Banjo's Best Crab Cake 2012 Award goes to.....
While hundreds, if not thousands, of coveted dining establishments anxiously await the Banjo's 2012 Best Crab Cake Award announcement, it was a late entrant that swept the judges taste buds on the way to the alter!
Coco's on Tybee Island GA, and which is located here on Google Maps! Wonderful! We've eaten crab cakes our entire life, starting at Calabash NC, Tampa FL, Pensacola FL, Charleston SC, Myrtle Beach SC......
and the WINNER (Tadah! Tadah! Tadah!)of the 2012 Bajno's Best Crab Cakes on the Entire Eastern Seaboard of the United States of America is.....
Coco's on Tybee Island, GA.
Every night at Sunset, Mary, the bartender/server, gets everyone up for a CONGO DANCE LINE! All patrons, both young and old, are required to participate in the Sunset Dance Line that tours the dining room! Mary leads the Congo Line for the Sunset Tour! Summer months it stretches down to the docks and back!
Hat's off for 30 seconds please, and a deep bow to Tracy and her staff at Coco's!
and ... thanks to a wonderful bartender/server, who managed to double our bill by suggesting the great, wonderful 'Fried Strawberries" goes to.... MARY! and - the unknown chef who prepared them!
YEA! Blow your horn Mary!
Showing posts with label Restaurant Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Restaurant Review. Show all posts
Monday, April 23, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Banjo's Valentine's Day
 |
| Valentine's Day 2012 |
My wife and I decided to do something a little bit different for Valentine's Day this year (2012)...we decided to go out to a nice place for lunch, followed by an excursion to a local pub.
First, Lunch
We wanted to go somewhere that would have wonderful food, be reasonably priced, serve wine, cater to adults, not be too loud, and not be far away. Sip Wine, on the west side of Alpharetta, immediately came to mind!
As we walked in, a young couple came out, with the man carrying a dozen red roses. That looked like others had a similar idea! And, it was nice to see this.
We chose from their special menu, which provided you with a selection of Tapas to choose from; choose any 2 for $10.00. Wow! That sounded really great!
I chose my two: 1st - Italian Sausage and Wild Mushroom Risotto, and 2nd - a braised beef (I've gone to their website to look at the menu, but their currently displayed menu doesn't show this item, so I can't be more specific). I also added, from their main menu, an Apple Salad.My wife also chose two: 1st - Southern Fried Chicken Livers, and 2nd - stuffed spring rolls (again, this is not on the current website menu, so can't be too specific).
All items were wonderful! Full of flavor. We each shared a tasting from each of our respective tapas items. I think I liked my wife's better!
For wine, we chose Roth Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2009. We enjoyed this very much.
An excellent choice for our lunch!
After lunch, we proceeded to Roswell, to a pub we enjoy.
AFTERNOON SOCIAL
We left Sip and headed south to the historic district of Roswell, and went into Salt Factory Pub. We were behind the lunch crowd getting there, so we had good choices for tables. We generally enjoy the bar, as it gives us a chance to interact with the bar tender (a really nice woman) and local patrons.We choose to have some wine as our beverage (Aquinas, Napa Valley), along with my wife's appetizer order of Liverwurst.
We spent several hours here, enjoying ourselves, before returning home and watching a movie (a chick flick - Hope Floats). And, believe it or not, a little dancing!
IN SUMMARY
We both enjoyed this so much, we think it will be our model for Valentine's Day for future years!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Dining in Charleston - Fig Restaurant
Fig Restaurant
Map Link
Fig - an interesting choice of names. Having climbed in fig trees as a boy, it brings back good memories. The branches are low and horizontal, making for easy climbing for a 4 year old. Just enough of a challenge to make you feel like a "big boy", but low enough so you can't really get hurt.
Fig - the restaurant....our daughter Heather recommended this place to us. She and her boyfriend had an excellent "Heather's Adventure - the Movie" here. The think this has one of the best bars and bartenders they've run across, east of Las Vegas. And that's saying something!
Fig is located in a completely nondescript building on Meeting St, just north of Market St., at the corner of Meeting and Hasell St. It's very easy to get to, and by Charleston standards, they have convenient parking as well! Just down from the restaurant on Hasell St (east), on the right, is a large paid parking lot; makes for safe, convenient parking.
The decor - I don't usually talk about the decor in a restaurant; I'm either comfortable and enjoy the 'look' of things, or not. Fig however, is a "little different". There aren't really any windows; from the outside, it looks like it might have been a place to go to avoid bad weather. However, on the inside, they've turned it into something really interesting. On the South wall, they've hung a series of beach landscape scenes, as might be viewed just at dusk. Each panel is a little different; one being the surf, another being a river inlet, another being a marsh. I found this to be very different, and entertaining to "ponder" as I waited for my meal to be delivered.
Our waitress was a server from the local College of Charleston. She had a quick, nice smile, and worked hard to make our dining experience enjoyable. Unfortunately, since I'm writing this a week later, and since I'm a happily married man of 36 years, I no longer recall her name! Too bad, as she was worth a mention here for her service.
The food we had was really good. It was definitely worth the price we paid, and was both flavorful and interesting. This James Beard award winning restaurant was top on our list for dining destinations on this trip. Having eaten at many other James Beard award winners and nominees over the years, we looked forward to this for weeks before our arrival in Charleston.
We were not disappointed!
We started with the CODDLED SEA ISLAND FARM EGG. For those not familiar with the term "coddled", it means, in essence, to take tender care of something. This egg was indeed taken tender care of as it was cooked to perfection. Since I have a Sous Vide Supreme cooker at home, I can replicate this dish and am thus familiar with it, it was nevertheless a wonderful start to our dinner.
I really hate to tell you this, but in looking back over their online menu, since it was almost two weeks ago that we dined at Fig, I realize we both chose from their daily menu, and that I no longer recall the individual dishes we chose, other than the Coddled Egg. I do remember that we were both pleased with it, and would enjoy going back.
Hopefully, my wife, who is away at choir practice as I write this, will recall in better detail the dishes we enjoyed, and I'll be able to update this post.
Would we go back? Yes! The food and service was excellent, and the interior was interesting!
According to my daughter Heather, the bar is excellent too!
Map Link
Fig - an interesting choice of names. Having climbed in fig trees as a boy, it brings back good memories. The branches are low and horizontal, making for easy climbing for a 4 year old. Just enough of a challenge to make you feel like a "big boy", but low enough so you can't really get hurt.
Fig - the restaurant....our daughter Heather recommended this place to us. She and her boyfriend had an excellent "Heather's Adventure - the Movie" here. The think this has one of the best bars and bartenders they've run across, east of Las Vegas. And that's saying something!
Fig is located in a completely nondescript building on Meeting St, just north of Market St., at the corner of Meeting and Hasell St. It's very easy to get to, and by Charleston standards, they have convenient parking as well! Just down from the restaurant on Hasell St (east), on the right, is a large paid parking lot; makes for safe, convenient parking.
The decor - I don't usually talk about the decor in a restaurant; I'm either comfortable and enjoy the 'look' of things, or not. Fig however, is a "little different". There aren't really any windows; from the outside, it looks like it might have been a place to go to avoid bad weather. However, on the inside, they've turned it into something really interesting. On the South wall, they've hung a series of beach landscape scenes, as might be viewed just at dusk. Each panel is a little different; one being the surf, another being a river inlet, another being a marsh. I found this to be very different, and entertaining to "ponder" as I waited for my meal to be delivered.
Our waitress was a server from the local College of Charleston. She had a quick, nice smile, and worked hard to make our dining experience enjoyable. Unfortunately, since I'm writing this a week later, and since I'm a happily married man of 36 years, I no longer recall her name! Too bad, as she was worth a mention here for her service.
