Well, we ventured out with a full membership to Sticky Finger's on 17 and Houston Northcutt to take a crack at a chain barbeque spot. Just a little FYI for you, I'm not a huge chain b-b-q fan. They have to use the same suppliers so food stays on a truck and usually equals mucho preservatives, which for me, is mucho bad-o. Expectations weren't extremely high, but I was ready to take a chance. Atmosphere was okay. It's a cabiny feel in there with tourists that come across the bridge and see a name they've heard of instead of gambling on Momma Brown's or even Melvin's across the street. It's definitely a chain feel to it, which isn't bad. I'm just still looking to have as much fun at an Applebee's as everybody does on the commercials, but you know what you're getting yourself into at a chain.
I went with a salad with smoked chicken which was very good. I enjoyed it and my body was very appreciative. I did order the low-cal Ranch which I was informed beforehand that it wasn't low-cal. No biggie. Others grabbed wings, chicken fingers, chicken sandwiches, you know standard stuff. Everyone seemed pretty pleased except for the roof of RJ's mouth because he wouldn't wait 30 seconds for his wings to sit. BTW he really recommends the Carolina Sweet Sauce.
The down side, I left my wallet and RJ picked up the tab (good for me, bad for him). 7.75 for a medium size salad and 2.29 for a TEA!!! Add a tip and we're at a 12 buck lunch at Sticky Fingers? I spent 9.50 at Locklear's last time I went tip included. So, definitely a down-side, but for all the tourists coming over the bridge I'm sure it's a welcome sight, just a little steep for this transplant.
Time: little long, but not bad. Official watch was not kept
Price: 12 bones with a 20% gratuity included
Highs: The ranch was quite good. T-Boyd penned it the best restaurant ranch he had ever tried. And unbelievably to me (who ranks everything), I don't have a top 3 favorite ranch places...
Lows: Price, price, and price (Sorry RJ)
Advice: It's Sticky Fingers, There is one downtown, right. Have you ever been there? No, why, because there are three hundred other places, so for 12 bucks, I'll give my money to Boulevard Diner or Poe's anyday. Just sayin...
-Ish
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
O(So Good)KRA Grill
Today we did the ole draw out of the hat routine. RJ thought he would be sneaky and put his choice in the hat twice, fortunately Jay busted him. We end up with Okra Grill and the blog gang was happy.
We arrive to a packed house! After a minute or two wait a table opens up and we saddle up for some great food. It took a few minutes for our server to make it over to us but I found it to be understandable since it was so busy. I have no problems waiting a few minutes when I see a busy restaraunte with a staff getting after it to take care of the customers. We went with three orders of country fried steak and one order of chuck steak. Our food came out in decent time (again considering the packed house and busy kitchen). Man, let me tell you, Mr. Matthew Ishee's plate was loaded down! They actually used a wheelbarrow to get it to the table and it took two waitresses to unload it! My meal was excellent as always.
I would recommend this to anyone for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Time: I thought the food came out very fast considering what the kitchen was up against.
Price: Reasonable for the amount of food. My meal came to 7.65 before tip.
Atmosphere: A bit noisy but expected. It is a dinner type place.
Facilities: Clean like always.
Highs: The food.
Lows: Tuff to think of any...... I guess the potential for a food coma could be a low.
Advice: Stop in for some great food and service with a smile!
What a great ride! Hop on sometime!
-T. Boyd
We arrive to a packed house! After a minute or two wait a table opens up and we saddle up for some great food. It took a few minutes for our server to make it over to us but I found it to be understandable since it was so busy. I have no problems waiting a few minutes when I see a busy restaraunte with a staff getting after it to take care of the customers. We went with three orders of country fried steak and one order of chuck steak. Our food came out in decent time (again considering the packed house and busy kitchen). Man, let me tell you, Mr. Matthew Ishee's plate was loaded down! They actually used a wheelbarrow to get it to the table and it took two waitresses to unload it! My meal was excellent as always.
I would recommend this to anyone for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Time: I thought the food came out very fast considering what the kitchen was up against.
Price: Reasonable for the amount of food. My meal came to 7.65 before tip.
Atmosphere: A bit noisy but expected. It is a dinner type place.
Facilities: Clean like always.
Highs: The food.
Lows: Tuff to think of any...... I guess the potential for a food coma could be a low.
Advice: Stop in for some great food and service with a smile!
What a great ride! Hop on sometime!
