Circa 1886 Releases New Menu Featuring The Best Flavors of Winter and Spring

CHARLESTON, SC—January 28, 2013—Chef Marc Collins at Circa 1886 is unveiling a new dinner menu that features the delicious flavors of winter combined with the new, fresh flavors of spring. Pastry Chef Scott Lovorn has also created an array of sweet treats for the new menu that offer a unique twist on beloved desserts such as Key Lime Pie, Banana Soufflé, and Butter Pecan Crème Brulee. Menu items are available a la carte and a chef’s five-course tasting menu is available for $75 ($110 with wine pairings).

Circa 1886 Late Winter/ Early Spring menu highlights:

SMOKED SALMON $11
Bavarois, Cavier, Red Onion, Fried Gherkin, Potato Gaufrette, Chive Oil

HEART OF PALM “MARROW” $22
Spinach, Crispy Fried Onions, Beluga Lentils, Grapefruit Basil Salad, Veggie Glace

BISON SHORT RIBS $31
Rice Bean Puree, Horseradish Froth, Red Cabbage, Radish, Sunflower Sprouts

BASS $26
Field Peas, Corned Beef, Pepper Trinity, Fried Green Tomato, Smoked Paprika Broth, Pickled Okra Tartar Sauce

ANTELOPE $34
White Cheddar Grits, Asparagus, Cast Iron Shallots, Fig Bordelaise, Belgian Endive

CRISPY PEAR BREAD PUDDING $10
Salty Caramel, Rosemary-Cabernet Syrup, Aged Cheddar Ice Cream

The full menu may be found by visiting www.circa1886.com/menu. Circa 1886 is open for dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. To make a reservation or for more information, call (843) 853-7828, or visit www.circa1886.com.

About Circa 1886
Set inside the historic carriage house for the award-winning Wentworth Mansion® hotel at 149 Wentworth St. in Charleston, S.C., Circa 1886 is a AAA Four-Diamond, Forbes Four Star restaurant offering traditional southern cuisine with a modern twist in a sophisticated, historic setting. Executive Chef Marc Collins, co-founder of the highly successful BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival®, puts his own forward-thinking spin on classic southern dishes. Circa 1886 has received numerous accolades, including the DiRoNA award for fine dining in North America, as well as the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The restaurant is open for dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.circa1886.com or call (843) 853-7828.

Circa 1886 2013 Calendar of Events

AWARD-WINNING CHARLESTON HOSPITALITY GROUP OFFERS SEASONAL EVENTS AND SPECIAL PACKAGES THROUGHOUT 2013

CHARLESTON, S.C.—January 1, 2013—Charleston’s award-winning Wentworth Mansion® and Forbes Four Star restaurant Circa 1886 unveil a full calendar of seasonal events and special travel packages for 2013. Below is a list of events and packages on tap for the coming year. For more information on any of the calendar listings or to obtain photography or speak with a representative from Wentworth Mansion® or Circa 1886, call (888) INN-1886. To view a list of current hotel packages and special rates, visit www.wentworthmansion.com/specials-packages/.

Available Year-Round

5 for $5 at 5 at Circa 1886

Circa 1886 continues to offer their popular cocktail program, “5 for 5 at 5.” From 5 until 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, guests can select from a list of five wines, five martinis and five cocktails, all costing only $5.  Wines will vary and include a choice of sparkling, two white wines and two red wines. In addition, guests are invited to dine at the bar, where the full dinner menu is available.

JANUARY

Locals Only Rate

January 2—February 7 (excluding 1/19)

Valid throughout the month of January, residents of Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties are invited to enjoy discounted locals only rates at the Wentworth Mansion®. Specials include $229 rates for Sunday through Thursday, and two nights for the price of one from $480 on Friday and Saturday. Can’t get away for two nights? Locals are invited to stay one night (Friday or Saturday) for $299.

FEBRUARY

Valentine’s Day Dinner

Thursday, February 14

Circa 1886 is continually lauded as one of the most romantic spots in Charleston, and Valentine’s Day dinner at this intimate restaurant is a tradition for many. Diners can enjoy a special five-course prix fixe dinner for $100 per person, excluding beverages, tax and gratuity.

SEWE–SC Agricultural “Certified SC Grown” Tent Chef Demo

Saturday, February 16

Executive Chef of Circa 1886 Marc Collins will take part in the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE) SC Agricultural Chef Demo on Saturday, February 16 at 2:00 p.m. Now in its 32^nd year, SEWE has grown to be the largest event of its kind in the nation, attracting over 500 artists and exhibitors from around the globe who present their offerings to over 40,000 attendees. A 3-day celebration of nature that has earned a reputation for excellence, SEWE now hosts the world’s foremost experts in wildlife and nature art, as well as conservation research and environmental education.

