Josh and I arrived in Savannah around 6:30 pm on Friday and met up with Josh’s parents and Jess, who had driven down. After dropping our bags off at the timeshare villa, we went to dinner at Charlie’s L’Etoile Verte, a restaurant that Josh and I have never tried before. The space formerly housed Charleston’s, which was my favorite restaurant the first summer I went to Hilton Head with Josh’s family, in 2003.
The restaurant was pretty full and had kind of casual, home-y feel to it. Our waitress was a familiar face – she used to work at another restaurant called Stripes, which was one of our favorite restaurants before it closed a few years ago. She brought us a basket of assorted breads to munch on while we looked over the handwritten menu. There were slices of baguette, a soft white bread with dried cranberries, and a cheesy bread. None of them had really crispy crusts but all were pretty flavorful and tasty slathered in soft butter.
Assorted breads
The menu itself was really extensive. I guess it changes daily because it had the date written on it, which is nice because it probably means they’re constantly mixing up what they serve depending on what is fresh or in season.
Handwritten menu
For our appetizers, Josh and I shared the crab soup and the lump crab. Crab soup is my favorite dish in Hilton Head, and something that we’ll usually order whenever we see it on the menu. Every restaurant makes it a little differently but it’s generally a rich, creamy soup with bits of she crab in it and topped with some sherry. The version at Charlie’s was really quite good, thick but not gloppy, and very well seasoned. It could have used a bit more crab but it was still one of the better versions we’ve had.
Crab soup
The lump crab was served with avocado and remoulade. The presentation was a bit plainer than I thought it would be, though I guess there wasn’t much you could do with this dish, creativity-wise. The lump crab was sweet and fresh, and paired nicely with the creamy avocado and tangy remoulade sauce. It was a simple appetizer, but very clean in flavor.
Lump crab, avocado, remoulade
All of our entrees came with a small salad with mixed greens, some tomato, dried cranberries, walnuts, an olive, and crumbled feta. It was dressed with a sweet vinaigrette and was pretty basic, but still adequate. It isn’t something I would have ordered separately but this was included in the meal and tasty enough.
Simple mixed green salad
For our entrees, Josh and I split the grilled tuna and the grilled triggerfish. The tuna was cooked perfectly rare, with a ruby center. The fish was obviously very fresh, and it was nicely seasoned. There was a peach sweet chili sauce on top that was a tad sweeter than I would have preferred but did complement the fish. All of the entrees came with some simply prepared vegetables and a potato gratin.
Grilled tuna with peach sweet chili sauce
Perfectly rare interior
The grilled triggerfish was one of the recommendations made by our waitress, and it didn’t disappoint. I had never tasted triggerfish before but it was a meaty white fish with a firm, flaky texture. The fish was topped with a mango and green tomato salsa that was tangy and not too sweet. The salsa really brightened up the flavors of the dish.
Grilled triggerfish with mango green tomato salsa
We were pretty full but couldn’t resist ordering some dessert. We shared a bread pudding that was smothered in creme anglaise. The bread pudding seemed more like a french toast made from a light pound cake, but it was actually really good. The bread pudding had a light cinnamon flavor and a nice chewy texture to it. It paired well with the creamy creme anglaise. There was also a healthy dose of whipped cream and berries on top.
Bread pudding with creme anglaise
Overall Josh and I really liked the food that we had at Charlie’s L’Etoile Verte. Everything tasted fresh and was nicely seasoned. I thought the crab soup and the grilled triggerfish were the hits of the evening, while the lump crab was the only dish I wouldn’t order again. Service was friendly and efficient, though the restaurant did get unbearably hot as the evening wore on. Regardless, the food was well prepared, and I liked all of the options on the menu. We had a hard time deciding what to eat because so many things looked appealing, and I would definitely come back to explore other dishes.
Charlie’s L’Etoile Verte
8 New Orleans Rd.
Hilton Head, SC
