My family had a Christmas Eve tradition when I was growing up. Every year, we would go to the movie theater in the afternoon and a restaurant at night.
For as long as I can remember, that restaurant was a place named Sesame Inn.
Most U.S. cities and towns have a Sesame Inn — that classic American-inspired Chinese eatery where orange chicken, moo shu pork and fried rice reign supreme.
Beautiful South in downtown Charleston is not like Sesame Inn. While it does offer items from the Chinese American restaurant canon, such as General Tso’s chicken, most of the menu strives to deliver a genuine look into the food more commonly found in cities and provinces across China.
Owners David Schuttenberg and Tina Heath-Schuttenberg don’t hail from China, but they have dedicated years to mastering the complexities of the country’s diverse cuisine.
Beautiful South executive chef and co-owner David Schuttenberg plates a dish on Nov. 30, 2023, in Charleston.
They also have visited multiple times, most recently in October, when a trip to Hong Kong and Guangzhou helped spawn new specials and one permanent menu item back home in Charleston.
They can be ordered in the dining room at Beautiful South, the couple’s Columbus Street destination specializing in cuisine from the regions below the Yangtze River in Southeastern China. The subtle changes demonstrate how on-the-ground research can translate to a deeper focus on regionality and technique.
The Schuttenbergs spent two weeks traversing the cities, both considered pillars of Cantonese cuisine. They approached some of their meals as I do for The Post and Courier’s restaurant reviews, ordering several menu items to best capture the essence of the food.
Sampling food from dim sum restaurants, dai pai dong street stalls and traditional siu mei shops, they were struck by how many dining destinations specialized in one or two signature items. At Kau Kee, a Michelin Bib Gourmand noodle shop that’s served Hong Kong for nearly 100 years, they tasted a brothy bowl of brisket noodles that left a strong impression.
“I just sat there with my jaw on the floor,” said Schuttenberg, who knew almost immediately that he wanted to re-create the dish at Beautiful South. “It’s broth, bok choy, noodles and brisket, but it tasted like so much more than that.”
Beef brisket noodles at Kau Kee in China.
When they returned to Charleston, Schuttenberg had already formulated an idea for how to produce brisket noodles at Beautiful South. But he went through several iterations before he felt comfortable putting the dish on the menu.
The version he came up with features a broth flavored with roasted beef bones. Rio Bertolini’s noodles, brisket, bok choy and pickled chilis complete the hearty bowl, a cozy comfort for these cold December days.
Other post-trip changes to the restaurant have been more subtle. Occasional specials nod to dishes they tried in China, and Schuttenberg’s char sui recipe was adapted to be a little stickier and closer to what the couple saw on the streets of Hong Kong, for instance.
Beyond these tangible shifts, the travel experience served as a guiding light for a kitchen trying to emulate the food of a country nearly 8,000 miles from Charleston.