Sweetheart Package

February 1-27 (excluding 2/15, 2/16)

Engagements, ceremonies, receptions and honeymoons frequently take place at the Wentworth Mansion®, and in honor of this the hotel is offering a special romance package for two throughout the month of February. The package includes a one-night stay, a dozen red roses, a candlelight turndown and three-course dinner for two at Circa 1886. The rate for every night in February except February 14 is from $495, which includes tax and gratuity for dinner, but excludes beverages and room tax. The rate for Valentine’s Day (Thursday, February 14) is from $615. Minimum night stay may apply.

MARCH

BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival

February 28 – March 3

Executive Chef Marc Collins and Circa 1886 will take center stage during the eighth annual BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival, a four-day celebration of food, wine and all things Charleston. Chef Collins, who co-founded the festival in 2006, will be part of Salute to Charleston’s Chefs Opening Night Party on Thursday, February 28. Additionally, Circa 1886 will welcome guest chef Jesse Schenker, executive chef of Recette in New York and Melissa Burr of Stoller Family Estate in Oregon, for the Circa 1886 “Perfectly Paired Dinner” on Friday, March 1. For more information and tickets, visit www.charlestonwineandfood.com.

APRIL

9th Annual Historic Charleston Foundation Wine Tastings

March 27 and April 10 | 5 p.m.

During the Historic Charleston Foundation’s popular Festival of Houses and Gardens, guests can tour many of city’s historic private homes and gardens. Circa 1886 will host two wine and hors d’oeuvres tastings during the tours to benefit the organization. Tickets, available for $45 per person, are available through the Historic Charleston Foundation at 843-723-1623 or www.historiccharleston.org.

MAY / JUNE

Spoleto Festival USA Pre-and Post-Theater Dinners

May 24 – June 9 | 5-10 p.m.

Spoleto Festival USA is one of the most recognized and acclaimed art festivals in the world, drawing thousands of visitors to Charleston each spring. The festival supports new and innovative works while enhancing public appreciation of the arts – from dance and music to theater and jazz. To accommodate attendees, Circa 1886 open on Sunday, May 26 for dinner and will serve dinner a half-hour earlier at 5 p.m. and close a half hour later throughout the Festival.

5th Annual Louie’s Kids Big Chef / Little Chef

Thursday, June 13

Chef Marc Collins joins other top local chefs in the 5th Annual Big Chef/Little Chef, a culinary fundraiser for local non-profit Louie’s Kids, which helps fight childhood obesity. During this one-of-a-kind gastronomic evening, guests are invited to taste culinary creations courtesy of the big chefs and their little counterparts, all of whom are Louie’s Kids participants. This marks the fourth year Chef Collins has participated in this important fundraiser. For more info on Big Chef/Little Chef, visit www.louieskids.org

Circa 1886 Craft Beer Dinner

Friday, June 14

Guests are invited to join Chef Marc Collins at Circa 1886 for an informal and fun Craft Beer Dinner, featuring a selection of Westbrook craft beers paired with Collins’ Southern fare. Cost is $50 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. View the four course dinner menu here.

JULY

8th Annual Sizzling Southern Celebration

Thursday, July 4, 7:30 p.m.

Join Wentworth Mansion® and Circa 1886 in celebrating Independence Day in true southern fashion with libations and delicacies hot off the grill, all accompanied by a live jazz soloist. After dark, guests head to the Mansion’s cupola with panoramic views of the city to watch Charleston’s fireworks display. The cost is $70 per person, including a glass of champagne, excluding tax, gratuity and additional beverages.

Wentworth Mansion® is also offering a package for those who want to stay overnight, including a one-night stay from $539 per couple, excluding tax. The package includes the Sizzling Southern Celebration for two.

AUGUST

Date ‘Over’ Night

August 1-29

During the month of August, locals have a chance to be a tourist in their own town all month. Residents of Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties can take advantage of this special date “over” night package at the Wentworth Mansion®. The package includes a three-course dinner for two at Circa 1886, as well as one night in a mansion room with a candlelight turndown. The cost of the package from $329. Dinner is not available on Sundays.

“Good Neighbor” Dinner

August 1-30

As a way of saying thank you to all of our “good neighbors” before the start of Charleston Restaurant Week, Circa 1886 will offer a three-course prix fixe dinner for $35 throughout the month for residents in the 29401 and 29403 zip codes. This special rate has previously only been available during Restaurant Week.

4th Annual Louie’s Kids Guest Chef Benefit Dinner

Thursday, August 15 | 6:30 p.m.

