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Comment Archives: Locations: Restaurants: 2 Stars
Re: “The Ordinary”
Portions are way too small and over priced - my wife had the lobster special - tiny lobster with two potatos the size of a pea! $40!!
Not heading back any time soon
Re: “Fire Street Food”
Oh my gosh. I'm shocked this has 4 stars... the food and service are both MEH. I wouldn't say it's terrible but definitely MEH.
Re: “HoM”
Tried Hom 3 times.
First time was good...Had the Hom Wrecker and fries(not included w/ burgers) and thought it was good, not great, and a bit pricey.
Went back a second time, had the 'Hombre', a chorizo burger, very good & unusual, kinda small, but on par with my first visit.
Third time was a total fiasco....Late afternoon, not busy, Ordered the 'Green Hornet'. It looked like a slider or kid's burger, TINY, on what appeared to be a dinner roll. Meat was mushy and fell apart. The chile slices were cold & flavorless. I could not see the blue cheese pimento or taste it, and the lettuce was wilted. Absolutely horrible.
The server asked "How is everything?...I responded, 'Not so good' and commented on my meal...small, no cheese. Server assured me cheese was there...and burger is a WHOLE 6 oz. Then said 'I'm sorry you're unhappy' and walked off. WOW!!! So much for customer service.
Considering I ordered onion rings which put me about $13 -14 in for a 'snack' and received little consideration...I won't be back, my companion was unhappy as well. Third time out...Not very good & expensive compared to portion size. I can think of 2 or 3 placed that serve a killer burger EVERY time, large(or at least good size) portions for less $$$. You charge $10 clams for a gourmet burger...it better be great.
Sorry HOM unacceptable.
Re: “HoM”
Way overpriced for the amount of food. My family and I went last night for the second time and that will be the last. My son and I ordered off the Happy Hour menu. Now, I realized the burgers were $5 and would be smaller (3.5 oz), but the patty was so thin you could not even taste the meat. My husband had the Green Hornet off the regular menu. It was $9.50 for just the burger and it was not much more than a glorified slider. I think the burger was 5.5 oz? I don't care what kind of meat you are using, $9.50 (without anything else on the plate) should warrant a grown up size burger. Also, the patty was shaped like a meatball! Maybe so we did not realize the buns were tiny?
On the plus side, their sweet potato fries were amazing. I like the space, the service was good both times we went, and my son likes the ping pong tables. I am willing to pay $13 for a burger and fries, but it better knock my socks off because that is a hefty price to charge and you had better be able to back it up.
Re: “Five Loaves Cafe”
Five Loaves in Mt. Pleasant has moved a few doors down in the same shopping center. The new space is larger and brighter, but with the high ceiling and concrete floor it is very noisy. There is a divider toward the back of the restaurant and sitting behind it is a little better.
We met a friend at 11:45. It was busy and we took the last booth behind the divider. The server came promptly with menus and took our drink order, returned with drinks and took our food order. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. I checked my watch and it was 12:25. Being generous we had waited at least 20 minutes to that point.
The server was refilling glasses at a table next to ours and noticed me. She came to apologize for the wait and said the kitchen got hit with a huge to go order. At 12:40 we finally got our food, which was at least a 30 to 35 minute wait.
While the food and service were okay, management failed horribly and created a poor experience. Taking an order so large it ties up the entire kitchen for 30 minutes and leaves a restaurant full of people sitting without food is simply stupid.
Re: “Crust”
We had such high hopes for this restaurant based on the CCP's write-up, especially since it said Crust has more than 20 beers on tap (http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/Eat/archives/2013/02/11/crust-opens-tuesday-on-james-island). Well, they only have 6, and they are 6 pretty uninspired ones at that. The bottled beer selection wasn't much better. We started with the Bibb and beet salad, which was very good. The pizzas, however, were disappointing - quite blackened (we know, they're cooked in a wood-fire oven, but does that mean they have to be black?) and really not enough of the toppings. The crustacean 'za was better than the butternut one which had just the slightest smattering of vegetables on it - not enough to get past the "charcoal" taste. As I said, we had high hopes, but we won't be back. :-(
Re: “Rutledge Cab Co.”