The food we had was really good. It was definitely worth the price we paid, and was both flavorful and interesting. This James Beard award winning restaurant was top on our list for dining destinations on this trip. Having eaten at many other James Beard award winners and nominees over the years, we looked forward to this for weeks before our arrival in Charleston.
We were not disappointed!
We started with the CODDLED SEA ISLAND FARM EGG. For those not familiar with the term "coddled", it means, in essence, to take tender care of something. This egg was indeed taken tender care of as it was cooked to perfection. Since I have a Sous Vide Supreme cooker at home, I can replicate this dish and am thus familiar with it, it was nevertheless a wonderful start to our dinner.
I really hate to tell you this, but in looking back over their online menu, since it was almost two weeks ago that we dined at Fig, I realize we both chose from their daily menu, and that I no longer recall the individual dishes we chose, other than the Coddled Egg. I do remember that we were both pleased with it, and would enjoy going back.
Hopefully, my wife, who is away at choir practice as I write this, will recall in better detail the dishes we enjoyed, and I'll be able to update this post.
Would we go back? Yes! The food and service was excellent, and the interior was interesting!
According to my daughter Heather, the bar is excellent too!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Dining in Charleston - SeeWee Restaurant
SeeWee Restaurant
Map Link
The SeeWee Restaurant is located about 15 miles north of Mt. Pleasant SC, so it's a bit of a hike. However, if you are into a little bit of travel, then this may just be your cup of tea!
SeeWee Restaurant is located within an old gas station. It's eclectic inside and out; even the restrooms are outside, just like in the day of the old filling stations.
But make no mistake - they are serving honest Southern Fried Seafood, along with all of the trimmings. This is first rate. While the distance may be a bit of a hassle, the price makes up for it; your bill will be considerably cheaper than anything in the Charleston area for comparable food.
This is not gourmet food; instead, this is the style of food we grew up with in Calabash NC; if you like good Southern Fried Seafood, then you will love this place!
Nearby, to the north, is McClennenville, where hurricane Hugo came ashore in 1990(?). Also due east is Cape Romain, where you can go out on the landing pier and observe the marsh wildlife and seashore.
We made a whole afternoon of it, and thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of our time here, from the food to the seashore.
There's also the "Center for Birds Of Prey" (Map Link) located just a short drive to the East. We haven't been here (yet!), but it certainly looks interesting!
Map Link
The SeeWee Restaurant is located about 15 miles north of Mt. Pleasant SC, so it's a bit of a hike. However, if you are into a little bit of travel, then this may just be your cup of tea!
SeeWee Restaurant is located within an old gas station. It's eclectic inside and out; even the restrooms are outside, just like in the day of the old filling stations.
But make no mistake - they are serving honest Southern Fried Seafood, along with all of the trimmings. This is first rate. While the distance may be a bit of a hassle, the price makes up for it; your bill will be considerably cheaper than anything in the Charleston area for comparable food.
This is not gourmet food; instead, this is the style of food we grew up with in Calabash NC; if you like good Southern Fried Seafood, then you will love this place!
Nearby, to the north, is McClennenville, where hurricane Hugo came ashore in 1990(?). Also due east is Cape Romain, where you can go out on the landing pier and observe the marsh wildlife and seashore.
We made a whole afternoon of it, and thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of our time here, from the food to the seashore.
There's also the "Center for Birds Of Prey" (Map Link) located just a short drive to the East. We haven't been here (yet!), but it certainly looks interesting!
Dining in Charleston - Social Wine Bar
Social
Map Link
My, what a fun place!
Our daughter had stated that we simply must go to Social Wine Bar! So, on Thursday evening, prior to dinner at SNOB, we stopped by Social! And are we glad we did!
We did not have dinner her. We just had drinks.
The drinks are very reasonably priced; it may be that we were getting an early bird special rate; not sure, but the price was very good.
My wife had a wine flight of 3 white wines for $13. I had three Dewar's Scotch drinks at $3.00 each! Note that the pours are not full pours, so it's not an outstanding deal, but very very reasonable.
Our waitstaff was good and attentive, and the crowd was fun.
We enjoyed sitting here and watching the people stream by on E. Bay St.
Note that they do server food, but we didn't order any food at all; just drinks.
Map Link
My, what a fun place!
Our daughter had stated that we simply must go to Social Wine Bar! So, on Thursday evening, prior to dinner at SNOB, we stopped by Social! And are we glad we did!
We did not have dinner her. We just had drinks.
The drinks are very reasonably priced; it may be that we were getting an early bird special rate; not sure, but the price was very good.
My wife had a wine flight of 3 white wines for $13. I had three Dewar's Scotch drinks at $3.00 each! Note that the pours are not full pours, so it's not an outstanding deal, but very very reasonable.
Our waitstaff was good and attentive, and the crowd was fun.
We enjoyed sitting here and watching the people stream by on E. Bay St.
Note that they do server food, but we didn't order any food at all; just drinks.
Dining in Charleston - 82nd Queen
Not Recommended
82nd Queen: sorry, not up to our standards, so no link
Map Link: sorry, not up to our standards, so no link
Everything in this blog is my opinion. It shouldn't be taken as fact, just my opinion. It's my opinion, and I'm entitled to it. It's taken me a lot of years of experience, education, and money spent on dining out to form it.
We've eaten at this restaurant many times over the years. In the past, it's been something we looked forward to. Hell - we even have their cookbook!
No more!
On this trip, I had the BBQ Shrimp and Grits, while my wife had a cup of She-Crab Soup, and the CrabCake Sliders.
I had eaten Shrimp and Grits at Hominy Grill just a day or so before, and those were excellent. Imagine my dismay when I first tasted this nondescript meal! There was no flavor! I was unable to locate the BBQ in the so-called BBQ Shrimp. Instead, there was a red, sweet paste that was spread out over the top of the grits, with the shrimp sitting in this paste. It tasted identical, to my taste-buds, as if I had poured Ketchup over my shrimp and called it BBQ. Maybe that's not what they did - there's no way I can know for sure, but that certainly is what it tasted, and looked like, to me! I hope I was wrong! But if it's that close..... The grits had no flavor. They didn't appear to have been seasoned at all; I had to add copious amounts of salt just to give them a hint of flavor. Compare these, in my opinion, silly little attempts to that presented at Hominy Grill, and you'll understand both my surprise, as well as my disappointment!
Hearing of my displeasure, my wife offered up one of her CrabCake sliders. I love crabcakes; it has been one of my favorite items ever since first having them at Calabash NC when I was a youngster. I frequently get CrabCakes for appetizer at any seafood restaurant. So I bit into this slider, ... and spit it out! Are you kidding me? Who spits out CrabCakes? This thing tasted of oily fish, like it was cooked along in week-old fish-fry oil. Nasty and Grose! To my knowledge, this was the worst CrabCake I had ever sampled, and I've eaten CrabCakes all my life, and I'm going on 60! So that's saying, in my opinion, this was pretty bad.
This was our last time at this restaurant!
82nd Queen: sorry, not up to our standards, so no link
Map Link: sorry, not up to our standards, so no link
Everything in this blog is my opinion. It shouldn't be taken as fact, just my opinion. It's my opinion, and I'm entitled to it. It's taken me a lot of years of experience, education, and money spent on dining out to form it.
We've eaten at this restaurant many times over the years. In the past, it's been something we looked forward to. Hell - we even have their cookbook!
No more!
On this trip, I had the BBQ Shrimp and Grits, while my wife had a cup of She-Crab Soup, and the CrabCake Sliders.
