Mercy of the Chef

Our restaurants are fabulous. Some of the best in the country. You can’t much go wrong. But sometimes you want a little extra adventure in your life. And we only get served a Guerrilla Cuisine once, maybe twice, a month. So what to do in between?

Luckily a few restaurants are picking up on our need for dining with a side of reckless abandon. Enter Mercy of the Chef dinners.

There’s something exhilarating about never seeing a menu, sitting at the table (metaphoric blindfold on) and preparing to devour whatever the chef feels like making. It could be the best steak of your life. It could be headcheese. You’re completely and utterly at the chef’s…well, mercy.

The best part of all? These dinners are surprisingly affordable.

Blu’s first Mercy of the Chef dinner (Chef Jonathan Hagins pictured above), serving up a lobster bisque, summer fresh salad, polenta cake, fish, short rib and creamy custard dessert, had us with every bite along the ride. The wine pairings were equally spectacular, particularly the not one, not two, but three dessert wines paired with the final course. The service was something to write home about and you could tell they were having almost too much fun with the mystery dinner. The next one is this Thursday night, so get your reservations. It’s a four courser for just $30. Add wine pairings (highly recommended) for just $10 more.

Fish is another one leading the Mercy train. Every Tuesday, Chef Nico decides on a menu just a few hours prior, when the restaurant’s fisherman, Mark Marhefka of Abundant Seafood, brings in the finest catches of the day. The secret menu is then built around the best of that day’s seasonal produce and local seafood. This one is a three courser for $25, wine pairings just $5 extra.

Of course all of Charleston’s fine restaurants, whether they have an official blind chef’s dinner (which is nice so you don’t get served a giant, unexpected bill) or not, can whip this up for you if you ask. So next time you go out for dinner, open yourself up to a memorable adventure. Sit down, keep the menu tightly shut and let your server know you’re at the chef’s mercy. We guarantee the chef will love it. Of course, not as much as you. And that’s all that matters.

Blu: Mercy of the Chef, Oct 29
Fish: Mercy of the Chef, Tuesdays

Story by: Caroline Nuttall
Photos by: Karson Photography