In the past three years, this event has become one of the biggest local fundraisers of its kind, raising nearly $45,000 for Louie’s Kids, a local non-profit that aims to end childhood obesity. For the 2013 dinner, Chef Marc Collins will once again invite two other guest chefs to join him for a five-course dinner paired with wines and live auction. Cost is $80 per person, plus tax and gratuity. For more info about Louie’s Kids, visit www.louieskids.org.

SEPTEMBER

Charleston Restaurant Week

Circa 1886 is one of many restaurants around the state participating in September Restaurant Week. The goal is to showcase the thriving culinary scene in the Lowcountry. Throughout the week, Circa 1886 will offer three signature courses for $40.

NOVEMBER

Circa 1886 Wild Game Dinner

Thursday, November 7

From the field to the grill, the arrival of fall means enjoying some of our favorite game meats. For this four course Wild Game Dinner, Chef Marc Collins will showcase some of his winning wild game recipes, including venison and antelope, which was recently profiled in the Wall Street Journal. Cost is $75 or $95 paired with wine.

DECEMBER

28th Annual Progressive Dinner

November 29,30 and December 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23 | 5:30 p.m.

A much-beloved holiday tradition is back this December. For the 28th year in a row, Circa 1886 restaurant and Charming Inns will play host to the “Charleston Holiday Progressive Dinner,” a festive evening where diners journey by carriage to three different locations. Guests are invited to start the evening with hors d’oeuvres at Historic Kings Courtyard Inn at 198 King Street, travel to Circa 1886 restaurant at 149 Wentworth Street for a three-course dinner, and wind down at Historic John Rutledge House Inn at 116 Broad Street for coffee and dessert. Hors d’oeuvres start at 5:30 p.m. and the evening wraps up at 8:30 p.m. A carriage will transport guests from one location to the next. The cost is $95.00 per person, excluding beverages.

The Progressive Dinner Package, offered by the historic bed and breakfast, John Rutledge House Inn, includes accommodations for two, the Progressive Dinner (excluding room tax and beverages), a rickshaw ride to Kings Courtyard Inn and a Junior League Party Receipts Cookbook. Cost from $420 per night.

12th Annual Dickens Dinner

Wednesday, December 11 | 6:30 p.m.

Circa 1886 travels back in time this holiday season to retell a classic Christmas story. At the 12th annual Dickens Dinner, storyteller Tim Lowry will take guests to Victorian England for a lively retelling of English novelist Charles Dickens’ beloved novella, “A Christmas Carol.” The performance is accompanied by a four-course dinner inspired by the novel, prepared by Chef Marc Collins. Cost is $75.00 per person plus gratuity, tax, and beverages.

To complement the dinner, Charleston’s luxury hotel, the Wentworth Mansion® will offer a special “Christmas Carol” package for two guests from $479, including the Dickens Dinner (which excludes room tax and beverages) and one night’s accommodation.

New Year’s Eve Dinner

Tuesday, December 31

Circa 1886 Restaurant celebrates the arrival of 2014 with a festive six-course prix fixe New Year’s Eve dinner on Tuesday, December 31. Cost is $125.00 per person excluding gratuity and tax, and cost includes a complimentary glass of champagne. Other beverages are not included in the cost.

Wentworth Mansion® is also offering a special two-night package, starting at $1,250 (room tax and additional beverages not included), to coincide with the dinner for visitors who want to continue the celebration into the night. It includes dinner for two at Circa 1886 on any night besides Sunday and a bottle of champagne.

About Wentworth Mansion®

Wentworth Mansion®, located in the heart of historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, is a 21-room, award-winning luxury hotel that offers guests a true taste of Southern hospitality in an unsurpassed setting.  Built in 1886, the Wentworth Mansion® is the former home of a wealthy cotton merchant. Current owners Richard Widman and Linn Lesesne carefully restored the building in 1998, converting it into a luxurious hotel that maintains many of the original and distinctive architectural features. Each room and suite features gas-lit fireplaces with original marble mantels, king-size sleigh beds with European linens, inlaid design floors, whirlpool tubs and double glass-walled, walk-in showers. In the evening, guests may gather for a complimentary wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres in the parlor, or they may enjoy watching the sunset from the hotel’s rooftop cupola, a special spot a 360-degree vista of the historic city and harbor. For fine, innovative Southern cuisine, guests may walk across the lawn for dinner at Circa 1886. The hotel also features The Spa at Wentworth Mansion®, housed in the Mansion’s former stables, which were restored to combine the original elements of the building with more modern features for a one-of-a-kind ambiance. Wentworth Mansion® was named to Travel + Leisure’s 2012 “Top 500 Hotels in the World” list and awarded the” Top 25 Hotels in the U.S.” for the 2012 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards. For more information about the Wentworth Mansion®, visit www.wentworthmansion.com or call (888) INN-1886.