I had eaten Shrimp and Grits at Hominy Grill just a day or so before, and those were excellent. Imagine my dismay when I first tasted this nondescript meal! There was no flavor! I was unable to locate the BBQ in the so-called BBQ Shrimp. Instead, there was a red, sweet paste that was spread out over the top of the grits, with the shrimp sitting in this paste. It tasted identical, to my taste-buds, as if I had poured Ketchup over my shrimp and called it BBQ. Maybe that's not what they did - there's no way I can know for sure, but that certainly is what it tasted, and looked like, to me! I hope I was wrong! But if it's that close..... The grits had no flavor. They didn't appear to have been seasoned at all; I had to add copious amounts of salt just to give them a hint of flavor. Compare these, in my opinion, silly little attempts to that presented at Hominy Grill, and you'll understand both my surprise, as well as my disappointment!
Hearing of my displeasure, my wife offered up one of her CrabCake sliders. I love crabcakes; it has been one of my favorite items ever since first having them at Calabash NC when I was a youngster. I frequently get CrabCakes for appetizer at any seafood restaurant. So I bit into this slider, ... and spit it out! Are you kidding me? Who spits out CrabCakes? This thing tasted of oily fish, like it was cooked along in week-old fish-fry oil. Nasty and Grose! To my knowledge, this was the worst CrabCake I had ever sampled, and I've eaten CrabCakes all my life, and I'm going on 60! So that's saying, in my opinion, this was pretty bad.
This was our last time at this restaurant!
Dining in Charleston - S.N.O.B
S.N.O.B - Slightly North of Broad
Map Link
It was a toss-up where we would eat this night, Thursday Oct 13 2011. We thought we would try Husk, but it was full. We had already had the bad experience for lunch at 82nd Queentj (we won't be back), so we were looking for something that was a sure bet.
The sure bet was S.N.O.B. - or Slightly North of Broad (on E. Bay St). We've eaten here many times over the years, as has our daughter Heather (in fact, she's the one that introduced us to SNOB), and have never been disappointed.
Tonight was no different - really excellent food and service delivered yet again!
For appetizer, we had the Charcuterie. This is one of my wife's favorite dishes. I love it at SNOB, but I'm sold on the charcuterie at Cypress. My wife demanded that once, during the trip, she was going to eat Charcuterie, and this was her selection!
For the main course, my wife had the Scallops with a 'pear ginger sangria', while I had the the wood smoked Pork Chop. Note that this was the only non-seafood meal I had the whole week, and it simply can't be beat!
Our waitress was Mel, who we've had on previous occasions. She was every bit as fun and efficient as ever!
We made dinner reservations for 8:30 PM, and I'm glad we did, as there was a wait-line until after 9:30 PM!
Everything about this meal was excellent; the service, the food, the experience.
We'll be back again, and again, and again...
Map Link
It was a toss-up where we would eat this night, Thursday Oct 13 2011. We thought we would try Husk, but it was full. We had already had the bad experience for lunch at 82nd Queentj (we won't be back), so we were looking for something that was a sure bet.
The sure bet was S.N.O.B. - or Slightly North of Broad (on E. Bay St). We've eaten here many times over the years, as has our daughter Heather (in fact, she's the one that introduced us to SNOB), and have never been disappointed.
Tonight was no different - really excellent food and service delivered yet again!
For appetizer, we had the Charcuterie. This is one of my wife's favorite dishes. I love it at SNOB, but I'm sold on the charcuterie at Cypress. My wife demanded that once, during the trip, she was going to eat Charcuterie, and this was her selection!
For the main course, my wife had the Scallops with a 'pear ginger sangria', while I had the the wood smoked Pork Chop. Note that this was the only non-seafood meal I had the whole week, and it simply can't be beat!
Our waitress was Mel, who we've had on previous occasions. She was every bit as fun and efficient as ever!
We made dinner reservations for 8:30 PM, and I'm glad we did, as there was a wait-line until after 9:30 PM!
Everything about this meal was excellent; the service, the food, the experience.
We'll be back again, and again, and again...
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Dining in Charleston - Fast and French
Fast and French
Map Link
On Tuesday, October 11 2011, we decided to have lunch at the Fast and French cafe on Broad St. in the historic district of Charleston SC.
This restaurant had been recommended to us by our local host, who lives in the historic district of Charleston. She said she and her husband frequently walk the 5 minutes it takes them to get to this cafe on Broad St.
That was good enough for us!
So, with this being a lunch destination, a small French cafe sounded just right! And a 5 minute walk was just right to kick up a desire for a quick lunch!
The first thing you'll notice on entering the cafe is how small it is! There's just enough room behind people to squeeze between their backs and the wall while working our way to the back of the cafe. We were seated at a bar (all seats are at bars - plural, as they are each little separate island bars that seat 6 - 8 people), directly across from two people that had come in just ahead of us, along with 4 young ladies to our right. The couple across from us, probably in their 60s, and judging from their accent were British, weren't too happy with their coffee. In fact, after drinking their coffee, they departed! They couldn't have been there more than 5 minutes total! They weren't difficult or anything, just disappointed. It was clearly something about the coffee. So, we clearly had to have the coffee to see what the problem was! Well, it was great coffee! It was French Press style, and strong, our favorite method for preparing coffee and the strong, wonderful results. The whole process of making French Press coffee was shown on the menu! So, while it clearly wasn't their cup of tea (pardon the pun!), it was wonderful to us!
For lunch, I had an open faced ham & cheese with French Onion soup, while my wife had a Brie and Cheese sandwich with French Onion soup. Both were excellent!
We very much enjoyed this little cafe. With people being sat right in front of you (I could have easily reached across and sampled my neighbor's lunch), it's hard not to strike up conversations with the people around you. In quick order we had had conversations with the 2nd couple across from us (from Statesboro NC), the young ladies to our right, and their replacement three-some from the Augusta GA area - the only people we didn't get the chance to talk with were the British couple, and that was only because they were gone so fast.
We will be back, and look forward to it!
Map Link
On Tuesday, October 11 2011, we decided to have lunch at the Fast and French cafe on Broad St. in the historic district of Charleston SC.
This restaurant had been recommended to us by our local host, who lives in the historic district of Charleston. She said she and her husband frequently walk the 5 minutes it takes them to get to this cafe on Broad St.
That was good enough for us!
So, with this being a lunch destination, a small French cafe sounded just right! And a 5 minute walk was just right to kick up a desire for a quick lunch!
The first thing you'll notice on entering the cafe is how small it is! There's just enough room behind people to squeeze between their backs and the wall while working our way to the back of the cafe. We were seated at a bar (all seats are at bars - plural, as they are each little separate island bars that seat 6 - 8 people), directly across from two people that had come in just ahead of us, along with 4 young ladies to our right. The couple across from us, probably in their 60s, and judging from their accent were British, weren't too happy with their coffee. In fact, after drinking their coffee, they departed! They couldn't have been there more than 5 minutes total! They weren't difficult or anything, just disappointed. It was clearly something about the coffee. So, we clearly had to have the coffee to see what the problem was! Well, it was great coffee! It was French Press style, and strong, our favorite method for preparing coffee and the strong, wonderful results. The whole process of making French Press coffee was shown on the menu! So, while it clearly wasn't their cup of tea (pardon the pun!), it was wonderful to us!
For lunch, I had an open faced ham & cheese with French Onion soup, while my wife had a Brie and Cheese sandwich with French Onion soup. Both were excellent!
We very much enjoyed this little cafe. With people being sat right in front of you (I could have easily reached across and sampled my neighbor's lunch), it's hard not to strike up conversations with the people around you. In quick order we had had conversations with the 2nd couple across from us (from Statesboro NC), the young ladies to our right, and their replacement three-some from the Augusta GA area - the only people we didn't get the chance to talk with were the British couple, and that was only because they were gone so fast.
