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.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
King Street Grill.......TV's Galore!!!!
The lunchspot crew was down a man today and after drawing out of a hat; Ish, Jay and I landed on King Street Grill. I was very confused when Ish admitted that it was his choice. If you have read our very first blog, it was the Ishmister's take on a very un-enjoyable experience that he had at the Grill. Come to find out at the lunch table, he whips out a $10 gift certificate he had. That sneaky guy played J
ay and I.
We arrived and were immediately greeted and sat down to watch any one of the 23 tv's in the place. Wednesday's are half price burger days so that's what we went with. I ordered the Santa Fe burger in a wrap and Jay went with a "burger with only bacon". Ish was the healthy guy today and made his body happy with him by going with a delicious looking $9 salad. Food arrived and was nice and hot. I really enjoyed my burger and the chipolte mayo that comes on the side.
Time: 20 minutes or so... very reasonable. It was not crowded so that helped.
Price: This is the only day of the week that I can afford to eat lunch here. $5.50 for a burger and fries is a great deal!
Atmosphere: Very good, tv's everywhere!!!
Facilities: RJ would say that this is a "tuff lunchdump spot!"
Highs on trip: 1/2 price burgers!
Lows on trip: Having to leave all of the tv's and get back to work!
Advice: Go on half price burger day! Otherwise, you will be overpaying!
Stay safe out there! That swine flu sounds nasty!!
T-Boyd
ay and I.We arrived and were immediately greeted and sat down to watch any one of the 23 tv's in the place. Wednesday's are half price burger days so that's what we went with. I ordered the Santa Fe burger in a wrap and Jay went with a "burger with only bacon". Ish was the healthy guy today and made his body happy with him by going with a delicious looking $9 salad. Food arrived and was nice and hot. I really enjoyed my burger and the chipolte mayo that comes on the side.
Time: 20 minutes or so... very reasonable. It was not crowded so that helped.
Price: This is the only day of the week that I can afford to eat lunch here. $5.50 for a burger and fries is a great deal!
Atmosphere: Very good, tv's everywhere!!!
Facilities: RJ would say that this is a "tuff lunchdump spot!"
Highs on trip: 1/2 price burgers!
Lows on trip: Having to leave all of the tv's and get back to work!
Advice: Go on half price burger day! Otherwise, you will be overpaying!
Stay safe out there! That swine flu sounds nasty!!
T-Boyd
Monday and Tuesday!!
We stuck with value the first two days of this week.
Day One was Moes for Moes Monday:
The Special: Every Monday, a Big Burrito (chicken or ground beef), chips, and a drink for $5.
Day Two was Andolini's for 90's Special:
The Special: This special is over, it was a slice (one topping), a salad, and a drink for $3.50 FLAT!
The quest continues!!
Ish
Day One was Moes for Moes Monday:
The Special: Every Monday, a Big Burrito (chicken or ground beef), chips, and a drink for $5.
Day Two was Andolini's for 90's Special:
The Special: This special is over, it was a slice (one topping), a salad, and a drink for $3.50 FLAT!
The quest continues!!
Ish
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Wild Wing...Thanks to Your Place!!
Friday April 24th we decided to give Your Place a try in Mt. Pleasant. We have heard that their burgers are great. Unfortunately they were closed again. Do you think they call it Your Place because you have to get a key made and just go in and make your own burger? Just leave your money on the counter when you leave! They go on the honor system there. Unbelievable guys! When are you open! Holidays only??
Anyway, because Your Place was closed we then chose Wild Wing Mt. Pleasant because it was right around the corner. Walking in to this place you can't beat the atmosphere. TV's everywhere, people having a good time, bar going nuts at 12:30pm on a Friday, and lovely workers (all look, no touch here!!) I'm taken ladies!!
Today's adventure brought a couple of guest appearances from T-Boyd's lovely girlfriend Sydney and her friend Heather. I would like to mention we had all 4 bloggers in attendance for this lunch feast!!! Great day!
