New in Town
As the Ballantyne restaurant scene fills in, little local joints are beginning to fill nooks and crannies amidst higher-profile chain restaurants. Tucked around the corner in a shiny new shopping center, Sugar Magnolia is one such gem.
As the Ballantyne restaurant scene fills in, little local joints are beginning to fill nooks and crannies amidst higher-profile chain restaurants. Tucked around the corner in a shiny new shopping center, Sugar Magnolia is one such gem.
Named as much for the Southern connotation as for the Grateful Dead song, owners and spouses Chris and Brandy Warren set out to create a Charleston-style spot, and they succeeded. Gas lamps and wood detailing nicely set off the sturdy wooden chairs and white tablecloths. Chef Cody Stewart, who worked at the famed Boathouse and Charleston Place restaurants in Charleston, ably turns out solid Low Country cuisine such as she-crab soup, shrimp and grits, crab fritters, and rich crab cakes in a she-crab sauce. He adds a heady twist on dishes like lamb chops “flambeau”—chops flambéed with fresh apricots, apricot brandy, rosemary, and pecans. There’s a section of the menu devoted to “simply grilled fish” and another to steaks and chops. The Warrens have selected an excellent wine list to match.
9824 Rea Road, in Blakeney (704-540-0000) $$$, D, FSB, P, R. Closed Sun.
