Comment Archives: Locations: Restaurants: 3 Stars
Re: “Chucktown Tavern”
Highs: genuinely friendly staff, yummy burgers/sandwiches, jam-if-you want live music setup.
Lows: EXPENSIVE ($28 for sandwiches and tea for two), and it is a strange mix of "new" and "dive"
I liked this place; it is completely un-pretentious, the food was solid, and they have a nice outdoor setting. Draught selection looked good. They even have karaoke. But seriously too expensive in general.
Re: “Monza”
The food is good. The tables are tiny. Perfect place for a party of four infants or two skinny midgets.
Re: “Taco Mamacita”
Lots of staff to be sure and a bartender with social skills were pluses here (no mock on Poes or Home Team).
We got a queso appetizer that was advertised as made in a cast iron skillet. It was not, but it was good and emough for at least 3 people.
Ordered 2 tacos and a side, and a single taco. previous poster mentioned a side with a taco, you do not get a side with a single taco.
Sloppy Jose- cheesy and tasty could use more fritos for the crunch.
Jerk Chicken- salso was good, chicken lacked jerk flavors though
Royale- probably my favorite of the three, standard taco flavors but good and the most filling of the three.
Corn as a side lacked flavor- had some background chipotle flavors, and the cheese was bland. Was expecting more vibbrant flavors from this one. Also, very small portion.
Beer selection is ok, 3 mexicans on a draft and some rotating crafts. Bit expensive on the mexican beers 5.50 for a pacifico, 5 for dos xx.
We will be back to try some of the other menu items. I'd say it is a good start, pricing is a bit high at $3.99 a taco though.
They have a very good tequila selection, I will need to try one next time to check on proper service.
Service- 5
Food- 3
Beer- 3
Re: “Sesame Burgers & Beer”
I picked up a to go order today because I was at the Citadel Mall Target and it was convenient. I have eaten at Sesame before and it's been pretty good, but with all the burger places in town it isn't my favorite. Anyway, after driving to work with my burger, which I asked to be cooked medium, I took a few bites and realized it was raw. Charred on the outer 1/2 inch and on the inside it had the color and consistency of raw meat. I called and talked to the manager who was very nice and said he would refund my money. When I went back, the manager was friendly and accommodating, but the weird thing was that he said "they didn't tell you it was going to be pink throughout when you ordered medium?" This burger was in the "not cooked enough to be served legally" category as far as I'm concerned.
Re: “Bagel Nation”
Bagel Nation is dirty, I will give you that. And yes, sometimes the staff appear to be extremely busy and can be less then friendly. A few coats of paint could go a long way in this place.
However the food is good, and the coffee is even better. They offer the best bagels I have found so far in Charleston. Not sure why your eggs were so terrible. I had an egg, ham & cheese bagel for lunch today and it was delicious, as always.
Could Bagel Nation use some renovations? Absolutely.
Will that stop myself and many others from visiting frequently? Nope.
Re: “Wild Wing - Oakland Market”
I have dined here two or three times. The first time I went by myself and was just cathcing a bite to eat. The other time I went with my father and he paid so I imagine I only have positive things to say. It is in a quiet part of town. I had to wait for a good seat. The place is pretty nice and like any Wild Wings it has interesting decor. The food was alright. I would recommend this
restaurant to anyone.
Re: “Black Bean Co.”
Thought this place was really good when I first tried it, a little pricey but the portion was big. Tonight, I got a Black and Blue that was quite small and had only a couple of pieces of chicken. For $9?? My son had the Turkey Bacon which was bigger and not skimpy on the meat. I live in the neighborhood, but don't think I'll be back anytime soon. Dellz has way bigger portions for less $.
Re: “Hucks Lowcountry Table”
I usually try to give a restaurant 2 chances before I critique but this place was so absurdly overpriced it's not worth it. Overall, the meal was good and the chef creative, but the dining experience was horrible. The atmosphere is frenzied with staff buzzing everywhere, not congruent with a relaxed beach environment. Our server was prompt but startlingly loud. Our bread was OK but had a cinnamon taste, that's fine but with olive oil?? The food came out quickly adding to the fast pace feel. OK, I get the point, in-out-next. I would label this place as a tourist trap with no focus on repeat business. Far too many excellent restaurants in Charleston that deliver the whole package for me to come back again. Good luck.
Re: “Manny's Neighborhood Grille”
The food is okay but the patrons are awful. And if you chose to sit outside, prepare to be glared at by the waitstaff...
