Artistry Meets Quality at The Drawing Room in Charleston, South Carolina

While the city of Charleston is known for its down-home, delicious cuisine, chef Jon Cropf of the Drawing Roomlocated at the Vendue Hotel is reimagining Southern cooking by elevating it on an artistic level. There is a balance that exists between elements, Cropf admits, that of taking time to make sure a dish looks beautiful but also insisting it tastes delicious. “When creating a dish, it is important to incorporate taste, texture, color, flavor, and smell,” Cropf told The Daily Meal. “Once we have established all of those components, we work on a plate presentation that is both unique and attractive.”

As for the restaurant’s dishes, each plate that exits the kitchen has a specific inspiration behind it and can look slightly different based on the natural shapes and sizes of the components. “A good example of this is our venison dish. The carrots we use are so beautiful that we want to leave them as natural as possible,” the chef noted. “That being said, the specific way we plate them differs based on the size and shape of the carrot and what our chefs feel is the most attractive place for the carrots to be on the plate.” Read on