L.I.M.E. Enters The Limelight

We love an “underground” dining experience.

There is something so cool about an off-the-radar supper club that turns dining into a full-fledged giddy adventure.

There’s our widely loved Guerrilla Cuisine put on by the one-of-a-kind jimihatt. There was a Fork + Brush stint at Eye Level Art with collaborators Mike Elder and Iverson Brownell. And now, a new act is born.

Enter L.I.M.E.

Local. Impromptu. Moveable. Evening.

L.I.M.E. is the new top-secret, upscale traveling foodie event in Charleston, brought to you one Saturday per month. It will generally be all-inclusive (including tax, gratuity and a charitable donation), and feature a sommelier or mixologist handling pairings for each course. The first L.I.M.E., for instance, is featuring a mixologist who hinted at a strawberry infused Grand Marnier that she’s pairing with a dessert course. L.I.M.E.s will range from $75 (BYOB, complete with suggested pairings) to $175 (top shelf everything included).

The dinners will be held at different locations and never in a restaurant, but of course, there’s a L.I.M.E. twist. Once you purchase your ticket, you’ll receive instruction to go to a local business to pick up your mystery bag. The bag will contain clues and further instructions that will ultimately lead you to the destination du jour. Apparently, you’ll be requested to wear one of the items in your mystery bag, but we were given no other explanation. Perhaps it will turn into a game or conversation starter over dinner. The most exciting part of all includes a blindfolded transport to the final location, but don’t worry – you will have a cocktail in your hand at all times and will never be put in a trunk.

The concept comes to us from Chef Renata Dos Santos, a recent Culinary Institute of Charleston grad, who has garnered a ton of praise and recognition so early in her career. She hails from Trinidad, where liming is a way of life and she’s incredibly excited to bring it to Charleston.

One of the neatest things Dos Santos will be doing is selecting Culinary Institute grads as the featured chefs. You’ll get young Sean Brocks, young Frank Lees…an experience you can’t get in any restaurant. Sometimes these young chefs will be paired with our local rockstars, but not always. So, in all of your indulgence and delight, you’re also helping bring exposure and learning to the young talents of tomorrow.

L.I.M.E. is about the full experience and appealing to all of the senses, from delicious food to beautiful decor to interesting mingling and beyond.

When asked why Charleston needs another underground supper club, Dos Santos gives homage to jimihatt, whom she calls “the Godfather of Lowcountry Underground Supper Clubs,” but answers by saying, “Why does Charleston need another underground supper club? Why does Charleston need another restaurant? Because Charleston foodies are on the culinary edge and they’re always hungry for more.” No arguing with that.

So get your blindfold on before everyone’s doing it. You heard it here first, limers.

The first installment of L.I.M.E. is Saturday, Sept. 18 at 5pm. Chef: Renata Dos Santos. Cost: $125. Beneficiary: Simply Divine Garden. Get your ticket here.

LimeInCharleston.com
L.I.M.E. on Facebook

Story by: Caroline Nuttall