Mount Pleasant Magazine Fall 2011

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Since its opening in June,
the second coming of triangle char
& Bar has turned heads in Mount
Pleasant with a restaurant that takes its
inspiration from the original location
west of the Cooper.
The Triangle Char & Bar has been
the social center of the trendy Avondale section of West
Ashley for some five years. A
former filling station, its open
garage doors and triangular lot at 828 Savannah Highway
create an outdoor dining environment like no other. It has
become known for its grass-fed beef burgers, won an award
for its Sunday brunch and recycles cooking oil and food
waste. The new restaurant at 1440 Ben Sawyer Blvd. has the
same mantra: waste not, recycle and reinvent.
“Last year we helped Triangle divert 52 tons of waste from
the landfill,” said Michael Pectol of Southern Sustainable
Resources. “One-third was food waste, which was donated
to local pig farmers to help them offset feed costs. It saved
them $5,000; reducing waste saved Triangle $1,200.”
Both Triangle locations are creations of Whitney Rietz
Eller, a Mount Pleasant-based designer who earned the
International Interior Design Association’s Silver Award for
Hospitality Design with the Saltus River Grill in Beaufort.
The interiors of both restaurants feature interesting
components such as recycled car hoods fabricated into
tabletops. Some booths in the new Triangle even come
with seat belts. Design elements include shellacked
wood pallets repurposed as walls; garage doors with blue
trim; and an outdoor lounge area with red couches.
Graffiti artists Patch Whisky and Ishmael collabo-
rated on the doors and tabletops, a 40-foot mural that
spans the length of the bar and 4-foot by 8-foot panels
juxtaposed against corrugated metal walls.
In the kitchen, chef Damian Ambs puts his own excit-
ing spin on fresh, innovative dishes such as a seared
tuna taco with watermelon pico de gallo; watermelon
salad with prosciutto and green goddess dressing; and
turkey burgers with raspberry sauce and brie. Ambs’
strong relationships with local farmers and bakers give
him access to the freshest seasonal ingredients available.
Burgers with a multitude of toppings, such as the General
Lee, with pimento cheese and caramelized onions, are a
trademark of Triangle, as is a comprehensive list of craft
beers from area breweries and beyond. Ambs will put
just about anything into an egg roll; one of his favorites
combines avocado with sweet Thai chili sauce.
Children are mesmerized by the dangling, colored lights
as they eat their mini-burgers and are rewarded with cake
lollipops and triangular, watermelon popsicles.
Charlie Caldwell, who represents Hill Creek Farms
in Darlington, S.C., which supplies a half-ton of beef
to the original Triangle every week, answers the obvious
question: “Not only does grass-fed beef taste better than
factory-farmed beef, but it’s way more nutritious. It has
less saturated fat, cholesterol and calories.”
According to co-owner Skipper Condon, he and partner
Scott Long had to find an alternative source of grass-fed
beef for the Mount Pleasant Triangle because of the increased
volume. McCutchen Farms in Kingstree, S.C., is the supplier.
With its high-decibel music, funky design and unique
menu, Triangle Char & Bar brings a new look and a new
attitude to the Mount Pleasant restaurant scene.
For more information, visit .
By EiLEEN RoBiNsoN sMith
The Buzz on Ben Sawyer
Triangle Char & Bar
Going Out
Top Center:
Watermelon salad.
Upper Right:
the Wilbur burger
is capped with a
succulent pork belly.
Lower Right:
the Mount Pleasant
location’s design is
nouveau garage.