Re: “Big Gun Burger Shop”
Finally got to Big Gun today and was anxious to try it out. There were 2 or 3 occupied tables and a few bar stools occupied when I got there high noon. It never got any busier. I got the Spanish burger and it was O.K. (not great, not bad). Unfortunately the fries were burnt and lacking in numbers. Same fry issue with my friends who dined with me (burnt and lacking in numbers). Their burgers were "good" according to them, but nothing that would make them come crawling back. My 2 cents: Not worth it for the price. There are to many other burger joints where the quality is as good or even better, and priced a few bucks less. On a plus side, the service was very good and attentive
Re: “EVO”
I love EVO, especially their employees, the Pestachio Pesto pizza, and the amazing chocolate, but I must agree 100% on the out of control beer prices. I paid $8 last year for a Coast Boy King pint, then the next week went around the corner to Sesame and paid $4 for the exact same thing. I've also paid $8 for Dogfish Head before, which is ridiculous (as are the New Belgium prices). I love going there for the ambience, food, and people, but it's turned into a special occasion restaurant rather than a neighborhood craft beer hangout.
Re: “Big Gun Burger Shop”
I understand people may like the place, and when I had the chili burger it was good. The point in that is that it was just "good." I've read some of the reviews and agree, the fries that I had were black, the chili was basically non-existent, and the bread was overly doughy. Don't get me wrong, I still had a good meal, but if you are to be a burger shop, there shouldn't be much competition in regards to your burgers. Moe's, Rue de Jean, King Street Grill, Poe's, High Cotton, SNOB, and Hall's all have better burgers and that's not even the specialty for some of those places. And they all are similar priced. And that's not even half the list. I'm not saying that I don't want the place to be successful, but they have a long way to go in proving that they are the "Big Guns" in the burger game.
Re: “O-Ku”
yep, pretty good but there are places equally good and not over-priced as long as you don't mind not being "scene"-ha
Re: “O-Ku”
Visited Oku for the first time last Friday night.
Our reservation was for 7:15 P.M. We arrived just before then and the first thing I noticed was how packed the restaurant was. Looking at the crowd it was no surprise that our table wasn't ready yet, so we cruised over to the bar and ordered drinks.
And we waited. We waited for quite some time until about 7:40 when we were seated. Our table for two, well it sucked. It was right up against the bar and I felt boxed in by the bar patrons on both sides of us, and had to ask for space more then once.
Our server was very sweet, although it was very apparent that she was extremely rushed and stressed. She went flying through the evening specials and about halfway she admitted that she forgot exactly what they consisted of.
We ordered appetizers and sushi rolls. I was impressed with the apps, they were unique and not something I would find at just any restaurant. The sushi that we ordered was tasty, however I wasn't blown away by the quality. Personally I feel the sushi at Bushido or Tsunami is just as quality, if not better.
Feeling a little underwhelmed at this point, Oku did something completely unexpected that brought us back. Earlier in the evening the manager stopped by our table to chat, and we informed him that our visit was a birthday celebration. After dinner was served he brought out cake and champagne for the two of us, on the house.
We left feeling satisfied and happy. I would like to return for happy hour to give Oku another try.
Re: “Zocalo”
Went for lunch last week and the food was solid, my only problems were with the wait staff. My friends and I got there at about 11:15 on a Tuesday morning dressed in ties, obviously having come from work and the waiter was really pushing us to order beers. I'm not turned off by the idea of beers at lunch but we were obviously in the middle of our work day and the waiter's pushiness made us uncomfortable. Also we could hear him talking to the people at the 2 tables near us and the conversations were pretty similar, he was pushing the alcohol pretty hard and also using profanity which is a bit unprofessional for a waiter at a restaurant. He probably would have made a good bartender but as a waiter he needed some work. He did make good recommendations on the food and I enjoyed my meal. My only complaint about the food was to do with my side item, the corn puff wagon wheels. Those seem completely ridiculous to even serve. I'm sure the place would be better in the evening or happy hour when I can take my time and enjoy a beer, but when I just wanted to eat it was annoying not to be able to just order lunch without getting pestered about drinking.
