad dish, which was artistically presented with Prosciutto topped by Cabernet Soaked Figs, Red Onion, Goat Cheese, Confit Tomato, and Arugula. The Cabernet soaked figs were delicious and the dressing was just right, it did no overwhelm the tasty mix.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

My entree choice from the list of five offerings was the Wild Mushroom Risotto. My friend chose the Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Tenderloin. The Wild Mushroom Risotto included Braised Mushrooms, Goat Cheese, Fresh Basil, and Truffle Oil. The subtle combination of each ingredient complimented one another--very tastefully satisfying, and even though it was considered a 1/2 order, it was filling. It had a pleasant smoky flavor with the right amount of mushrooms.

House-made Gelato Flight

The dessert offering was Chef's choice. Of the three, I picked the House-made Gelato Flight, my friend picked Swiss Chocolate Budino with Strawberries, Smoked Almonds, and Clover Honey Whipped Cream. The three different flavors of Gelato were a fitting ending to a fantastic evening dinner. 

My friend totally agreed with my assessment of our visit to La Chev's--simple and sublime. I highly recommend you reserve a visit to arrive at your own conclusion. It appears to be a favorite with locals.

Added note: It is always a nice touch when the owners of a restaurant take the time to check in on their patrons, and Jason Tucker did that. Congratulations to locally raised chef de cuisine Jonathan DuPriest, Johnson and Wales-trained.

La Chevalier Salad

Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

La Cuisine Du Chevalier--The Knight's Kitchen

1585 Central Avenue

Summerville, SC

Monday - Saturday 11 am - 9 pm  

Sunday 11 am - 3 pm

843-376-7062

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