-T. Boyd
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Just Fresh.....Circa 1980!!
After our traditional drawing out of a hat we adventured to Just Fresh in the Belle Hall Shopping Center off of Long Point Rd. in Mt. Pleasant. I was very pleased to go there today because I was actually still a little full from my delicious breakfast at the house this morning and I knew that I would be able to enjoy something a little smaller at Just Fresh.
As we were walking into Just Fresh we noticed a sign on the door that said that the computers were down and that their would be a little wait. Their was about 10 people in line for one register. The line seemed to move along very well. No complaints here with what they were dealing with. One of the workers actually came from behind the register area and starting taking orders from people standing behind the ones actually giving their order to the lady at the register. I like that customer service! The only thing that sucked was that we still had to stand in line to wait to pay. Which brings me to my title. It was the funniest looking stuff I have seen in a long time. Do you remember the old credit card machines that they used in like the 80's where you place the card down and they pull this bar across your card? It took me back in time. Thank god for technology!!!
Anyway, on to my order. Today I went with the half salad and soup combination. I decided that a caesar salad and the daily soup special chicken noodle sounded very good. I tacked on my usual water too.
We initially sat down in a booth near the window. Bad move at Just Fresh. This place has food for skinny people and evidently they built their booths for skinny people too. Their is no way 4 guys can fit in one of those booths. Even Jay and T-Boyd were struggling! We decided to move to a table in the center area. Not my favorite area as some of my fans know from my previous Mellow Mushroom blog. People just love to stare at the people at the center tables. Why is that? Anyway, awkward as usual.
My food is here and looks great for my small portion day. The chicken noodle soup was fantastic! Great flavor and texture for the traditional soup. Two thumbs up! On to my complaint of the day. All caesar salads should be pre-tossed (hyphen??)! Shut up english nerds!
All I got was dry lettuce, weird croutons, and actually nice chunks of parmesan cheese. I highly recommend you guys at Just Fresh pre-toss your caesar salads. It makes for a much better salad.
Overall I give Just Fresh a 7.0.
Time: The line threw this off. Maybe 10-15 minutes for food to arrive after order.
Price: $7.11 Not bad. Overall menu is pricy though.
Atmosphere: I actually enjoyed the TV's being on the Food Network. That is one of my favorite channels, however I did hear through the grapevine that Giada is a b-word in real life. I did not know that.
Facilities: Very clean. Good quiet lunchdump spot.
Highs on Trip: Chicken Noodle Soup
Lows on Trip: Boring Caesar Salad
Advice: Give it a whirl. Not my favorite place in the world though.
RJ
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Someone Please Kill Juliet!
Today, Melvin's BBQ won the draw out of the hat competition to select where we go for lunch. I was the one who put Melvin's in the hat so I was happy to see it selected. The entire lunchspot crew was able to attend today plus my favorite soccer coordinator (okay he is the only one I know but that is beside the point) Mark Hladek!
Having been to Melvin's on previous occasions I knew that they had what I believe are some of the best burgers in town and I knew that the price tag would hit the wallet pretty hard. This visit did nothing to change my mind on either issue. I got the hamburger combo which included fries and a drink and my total came to $8.50! The burger was quite tasty but I am not a big fan of the lettuce being shredded on a burger (too sloppy!) I prefer just a leaf of lettuce. The fries came out hot and the basket was big enough for 2 people (when RJ says he could split them with someone you know that is a lot of fries!). The sweet tea was probably the highlight of the dining experience, it was what you would expect from a southern restaurant.
Thursdays are always a big Lost talk day for Ish and the boys about the previous nights episode. I must admit that I actually watched the last 10 minutes of Wednesdays episode! I know you are asking yourself why Jay, the anti-Lost talk guy is tuning in to the show. I have a perfectly good explanation... I was placed in a wager with my fellow lunch spot crew members and Chuck D about who would be killed on the show next and I was simply tuning in to see if my choice (some girl named Juliet?) would make me a winner.
Time: About 10 minutes for food....reasonable.
Price: $8.50... a little steep for recession-friendly
Atmosphere: Very Southern...from the mounted deer heads to the buckets as light covers.
High: RJ's quote of "why can't they figure out where the clouds are going" during a discussion about weather and determining the chance of precipitation.
Low: The price tag on the combo and the shredded lettuce on the burger.
