Tidewater unveils $300,000 makeover, starting this Thursday
We borrowed a photo from the DowntownWV blog showing the Tidewater’s “old” look. A new one is coming on Thursday.
If you had Tidewater on the mind for lunch or dinner this week, think again. Charleston’s venerable seafood-plus restaurant, which opened in 1985 at Town Center Mall, is closed. But not for long. It shut down Saturday and will reopen Thursday as it undergoes a $300,000 interior redesign. According to an e-mail press release about the redesign, the new look “will be fresh and upscale.” Like how? Here’s more:
Much of the restaurant’s dining and bar areas features will be torn out and replaced… The restaurant décor will be updated with new wood, carpet and concrete flooring, along with new tables, booths and lighting, which will enhance the dining venue. Guests can experience a great place to mix business and pleasure at the newly created Chef’s Table — a semi private dining area for gatherings of 8 to 14 people. A large antique wooden table, creative lighting and intimate atmosphere will set the scene. Working wine racks will also be featured through out the dining room.
New awnings and a trellis will be added to the outside patio along with outside patio heaters, which will not only add warmth but add length to the outside dining season, Tidewater-wise. No changes menu-wise, according to Terry Kretz, General Manager, in the release: “We are expanding the dining experience but will continue to provide the same great food and tradition that guests have come to know and expect from us. It is important for our guests to know that menu favorites like the Greek Salad and our signature bread will not be changed.”
Now you know. Did you also know that Tidewater, Gratzi and The Chop House are all one big happy family, part of Mainstreet Ventures. Michael Gibbons, president of that company, grew up in Charleston and has family in the area.
September 18th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
Hoepfully the Tidewater “makeover” will include a retraining of the staff. Service at Tidewater has been getting worse and worse. I remember the days when you never had to ask for more bread or a refill of coffee - it simply appeared! My last few experiences at Tidewater were less than satisfactory and included some undercooked fish - yech!
September 18th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Best service in town is two doors down at Gratzi. At least during dinner. Only thing I don’t like is the little V-shaped glasses in which they serve the wine. Now, my Italian granddad drank his vino rosso out of a short glass tumbler, but I’m trying to be a vino snob here. Give me a balloon glass any day.
October 20th, 2006 at 3:30 pm
I agree with sushi guy about Tidewater. I’ve been going there since it opened but quit after my last few visits. The food was lousy and unimaginative. The presentation was awful and the service lousy.
The first time I chalked it up to a fluke but after two more $100 plus dissapointing dinners I wrote Tidewater off of my list.
I’m not sure why they rennovated the interior. It was finally getting an aged and comfortable quality to it. It was the food and menu that need rehauling.
I’ll bet everything will be bright and shiny now.