We will be back, and look forward to it!
Dining in Charleston - Pearlz's Little Oyster Bar
Pearlz Little Oyster Bar
Map Link
Our first night in town (Monday, October 10, 2011), we had driven for 6 hours in rain the whole way from Atlanta. I was tired, ready to eat, but not wanting anything that had a lot of hassles to deal with - in other words, no tourist traps.
On the way in, I noticed a group of bars, cafes and restaurants in the Avondale area of Charleston (West Ashley on Hwy 17). Just as we swept by, I noticed a signage that said "Pearlz Little Oyster..." but couldn't see the rest before we were gone. However, I mentioned to my wife, if it was agreeable to her, that I would like to come back out here for dinner, as this was a local establishment that was catering to the locals (not too many tourists venture out here), and thought it might work. The whole area has a little artsy flavor to it, and thought it would be interesting.
After checking into our cottage in the historic district, we turned around and headed west back to West Ashley, to Pearlz. And, boy, am I glad we did!
We did a whole lot of samplers, which we typically do when we are really wanting to explore a menu. We had an order (6 oysters) of Baked Oysters Rockefeller, soon followed by two orders of Fried Oysters (they were soo good, the first order was gone too fast), and an order of Crispy Ahi Tuna Roll ( I liked the Tuna very much, but my wife, who is not big on Tuna anyway, didn't particularly care for - good news for me; I got her portion as well!). After splitting these appetizers, I opted for a bowl of Seafood Gumbo, which is served over a bed of rice. For some reason, the rice was undercooked, and was hard enough to break a tooth! I brought it to our waiter's attention, and he promptly brought forth a whole new setup of rice and soup. It was wonderful! For my wife, it was a little too spicy (but she thought it was still good), which was, again, good news for me - I got to eat her portion as well!
We had a great time here, sitting at the bar, talking with the bartenders, who were all friendly and efficient. This is going to be a destination bar for us whenever we are in Charleston and wanting to avoid the tourist area. This is also a safe area, with easy parking in the rear.
Note: Pearlz's also has a location in the main dining district of Charleston on E. Bay St. We haven't eaten there, but it shares the same menu as the one in West Ashley, Avondale, about 6 miles west of downtown Charleston. This location would generally be serving more tourists instead of locals. We will be trying it soon!
Map Link
Our first night in town (Monday, October 10, 2011), we had driven for 6 hours in rain the whole way from Atlanta. I was tired, ready to eat, but not wanting anything that had a lot of hassles to deal with - in other words, no tourist traps.
On the way in, I noticed a group of bars, cafes and restaurants in the Avondale area of Charleston (West Ashley on Hwy 17). Just as we swept by, I noticed a signage that said "Pearlz Little Oyster..." but couldn't see the rest before we were gone. However, I mentioned to my wife, if it was agreeable to her, that I would like to come back out here for dinner, as this was a local establishment that was catering to the locals (not too many tourists venture out here), and thought it might work. The whole area has a little artsy flavor to it, and thought it would be interesting.
After checking into our cottage in the historic district, we turned around and headed west back to West Ashley, to Pearlz. And, boy, am I glad we did!
We did a whole lot of samplers, which we typically do when we are really wanting to explore a menu. We had an order (6 oysters) of Baked Oysters Rockefeller, soon followed by two orders of Fried Oysters (they were soo good, the first order was gone too fast), and an order of Crispy Ahi Tuna Roll ( I liked the Tuna very much, but my wife, who is not big on Tuna anyway, didn't particularly care for - good news for me; I got her portion as well!). After splitting these appetizers, I opted for a bowl of Seafood Gumbo, which is served over a bed of rice. For some reason, the rice was undercooked, and was hard enough to break a tooth! I brought it to our waiter's attention, and he promptly brought forth a whole new setup of rice and soup. It was wonderful! For my wife, it was a little too spicy (but she thought it was still good), which was, again, good news for me - I got to eat her portion as well!
We had a great time here, sitting at the bar, talking with the bartenders, who were all friendly and efficient. This is going to be a destination bar for us whenever we are in Charleston and wanting to avoid the tourist area. This is also a safe area, with easy parking in the rear.
Note: Pearlz's also has a location in the main dining district of Charleston on E. Bay St. We haven't eaten there, but it shares the same menu as the one in West Ashley, Avondale, about 6 miles west of downtown Charleston. This location would generally be serving more tourists instead of locals. We will be trying it soon!
Dining in Charleston - Fleet Landing Restaurant
Last night we had the pleasure of dining at the 'Fleet Landing Restaurant' on the waterfront in Charleston. This is located just a block or two east of E. Bay St., which is the main dining and club district in Charleston. Map Link.
The Fleet Landing Restaurant is an original structure dating back to WWII, made of concrete and steel on a dock that projects out into the Cooper River. They have their own parking, which in Charleston, is at a premium.
The interior is nautical, loud and busy. Our table top consisted of a nautical map of the Charleston Harbor area, and was interesting to us to view as we waited to order.
Our waiter John appeared promptly, was friendly, took our food and drink order in short time. Soon, we had our drinks, along with complementary biscuits, quickly followed by our main courses.
Still not getting over my hankering for fried seafood (I rarely get this anywhere else but the Charleston and Calabash NC areas, as other sections of the country typically don't know how to cook it correctly fried), I sized up a fried oyster and shrimp combo platter at $17, with cole slaw and (something else that eludes me right now), and hush puppies. My wife also got a fried combo - the oysters and scallops.
My oysters tasted muddy, which is not a good taste at all. The bigger they were, the more overpowering this unpleasant taste was for me. My shrimp were good thought.
However, my wife's scallops were outstanding! These are worthy of any fine dining experience anywhere! They were very, very lightly breaded, and had been cooked to perfection; just a little sear on the outside, and warm center without being overcooked on the inside.
Even more unusual for a combo, there were a lot of the scallops, and they were the very-large diver scallops. I've never had these as part of a fried seafood combo before, usually I am presented with small nickle-size scallops; not here - these were as big as a silver dollar and thick!
I'm not sure what was wrong with the oysters. They had been prepared correctly, and it was the right time of year for good oysters, so I'm at a loss here. Just a few nights earlier we had had wonderful fried oysters at Pearlz Little Oyster Bar in Avondale (West Ashley Charleston area).
The Fleet Landing Restaurant is an original structure dating back to WWII, made of concrete and steel on a dock that projects out into the Cooper River. They have their own parking, which in Charleston, is at a premium.
The interior is nautical, loud and busy. Our table top consisted of a nautical map of the Charleston Harbor area, and was interesting to us to view as we waited to order.
Our waiter John appeared promptly, was friendly, took our food and drink order in short time. Soon, we had our drinks, along with complementary biscuits, quickly followed by our main courses.
Still not getting over my hankering for fried seafood (I rarely get this anywhere else but the Charleston and Calabash NC areas, as other sections of the country typically don't know how to cook it correctly fried), I sized up a fried oyster and shrimp combo platter at $17, with cole slaw and (something else that eludes me right now), and hush puppies. My wife also got a fried combo - the oysters and scallops.
My oysters tasted muddy, which is not a good taste at all. The bigger they were, the more overpowering this unpleasant taste was for me. My shrimp were good thought.
However, my wife's scallops were outstanding! These are worthy of any fine dining experience anywhere! They were very, very lightly breaded, and had been cooked to perfection; just a little sear on the outside, and warm center without being overcooked on the inside.
Even more unusual for a combo, there were a lot of the scallops, and they were the very-large diver scallops. I've never had these as part of a fried seafood combo before, usually I am presented with small nickle-size scallops; not here - these were as big as a silver dollar and thick!
I'm not sure what was wrong with the oysters. They had been prepared correctly, and it was the right time of year for good oysters, so I'm at a loss here. Just a few nights earlier we had had wonderful fried oysters at Pearlz Little Oyster Bar in Avondale (West Ashley Charleston area).
Dining in Charleston - Hominy Grill
Yesterday, Wednesday October 12, 2011, we had lunch at Hominy Grill in Charleston SC. Map Link
This was our first trip to Hominy Grill. At first, I was somewhat reluctant to go her to eat, as when I was young, growing up in Charleston, this was a poor, rough area - not an area I would have been willing to get out of my car, let alone consider eating!
However, our hostess at the cottage we are renting in the historic part of Charleston, assured us this was no longer the case.
She was most certainly right! In traveling along Ashley St, I was amazed at how much the area had changed. Once wonderful elegant homes that had fallen into disrepair and trash when I lived her in the 60s, have been 'gentrified' with new owners, fixed up with new families living in them! It looks like the Medical College of Charleston has continued to move northwards, with their solid influence changing the makeup of the whole neighborhood.
We entered Hominy Grill via the courtyard on the south end of their building, and were seated in the original structure, which apparently used to be a barber shop - can't confirm, as we didn't actually ask, but there's a pair of 'barber poles' located just inside the old entrance.
In looking over the menu, we saw appetizers, sandwiches, small plates and large plates. I quickly looked to see if they had an oyster poorboy, but none was presented. In reviewing the rest of the menu, my goal was to have something of a signature dish from them, so that meant a lot of their sandwiches weren't being considered. Moving onto the small plates, which represented my desire for a smaller lunch, I didn't spot anything that could be considered unique, which lead me to their full plate lunches. There, I spotted their signature dish, shrimp and grits.
With a name like Hominy, how could I go wrong with this Charleston area staple?
So, even though it was a larger lunch than I was seeking, and the price a little higher than what I was wanting to pay for lunch ($17), I elected to take this choice, while my wife got their 'three vegetables plate'.
Well, I'm glad I made this choice!
Diners sit in close proximity of each other, so our dining neighbors wanted to know how I liked my shrimp and grits, while also mentioning this was supposed to be 'the best of any other restaurant'. I replied that I hadn't given that any thought, but that they were really good, and after more reflection, decided he reference was correct - they were indeed the best I've ever had anywhere!
My wife liked her vegetable plat; I loved my shrimp and grits! We liked them so much, we bought their recipe book!
These creamy, cheesy grits have bacon mixed in, while the shrimp have been sauteed in bacon oil. So often in this dish, the shrimp has a rather dull effect; not these shrimp! The are exploding in flavor in their own right, taking center stage just over the top of the grits. So, instead of being the underdog in this fight, the shrimp come out on top, bursting with flavor! These may be the best tasting shrimp, in any dish, I have ever had! And, coming from Charleston, and growing up eating at Calabash NC., that would be saying something!
We'll be back, and back, and back!
This was our first trip to Hominy Grill. At first, I was somewhat reluctant to go her to eat, as when I was young, growing up in Charleston, this was a poor, rough area - not an area I would have been willing to get out of my car, let alone consider eating!
However, our hostess at the cottage we are renting in the historic part of Charleston, assured us this was no longer the case.
She was most certainly right! In traveling along Ashley St, I was amazed at how much the area had changed. Once wonderful elegant homes that had fallen into disrepair and trash when I lived her in the 60s, have been 'gentrified' with new owners, fixed up with new families living in them! It looks like the Medical College of Charleston has continued to move northwards, with their solid influence changing the makeup of the whole neighborhood.
We entered Hominy Grill via the courtyard on the south end of their building, and were seated in the original structure, which apparently used to be a barber shop - can't confirm, as we didn't actually ask, but there's a pair of 'barber poles' located just inside the old entrance.
In looking over the menu, we saw appetizers, sandwiches, small plates and large plates. I quickly looked to see if they had an oyster poorboy, but none was presented. In reviewing the rest of the menu, my goal was to have something of a signature dish from them, so that meant a lot of their sandwiches weren't being considered. Moving onto the small plates, which represented my desire for a smaller lunch, I didn't spot anything that could be considered unique, which lead me to their full plate lunches. There, I spotted their signature dish, shrimp and grits.
With a name like Hominy, how could I go wrong with this Charleston area staple?
So, even though it was a larger lunch than I was seeking, and the price a little higher than what I was wanting to pay for lunch ($17), I elected to take this choice, while my wife got their 'three vegetables plate'.
Well, I'm glad I made this choice!
Diners sit in close proximity of each other, so our dining neighbors wanted to know how I liked my shrimp and grits, while also mentioning this was supposed to be 'the best of any other restaurant'. I replied that I hadn't given that any thought, but that they were really good, and after more reflection, decided he reference was correct - they were indeed the best I've ever had anywhere!
My wife liked her vegetable plat; I loved my shrimp and grits! We liked them so much, we bought their recipe book!
These creamy, cheesy grits have bacon mixed in, while the shrimp have been sauteed in bacon oil. So often in this dish, the shrimp has a rather dull effect; not these shrimp! The are exploding in flavor in their own right, taking center stage just over the top of the grits. So, instead of being the underdog in this fight, the shrimp come out on top, bursting with flavor! These may be the best tasting shrimp, in any dish, I have ever had! And, coming from Charleston, and growing up eating at Calabash NC., that would be saying something!
We'll be back, and back, and back!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Banjo's Restaurant Reviews
Banjo's Dining Reviews
- Dining in Wilmington, NC. July, 2011
- Dining in Charleston, SC. June and Oct 2011
Dining Review - Dock Street Oyster Bar, Wilmington NC
Tuesday, 7/21/11 - dinner
We had eaten here once before, in October of 2010, prior to really starting this blog. On that trip, we had wonderfully prepared steamed oysters, by the bucket.
We really enjoyed the paintings on the walls - literally, the walls are painted with interesting, cartoonish (I'm sure there is a better description, but I'm an engineer, and don't know much about art, although I do a damn fine job of mounting it on the wall) figures. Most appear to be female, which suits me just fine! This place has a good, offbeat-way about itself. It carries over to the servers, most of which appear to be local college students.
This trip, we elected not to have the oysters. My wife had a 'seafood brunswick stew', and a 'island pork taco'. I tasted both, and would have enjoyed having either or both for my dinner. I elected to have 'shrimp over grits'. Mine was good too.
I had Yingling beer (2), while my wife had Miller draft beer.
The total tab, including tax and tip, was $46.
Website for Dock Street Oyster Bar, downtown Wilmington, NC.
TripAdvisor Review
We had eaten here once before, in October of 2010, prior to really starting this blog. On that trip, we had wonderfully prepared steamed oysters, by the bucket.
We really enjoyed the paintings on the walls - literally, the walls are painted with interesting, cartoonish (I'm sure there is a better description, but I'm an engineer, and don't know much about art, although I do a damn fine job of mounting it on the wall) figures. Most appear to be female, which suits me just fine! This place has a good, offbeat-way about itself. It carries over to the servers, most of which appear to be local college students.
This trip, we elected not to have the oysters. My wife had a 'seafood brunswick stew', and a 'island pork taco'. I tasted both, and would have enjoyed having either or both for my dinner. I elected to have 'shrimp over grits'. Mine was good too.
I had Yingling beer (2), while my wife had Miller draft beer.
The total tab, including tax and tip, was $46.
Website for Dock Street Oyster Bar, downtown Wilmington, NC.
TripAdvisor Review
Dining Review - Elija's in Wilmington NC
7/21/11 Lunch.
This is our second trip to Elija's. We again ate lunch here. I think we like it because it has that perfect blend - nearby, easy to get to walking from the Hilton, good food, nice view, good atmosphere.
Today we ate at the bar. We both had crabcake sandwiches. My wife had spotted this on the menu yesterday, but it turned out they were only on the bar menu, not on the main dining area menu.
These were large crabcakes, with filler. They may have been 1 inch thick! The sauce was very spicy - too much so for my wife, but just my cup of tea.
They were serving Yingling bottled beer on special, so we each had that for our drink.
A really strong thunderstorm blew in while we were there, so we extended our stay about an extra hour, having another Yingling each.
The tab, with tip and taxes, came to about $38.
See other Elija's review for links.
This is our second trip to Elija's. We again ate lunch here. I think we like it because it has that perfect blend - nearby, easy to get to walking from the Hilton, good food, nice view, good atmosphere.
Today we ate at the bar. We both had crabcake sandwiches. My wife had spotted this on the menu yesterday, but it turned out they were only on the bar menu, not on the main dining area menu.
These were large crabcakes, with filler. They may have been 1 inch thick! The sauce was very spicy - too much so for my wife, but just my cup of tea.
They were serving Yingling bottled beer on special, so we each had that for our drink.
A really strong thunderstorm blew in while we were there, so we extended our stay about an extra hour, having another Yingling each.
The tab, with tip and taxes, came to about $38.
See other Elija's review for links.
Dining Review - Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Wilmington NC
Tuesday, 7/20/11 - Last night, in celebration of our 36th anniversary, we dined at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Wilmington, NC.
The restaurant is located within the Hilton Hotel of Wilmington.
Our reservations were for 8:00 PM. We arrived promptly at 8. We were seated in a corner location that proved to be very cool, as it funneled all of the cold air from the various cold-air registers into the corner then down to our table. It was a little bit much, but not too bad.
Our waitress, Brook, was very pleasant and professional. She presented the night's specials to us, along with some personal suggestions.
We opted for salads (I chose Ruth's special salad at approximately $11, and a regular salad for my wife at about $9). We each chose Filet of Tenderloin; my wife got the petite at about $36, and I chose the regular size filet at $40. We each chose to have our steaks cooked medium-rare. At Brook's suggestion, we also chose mac-and-cheese with lobster bits - I think this was about $12.50, but couldn't locate my receipt. We added a bottle of Pinot Noir at $85. For dessert, I had cheesecake, while my wife chose creme brulee, along with French-press coffee. We were also presented with a complimentary slice of chocolate cake for our anniversary. Since I don't have all of my receipts, I can't give a complete individual item breakdown. However, with tax, the bill came in at $233.42. We added $46 for the tip, for a total of $279.
We both enjoyed the salads. Mine was totally different from anything I had before; it was julienne and placed into a mold; it was interesting and I enjoyed it.
The steaks were cooked precisely to our desired temperature of medium-rare. This is aged beef, so it was fork tender. It was USDA Prime. It was exactly what I would expect for a premier steakhouse. The outer sides were blasted with high heat to form a light crust, while the interior was uniform in its color and temperature. I did software development for Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa FL, so am familiar with how a great steak should be cooked. This was on-target, and the meat was a top cut. We were both very pleased with our steaks. I requested sea-salt instead of the regular table salt, and it was delivered to me in a side dish to add to our steaks.
Our desserts were very good. The extra chocolate cake, which we could only sample because we had already eaten the other desserts, was also good.
The only disappointment was the coffee. We are used to being served really great coffee at a premium restaurant, but this was not up to snuff. Brook brought a 2nd pot to us, but it was only slightly better. I'm not an expert on preparing coffee, but I expect the beans were not as high of quality as we are used to being served.
Summary: We enjoyed the dining experience, our server was very good, the food was excellent, our steaks were prepared spot-on, and the wine was incredible. We would be happy to return for a future special occasion.
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse link
TripAdvisor Reviews
The restaurant is located within the Hilton Hotel of Wilmington.
Our reservations were for 8:00 PM. We arrived promptly at 8. We were seated in a corner location that proved to be very cool, as it funneled all of the cold air from the various cold-air registers into the corner then down to our table. It was a little bit much, but not too bad.
Our waitress, Brook, was very pleasant and professional. She presented the night's specials to us, along with some personal suggestions.
We opted for salads (I chose Ruth's special salad at approximately $11, and a regular salad for my wife at about $9). We each chose Filet of Tenderloin; my wife got the petite at about $36, and I chose the regular size filet at $40. We each chose to have our steaks cooked medium-rare. At Brook's suggestion, we also chose mac-and-cheese with lobster bits - I think this was about $12.50, but couldn't locate my receipt. We added a bottle of Pinot Noir at $85. For dessert, I had cheesecake, while my wife chose creme brulee, along with French-press coffee. We were also presented with a complimentary slice of chocolate cake for our anniversary. Since I don't have all of my receipts, I can't give a complete individual item breakdown. However, with tax, the bill came in at $233.42. We added $46 for the tip, for a total of $279.
We both enjoyed the salads. Mine was totally different from anything I had before; it was julienne and placed into a mold; it was interesting and I enjoyed it.
The steaks were cooked precisely to our desired temperature of medium-rare. This is aged beef, so it was fork tender. It was USDA Prime. It was exactly what I would expect for a premier steakhouse. The outer sides were blasted with high heat to form a light crust, while the interior was uniform in its color and temperature. I did software development for Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa FL, so am familiar with how a great steak should be cooked. This was on-target, and the meat was a top cut. We were both very pleased with our steaks. I requested sea-salt instead of the regular table salt, and it was delivered to me in a side dish to add to our steaks.
Our desserts were very good. The extra chocolate cake, which we could only sample because we had already eaten the other desserts, was also good.
The only disappointment was the coffee. We are used to being served really great coffee at a premium restaurant, but this was not up to snuff. Brook brought a 2nd pot to us, but it was only slightly better. I'm not an expert on preparing coffee, but I expect the beans were not as high of quality as we are used to being served.
Summary: We enjoyed the dining experience, our server was very good, the food was excellent, our steaks were prepared spot-on, and the wine was incredible. We would be happy to return for a future special occasion.
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse link
TripAdvisor Reviews
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Dining Review - Elihja's Restaurant, Wilmington NC
7/20/11: we had our 36th anniversary lunch on the water at Elija's Restaurant in Wilmington, NC today.
We wanted somewhere that had the potential for good food, was on the water, and where we could have a view. Elija's satisfied all of the above.
We arrived about 1:30 PM on a Tuesday; they were surprisingly busy, we thought, for mid-day, mid-week.
We entered from the water boardwalk side, which placed us into the bar area. We went to the front to leave our names for a table, then returned to the bar where we had a drink while waiting for our water-view table.
The ambiance is nice, and all rooms are decorated in a nautical style.
I asked about Single Malt Scotch, and they only had one, McClelland's. This is not my favorite (I prefer peaty scotches from the Islay area, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, as well as Talisker. They wanted $9.50 for it. I passed.
My wife and I each had a gin & tonic. They were cold and good. They were $6.50 each.
After a very short wait, we were shown to our tables. As promised, we had a water-view table.
Our server arrived promptly, and took our orders for another round of gin & tonic. While she went to obtain those, we chose our lunch.
For an appetizer, we chose the 'hot crab dip'. We both enjoyed it a great deal.
For our lunch, we each chose the fried oyster sandwich, which comes with french fries. We thought they did a good job with frying the oysters. However, almost every bite I had contained small pieces of oyster shell, while my wife said she never had any. I've eaten fried oysters everywhere, all of my life, and this is the most oyster shell I have ever encountered! In my opinion, they probably didn't wash the oysters off properly before breading them to fry.
