Re: “Runaway Bay Restaurant”

The food was bland (insufficient spice) and the portions, very small. We were still hungry after we left. The menu selection was minimal with 2 or 3 main courses which was not tasty nor flavorful as expected. We felt that the food was specifically prepared to cater to an American clientele (not spicy) and not for Jamaicans. It did not represent the authentic Jamaican taste at all which was terribly disappointing. Even the Jerk Chicken that is supposed to be well seasoned, was awfully bland!

The owner ignored us even though she passed by our table several times without even as much as a "hello". My husband had to literally call her to our table and introduced ourselves...telling her that his wife is Jamaican! Shame. Next time we go, we will FIRST eat elsewhere or eat at home; then just go there and sit on their outdoor patio and listen to the Friday evening LIVE Reggae band which was good. The dining area was airy and bright but the food was disappointing and not as expected.

Re: “Zocalo”

Food was tolerable but nothing spectacular and way overpriced. Service is slow and not very good. It's pretty much Taco Boy, but even more expensive with an "upscale" attitude because it has a lot of tequilas.

I live in the neighborhood and wanted this place to do well at first, but if they don't change direction, I'll be surprised if it lasts the winter once they close the patio.

If you're coming to East Montague for lunch or dinner, you should go to pretty much any other place on the street first. If you're looking for great Mexican food, go on down Spruill to Santi's, or up Rivers to La Nortena, and order the Mexican tacos. Much better food, much less pretensiousness.

Re: “Bucca's Bar & Grill”

On Wednesday 25 May I took my co-worker to lunch at Buccas. We ordered the special (Fried Chicken, Potato Salad and Baked Beans). There was only one other couple in the establishment. My co-worker's chicken came out black like coal which she told the waitress. The waitress brought another piece of chicken and said that the cook (Brian) had said that if she didn't like that one she would have to pay for both orders weather she ate it or not. At this point I got mad and asked for the owner since we have been regular customers since the place opened. Nobody was in charge, there was just the bar tender, a waitress, and Brian the cook who never came out. This totally ruined our lunch and my co-worker's birthday lunch. Will not return and plan on announcing in our SPAWAR Blog to avoid this place, unbelievable rude and unprofessional attitude.

Re: “Barsa Tapas Lounge & Bar”

Gorgeous interior. Had Pisco Disco cocktails, the cheese plate, the garlic shrimp, and the steak crostini. The shrimp was very salty...lots of garlic I can handle, too much salt is another thing. The steak crostini lacked flavor. The cheese plate was so-so. The Pisco Disco cocktails were great! This might be a great place to have drinks, but I would not go again to eat.

Re: “Zocalo”

They have a really good opportunity to have a cool restaurant but are slowly but surely blowing it. Every day I talk to neighbors in Park Circle that wonder how much longer they are going to be able to hang on. The sentiment is pretty consistent, food is good but inconsistent and service is usually nice but pretty slow and weak. Really would love to have another great restaurant on East Montague and Zocalo has the potential but just hasn't lived up to it yet.

Re: “Molly Darcy's”

I don't like this place. It was built as a tourist trap/extension of the Mad River genre of bars/restaurants. If you want a comparison, think: Mad River's Metro Vibe + Noisy Oyster quality food. It's too bad considering the potential this location carries to be a prime time bar atmosphere. Instead it just falls to the wayside with the other tourist traps.

Re: “The Wreck of the Richard and Charlene”

Inspired by today's article, I thought I should add my 2 cents. I couldn't care any less about the paper plates, the lack of AC, or the difficulty in finding the joint. In fact, I love a good dive! The problem here is that the food is terrible and way overpriced for what you are getting. I went two weeks ago with a party of 10 and not a single person enjoyed their meal. The fried seafood was soggy and tasted like old grease. Not appealing at all. The "grilled" seafood was even worse. Covered in something that I couldn't identify, it had a harsh, burnt taste. I hate to be so brutal, but this was probably the worst meal I've ever eaten in Charleston.

Re: “Molly Darcy's”

Sunday evening, the server was WONDERFUL,but....... unfortunately I don't call industrially pureed and frozen potatoes, canned gravy and freezer-burned sausages Bangers and Mash, and at $13.95 I brought home half of my serving and even the cats wouldn't eat the sausage and gravy.

After I ordered the Wild Boar Ragout for $17.00, I asked the server about the origin of the boar & she aptly replied it wasn't wild boar at all, but simply pulled pork that is braised! I switched my order to the lobster mac & cheese with shrimp for $22.00 and found the lobster to be fresh, but no sign of shrimp & the sauce was comparable to something out of a jar from 'Newman's Own'. If you sit outside, expect all your clothes to stink like you've camped around a bonfire all night, thanks to their s'mores pit. This place is the pits.

Re: “Grindz Burgers & Brew”

crap hole. Period. Avoid at all costs. Crap food, horrible service. Everyone involved should be banned from setting foot in this State

Re: “Grindz Burgers & Brew”

Attempted to dine at Grindz on a Saturday evening. Got to the door and was told there would be a $5 charge per person to get in. Seriously? A cover charge?

We wanted a burger and had planned on spending the requisite $10...but to be charged $5 so I could order a $10 meal seemed a bit obscene. You should be happy that I'm willing to pay $10 for a hamburger...not charge me 50% more than that just to give me the opportunity. What a joke.

Fortunately we did not have to suffer through the bad service as talked about in the multitude of reviews.