Now that my health kick is in full effect for the reunion in July I went with the 4 chicken feathers with celery. I wanted those fries so bad! My order worked out well because Sydney and Heather eat like rabbits. They gave me like 3 or 4 of their feathers. I went with Gold Rush flavor for mine. Man I love some Gold Rush!!
My only complaint for Wild Wing this day was time. It took an easy 20-25 minutes for our food to get to our table. It wasn't even that crowded in there. Most of the people eating got the lunch buffet anyway. I really don't know what happened here guys but someone dropped the ball in the kitchen. We all ordered feathers pretty much. Ish got a chicken and friends wrap. That is just a couple scoops into a wrap. Not hard at all. Just my 2 cents. Let's work on time a little Wild Wing. Especially at lunchtime with people having to get back to work.
Overall I give Wild Wing a 7.0 for this trip.
Time: 20-25 minutes for food to arrive. Not good this time!
Price: $6.42 Great!
Atmsphere: oCan't beat it! Great scenary!
Facilities: Not the best, but at least 3 options for a lunchdump
Highs on Trip: Ball of Look, No Touch
Lows on Trip: Time
Advice: Hit or miss these days with service. Food always great!
Anyway, because Your Place was closed we then chose Wild Wing Mt. Pleasant because it was right around the corner. Walking in to this place you can't beat the atmosphere. TV's everywhere, people having a good time, bar going nuts at 12:30pm on a Friday, and lovely workers (all look, no touch here!!) I'm taken ladies!!
Today's adventure brought a couple of guest appearances from T-Boyd's lovely girlfriend Sydney and her friend Heather. I would like to mention we had all 4 bloggers in attendance for this lunch feast!!! Great day!
Now that my health kick is in full effect for the reunion in July I went with the 4 chicken feathers with celery. I wanted those fries so bad! My order worked out well because Sydney and Heather eat like rabbits. They gave me like 3 or 4 of their feathers. I went with Gold Rush flavor for mine. Man I love some Gold Rush!!
My only complaint for Wild Wing this day was time. It took an easy 20-25 minutes for our food to get to our table. It wasn't even that crowded in there. Most of the people eating got the lunch buffet anyway. I really don't know what happened here guys but someone dropped the ball in the kitchen. We all ordered feathers pretty much. Ish got a chicken and friends wrap. That is just a couple scoops into a wrap. Not hard at all. Just my 2 cents. Let's work on time a little Wild Wing. Especially at lunchtime with people having to get back to work.
Overall I give Wild Wing a 7.0 for this trip.
Time: 20-25 minutes for food to arrive. Not good this time!
Price: $6.42 Great!
Atmsphere: oCan't beat it! Great scenary!
Facilities: Not the best, but at least 3 options for a lunchdump
Highs on Trip: Ball of Look, No Touch
Lows on Trip: Time
Advice: Hit or miss these days with service. Food always great!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Top Five o' the Week for 4/20/09
Jay
1. Moe's - 7.5 ....scoop guy is the man!
2. Andloini's - 6.75 ....I am a fan of Andolini's and its laid back atomsphere
3. Wild Wing - 6.5 ....food was good, atmosphere good, service and time were no bueno!
4. McAlister's - 6 ....nothing bad here but nothing exciting either.
Tripp's Take on the Week
McAlisters-7.5
Moes-7.0
Andolinis-6.75
Wild Wing-4.1
McAlisters had a new menu and I enjoyed my half salad and sandwich for a reasonable price!
Moes is old reliable.
At Andolinis the crust was a little strange this time around.
Wild Wing was a tuff lunch for me. The queso appitizer was great but the service was very slow and the feathers were very overcooked. Thank goodness for great company on this lunch!
RJ Top Five of the Week
1. McAlisters-7.5 (Lovely New Salad on the Menu)
2. Wild Wing-7.0 (Good Food, Need Some work on Time though)
3. Did Not Attend
4. Did Not Attend
5. Did Not Attend
Ish for the week
1. Moes-6.5 (solid $5 Moe's effort)
2. Andolini's-6.0 (not too bad, but lots of room to be wow'd)
3. Wild Wing-5.0 (way too long for service, food was just okay, but time was key disappointment)
1. Moe's - 7.5 ....scoop guy is the man!
2. Andloini's - 6.75 ....I am a fan of Andolini's and its laid back atomsphere
3. Wild Wing - 6.5 ....food was good, atmosphere good, service and time were no bueno!
4. McAlister's - 6 ....nothing bad here but nothing exciting either.
Tripp's Take on the Week
McAlisters-7.5
Moes-7.0
Andolinis-6.75
Wild Wing-4.1
McAlisters had a new menu and I enjoyed my half salad and sandwich for a reasonable price!
