Sunfire Grill
1090 Sam Rittenberg Blvd.
Charleston, SC (west ashley)
843-766-0223

Visa, MC, AMEX, Discover

1st visit- This was my first experience at Sunfire. I took a long time friend with me to check it out. I found it by accident while driving through West Ashley (a part of Charleston located west of the Ashley River). The building it's in used to be the Steak and Ale. I arrived early, my friend was about 15 minutes behind me, and I decided to go ahead and get seated. The hostess was very friendly and asked if I'd like to sit in the bar since they were during happy hour in there. I don't know if I just had that look that I needed a drink, but she was right on target. I sat at a high top table and seated myself. The atmosphere was casually upscale. Very comfortable, no matter how you were dressed, but it seemed to be a great place to go right after you get off work. My server (who was also the bartender) greeted me immediately with much enthusiasm. Her name was Jessica. She was upbeat, friendly and you could tell, full of life. I was hot and tired, and couldn't really make up my mind what I wanted for something as simple as a drink, so she pleasantly made some suggestions and offered me a taste of a great light wine. I agreed, and her suggestion was perfect. She told me it was new, not on the menu yet, light and fruity, and very cold. Perfect for what I was in need of. She kept me entertained until my friend arrived, and made sure I was taken care of.

When my friend arrived, our server arrived back at the table with the same charm and enthusiasm that greeted me initially. My friend got a glass of white zinfandel which was also served very cold. We mulled over the idea of our appetizer, and again, our perky server had a suggestion, Sunfire Spring Rolls. Marinated, grilled chicken, peppers and tangy vermicelli noodles, deep fried, served with soy ginger dipping sauce. Sounded good to me, so we obliged her once again, and again her suggestion was perfect. These rolls were light, yet tangy, absolutely delicious. They were large rolls, not the typical small ones you get when you associate spring rolls in your mind. The $6.99 price was well worth it. Next the decision of the main course was upon us. The worst part of this restaurant is making up your mind what to order from their "culturally eclectic" menu. I wanted a light meal, so I chose the Vegetarian Pasta. Crimini mushrooms, basil, roasted red peppers, artichokes and tomatoes, tossed in a light tomato cream and garnished with parmesan cheese. Absolutely fabulous!! My friend got something on special for the night which was not on the menu, and again, at our servers suggestion. Pork tenderloins and shrimp in a tasso gravy with creamy cheese grits. All I can say, is, wow. The gravy was perfectly seasoned, and the grits were creamy and not grainy at all. The pork tenderloin was fork tender. Salads came with our meals, and I'm very big on places that make their dressings. Well, this is one of those places. We tried both the ranch and thousand island dressings, and both were to die for. The salads were fresh, and crisp, and just at the right temperature. Not too cold, not too warm.

The only bad part of our whole trip to Sunfire was while we were eating, the place started to fill up like crazy. It got very crowded, and our server got "in the weeds" although she kept apologizing all over herself, it was painfully obvious she needed some help in there. If it wouldn't have been for her earlier ability to win me over, and the fact that everything else was fantastic, I would complain. She did send a manager over to our table to check on us, who also apologized, and told us that is usually isn't quite that busy in the bar area. Again, she was a great and the food gets all five of my starts.

I'm giving Sunfire Grill 5 stars, and recommending you give this a shot when you're in the West Ashley area, or if you're looking for another GREAT happy hour. The food was of 5 star status, but in a great casual relaxed atmosphere. Ask for Jessica, and tell her you read her review on ComeToCharleston.com

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843-696-1944

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