We live a short walk away, so had high hopes for this new neighborhood hangout. They'd solved their initial teething problems with wait times and service by the time we visited -- waiters were attentive and food came out quickly -- but that's the best we can say about it. The cocktails we ordered -- three different drinks -- were all failures, with strange, synthetic flavors (mine tasted much like toilet freshener!). My wife ordered a spiked milkshake without looking at the price, and was shocked to discover it was $14, more than many of the entrees. The starters and mains we ordered were very bland: diner food that would be acceptable in another setting, but not at the prices we were paying. Everything was under-flavored and lacking in spark. The place was packed -- but I can't see it being that way in 6 months once the early excitement dies down, unless they do something dramatic with the menu. What a disappointment!
Re: “The Ordinary”
There were 6 of us, the portions are too small for that large a group for sharing. Be SURE to ask what the price of anything labeled "market price" or you will be in for a rude awakening. The night we went we spent 5 bucks PER OYSTER, 60 bucks for a dozen raw oysters. There should have at least been a little pearl in them. Meat lovers beware, this is truly a seafood restaurant.
Re: “The Rarebit”
Drinks and ginger beer were yummy but a bit pricey. Didn't care for the food after it arrived, I was really excited because the burger was so fairly priced but when it came out it looked like I had just gone through the McDonalds drive thru. Was still hungry when we left.
Re: “The Ordinary”
I don't get it...
After all the buzz and ongoing construction...my wife & I stopped in to check it out.
We looked over the menu, thinking 'WTF', and wanted to leave. Already seated at the bar & feeling as if we should give it a try. Nothing on the peculiar menu jumped out at us. We ordered the peel-it-yourself shrimp. It was OK. Nothing special.
The raw bar is cool though with a good variety of oysters which I will try in due time.
Re: “The Rarebit”
I like the atmosphere. I like the menu & I like the prices.
On a recent visit, my wife & I were seated for dinner. The service was good and staff was attentive. Food was lacking unfortunately.
My wife had the tomato soup & a BLT. Soup was very 'acidy' and needed some sweetness to offset this, consistency wise...it reminded me of marinara sauce. BLT- bread was over-toasted to the point of being brittle and overall sandwich was very dry for lack of mayo....a lot of bread & lettuce but weak on bacon. Please, leave the 3rd slice of bread out of the picture unless you plan on doubling up on the bacon.
I had the patty melt. It was tasty but small. Considering this is 2 beef patties, it is hard to imagine this rates even 1/3 of a pound. It would be a better offering cut into quarters and served as an app for about $5. The fries were fresh & hot, but personally, I do not care for the 'shoestring' style. They taste more of fry grease than potato and there was an over abundance of the burned-up, little crispy fries, as if I got the last of the run.
2 meals, a soup, 2 draft beers, and one signature drink(which was great)...in over $50 including tip and still hungry. Might be better as a lunch venue. I am rating 2 stars based on the food...if you want to take in the drinks maybe a 3.
Re: “'Cesca”
I wouldn't waste your Restaurant week meal here. The carpaccio and tuna were pretty flavorless, the pasta and short rib entrees were pretty good, but nothing to lure me back there. The dessert that they brought was awful. It was a chocolate covered strawberry (that didn't even taste very good), a few berries soaked in liqueur, and the tiniest apple dumpling I had ever seen. I mean.. couldn't you do a Cannoli or something? All I could think about on the way home was that pint of Ben & Jerry's waiting for me in the fridge. They lured me with their deliciously described menu, but when it came down to it, the execution fell short.
Re: “Alluette's Café”
After reading the great reviews for Alluette's, we were looking forward to a wonderful meal when we stopped in for dinner on a Saturday afternoon. Only only one other table was occupied, but the service was slow. The food was was a disappointment --- small, uninspired servings at a fairly steep price. The items displayed in the glass-fronted refrigerator sure didn't look organic. We left hungry, and later we ended up at Bon Banh Mi, where we had a terrific sandwich.
I don't think we'll be back. I can't believe this is the place about which we heard such good things.
Re: “The Shelter Kitchen + Bar”
Stopped in to check this place out twice in the past week. Super nice design and decor except for a few uncomfortable barstools with no backrests. Most had them, some did not. Nice to see a pool table, a rarity in Mount Pleasant these days. Excellent restroom, of course it is brand new, and perfectly clean. Fantastic service on both visits, however, this place is going to falter unless someone gets a grip on the menu. It is all over the place with no defining specialty item. Not to say every restaurant has to have one, but a wide selection with nothing really appealing or outstanding will not keep people coming back. It would not take much to wipe out some of Wild Wing's business since they have the worst wings in town. Simply offering some decent ones at half the price would do the trick and still provide plenty of profit margin to keep the doors open. Seriously, why do tiny pieces of chicken have to cost a dollar each everywhere. Also, most patrons primarily hanginng out at this location to drink and socialize are not likely to pounce on the opportunity to order a bowl of bog, macaroni, or collard greens, so please leave the comfort food to Page's Okra Grill. The burgers at The Shelter may actually be great, but does the town really need another "greatest burger in town" entry? Thankfully, The Shelter seems to be cutting into Triangle's business (so easy a Pelican wearing a happy hour sign could do it), the result of the airy bar and a nice outdoor patio with picnic tables. It is hopeful The Shelter will enjoy a long run because it is a unique space that seems to be well managed. All it really needs are "a little more reasonable than the rest" beer prices and a better focused menu. In any case, it surely is a welcome upscale and more civilized alternative to the usual Shem Creek scene.
Re: “Xiao Bao Biscuit”
While I applaud the well needed diversity in our ethnic food scene... !#@% $14 bucks for pork butt, rice and an egg is a little offensive. And let's keep in mind we are not in a part of town where the rent should be dictating the prices. I don't care how good you can make those ingredients taste, they are still those ingredients. As someone who has cooked professionally all my life I know the product to cost ratio and frankly the quantity you get is not up to snuff either. Bummer because I was really looking forward to this place.
Re: “Ladles Homemade Soups”
Very dissapointing. We went to the Mt P location, and we had take out. The soup was SO bad that we actually went back with it instead of throwing it away and planning something else for dinner. There is no way a cook/chef made this soup as it had zero taste, way too much flour and the texture was appaling. Will never go back.
Re: “Ladles Homemade Soups”
In a word... Disappointing. The good. Friendly staff, Greek salad, sandwich. The bad. Dirty tables, food on the floor, room temperature soup, plastic bowls and utinsels, one third of their soup selections not available. On the soups we had... Loaded potato was bland. She crab was floury (yes, that's a real word). One can only deduct that the soups that weren't available on an early Satuday evening are the only ones worth trying. Won't bother visiting again. This was the Mt P location.
Re: “Montreux Bar and Grill”
Unless your a smoker, there's nowhere in this bar to just hang out and chat/drink with your friends. Two bands, one in front and one in back on a Saturday night. We used to go here often but the atmosphere is just going downhill. The menu has few worthy dishes but there are far better places to eat. They cram people into this place like sardines. Its No wonder fights break out every weekend. Most of the bartenders do not know how to mix drinks. It really is a shame, this place used to be classy but now it's classless.
Re: “Med Bistro”
Last weekend.... ate here but with:
poor service-a blonde waitress who was more interested in talking with guys at the bar than seating us/serving us. Food only mediocre...the guy singing as entertainment was SO loud we could not carry on a conversation at our table.
Finally, Miss Waitress brought the check...I was to get back a few dollars and change. She brought the dollars but not the change...too lazy to count out the coins and thinking SHE would be keeping the change as part of her tip?
She did NOT get a grand tip from me, far from it.
Last time here.
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Re: “The Grocery”
Good atmosphere, below average food for the price.