Moes is old reliable.
At Andolinis the crust was a little strange this time around.
Wild Wing was a tuff lunch for me. The queso appitizer was great but the service was very slow and the feathers were very overcooked. Thank goodness for great company on this lunch!
RJ Top Five of the Week
1. McAlisters-7.5 (Lovely New Salad on the Menu)
2. Wild Wing-7.0 (Good Food, Need Some work on Time though)
3. Did Not Attend
4. Did Not Attend
5. Did Not Attend
Ish for the week
1. Moes-6.5 (solid $5 Moe's effort)
2. Andolini's-6.0 (not too bad, but lots of room to be wow'd)
3. Wild Wing-5.0 (way too long for service, food was just okay, but time was key disappointment)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
"I Think We're Alone Now"... not by Tiffany
Well today we took an hour off of our busy work schedules to solve work, life, and other people's personal problems. I know society appreciates everything we do. We snuck into Andolini's after a reverse hat draw by yours truly (Jay's idea). Believe it or not, I wasn't extremely excited about pizza today (Look out of your window to see if the sky is falling). Yeah, I was craving salad of all things. Anywhoo, we beat the rush by about 3 minutes. No wait. I ordered the slice, salad and drink for $7 flat. Not too bad at all. Plus the slice came with a topping (bonus). I will tell you that the seating is a bit questionable. It's not the newest interior I've seen in a restaurant, but I think that's a little bit of their thing. It's kind of an old school Mellow Mushroom. Or a Mellow that stopped caring. Their old school 'hippie' feel is somewhat endearing. It's the type of place you expect to see sand on the floor from everyone fresh off the beach stopping by for a slice in their VW van back in the day. Overall the food was good. Definitely hot! Not a huge fan of the crust on the pie. The crisp bottom of a New York slice isn't my thing. Sorry. But it was quality. I enjoyed the switch for a day.
Time: salad about 45 seconds, pizza 4 minutes maybe.
Price: 7 bones. good to-go drink
Experience: not too bad. I would call it 'Pleasant'. Good discussions, A little too much work talk, but probably my fault. You know it's too much when Jay changes the subject to Lost!
Atmosphere: Covered it!
Highs: Not being charged 75 cents for my olives on my salad. And them not skimping on the ingredients.
Lows: Should be that they only had one salad dressing to choose from, but it probably was learning that Tiffany wasn't even the first person to sing the one hit that she actually had! Tisk, tisk, tisk, I never thought my opinion of her could sink any further. She's definitely no Robin Sparkles.
Advice: Good spot. Give it a try next Mon or Tues. You can get the same deal I had for $3.50!!!! No joke! They're doing a old school special. You may see us there! Unfortunately for Jay, that beats Moes!
-Ish
Time: salad about 45 seconds, pizza 4 minutes maybe.
Price: 7 bones. good to-go drink
Experience: not too bad. I would call it 'Pleasant'. Good discussions, A little too much work talk, but probably my fault. You know it's too much when Jay changes the subject to Lost!
Atmosphere: Covered it!
Highs: Not being charged 75 cents for my olives on my salad. And them not skimping on the ingredients.
Lows: Should be that they only had one salad dressing to choose from, but it probably was learning that Tiffany wasn't even the first person to sing the one hit that she actually had! Tisk, tisk, tisk, I never thought my opinion of her could sink any further. She's definitely no Robin Sparkles.
Advice: Good spot. Give it a try next Mon or Tues. You can get the same deal I had for $3.50!!!! No joke! They're doing a old school special. You may see us there! Unfortunately for Jay, that beats Moes!
-Ish
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Choo-Choo...The Train has left the Station...Again!
Anyone who knows my fellow lunchspot crew member RJ has heard many times of him starting up one of his now famous trains. Well he is on the tracks again!!! This train apparently is due to an upcoming 10 year high school reunion. These trains have a history of starting off with the power of a locomotive and usually are derailed faster than a fat boy (not you RJ) playing dodgeball. So with the train and new title of "salad guy" in mind RJ suggested McAlisters as today's lunchspot. We were greeted by a short line, a new menu, and a friendly cashier. I ordered first and went with my usual bacon spud and a sweet tea in the quart sized cup (big fan!). When our food arrived at the table I felt like I was eating a dozen glazed donuts compared to RJ, who had a salad, and T. Boyd, who went with half sandwich and half salad...and water to drink for both guys! Geez fellows we aren't in prison! My spud was quite tasty with good temperature, melted cheese and evenly distribute bacon. It also came on a real plate with silverware instead of a basket and plastic ware, which was nice change for me at McAlister's.
Time: No problems here.... I would say 30-40 minutes.
Highs: Knowing that RJ and his train are rolling!
Lows: T.Boyd already throwing Moe's below McAlister's in the top 5 ranking for the week....this guy is always quick to put down my favorite spot! I hope my Moe's scoop guy is reading!
Price: $9.12 for a baked potato and sweet tea is a little steep!
Atmosphere: Nothing special, just your basic lunch crowd and some girl who had on a winter scarf with shorts on a sunny 75 degree day....an odd look!
Advice: A decent spot if you don't want to walk out not feeling stuffed and are short on time.
Time: No problems here.... I would say 30-40 minutes.
Highs: Knowing that RJ and his train are rolling!
Lows: T.Boyd already throwing Moe's below McAlister's in the top 5 ranking for the week....this guy is always quick to put down my favorite spot! I hope my Moe's scoop guy is reading!
Price: $9.12 for a baked potato and sweet tea is a little steep!
Atmosphere: Nothing special, just your basic lunch crowd and some girl who had on a winter scarf with shorts on a sunny 75 degree day....an odd look!
Advice: A decent spot if you don't want to walk out not feeling stuffed and are short on time.
Top Five o' the Week
A little late but here goes!!! It was a short week for us!
T-Boyd
Okra Grill-8
Jacks-7
Just Chill-4.5
Only ate out 3 days last week! Saved some cash!!
Jay
1. Okra Grill - 8.5
2. Poe's - 7
3. Jack's - 6.5
4. Just Chill - 5
Ish
1. Paige's (by far) 8.75
2. Poe's 7
3. Jack's 6.5
4. Just Chill ... 5
Jay is a smart guy.
RJ
1. Okra Grill 8.5 (Fantastic!)
2. Jack's 8.0 (Great Job on those Weiners!)
3. Poes's 7.5 (Burger a little bloody for medium!)
4. Just Chill 7.0 (need more meat on that philly!)
T-Boyd
Okra Grill-8
Jacks-7
Just Chill-4.5
Only ate out 3 days last week! Saved some cash!!
Jay
1. Okra Grill - 8.5
2. Poe's - 7
3. Jack's - 6.5
4. Just Chill - 5
Ish
1. Paige's (by far) 8.75
2. Poe's 7
3. Jack's 6.5
4. Just Chill ... 5
Jay is a smart guy.
RJ
1. Okra Grill 8.5 (Fantastic!)
2. Jack's 8.0 (Great Job on those Weiners!)
3. Poes's 7.5 (Burger a little bloody for medium!)
4. Just Chill 7.0 (need more meat on that philly!)
Friday, April 17, 2009
Page’s Okra Grill – Definitely not Medi-okra
Guest Blogger Tripp Bennett here, reporting from Page’s Okra Grill in Mt. Pleasant. I’m not going to lie, when the gang (really, just Tripp Boyd) invited me to go with them to the Okra Grill I was a little worried. Mostly because Okra scares me, what with it’s funny sounding name and I wasn’t quite sure how to spell it and it’s oxymoron of fried okra (fried vegetables, really?).