Advice: They did have daily lunch specials listed which seemed to be the best way to go if you want "recession-friendly". I would suggest getting to know that menu if this is going to be a regular spot for you. Today's special was a foot long hot dog, fries, and drink for $5.
Having been to Melvin's on previous occasions I knew that they had what I believe are some of the best burgers in town and I knew that the price tag would hit the wallet pretty hard. This visit did nothing to change my mind on either issue. I got the hamburger combo which included fries and a drink and my total came to $8.50! The burger was quite tasty but I am not a big fan of the lettuce being shredded on a burger (too sloppy!) I prefer just a leaf of lettuce. The fries came out hot and the basket was big enough for 2 people (when RJ says he could split them with someone you know that is a lot of fries!). The sweet tea was probably the highlight of the dining experience, it was what you would expect from a southern restaurant.
Thursdays are always a big Lost talk day for Ish and the boys about the previous nights episode. I must admit that I actually watched the last 10 minutes of Wednesdays episode! I know you are asking yourself why Jay, the anti-Lost talk guy is tuning in to the show. I have a perfectly good explanation... I was placed in a wager with my fellow lunch spot crew members and Chuck D about who would be killed on the show next and I was simply tuning in to see if my choice (some girl named Juliet?) would make me a winner.
Time: About 10 minutes for food....reasonable.
Price: $8.50... a little steep for recession-friendly
Atmosphere: Very Southern...from the mounted deer heads to the buckets as light covers.
High: RJ's quote of "why can't they figure out where the clouds are going" during a discussion about weather and determining the chance of precipitation.
Low: The price tag on the combo and the shredded lettuce on the burger.
Advice: They did have daily lunch specials listed which seemed to be the best way to go if you want "recession-friendly". I would suggest getting to know that menu if this is going to be a regular spot for you. Today's special was a foot long hot dog, fries, and drink for $5.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
...Is in the Eye of the Beholder
We finally went to CiCi's!!! Jay can quit dropping them into the hat every day of the week.
Well, there wasn't much said at the table as far as opinions go, so I'm coming into this pretty unbiased from the outside. You guys might know me by now, and some might not. Most would think I would be over-critical and nit-pick every little flaw in the place. You guys are wrong. I went into the fine eating establishment with the purpose to divide and conquer. Pizza, salad, breadsticks, dessert, $3.99. You don't go to Fazoli's looking for Bocci's lasagna, or even Benito's delicious Italian Lasagna. I didn't go in there expecting lobster.
I went in to mass consume pizza and salad. Bottom-line. The result, mediocre pizza that was delicious, salad (wasted space at a pizza buffet) which was lovely. It was cheap and I enjoyed myself. It's not the same crowd you will run into at Brixx, but it's the people on vacation that want a quick, cheap relief from the beach, or those moms with multiple kids who just need a break from cooking lunch for the rugrats. All-in-all, it was what I expected, and I am all about setting expectations to be met or surpassed. I wasn't surprised or let down. So... happy guy for a $4 lunch.
Time: I was ready after about 9 minutes. I was focused.
Price: $4... love it...
Atmosphere: what you would expect
Facilities: being renovated, not bad. No tile in bathroom just scored concrete
Highs: umm... not sure, maybe being the only person to know they keep marinara in hot plates behind the counter.
Lows: not seeing fresh brownies the whole trip.
Advice: For a cheap lunch, it's good. Lower your expectations, and you won't be disappointed... (there's a saying for you!)
Well, there wasn't much said at the table as far as opinions go, so I'm coming into this pretty unbiased from the outside. You guys might know me by now, and some might not. Most would think I would be over-critical and nit-pick every little flaw in the place. You guys are wrong. I went into the fine eating establishment with the purpose to divide and conquer. Pizza, salad, breadsticks, dessert, $3.99. You don't go to Fazoli's looking for Bocci's lasagna, or even Benito's delicious Italian Lasagna. I didn't go in there expecting lobster.
I went in to mass consume pizza and salad. Bottom-line. The result, mediocre pizza that was delicious, salad (wasted space at a pizza buffet) which was lovely. It was cheap and I enjoyed myself. It's not the same crowd you will run into at Brixx, but it's the people on vacation that want a quick, cheap relief from the beach, or those moms with multiple kids who just need a break from cooking lunch for the rugrats. All-in-all, it was what I expected, and I am all about setting expectations to be met or surpassed. I wasn't surprised or let down. So... happy guy for a $4 lunch.
Time: I was ready after about 9 minutes. I was focused.
