Wine Dine and Play: Steakhouse

Refined Elegance In The Low Country

Charleston, South Carolina USA

Cuisine Style: American, Southern

Average Price: $$$$

Overall Rating: 5/5

Dined in May 2012

By Sean Overpeck (CFE)

**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for

Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:

By Cuisine / By Country

Executive Chef:

Chef Matthew Niessner

Executive Chef Adam Jakins

Restaurant Owners:

The Hall Family

Billy Hall - general manager

Garrett Camp and Geoff Smith are the founders of the web search engine StumbleUpon and that is exactly how I literally stumbled upon Halls Chophouse. From there I used OpenTable which had a 1000 point special to dine with them, and my daughter and I were off. Luxury, elegance, and a reminder of the essence of the 1930s, almost like a speakeasy atmosphere, greatly enhanced. Wine racks built into the brick walls with polished black wood, oak walls, cedar bar, and the second-floor bright white walls with thick wood trimmed doors, beautiful decor, and elegantly set tables. Live entertainment each night from local Plantation Singers, Tim Hockenberry, Abe White, and others. A Gospel Brunch on Sunday’s, extensive wine menu featuring over 100 of the most exclusive wines one may find in a Charleston restaurant. Here was our story.

Halls Chophouse is a family inspiration that has taken shape over time with extensive experience in the hospitality industry, and the Hall Family values the importance of true hospitality and comfort. With an experienced team, this Chophouse offers superior dishes, service and an atmosphere at a superior price tag, that will entice you to stay for dessert and conversation while making you come back again. There are two restaurant locations, the first in Charleston, and the second in Greenville.

Picture courtesy of Halls Chophouse

Halls Chophouse is part of the Hall Family brand name which also owns Slightly North of Broad a.k.a S. N. O. B. High Cotton Charleston, Rita’s Seaside Grille, and the Old Village Post House Inn. The family background starts with Jeanne and Bill Hall, Sr., who spent over forty years operating hotels and restaurants in Pinehurst, North Carolina, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Napa Valley and Pebble Beach, California. Tommy Hall spent ten years in the restaurant business, and six years as General Manager of Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House in Dallas, Texas.

Picture courtesy of Halls Chophouse

Halls is known for its steak, winning many awards both for service and quality of food. The Steaks come from the Allen Brothers of Chicago. General Manager, Tommy Hall, is quoted saying, “Allen Brothers helped put Hall’s Chophouse on the map as The Charleston Steakhouse.” I will say that they are in direct competition to one-day match Grill 225 and are outpacing Oak Steakhouse by a wide margin.

Awards include:

OpenTable - Top 10 Best Restaurant in America 2016

OpenTable - Diner’s Choice winner 2009-2015

TripAdvisor - #4 in the Top 5 Best restaurants in the US

Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence Award 2016

OpenTable - 5 Top Gospel Brunches in the US

Yelp’s #1 Best Steakhouse in America

#22 - Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the US

Foursquare’s 40 Best Steakhouses in America, 2015

AAA Four Diamond Award

Menu:

Raw and Chilled Seafood
Soups and Appetizers
Salads
Seafood
Steaks
Chops
Accompaniments
On the Other Hand
Signature Sides
Sides and Sauces
Desserts

The signature steaks at Halls range from cryovac style wet aging, humidified 45-day dry aging, nutrient-rich non-antibiotic grass-fed beef and A5 wagyu to which they offer Japanese Kobe versus American, Australian or other Wagyu cuts for $28 per ounce (28.349 grams metric).

Picture courtesy of Halls Chophouse

Filet Mignon:

The filet mignons are all cut from certified USDA Prime and Choice beef. USDA Prime is the finest grade of beef under federal regulation and is seldom available in retail stores. USDA Choice is the next-highest grade, also delivering exceptional quality and texture. USDA Prime is the only beef on the menu at distinguished chop houses in America. You can get an eight or twelve-ounce cut starting at $42. The filet is also wet aged, along with a prime rib $40, and two ribeye’s at 16 ounces $46 and 24 ounces $64.

Halls Dry Aged Steaks:

These steaks are all cut from USDA Prime beef with a traditional dry-aging process that ensures extremely tender, delicately flavored juicy steaks. The Sommelier at Halls recommends a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir or Bordeaux to go with this selection. Their dry-aged steaks range from the 14 ounces of New York Strip for $54, or the Kansas City bone-in cut 22 ounces for $69. They also have two ribeye’s either a 16 ounce $56 or the Tomahawk 34 ounce for $98, and the 26 ounce Porterhouse T-bone for $84.

If you're not in the mood for the steak they have veal chops, lamb, pork chops, Prestige Farms chicken breast, Manchester Farms quail, and Maple Leaf Farms braised duck. They cannot be a southern steakhouse either without the signature Charleston dish of shrimp and grits with Tasso ham blends. Scallops, Ahi tuna, Maine lobster and wild salmon also round up the seafood menu.

Picture courtesy of Halls Chophouse

They cater to vegan and vegetarian groups with dishes that are specially made upon request, and also provide gluten free menu options plus fresh sustainable local dishes. For starters try their onion soup or prime steak tartar, then focus on the roasted beet salad. For sides try the pancetta roasted brussel sprouts or the pepper jack grits.

Dessert:

Three words: “whisky bread pudding” that is all.

