The arrival of 17 Prime, a new upscale steakhouse, ushers in an exciting new era for West Ashley’s dining scene
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
A neighborhood is often defined by its restaurants. Sure, charming houses, boutique retail shops, and upscale grocery store chains are nice. But the heart and soul of a community resides in it’s eateries. At least it does for me, anyway. The restaurants, bars, and cafés make the difference in what is a “cool” part of town and what part has the kind of homogenized suburban blandness you can spot in any number of towns across the country.
West Ashley has always prided itself on having a unique, albeit sometimes quirky, vibe and aesthetic. We have not shortage of great places to eat, from award-winning barbecue joints, hip wine bars, breweries, and coffee shops, longtime local institutions, and a couple elevated-but-casual spots like Glass Onion, Betty Lou’s Bistro, and Ms. Rose’s Fine Foods.
However, until recently, there has been a void in fine dining options on our side of the river, unless you count the Middleton Place Restaurant, which we claim to be in West Ashley but is technically located in Dorchester County. The emergence of places like Bearcat in the Avondale Business District and La Bonne Franquette on St. Andrew’s Boulevard has given us some higher-end options in recent years. But now, a new player has shown up on the West Ashley dining scene that could solidly place us on the Charleston foodie map as a part of town to no longer be overlooked. Last month, 17 Prime opened along Savannah Highway, finally giving us a proper steakhouse. Located in the space previously occupied by Whiskey Jack’s, D. Fresh Hospitality’s newest venture is a bold and welcomed addition to the culinary landscape of West Ashley.
One week after officially opening its doors, I had a chance to sit down and have dinner with owner Doug Allison and talk with him and his staff about the evolution of West Ashley’s dining scene and how it fits into the larger picture of Charleston, which continues to establish itself as a food destination. Allison’s D. Fresh Hospitality also owns Southside 17 and CHS Golf in West Ashley and just recently sold Ireland’s Own/Jagerhaus Pub/Game Haus.
As a restauranteur and bar owner, Allison knows West Ashley as well as anyone. He’s well aware of the old reputation that West Ashley was a place that could not support a high-end restaurant. He’s betting that’s no longer true. Allison has always bet on West Ashley and usually hits it big. So no coincidence that there’s a bit of a Vegas vibe infused into the fabric of 17 Prime, from the poker table from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on the wall to subtle winks on the cocktail menu, like the High Roller, Sin City, and the Circus Circus, to Ty’s Vegas Shake from the dessert menu. It’s no coincidence that Allison and his fiancé Trayce Eller were engaged at The Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip.
Eller, who is well-known in the local F&B world, has been instrumental in helping Allison build a restaurant that is upscale but not stuffy. What was once a country-themed beer and whiskey bar now bears little resemblance to the space’s predecessor. The tables, the lighting, the walls, the grand piano in the bar, it’s hard to believe this is the same place.
Allison shows me the bathrooms and tells me that he and Eller created a kind of an HGTV challenge, with each designing their respective gender’s bathroom.
“This is the fun part,” Allison says about opening a new restaurant, likening it to getting a new car or a kid who has a new toy to play with.
“I’ve opened several restaurants and I think I they get better each time. Well, for one, I have more funds.” He smiles. “But this one is opposite of everything I’ve done before. But I really wanted to do something that was different over here. West Ashley doesn’t have anything like this. Charleston doesn’t have anything like this, when you look at the outdoor area and everything that we offer.”
The area Allison is referring to is a casual outdoor patio and bar area that hosts live music and is equipped with a double-decker container bar, and a special VIP room that is still being completed.
Beyond not having anything else like it, Allison insists that West Ashley needs something like 17 Prime. And as I take my first bite of a perfectly-grilled 20-ounce bone-in wet age ribeye, I tend to agree. We do need this. I needed this.
While this particular steak is Allison’s personal go-to, there are plenty of other impressive cuts to choose from on the 17 Prime menu, including a 16-ounce Ribeye, 16-ounce grass-fed Ribeye, six or 12-ounce Filet Mignon, 14-ounce New York Strip, 20-ounce Kansas City Strip, 28-ounce Porterhouse, and a 16-ounce Prime Rib. Additionally, one shouldn’t sleep on the 16-ounce bone-in pork chop or the New Zealand Bone-in Lamb Chops (2 to an order). Aside from the impressive steaks and chops, there’s more than a half-dozen other dishes, including pastas, seafood, a fancy cheeseburger, and a Prime Rib sandwich. Side dishes include a jalapeno cream corn skillet, potato au gratin, mac & cheese, sauteed spinach, asparagus with hollandaise, southern collard greens, loaded baked potato, and sweet potato fries. Almost all the sides are available in either a small or large offering.
Allison is clearly proud of the menu he’s assembled, pointing out to me from what ranch and specific stockyard each cut is sourced and why he will always use local shrimp.
“My former partner was a shrimper, so that’s important to me. It’s part of our local economy,” he says.
As several more dishes come out of the kitchen, I need to loosen my belt a notch. I also need another cocktail. I order the Four Seasons Old Fashioned (Makers Mark bourbon, black walnut bitters, harvest simple syrup), Allison orders a Sin City (Mi Campo reposado tequila, Creme de Violette, Orgeat, lime juice, fresh cracked black pepper). The drinks are balanced and the food is on point. The filet has just the right amount of char on the outside and a perfect medium-rare on the inside. The stuffed mushrooms bubble with cheese and toasted breadcrumbs in a cast iron skillet. The lamb chops are sublime.
Chef Tristian Ball comes out from the kitchen to check on us and shares with me the inspiration behind the balsamic reduction sauce served with the lamb, as well as other creations on the menu. Ball has worked with Allison at some of his other restaurants and is excited to flex his culinary skills with 17 Prime. He’s just one member of a team of talented staff Allison has assembled to help make his vision of an upscale steakhouse in West Ashley a reality.
Just weeks ago, Allison received a message from Rick Rushing, who saw a flyer at the Links at Stono Ferry about the opening of 17 Prime. Rushing, a level three sommelier who ran a wine school in Las Vegas before relocating to Charleston, reached out to Allison about offering his services. A welcomed addition to the 17 Prime team, Rushing has put together an impressive but approachable wine program while bar manager Frank Rodia, who’s thoughtful cocktail creations and rifts on old classics pair well with the food menu. Rodia is also assembling an impressive bourbon and scotch collection for 17 Prime, as well as other high-end and specialty spirits and liqueurs.
General Manager John Joubin plays quarterback for this team. Or maybe I should say point guard if I’m going to use sports analogies here because Joubin was a former basketball player who played under Allison when the successful restauranteur was still known as “Coach Allison” back in Virginia. Allison also helped coach West Ashley High’s basketball team before opening his first restaurant in Charleston.
The serendipitous reunion between Joubin and Allison happened when the former came into Ireland’s Own one day and saw his old coach. The two reminisced about hoops and hardwood glory, but as talk turned to business, Allison learned that Joubin had worked as a manager for Clyde’s Restaurant Group, a company that owns and operates 12 restaurants in the Washington metropolitan area, before moving to Charleston.
Less than a month since opening its doors, the local community has turned out in force to support 17 Prime, proving that the gambler may have made another smart bet. Or maybe the crafty former basketball coach just designed another winning play for West Ashley.
17 Prime is located at 2049 Savannah Hwy. For more information or to make a reservation, call (843) 966-3354 or visit www.17primechs.com.