(We went down the street to Sesame and had a nice meal)

Re: “Runaway Bay Restaurant”

Everyone looking for a venue for events or weddings, BEWARE!! This is an extremely poorly managed business! They broke their contract with me, and refuse to take any ownership for my loses. They ruined my wedding! I booked with them 6 months in advance, and they booked another wedding for that same day, and told me about it the day before my wedding. All the food was wrong, their staff drank from my bar, they were supposed to provide a tent for my guests, and never did, so I ended up having to rent one myself. They did not do ANYTHING they guaranteed with me for the event.

AVOID!!!

I have contacted the better business bureau on this company.

Re: “Chopsticks House”

I ordered Chow Mein and what I received was cabbage soup with some stale wonton crackers and rice. It was terrible!

Re: “Laura Alberts Tasteful Options”

I thought the food was overpriced for not being anything fancy. In addition, I asked the server to leave something off my plate, but she put it on there anyway and then had the nerve to get into an argument with me about whether or not I should still pay for it. She charged me for the same plate twice. It was an awful dining experience and I will not be returning. There are too many other places with better food and better service.

Re: “Neil Jordan's Steakhouse”

Ok..... Steakhouses should know their cuts of meat... Right? Neil Jordans tried to push off a NY Strip for a Ribeye. The justification from the waitress.... She pointed out the "eye" of the Ribeye for me. I wasn't buying it and neither was my friend sitting next to me who ordered the exact same piece of meat. His was a real Ribeye but believably it did not have an "eye" either. I can't believe the stupidty that went on at this restaurant on this day! I wasn't upset but I would have loved a Ribeye because that is what I ordered. The manager came over and removed the meal but only after I requested his appearance. We had 6 people at my table and they were through eating by the time they were willing to bring me what I had ordered. By then I was just not willing to hold up our entire party so I could eat the ribeye I ordered.... by myself! Too bad you can't give ZERO STARS! This is a Steakhouse and has the appearance of class and elegance.... enjoy it from the outside because its not worth it!!!!

Re: “Montreux Bar and Grill”

This place is garbage....please dont waste your time going...drinks are watered down and food is terrible. Dont be fooled by all the 5 star/ "employee" ratings you see on here....you can definitely do better than this place

Re: “Montreux Bar and Grill”

I had a comment on here about how I was harassed by the staff. My buddy walked out on his thirteen dollar tab (which was a misunderstanding, and he went back and paid the next day). I was kept there by the waitress and bouncer and was threatened to had the police called on me for someone else tab. This comment some how was erased from the comment area. What kind of shady web site is this.

Re: “Joe Pasta”

Terrible food, terrible service, awful experience........... This was such an unfortunate experience. This place used to have great food. What happened????

Re: “Mike Calder's Buffalo Pub”

Terrible experience. Uncaring and unapologetic.

Ordered two burgers, one of which came with swiss cheese (per the menu description). My wife doesn't do swiss so she asked for a different cheese. The burger came to the table with swiss. She asked about it and the waitress took it back for a replacement. When it came back, a few minutes later, there was cheese still on the edge of the burger...they had only scraped it off. We waited, quite some time, for the waitress to return so we could ask about the burger. She was emphatic that they had cooked her another burger and that it must be mayonnaise we were seeing...but there was no mayonnaise on the burger. Not to mention mayo isn't rubbery and stick to burger meat. During this whole time I had not touched my burger as I don't eat until my entire party is ready. We stated that we were not satisfied and asked for the check. We were intending on paying for the meal even though we did not eat. The waitress left and came back to tell us, and I quote, "Just leave." She picked up our plates and walked away.

Never once during this exchange did the waitress offer an apology and never did we warrant a visit from any type of management. From reading the reviews below it seems the owner is setting a fine example. As they say...feces flows downhill.

Re: “17 North Roadside Kitchen”

We went to this place last night. We had reservations for 7:30 - party of 3. I recieved not 1, not 2 but 3 phone calls asking for confirmation for the res.. Desperate was my 1st thought... but we decided to go anyway (it was a toss up between this place or Sette - my old standby). This was our first time dining here. The place was empty and we were seated immediatly. The waitress was very nice.. She explained the menu and answered the questions we had. We all agreed that the food was pricey but we really didn't mind spending money on a great meal however this was not the case. We each ordered an appetizer and entree. The food was just ok...the pasta with shrimp was very bland and the ingredients were nothing special. I honestly felt like I could have done a better job with this dish. The 17 north salad sounded good but when I tasted it, the artichokes were straight out of a can from Walmart. No flavor, very rubbery and the dressing was almost non existent. My husband had the fried chicken. I will simply say he was sick after eating it. However, his side of collard greens were good. The 3rd person in our party had the eggplant parm and that too was blah.. Too much red sauce and cheese - where's the eggplant?!?! The overpowering flavor of oregano ruined it for me. This place has Oak steakhouse prices for less then average food.

On a positive note - the waitstaff was nice and informative. (with the exception of the weird guy who brought out the food. Never said hello and looked at us like we each had 3 heads.

I dont not consider myself a food connoisseur by any means. however, I can appreciate good quality food and I dont mind paying for it. It's fair to say that i will never recommend 17 North or go back. Oh and if you do head to this place, check out the self absorbed pic the owber Brett has hanging up of himself over the fireplace.. I mean come on, really?!?!?!?