Whisky bread pudding

They have cheesecake, chocolate cakes, crème brûlée, ice cream and cookies, but nothing matches this New Orleans style warm bread, with sun dried cherries, pecans & bourbon crème anglaise.

Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.

Other Noteworthy Steakhouses and Southern Favorites:

5A5 Steak Lounge Modern Japanese steakhouse with chic design in San Francisco, California

Council Oak Steakhouse Upscale eatery with butchery at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Florida

Fleming’s Steakhouse High-end steakhouse chain (69+) with aged prime cuts, reviewed in Akron, Ohio

Fogo de Chão Upscale Brazilian chain with 49 locations. Review based in Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia

Frevo Restaurant Authentic churrascaria-style dining at the Fairmont on Palm Island, Dubai, UAE

Grill 225 Top 10 American fine-dining ornate chophouse, Market Pavilion Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina

Laurent Tourondel / BLT Swanky French-American Steakhouse chain with 14 restaurants

Oak Steakhouse High-end elegant steakhouse with sustainable seafood in Charleston, South Carolina

Stonewood Grill and Tavern Stylish chophouse chain with surf ’n’ turf; reviewed in Brandon, Florida

Sunset Terrace A classic outdoor American chophouse at Omni Grove Park Inn, in Asheville, North Carolina

Waterfront Restaurant Steakhouse restaurant on inlet offering Gulf views in Sarasota Florida

See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”

Other Charleston restaurants and articles on Wine Dine and Play:

McCrady’s Tavern Acclaimed high-concept inspired Farm to Table tavern A top 20 on Wine Dine and Play Charleston, South Carolina, USA	Hank’s Seafood A classy southern seafood eatery house Charleston, South Carolina, USA	River Street Sweets Dessert shop with Southern treats, and praline Charleston, Savannah, Atlanta
High Cotton Refined eatery with Lowcountry fare and Southern Brunch Charleston, South Carolina, USA	Cypress Refined creative American fare Charleston, South Carolina, USA	Muse Restaurant & Wine Bar Classic Mediterranean dishes and wine bar Charleston, South Carolina, USA

See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”

Final notes, review basics, observations and more pictures:

Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:

What Is A Restaurant Review, And Am I Any Different?

Overall from this experience and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give Halls a 5 out of 5 stars, meaning that they not only exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants, but surpassed outstanding and were extraordinary.

Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:

Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings	Max Points Possible:	Total Points Awarded:	Total Points deducted:
Ambiance	10	9	1
Food quality	10	9	1
Plate presentation	8	8	0
Customer service	9	7.5	1.5
Alcohol and other beverages	9	8	1
Total regular points awarded	46	41.5	4.5
Total percentage Before Bonus		0.902173913043478
“Wow” factor BONUS	5	3	0
Total bonus percentage		0.0652173913043478
*Total percentage with a bonus for the final star rating*		0.967391304347826
Stars Awarded (see chart below)	0 - 5	5

**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**

***

Overall Star Rating:	5 of 5 Stars: 97% Rating with a 3 point “wow” bonus An Extraordinary Dining Experience
Wine List:	Click here to view the restaurants wine list
Wine rating:	6 of 10 Old World selections: France, Spain, Italy, Germany New World selections: Argentina, New Zealand, California, Oregon, Washington State,
Corkage fee’s:	This Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
Restaurant style:	Conservative dining
Cuisine style:	American, Southern American, Steakhouse Allergen or dietary accommodations: Farm to Fork, Gluten Free, Grass Fed, Local, Non-GMO, Organic, Pescatarian, Sustainable, Vegan and Vegetarian Options
Reservations:	Not Required, But Recommended Walk-Ins: Accepted, but not guaranteed
Dress code:	Business casual, Smart casual, or Conservative attire
Child policy:	The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette. If not then: Hire a Babysitter!
Experiences:	Place for foodies, Contemporary, Business parties, Romantic, Hot spot, Great bar, Good for special occasions, Beautiful décor, Classy, Upscale, and a Neighborhood gem.
Payments:	Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
Parking:	Directly behind the restaurant off of John Street, or metered street parking
Wifi	The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
Noise level:	Medium
Smoking:	Nonsmoking restaurant
Patio or terrace:	No

Food Prices

(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)

$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)

$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)

$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricey)

$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)

$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)

**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**

Currency:	Price
United States Dollar (USD)	$$$$
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£££
Canadian Dollar (CAN)	$$$$$
Chinese Yuan (CNY)	¥¥¥¥¥
European Union (EUR)	€€€€

Halls Chophouse:

434 King Street

Charleston, South Carolina

29403

Contact Information:

Restaurant website:	Halls Chophouse
Maître d or host:	+1 843-727-0090
Online reservations	OpenTable
Webpage Contact:	Contact Halls, Charleston
Serving hours: Eastern Standard Time (GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)	Dinner: Mon-Sun 4:00 pm - 2:00 am Sunday Gospel Brunch: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Social Media & Accolades:	Facebook link
	Twitter @hallschophouse
	Pinterest
	Instagram

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The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.

A few to tease you with…

Zink Bistro and Bar

Southwestern-inspired New American fare

San Antonio, Texas, USA

Signature Restaurant

Contemporary & elegant eclectic eatery

Johannesburg, South Africa

Cobalt

upscale locally sourced seafood eatery with ocean views

Vero Beach, Florida, USA

Other Pictures: