Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

Fat Hen Something to Cluck About

Johns Island residents now have something else to be truly happy about. Super talent chef Fred Neuville recently flew “Rue’s” coop to land here and set up his own establishment, deliciously named Fat Hen.

Because I have childhood-related fascination with chickens (under the right circumstances, I even do a pretty good imitation of one laying an egg) and because I love the name of the place and Neuville’s food, I broke tradition and tossed my usual must-be-at-least three-months-old mandate in order to review a new establishment. So, let’s consider this more of a report than a review, since Fat Hen’s only been flying just under two weeks.

The news is good. Very good. Fat Hen is operating seamlessly. I’ve never seen a restaurant running so well on all fronts so early in the game.The service has professional pluck a’ plenty (Neuville recruited some of Rue’s best) and the food, which Neuville describes as “Lowcountry French”, has a personality of its own. The menu and the decor recall Rue but in a manner that’s infinitely more country warm and cozy than the cooled, Parisian brasserie sophistication chez Rue. It occupies the space that was Johns Island Cafe, conveniently situated a meager 10-15 minutes from the more populous environs of Seabrook, Kiawah, James Island and downtown.

The new look is smart and sturdy, peppered with chick-themed bibelots, a few stray painted chicken tracks here and there and oodles of comfortable tables and a spacious bar area. The intention here, according to the chef, is to impart the rounded, feminine and maternal comfort of a big, fat hen looking after her chicks. It’s totally accomplished with the homespun fare, the down-home look and the nurturing nature of the effervescent staff. This Fat Hen is one good Mom, the kind that makes the saddest, loneliest and hungriest chick cheer up in a hurry.

The food is good enough to make you strut like a well-fed rooster, but the humble prices (entrees, $9.95 – $20.95) won’t leave you crowing in pain. The delicate blush of Lowcountry brine trickled into every bite of silky oysters, beefed up with chunks of earthy ham and toothsome pearls of wild mushrooms – all perched above a pool of a rich and creamy sauce. The sauce was prepared with eggs purchased from nearby local farmer Celeste Albers, situated just miles away. The chilled corn bisque (special) practically squeaked with freshness of candy sweet corn purchased at the Montessori School just down the road. The commitment to buying local is real here, not just talked about, which is just as it should be on an island that yields the bounty of local produce.

This restaurant may be all about chickens, but its duck soars. The exquisite BBQ Roasted Duck appetizer (shards of roasted duck are lovingly tossed with a deep purple pomegranate sauce and served over pepper-spiked grits) is absolutely not to be missed. The same can be said of the Seared Duck Confit and its salty slivers of duck cooked long and low in duck fat, seared and served with butter beans that give new meaning to the word heavenly.

Already packing a full-house, Fat Hen is well beyond scratching and pecking her way to resounding restaurant success. She’s quickly nestled adeptly over its nest.

Fat Hen
3140 Maybank Highway, Johns Island
(843) 559-9090

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