Price: $4... love it...
Atmosphere: what you would expect
Facilities: being renovated, not bad. No tile in bathroom just scored concrete
Highs: umm... not sure, maybe being the only person to know they keep marinara in hot plates behind the counter.
Lows: not seeing fresh brownies the whole trip.
Advice: For a cheap lunch, it's good. Lower your expectations, and you won't be disappointed... (there's a saying for you!)
Monday, May 4, 2009
Top Five o' the Week for 4/27/09
Tripp-I only went to three lunches with the crew this week...
King Street Grill-8.0 Great deal for a burger!
Senior T's- 8.0 Great deal as well! A "Speedy" is both filling and cheap!
Moes-7.0 Stays reliable with a filling meal!
Here's to more lunches with the gang this week! Man is it payday yet??
Jay
1. Andolinis - 7.5 ....$3.50!!!
2. King Street Grill - 7.0 ....only on Wednesdays!
3. Moe's - 6.5 ....just an off day for my usual #1.
4. Senor Tequilas - 6.0 ....better than last time but still nothing special.
Ish
1. Andolini's 7.5... cheap, cheap.
2. Senor Tequila - 7.0 ... cheap and filling
3. King Street Grille - 7.0 ... much improved
Home Team Barbeque (unblogged) - was a true #1 on a bad day for them it put up a 8.5
King Street Grill-8.0 Great deal for a burger!
Senior T's- 8.0 Great deal as well! A "Speedy" is both filling and cheap!
Moes-7.0 Stays reliable with a filling meal!
Here's to more lunches with the gang this week! Man is it payday yet??
Jay
1. Andolinis - 7.5 ....$3.50!!!
2. King Street Grill - 7.0 ....only on Wednesdays!
3. Moe's - 6.5 ....just an off day for my usual #1.
4. Senor Tequilas - 6.0 ....better than last time but still nothing special.
Ish
1. Andolini's 7.5... cheap, cheap.
2. Senor Tequila - 7.0 ... cheap and filling
3. King Street Grille - 7.0 ... much improved
Home Team Barbeque (unblogged) - was a true #1 on a bad day for them it put up a 8.5
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Attention LunchSpotters!!!
We would just like to thank everyone for their continued support throughout our first six weeks of yourlunchspot.com. If you are a 'Follower' are just a mere 'Lurker' on the page, we thank you for coming back time and time again. You may have noticed that we have passed 1,000 hits for the site! That is because of you, (or our moms just hitting refresh every five minutes) but let's just say it's because of you!!!
To celebrate this feat and continue the journey to find 'Recession-Friendly' lunches, we want to ask YOU for help. Our first Lunchspot contest is simple. Send us your favorite 'recession-friendly' lunch spot and tell us their 'bargain' for lunch. We will post these deals on the site (if we find them 'recession-friendly') BUT (As Billy Mays says) there's more... We will select one of these deals for the lunchspot crew to take you out to eat, our treat... and yes, you can guest blog that day. A free lunch, a chance to become a guest blogger and probably a celebrity of some sort, and an afternoon with the lunchspot crew! Whew, we're giving away the farm here people.
Just send us an e-mail with your 'recession-friendly' lunchspot, and we'll do all the work!!!
yourlunchspot@gmail.com
-Yourlunchspot crew!
Odds in winning 1:who knows. The lunchspot reserves the right to change any and all contest rules at any time for any reason because they are new to contests and sure that someone is going to stick them with a huge lunch tab.
To celebrate this feat and continue the journey to find 'Recession-Friendly' lunches, we want to ask YOU for help. Our first Lunchspot contest is simple. Send us your favorite 'recession-friendly' lunch spot and tell us their 'bargain' for lunch. We will post these deals on the site (if we find them 'recession-friendly') BUT (As Billy Mays says) there's more... We will select one of these deals for the lunchspot crew to take you out to eat, our treat... and yes, you can guest blog that day. A free lunch, a chance to become a guest blogger and probably a celebrity of some sort, and an afternoon with the lunchspot crew! Whew, we're giving away the farm here people.
Just send us an e-mail with your 'recession-friendly' lunchspot, and we'll do all the work!!!
yourlunchspot@gmail.com
-Yourlunchspot crew!
Odds in winning 1:who knows. The lunchspot reserves the right to change any and all contest rules at any time for any reason because they are new to contests and sure that someone is going to stick them with a huge lunch tab.
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