I went in and the first two things I noticed were how big the place is (frickin’ giants could have comfortably fit in this place) and how loud it was. The good news is it wasn’t so loud you couldn’t here everyone talk, so they got that going for them. It had a real Southern down home feel to it, even the chairs seemed Southern, if chairs can seem Southern. I sat down with the Lunchspot gang and AJ and ordered my usual water. The waitress was very simpatico, however as we would later find out she would leave us hanging a few times. Now I have never eaten here before, and truth be told it is not really my kind of place (no chickenfingers), so I took T Boyd’s suggestion and ordered a cheeseburger, cooked medium, and, since we were at Okra Grill, I went with the fried okra, which I hadn’t had since I was a little kid and my parents would take me to Ryan’s. After about a 10 min. wait our food showed up. Now, have you ever seen the commercials that show you a big juicy burger, the lettuce is crisp and the tomato is huge, and then when you order one you get a soggy bun and the lettuce is a tad brown and you’re really not even sure the tomato is on there. This is not one of those times. The burger arrived and the commercial came true. Let me tell you, the lettuce really is that crispy and the tomato really is that big and the burger really is that juicy (and not messy juicy, there was minimal one napkin needed messiness). This culinary creation was a bit rarer than I was expecting, but that just made it all the more juicy and tender. And the beef, which Ish was proposing too, was awesome. Apparently, so I’m told, it is actually ground up on site, and you could definitely taste the difference. It is one of the better burgers I think I’ve ever had. Poe’s beware. The fried okra tasted just like the okra at Ryan’s all those years ago, and I enjoyed the memories. And the okra.
Now, judging from everybody’s reaction, they were all having a similar experience. T Boyd loved the gravy, and by loved I mean he was attacking his plate, and by attacking I mean it looked like his head was glued to the plate, and by glued to the plate I mean he was tonguing the plate. Yes, tonguing the plate because the gravy was so good. And Jay had his biscuit with syrup. But on to other things, even Ish’s salad was good, judging from the way everyone was picking at it. I was damned impressed. The place was very clean and with the exception of a wobbly table I had a great time. After we left I realized I forgot to take a look at the bathroom for this column so I drove by on the way home and inspected. The men’s bathroom is a single toilet and the area was clean but a little messy with pieces of paper left around. It did smell nice, and bathrooms should always smell springy. When we went to pay my total was 7.12 before tip and I get the feeling most of us were in range of that (thanks Tripp). I will definitely eat here again and coming from me that’s saying something.
-Tripp Bennett
I went in and the first two things I noticed were how big the place is (frickin’ giants could have comfortably fit in this place) and how loud it was. The good news is it wasn’t so loud you couldn’t here everyone talk, so they got that going for them. It had a real Southern down home feel to it, even the chairs seemed Southern, if chairs can seem Southern. I sat down with the Lunchspot gang and AJ and ordered my usual water. The waitress was very simpatico, however as we would later find out she would leave us hanging a few times. Now I have never eaten here before, and truth be told it is not really my kind of place (no chickenfingers), so I took T Boyd’s suggestion and ordered a cheeseburger, cooked medium, and, since we were at Okra Grill, I went with the fried okra, which I hadn’t had since I was a little kid and my parents would take me to Ryan’s. After about a 10 min. wait our food showed up. Now, have you ever seen the commercials that show you a big juicy burger, the lettuce is crisp and the tomato is huge, and then when you order one you get a soggy bun and the lettuce is a tad brown and you’re really not even sure the tomato is on there. This is not one of those times. The burger arrived and the commercial came true. Let me tell you, the lettuce really is that crispy and the tomato really is that big and the burger really is that juicy (and not messy juicy, there was minimal one napkin needed messiness). This culinary creation was a bit rarer than I was expecting, but that just made it all the more juicy and tender. And the beef, which Ish was proposing too, was awesome. Apparently, so I’m told, it is actually ground up on site, and you could definitely taste the difference. It is one of the better burgers I think I’ve ever had. Poe’s beware. The fried okra tasted just like the okra at Ryan’s all those years ago, and I enjoyed the memories. And the okra.