Re: “Cajun Kountry Kitchen”
My husband and I tried this place this weekend. Food was good, but service was lacking. Took twenty minutes to get our initial drinks even though only 6 people in the place. Did not offer any drink refills throughout our entire meal until we were paying our bill! Had to ask to have my dirty dishes removed even after the waitress visited our table at least 3 times. Said they offered outdoor seating, but didn't see where that was possible since it is located in a narrow strip mall area in a not so nice part of town, with a very narrow sidewalk in front. Maybe in the back? Also, specials were quoted, but not the prices of the specials. Definitely a better deal with the platters for the price.
Re: “Taco Boy”
This place has a great building and location (except it is always really loud inside), and it also has slightly above average food and drinks selection for a Mexican restaurant IN CHARLESTON. The tacos and food in general is way better at La Nortena, plus its cheaper. However, La Nortena is in North Charleston and not filled with people, so its not that fun usually. I don't love this place, but it is not terrible (especially not just because of no happy hour, jesus).
Re: “Mellow Mushroom”
Food is your usual tasty mellow mushroom fare (decent quality pizza, wide variety of toppings/sauces). The place looks really cool and is really large on the inside. The problem with this place is it is LOUD. Horribly loud. Food court at the mall at Christmas loud. Forget about having a pleasant conversation in the place. It has really high ceilings and they really need to do some work (adding some sort of sound absorbing materials on the walls/ceilings) to make this not extremely annoying. But hey this is the old fart in me coming out so it may not bother everyone. I'll stick to takeout/delivery or head to the downtown location instead!
Re: “Fuel”
Pro: Very good food and setting, interesting variety of food, reasonable drink prices, on-site parking, dog friendly
Con: Expensive food, service is inconsistent
We had dinner for five on a Saturday night. The weather was perfect, so they had all the bay doors open and the place had a good crowd. The wait was minimal and we moved right in. Their draught selection was good, though they were out of Dale's Pale Ale ($4) and had replaced it with Abita Lager to which our waitress made the appropriate "WTF?" face. Drinks came out fairly quickly, but that's where the problem started.
Our waitress would flee as soon as she put down something on the table, no matter if you called her, raised your hand, anything! Several tables around had a similar problem. That made putting in our food order take 10-15 minutes longer than expected. It was quite frustrating and persisted through getting the check settled. Previous visits during lunch time didn't have this problem.
The other problem is the food prices are quite high. $14 for a chorizo burger? They seem to be 30-40% over market on their menu. The food was good and both well prepared and presented. The buffalo burger, chicken kebabs (actually satays), black bean soup, and chef's salad all hit the mark. Their dessert selection was chocolate cake; evidently the bakery hadn't come through on-time with a delivery.
They also have a bocce lane and a big conversation circle outside which were great. I liked seeing the dogs welcomed though I'm sure that won't last.
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Re: “EVO”
Saturday night after some debate we decided we still wanted pizza but wanted to try something new. We picked EVO due to CCP's reviews.
Point of fact I would like to make first, I never order pizza from chain stores. They are overpriced, over sauced and the pizza is usually lousy.
We were probably the oldest couple in the place being in our (very) late 40's, as we looked over the menu I could not tell if we were in a pizza place or not. I couldn’t find most of our favorite toppings on the menu but the one I did find was $3! Strike one.
After looking at the beer prices I felt it necessary to ask the server if the price was reflecting any sort of stock option in the brewing company.
There wasn't any sort of normal beer to choose from. They had what seemed like dozens of craft beers. I have had these beers before, I did like “Theobroma” from Dogfish but it isn't easy to find anymore. There are certain foods that I demand a decent beer for such as, cheeseburgers, fish & chips and PIZZA. I will drink Guinness with any food on the planet but I was told they didn’t have that on tap or in a bottle. Strike two. (Thank goodness we were not far away from Madra Rua Pub.)
After looking the menu over for 10 minutes or so and having the server come by every 2 minutes to get our order we decided to just order the Focaccia appetizer and two drinks. The server asked if we were ordering anything else and we declined because there wasn’t anything we wanted to eat on the menu, the server got snippy and disappeared. After 20 minutes we got our drinks and a plate of the Focaccia and oil. We needed more oil because the Focaccia was not stale but hard from being too close to the ovens maybe? (I would suggest a few shakes of a good Modena Balsamic Vinegar along with the oil for the Focaccia) Strike three.
I am not sure where the young people who were in there work, but they must be making more money than this engineer. I see no reason at all for the prices of the food and more importantly the beer.
After a few pints of Guinness down the street we picked up a pizza on our way home. Don't worry Mr Baroni, we will never be unfaithful to Baroni’s NY Pizza again!!