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Re: “Craftsmen Kitchen and Tap House”

Brewengineer, though the other commenter certainly showed his ass, your review really could use work. I say that because you're bashing them about things you don't even understand. I frequent that establishment since opening. Firstly, their beer menu is not at all broken into flavor profiles. They're categorized in 4, not 5 sections; ipa, locals, sessionables, and "mash". The mash is just one offs and specialties that didn't fit into the other 3. There is no "malt forward" section that you described so there goes all that griping you had about them not fitting out the window.

Secondly, that sandwich you had is called a croque-madame. It's an old French dish and meant to be eaten with fork and knife.

Basically, your negativity in the review stems from your own misunderstandings and lack of knowledge.

2 of 2 people like this.
Posted by jinxd on May 22, 2013 at 4:32 PM

Re: “Craftsmen Kitchen and Tap House”

"Fucking obnoxious review."

What is obnoxious about writing a thorough review with likes and dislikes, coming from someone who has worked in the industry and been pushing/drinking/brewing craft beer for over a decade? Maybe I should have just used your intelligent review model, and stuck to three sentences and no real content. That will really help the restaurant improve things. Maybe next time you bless someone with your own criticism, you could actually just add a review or contribute something meaningful.

8 of 11 people like this.
Posted by brewengineer on May 21, 2013 at 7:17 AM

Re: “Craftsmen Kitchen and Tap House”

Fucking obnoxious review.

6 of 17 people like this.
Posted by word on May 20, 2013 at 11:25 PM

Re: “Oak Steakhouse”

This is one of my favorite downtown restaurants. I have tried every appetizer and always been impressed. I am not sure if I like dry aged beef enough to splurge on that cut of steak (NY Strip) again, but it was definitely tasty. The truffle fries are some of the best in Charleston. I have been here 3 times, ordered multiple items, and never had a bad meal. Jeremiah is a wonderful chef and I love what he has done with the menu. I would definitely recommend Oak if you are looking for some high end dining on the peninsula.

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by brewengineer on May 20, 2013 at 12:46 PM

Re: “Craftsmen Kitchen and Tap House”

I finally made it into the peninsula to visit Craftsmen Kitchen, after a couple month wait for opening day. When you first walk in the door, you can tell there was a lot of money invested into design and decor. I really enjoyed the ambiance with the focus around a beautiful series of bars. There was plenty of space inside, and also an outdoor area with 4 large picnic tables.
The menu was very basic. One side had appetizers and smaller dishes. The other side featured more entree-like options. The waitress also gave us a large tap/bottled drink menu. My first thought, after glancing at the drink menu, was that it contained a lot of confusion. They tried to split things up by flavor profile, but didn't really get it right. There was a section for hoppy/IPA type beers, a section for local brews, a section for malt forward beers, and one other that I can't remember. The IPA/Hoppy section was fine, and featured many great brews. I am not sure there was a reason to separate the locals from the style based menu, as we didn't know exactly what flavor profile fit some of the local brews. The malty beer section was a complete cluster. There were pale ales (Hoppy), belgians, browns, and stouts all mixed in there. Those styles do not all fit the same flavor profile. I would have preferred them to not worry about style and just list all beers by brewery, or perhaps take time to separate by more than a couple flavor profiles. I didn't take time to check if most of the beers listed on the menu were actually on tap, but I didn't have any issues with my orders. The beer selection, while numerous, was not really impressive for a craft beer bar. It seemed like the had the normal basic offerings from many breweries, without carrying many seasonals or limited releases. I found it difficult to pick out a beer I really wanted to drink, but I am probably pickier than most patrons. I did like the option to have 8oz or 16oz pours, but I am not 100% sure the tumblers they use actually hold 16oz. The prices were a touch high, but that could be par for the course when you are a block from the market. The beers were served in clean glassware and seemed to be about the right temperature. My only suggestion there would be to use proper glassware for the style, but that is really asking for a lot.
Once we had a few drinks, we decided to order a few food items. We wanted to try two appetizers and a couple sandwiches. We ordered the Scotch Eggs (hard to find in the low country) and General Tso's Chicken Wings. The wings were really tasty, and they nailed the sauce. It was a nice mix of sweet and spice, and went well with the base crispy wings. The scotch eggs were not exactly what I am used to, but still very good. You only get one large egg, cut in half, so take note if you are sharing with a few people. My main course was the burger, which is made with house ground beef and some added pork belly in the mix. Pork belly makes for some delicious burgers, but also prevents you from getting a rare or medium-rare burger. It took quite a while to receive my burger, but we were in a large party. The burger comes with some thick cut fried potato rounds, but you only get 4 of these. If you are really hungry, it is better that you order more than just the burger. I did enjoy the seasoning on the burger, and would eat it again. I do wish there was more of a side with this. The other dish we got was the crispy pork belly sandwich. Basically, this is a piece of fried pork belly, between two pieces of toast, with a fried runny egg on top. I am not sure why the egg goes on top, as it makes the dish excessively messy. The belly was a touch overcooked, but the whole sandwich was still pretty good. This also cam with the small side of fried potato rounds.
Overall, I think this is a place worth checking out if you like craft beer. They are still very new and will probably be working on things like tap offerings and food. I think my expectations were a bit too high, due to years of drinking craft beer. I will likely return to see if they fall into a groove with food and beer selection. I wish them luck and much success. I am still happy to see another craft-centric bar in downtown Charleston, which covers a growing market of better beer drinkers.

6 of 10 people like this.
Posted by brewengineer on May 20, 2013 at 9:13 AM

Re: “Charleston Bakery”

Web site advertising, sign on door, and telephone message says hours are 7 AM to 9 PM Tues thru Sun. We drove 20 miles from West Ashley on Fri evening but they were closed at 7 PM. Thought we would try again Sun but call 1st to understand hours. No phone answer but message still says open 7 AM to 9 PM. Finally called emergency number and find they closed at 3 PM. This is needlessly confusing and troublesome to potential customers not yet familiar that wants to try. We won't try again.

Posted by Jim McKelvey on May 19, 2013 at 4:28 PM

Re: “Chopsticks House”

to drval: while I agree this place is one of the best in the area, It Ain't Chinatown!
I don't know which NY Chinatown you refer to, but it sure isn't the one I used to hang out in. Again, Chopsticks is as good as it gets around here, but it wouldn't last 6 months in Chinatown in NY or Philly.

Posted by Ima Oldman on May 17, 2013 at 12:56 PM

Re: “Chopsticks House”

This is truly the tastiest Chinese food in recent memory. After 10 years living near NYC's China Town, that's gotta tell you something. I've had take out from Chopsticks House at least 5 times already, and it has never disappointed. Very rich, heavy on the sweet sauces, but worth the calories. BBQ spare ribs appetizer better than any local rib place. Don't let the horrific ambiance fool you - the food is meant for take out and the generous portions insure plenty of leftovers.

Posted by drval on May 16, 2013 at 4:48 PM

Re: “Phuong Restaurant”

Yes!

Posted by Paul Cheney on May 16, 2013 at 10:53 AM
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