Bestler missed mark on restaurant | Myrtle Beach Sun News

Re Bob Bestler’s Aug. 18 column

Bob Bestler’s columns are usually interesting and thoughtfully written. Today’s column about an employee at Husk Restaurant in Charleston seemed to leave a misleading impression about the current status of the highly acclaimed restaurant. An assistant restaurant manager apparently was involved in late night drinking at the establishment that contributed to an accident on the Ravenel Bridge later that December 2011 night, where someone tragically lost his life. The restaurant was sued by the victim’s family, and settled last week by paying $1.1 million for its share of responsibility in this tragedy.

The article implied that the restaurant’s reputation was so damaged that it was on the ropes. A friend who read the column today assumed the restaurant had been closed. Not knowing of this event, and having read outstanding reviews of Husk in a recent Esquire Magazine, and noting that last week’s Newsweek cited it as being one of the top 110 restaurants in the world, friends and I decided to have lunch there yesterday. Each portion of our meal, from appetizers to desserts, was unusual and superb; among the best we have enjoyed anywhere. No amount of money can replace someone’s life, but it seems the restaurant has assumed its responsibility for this tragic event.

Hopefully, lessons have been learned about the restaurant’s responsibility for excessive drinking by employees and customers. However, the restaurant continues to provide outstanding cuisine to its customers; it continues to receive national recognition for outstanding food, and it seems to be working hard to rebuild its reputation after this very sad event. I believe this point was lost in Bestler’s article.

The writer lives in Pawleys Island.