We had a hard time deciding where we wanted to have dinner so we did a quick internet search for restaurants. The Studio came up as the #1 most popular Hilton Head restaurant on Trip Advisor and the menu looked pretty interesting so we decided to give it a shot. The restaurant has very interesting décor, since it doubles as an art gallery. There are paintings and sculptures decorating the dining room, and the collection is very eclectic. We were greeted very warmly, as our waiter kept emphasizing that we should feel at home while we were in the restaurant. It did kind of feel like we were eating in someone’s very funky dining room.
Our meal started off with soft dense bread and sweet butter. While the bread didn’t have a crispy crust, it was served warm and had a nice chewy texture.
Carbs and butter
For my appetizer, I opted for the escargot a la maisonette, which were big plump snails served on top of rounds of sweet potato and finished with a sauce that tasted faintly of licorice. The snails were perfectly tender and juicy and complemented the sweet potato perfectly. While I would have preferred garlic butter, since I’m not the hugest fan of licorice, the sauce was mellow enough to provide just a hint of licorice, and was a nice change from the usually greasy garlic butter that often accompanies escargot.
Escargot a la maisonette
Josh’s appetizer of crab and Vidalia onion bisque was the winner of the group, as it was deliciously smooth and rich. You could really taste the crab and sweet onion in the soup, and it wasn’t overwhelmingly covered in cream. I stole several spoonfuls from his bowl, and then scraped it clean at the end with some of the bread.
Crab and vidalia onion bisque
For my main course, I had the filet mignon with goat cheese soufflé and blackened shrimp. While the steak was cooked more medium rare than the rare I requested, it was still perfectly tender and well seasoned. The blackened shrimp were absolutely delicious and covered in a mix of spices. I wasn’t a huge fan of the goat cheese soufflé, which was more like goat cheese lightened with something and piped on top of the steak rather than something served in a ramekin. It was a bit too heavy for the dish and I ended up scraping it off to the side. The dish also came with mashed potatoes, which were creamy smooth and buttery. I also liked the red wine reduction that served as a sauce for the steak.
Filet mignon with goat cheese soufflé and blackened shrimp
I was debating between the filet mignon and the NY strip steak, but only because the strip steak came with truffled mac and cheese. Josh asked if we could just get a side order of the mac and cheese, and the waiter said it would be no problem. That made my decision much easier, and I was thrilled with the mac and cheese. It was creamy and cheesy and had just enough truffle flavor that it didn’t overwhelm the dish. The side serving was actually an ample portion so everyone was able to get a taste before I polished off the rest of the dish. I could have just eaten a huge bowlful of this for dinner and had been completely satisfied.
Creamy truffled mac and cheese
Josh had the special of the day, a massive veal chop covered in foie gras butter. The veal chop was cooked medium rare as requested, and was perfectly tender. The foie gras butter was really rich, but I didn’t taste too much foie gras. I enjoyed the few bites that I had but I’m glad I didn’t order it as I never would have been able to finish the chop, which weighed in at almost a full pound.
Veal chop with foie gras butter
Josh and I also tasted a chop from a friend’s rack of lamb “rogan Josh”, which was covered in tomato cardamom curry. Rogan Josh is my favorite Indian curry, though the Studio’s version was a bit lighter on the spices. The lamb was cooked perfectly though, and I thought it would make a great introduction to Indian food for people who are a bit wary.
Rack of lamb rogan josh
Unfortunately, not everyone enjoyed their meals at The Studio. Josh’s mom ordered a dish that was called Pad Thai, but bore no resemblance to the pad thai that you get at any Thai restaurant. It was described on the menu as rice noodles and tamarind-curry sauce, but it was very heavy on the curry and had spices that I’ve never encountered in pad thai before. The noodles were also really thick and doughy, not like regular rice noodles. The whole dish was gloppy and pasty. The noodles were supposed to come with flounder and shrimp, but the restaurant very nicely granted her request for just shrimp, and no flounder. While the portion was ample, the dish itself was not what we were expecting. It might have been perfectly tasty Thai curry, but it was not pad thai. I think calling it as such on the menu is very misleading, and as a result, the people who ordered this dish were not happy.
Not quite pad thai
Aside from the poorly named pad thai, I really enjoyed the food at The Studio. There are lots to choose from on the menu, and everything is prepared in interesting ways and comes with lots of different sides. The service was also outstanding. Our waiter was very patient and friendly in dealing with our large party, and the restaurant also very accommodating in granting special requests and substitutions. For example, a few people in our party wanted the Studio salad, which featured greens, apples, gorgonzola, and toasted almonds, but wanted to substitute goat cheese for the gorgonzola. That request was met without any hesitation at all. I would definitely come back here the next time I’m in Hilton Head. There were plenty of things on the menu that I didn’t get to try. Hopefully it won’t be another four years before I’m back.
The Studio
20 Executive Park Rd.
Hilton Head, SC