The total bill came to about $65.00 for lunch, which included the two fried oyster sandwiches, one hot crabdip appetizer, and 4 gin & tonic drinks (2 each), plus tip.
We enjoyed our view, the interior, the service, the drinks, and the food.
In summary: we would come back for lunch or dinner.
Restaurant's website
TripAdvisor Reviews
We wanted somewhere that had the potential for good food, was on the water, and where we could have a view. Elija's satisfied all of the above.
We arrived about 1:30 PM on a Tuesday; they were surprisingly busy, we thought, for mid-day, mid-week.
We entered from the water boardwalk side, which placed us into the bar area. We went to the front to leave our names for a table, then returned to the bar where we had a drink while waiting for our water-view table.
The ambiance is nice, and all rooms are decorated in a nautical style.
I asked about Single Malt Scotch, and they only had one, McClelland's. This is not my favorite (I prefer peaty scotches from the Islay area, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, as well as Talisker. They wanted $9.50 for it. I passed.
My wife and I each had a gin & tonic. They were cold and good. They were $6.50 each.
After a very short wait, we were shown to our tables. As promised, we had a water-view table.
Our server arrived promptly, and took our orders for another round of gin & tonic. While she went to obtain those, we chose our lunch.
For an appetizer, we chose the 'hot crab dip'. We both enjoyed it a great deal.
For our lunch, we each chose the fried oyster sandwich, which comes with french fries. We thought they did a good job with frying the oysters. However, almost every bite I had contained small pieces of oyster shell, while my wife said she never had any. I've eaten fried oysters everywhere, all of my life, and this is the most oyster shell I have ever encountered! In my opinion, they probably didn't wash the oysters off properly before breading them to fry.
The total bill came to about $65.00 for lunch, which included the two fried oyster sandwiches, one hot crabdip appetizer, and 4 gin & tonic drinks (2 each), plus tip.
We enjoyed our view, the interior, the service, the drinks, and the food.
In summary: we would come back for lunch or dinner.
Restaurant's website
TripAdvisor Reviews
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Dining Review - 22 North Restaurant, Wrightsville Beach NC
7/19/11: We will be having dinner there tonight. Will update this page with the review.
7/20/11: Review:
Restaurant's website: http://www.22north.net/
Chef Brent Poteat's comments (video)
7/20/11: Review:
- Insight: I feel that it's important to understand that this restaurant is on an resort island, where real estate is at a premium, and where businesses have only 3 months to make their profits for a year. Because of this, prices are higher than they would be on the mainland, and issues, such as parking, are inherently going to be difficult for a merchant to resolve. E.g., the bigger the parking lot, the more premium land that has to be purchased, and the higher the prices will have to be to offset this investment. So, with that, let's go!
- Ride over to Wrightsville from Wilmington is an easy drive.
- Parking is difficult to find near the restaurant, but we managed, so you can too.
- Prices: given the insight above, I thought they were reasonable.
- Appetizers - we had two; bacon wrapped scallops, and crabcake. My wife liked both. In my opinion, I found the bacon to be overcooked and crispy, which overpowered the scallops, which I also thought were overcooked. In my opinion, the crabcake also had something in it that overpowered the crab. I liked both apps, but felt they could have been better.
- We both had the Wahoo fish. My wife liked hers. In my opinion, mine was slightly overcooked (my wife also agrees), but we both thought they were good.
- Service: a little spotty, but OK overall.
- Wait for food: reasonable
- Impression: Overall, we would go back.
Restaurant's website: http://www.22north.net/
Chef Brent Poteat's comments (video)
Experiencing Wilmington NC
This will be the master link to reviews of restaurants, hotels, and attractions we dine at, stay at, and visit while on our 36th anniversary trip to Wilmington NC.
We intend to try as many of the places noted by the local newspaper as being among the best in town, while running it by restaurant and other reviews in TripAdvisor and Google.
DINNING
GIFT SHOPS
We intend to try as many of the places noted by the local newspaper as being among the best in town, while running it by restaurant and other reviews in TripAdvisor and Google.
DINNING
- 7/19/11 Dinner: 22 North Restaurant, Wrightsville Beach, NC. 22 North Restaurant, Wrightsville, NC
- 7/20/11 Lunch: Elija's Restaurant, Wilmington NC (on the Cape Fear waterway).
- 7/20/11 Dinner: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Wilmington NC (in the Hilton at Wilmington on the Cape Fear River).
- 7/21/11 Lunch: Elija's Restaurant, Wilmington NC (on the Cape Fear waterway).
- 7/21/11 Dinner: Dock Street Oyster Bar, Wilmington NC.
GIFT SHOPS
- A Proper Garden. This is located one block off the waterfront area of Wilmington. This had a lot of interesting items that were both unusual as well as original. There was a garden theme to a lot of these items. My wife bought some candles that are inserted into a wine bottle from here.
- Creations by Justine. These are art objects that are created by three ladies. They are all very unusual. I haven't seen items like these anywhere else, in any city. We thought they were very reasonably priced. We bought a couple of wine bottle stoppers (one a shark with a hat smoking a cigar, the other a shark with a foot sticking out of its mouth), as well as a 'mushroom' for a potted plant. We liked a lot of what we saw, but couldn't quite figure out where we could put it in our house, so we passed on items we really liked.
- Una Luna World Gallery. Also down by the water, one block off. This too had a lot of interesting and original pieces. We found a bar and two stools that we thought would look great on our back porch, but didn't feel that we wanted to put that much into them. The bar stools, each hand-made, from Wando SC, were hand tooled leather. Looked great, well made, and a piece of art unto themselves. We didn't feel that the $495 price for each was too much, but it was more than we wanted to put into bar stools. The bar top was a big slab of Oak suspended over two wooden wine barrels. I didn't price the bar, since the stools were past our budget.
- Crescent Moon. This is in the Cotton Exchange, across from the Wilmington Hilton, where we are staying (we have a river view). They had very pretty pottery, hand crafted art-glass and metal sculptures. My wife felt their prices were very reasonable.
LODGING
The Good: We stayed at the Wilmington Hilton, which is on the river. We felt it was reasonably priced, and the room we had (river view) was a nice room. Nothing fancy. The King bed had 'memory foam' mattress, and we both liked it very much. I stayed here once in 1974! It's been updated some since then, so it looks freshened. It has wide-open (not secured) wifi. It also had a hard wired connection, but I didn't have a cable and they didn't supply one. I set up the Ipad for my wife on this, while I used my secure Verizon Wireless broadband card for my laptop for stock transactions. We plan on eating at Ruth Chris' Steakhouse for our anniversary, which is located at the hotel. Parking is available off-street, but you have to pay for it. The hotel is convenient to the tourist stuff down by the water.
The Bad: Somehow, our room didn't get serviced by the maid service this morning. We did have a 'do not disturb' sign out first thing, but later removed it while they were still servicing our floor. Maybe that was the reason....anyway, we called at 4:00 PM to have our garbage removed and new towels, etc delivered. We called back at 5:00 PM and commented that we needed to shower and get ready for going out, so we needed our linens delivered. It's 5:30 now, still no one has come by with our linens. I'm on the phone with the 'guest services' person right now to let her know I'm coming into the lobby with the dirty linens and garbage in 10 minutes to drop it off. Update: the management came up while I was putting my shoes on to present my garbage and linens to the lobby. He apologized, and presented us with free breakfast passes in the hotel for our troubles.