About Circa 1886

Set inside the historic carriage house for the award-winning Wentworth Mansion® hotel at 149 Wentworth St. in Charleston, S.C., Circa 1886 is a AAA Four-Diamond, Forbes Four Star restaurant offering traditional southern cuisine with a modern twist in a sophisticated, historic setting. Executive Chef Marc Collins, co-founder of the highly successful BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival®, puts his own forward-thinking spin on classic southern dishes. Circa 1886 has received numerous accolades, including the DiRoNA award for fine dining in North America, as well as the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The restaurant is open for dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.circa1886.com or call (843) 853-7828.

About Charming Inns

Charming Inns® is a family of four elegant and historic bed and breakfast inns all located within the heart of downtown Charleston. The properties, which include the award-winning Wentworth Mansion®, the AAA Four Diamond John Rutledge House Inn, the Kings Courtyard Inn and the Fulton Lane Inn, have received numerous national accolades, including three as members of Historic Hotels of America and one as a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. In addition, Charming Inns owns and operates Mobil Four Star, AAA Four Diamond Circa 1886 restaurant located on the grounds of the Wentworth Mansion. For more information, visit www.CharmingInns.com.

Two Charming Inns in Charleston, SC Voted Readers Choice “Top 50 Small Hotels” by Condé Nast Traveler

Charleston, SC—October 13, 2011— At the Readers’ Choice Awards gala in New York City on October 10, Condé Nast Traveler magazine named Charleston, SC, the Top U.S. City for 2011. The awards will appear in the November issue and are derived from the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice survey, which was voted on by more than 27,000 readers who reviewed more than 11,000 properties and destinations.

Making the Reader’s Choice “Top 50 Small Hotels in the U.S.” list are the John Rutledge House Inn® and the Wentworth Mansion®, both part of the Charming Inns group in Charleston. John Rutledge House Inn® took the number 16 spot on the list, and the Wentworth Mansion® followed right behind at number 17.

The John Rutledge House Inn® has also appeared in the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List, a directory of the world’s best hotels and resorts, from 2005-2010. The Wentworth Mansion® also appeared in the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List in 2007-2010.

For more information on this year’s Readers Choice Awards visit http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/.           For more information about the John Rutledge House Inn® or the Wentworth Mansion®, visit www.charminginns.com.

February 8, 2011

Travel + Leisure Magazine

CIRCA 1886 NAMED ONE OF “AMERICA’S MOST ROMANTIC RESTAURANTS”

This February, Travel + Leisure magazine traveled from east coast to west coast on a quest to find “America’s Most Romantic Restaurants.” The top 20 are featured on the magazine website, www.travelandleisure.com, and local favorite Circa 1886 made the list. Circa 1886 joins other top restaurants around the country, including The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, VA; The French Laundry in Yountville, CA; and Fleur de Lys in San Francisco.

Writer Sarah Storms says, “Located in the original carriage house of Charleston’s stately Wentworth Mansion, the building dates back to—you guessed it—1886. And it still boasts much of its original charm, like the wood-burning kitchen fireplace, stable doors, and gleaming heart-of-pine floors. Retreat into one of the recessed booths set along one wall, designed to mimic the original carriage openings, to enjoy dishes like truffle-laced roast chicken and fennel-dusted Carolina trout by candlelight.”

Read the full feature

For more information about Circa 1886, visit www.circa1886.com or call 843-853-7828.

December 1, 2010

Circa 1886 Launches New Cocktail Program

MEDIA ALERT, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CIRCA 1886 LAUNCHES NEW COCKTAIL PROGRAM
“5 FOR 5 AT 5”

WHO: Set inside the historic carriage house at the award-winning Wentworth Mansion® hotel at 149 Wentworth St. in Charleston, SC, Circa 1886 is a AAA Four-Diamond, Forbes Four Star restaurant offering traditional southern cuisine with a modern twist in a sophisticated, historic setting.

WHAT: This month, Circa 1886 launches a new cocktail program, “5 for 5 at 5.” From 5 until 7 p.m., guests can select from a list of five wines and five house liquors all costing only $5.  Wines will vary and include a choice of sparkling, two white wines and two red wines.  In addition, guests are invited to dine at the bar, where the full Circa 1886 dinner menu is available.

WHEN: 5 until 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday

WHERE: The bar at Circa 1886, located at 149 Wentworth Street in Downtown Charleston

HOW: To make a reservation or for more information about Circa 1886, call (843) 853-7828 or visit www.circa1886.com.