I wrapped up the meal with a grilled Gunpowder Farm buffalo tenderloin accompanied by a creamy polenta, oyster mushrooms, and crispy shallots, yet again another rich and satisfying dish. My in-laws and husband covered a good range of the menu with their selections as well and absolutely everything was enjoyed. Dessert for me was a white chocolate strawberry dome with a little bit of a balsamic drizzle on the side. I loved this combination. We also got an accompanying plate of small candies and pastries, the best of which was a macaron.

I could go on and on about the food at Charleston, but I should also mention the service as well. Foreman-Wolf really knows what they are doing with service. What’s so great about it is that even though it’s such a well-regarded fine dining establishment, there is absolutely nothing snobby about the service. Everyone is warm and friendly, they are thoughtful when offering suggestions without being pushy, and plates are served and cleared from tables in such organized fashion it’s really an amazing to sit back and pay attention to all the careful thought they put into those details.

I will say though that the highlight of service for the night was when my father-in-law ordered port to go with his cheese. The server delivering the port ended up in conversation with us talking about our upcoming move to San Francisco. He actually offered restaurant recommendations in San Francisco for us and somehow managed to hit on lots of different things that excited me about the city that I want to explore there (a great banh mi for example). It was wonderful and I think really sums up about how I feel about Charleston. It’s a place where you go to have an experience in eating and everything about that experience is absolutely the best Baltimore has to offer.

Meal #4: A memory to last a lifetime

If the previous bit wasn’t enough of a Foreman-Wolf love fest for you it’s only going to get better because I can’t end this without talking about the rehearsal dinner we had at Cinghiale. I think when my husband and I first started wedding planning the thought of Cinghiale hadn’t really crossed out mind. We were looking for something simple and laid back. In comes my father-in-law who loves OpenTable and looked at the menu for every restaurant listed in Baltimore under the private dining section. When he found the menu for Cinghiale matched his passion for fine Italian food, the decision was made for us and we never looked back.

I won’t touch on all the details of the food since there is entirely too much to talk about but I will point out a few highlights. People couldn’t stop eating the tuna tartare, it was so simple yet so perfect in its flavors and freshness. I loved the russet potato gnocchi with lamb ragu and fresh mint. I could go on and on about all of the wonderful food, we enjoyed every bite.

The service again was amazing. Being the center of attention as the bride and groom of the weekend, my husband and I got pretty mobbed by guests trying to greet us while passed antipasti were being served. The staff noticed this and seamlessly found us in the crowd making sure we had a chance to sample everything and even bringing us our own plates of salame and bresaola since it was stationed at the opposite end of the room from us. I honestly felt like they were reading my mind the whole night, they anticipated everything I could have wanted.

My husband also loves gelato, and when we had tried out Cinghiale last fall to decide on the dinner he sampled a salted caramel gelato that he fell in love with. While we were initially told that serving 60 plates of salted caramel gelato at once would be impossible because the chef didn’t want anyone to have any melted gelato, they found a way. A member of the kitchen staff actually plated every single plate in the freezer and they made the salted caramel flavor special for us that night. I still am amazed that they were able to put together the gelato for us and I know it made my husband so incredibly happy.

The execution of the entire night was literally perfect and the folks taking care of us couldn’t have been friendlier. Chef Julian Marucci came out to talk to us at the end of the night and seemed so humble when listening to our litany of compliments. He is also incredibly young and I think will be doing amazing things for years to come. I am in awe of what Cinghiale was able to do for us and for anyone considering a private dining event, if you go with Cinghiale I guarantee you it will be something you and your guests will talk about for years to come. I know we will and I can’t think of a better way to close out how great of a time I’ve had with these last few meals and these last few years here in Baltimore.