The Bad: Somehow, our room didn't get serviced by the maid service this morning. We did have a 'do not disturb' sign out first thing, but later removed it while they were still servicing our floor. Maybe that was the reason....anyway, we called at 4:00 PM to have our garbage removed and new towels, etc delivered. We called back at 5:00 PM and commented that we needed to shower and get ready for going out, so we needed our linens delivered. It's 5:30 now, still no one has come by with our linens. I'm on the phone with the 'guest services' person right now to let her know I'm coming into the lobby with the dirty linens and garbage in 10 minutes to drop it off. Update: the management came up while I was putting my shoes on to present my garbage and linens to the lobby. He apologized, and presented us with free breakfast passes in the hotel for our troubles.
Overall: We would return.
ENTERTAINMENT
River Cruise. On Thursday, 7/21/11, we went on the noon river cruise. We chose the larger ship "Henrietta III" for our cruise. It was $15 each, as we opted to skip the onboard lunch. We are glad we did, as it didn't look all that interesting to us later when we saw it onboard. However, the cruise itself, which lasted 1.5 hours, was a lot of fun. While going against the wind, we sat on the rear covered deck. The outside temperature on this day was around 97 dF, and we were OK while going against the wind. However, on the return back to the dock, we were going with the wind, which meant we didn't have any wind at all; we ended up moving inside to the air conditioned sitting. This is an important consideration if you are going in extreme temperature conditions, such as hot hot summer! We first headed north for a brief ways (upriver) before turning around and heading downstream towards the ocean. We went under the bridge, and up to the state-ports area before turning around to come back to the dock. We enjoyed it very much.
Note: the city offers a lot more in the way of entertainment, but we opted to limit our entertainment venues. The heat index during our stay was 115!
CRIME
Crime near the waterfront in the tourist section appears to be a problem, based upon city information supplied by the local newspaper. Here's the link to a map. We noticed the crime mainly consisted of car break-ins. During our stay, we never had any issues or problems. While the potential to be crime victims concerned us, we took steps to avoid problems:
TRIP SUMMARY: Since both Charleston and Savannah are closer to our home, we think we would opt to go to one of those waterfront cities instead of Wilmington, so we probably won't be back this way anytime soon. However, if the city of Wilmington is closer for you, then I would certainly recommend it.
ENTERTAINMENT
River Cruise. On Thursday, 7/21/11, we went on the noon river cruise. We chose the larger ship "Henrietta III" for our cruise. It was $15 each, as we opted to skip the onboard lunch. We are glad we did, as it didn't look all that interesting to us later when we saw it onboard. However, the cruise itself, which lasted 1.5 hours, was a lot of fun. While going against the wind, we sat on the rear covered deck. The outside temperature on this day was around 97 dF, and we were OK while going against the wind. However, on the return back to the dock, we were going with the wind, which meant we didn't have any wind at all; we ended up moving inside to the air conditioned sitting. This is an important consideration if you are going in extreme temperature conditions, such as hot hot summer! We first headed north for a brief ways (upriver) before turning around and heading downstream towards the ocean. We went under the bridge, and up to the state-ports area before turning around to come back to the dock. We enjoyed it very much.
Note: the city offers a lot more in the way of entertainment, but we opted to limit our entertainment venues. The heat index during our stay was 115!
CRIME
Crime near the waterfront in the tourist section appears to be a problem, based upon city information supplied by the local newspaper. Here's the link to a map. We noticed the crime mainly consisted of car break-ins. During our stay, we never had any issues or problems. While the potential to be crime victims concerned us, we took steps to avoid problems:
- We removed everything from our car, and parked it in a highly visible area.
- We did not walk around after dark. Instead, we drove anywhere we were going to go.
- We walked to and ate in the area for lunch, and drove out of the area for dinner.
TRIP SUMMARY: Since both Charleston and Savannah are closer to our home, we think we would opt to go to one of those waterfront cities instead of Wilmington, so we probably won't be back this way anytime soon. However, if the city of Wilmington is closer for you, then I would certainly recommend it.
Banjo
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Banjo's Insight - Dining In Charleston SC
This page supports links to reviews of restaurants based on our dining in Charleston.
Note that these are not in any particular order, except that restaurants we won't be going back to, and that are not recommended, are at the end of the list.
Note that these are not in any particular order, except that restaurants we won't be going back to, and that are not recommended, are at the end of the list.
- Bowen's Island Oyster Roast April 2011
- The Glass Onion April 2011
- Cypress April 2011
- Blossom April 2011
- Hominy Grill Oct 2011
- Pearlz Little Oyster Bar Oct 2011
- The Fleet Landing Restaurant Oct 2011
- Fast and French Cafe Oct 2011
- Slightly North of Broad (SNOB) Oct 2011
- Social Wine Bar Oct 2011
- Fig Restaurant Oct 2011
- 82nd Queen Not Recommended Oct 2011
These restaurants are near Charleston
- SeeWee Restaurant Oct 2011
- PO BBQ at Edsisto Beach April 2011
- Whaley's Bar at Edisto Beach April 2011
- Sea Cow Eatery at Edisto Beach April 2011
- McConkey's Jungle Shack at Edisto Beach April 2011
- Dock Side Restaurant at Edisto Beach April 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Banjo's Review: Bub-Ba-Q BBQ, Woodstock Georgia
Today's the Day!
Bub-Ba-Q BBQ!
I've been and returned!
Review
I went for lunch on Thursday, June 2, 2011.
My friend and I both are experienced BBQ smokers, (over 25 years smoking BBQ for me), and have frequented BBQ establishments all of our lives.
I first went around back to see what they were cooking with. The are using wood, and they have a little separate smoker with exhaust. So it looks like the real thing. That's good!
I purchased a combo pulled pork and ribs for $11 something; their web site is down at the moment so I can't get the details. I also added a brisket for $3.95. This came with 2 sides; I chose collards and green beans, and a thick slice of toast. The sides were pretty small portions, nondescript but OK. I didn't try the bread, but it looked good.
The ribs were good, the brisket was pretty good, but the pulled pork was on the weak side for my tastes - it was somewhat dry, and only had a slight wood flavor. It also didn't look anything like the picture on the web site. There was no 'bark' at all, but this place may hold it back like other places, in case you don't want it. I don't usually ask for it when I'm trying it for the first time, so I can see what it will be like for most people. Frequently, if you ask for it, they will provide some on your plate.
My friend had a combo - pulled pork and and chicken. He said his opinion was the pulled pork was OK, but he didn't care for the chicken. He didn't elaborate. I don't ever get chicken at a BBQ place, since BBQ is pork, and if in a generous mood, you can include brisket, so I wasn't too interested.
Here's my opinion.
I base mine on 10 points. 10 is top, best I can find, 0 is the worst I've ever had - I've never had a 0, and I would go outside and puke if I did. 5 is neutral - it's OK, neither particularly good or bad. 3-4 would be something out of a can. I wouldn't ever go back to anything below 5 unless nuclear event. I've never had a 10 at a commercial establishment, only at home-cooked BBQ, and that's understandable - they are trying to provide you with a good product for a good price, and they simply can't put the time and effort into it that someone at home can do. So that really will usually leave you with 6 - 9 for most establishments.
- Pulled pork - a little dry, but OK. Some smoke, but needed more smoke flavor. I'd say 6.5 out of 10. But this is just the first time, and no one is 100% consistent, so next time will be the charm.
- Brisket - pretty good, tender and flavorful. I'd say 7.5 out of 10
- Ribs - this was the best part of the meal. Not the best I've had locally, but I liked it. I'd say 8 out of 10.
- Sides (the only two I had were collards and green beans) - I'd say 5 out of 10.
- Would I eat here again? Yes
- Would I recommend it to BBQ afflicted? Yes
- Service - good. Quick, efficient, friendly.
- Ambiance - typical strip mall BBQ joint. Clean, busy, smells pretty good with hints of smoke.
- Value - very good. Less expensive than some places I've been.
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