Now, judging from everybody’s reaction, they were all having a similar experience. T Boyd loved the gravy, and by loved I mean he was attacking his plate, and by attacking I mean it looked like his head was glued to the plate, and by glued to the plate I mean he was tonguing the plate. Yes, tonguing the plate because the gravy was so good. And Jay had his biscuit with syrup. But on to other things, even Ish’s salad was good, judging from the way everyone was picking at it. I was damned impressed. The place was very clean and with the exception of a wobbly table I had a great time. After we left I realized I forgot to take a look at the bathroom for this column so I drove by on the way home and inspected. The men’s bathroom is a single toilet and the area was clean but a little messy with pieces of paper left around. It did smell nice, and bathrooms should always smell springy. When we went to pay my total was 7.12 before tip and I get the feeling most of us were in range of that (thanks Tripp). I will definitely eat here again and coming from me that’s saying something.
-Tripp Bennett
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Jack's Cosmic Dog......Out of this World!
Today, after two suggestions from each blogger and a drawing out of the hat we landed on Jack's Cosmic Dog (one of my suggestions) for our lunch destination. Right off the bat two of the blog members were not looking forward to our choice in eatery. One was even quoted as saying "I hope they are closed! I will do a back flip off of this truck if they are closed!!" So Jack's, this is what you were up against prior to us even walking in the door today.
Upon arrival I noted a full parking lot with a lot of out of state license plates. Jay and I walked into a busy Jack's and decided to grab a table and wait for Ish and RJ. While sitting there, we were able to take in all of the quirky, cool decorations and had the time to glance at the very extensive choices of hot dogs and toppings.
I went with the Orbit City Dog (dog, chili, cheese, onions, and spicy mustard) a small side of fries and a water. My total came out to around $6. I was very surprised at the size of the dog and portion of fries. I certainly feel that I got my money's worth! I grabbed my food and found a shaker that looked like seasoning salt and threw some on my fries. Ish informed me that this was seasoning salt made "in-house". Man, that stuff was good! We won't disclose what the secret ingredients were, but I recommend you try it.
Time: Not bad at all for as crowded as it was! Maybe 5-8 mins wait for food.
Price: Very reasonable for the amount of food.
Experience: Great experience. Much better than expected for my fellow blog members.
Atmosphere: Very entertaining, I especially enjoyed the old washing machine, coke ice chest, and cigarette machine. They even have draught root beer on tap! No tv's but none needed with all of the other interesting things hanging on the walls.
Facilities: Very clean bathroom and very private.
Highs: The seasoning salt for the fries!
Lows: A lot of places make this mistake, a pickle spear was places in the tray and then my hot dog was places on top. This made my first few bites taste like pickle, no thanks!
Advice: Plan on stopping by one day for a nice little lunch. Plan on avoiding the lunch rush! It qualifies as a "good ride"!
Thanks for stopping by!
-T-Boyd
Upon arrival I noted a full parking lot with a lot of out of state license plates. Jay and I walked into a busy Jack's and decided to grab a table and wait for Ish and RJ. While sitting there, we were able to take in all of the quirky, cool decorations and had the time to glance at the very extensive choices of hot dogs and toppings.
I went with the Orbit City Dog (dog, chili, cheese, onions, and spicy mustard) a small side of fries and a water. My total came out to around $6. I was very surprised at the size of the dog and portion of fries. I certainly feel that I got my money's worth! I grabbed my food and found a shaker that looked like seasoning salt and threw some on my fries. Ish informed me that this was seasoning salt made "in-house". Man, that stuff was good! We won't disclose what the secret ingredients were, but I recommend you try it.
Time: Not bad at all for as crowded as it was! Maybe 5-8 mins wait for food.
Price: Very reasonable for the amount of food.
Experience: Great experience. Much better than expected for my fellow blog members.
Atmosphere: Very entertaining, I especially enjoyed the old washing machine, coke ice chest, and cigarette machine. They even have draught root beer on tap! No tv's but none needed with all of the other interesting things hanging on the walls.
Facilities: Very clean bathroom and very private.
Highs: The seasoning salt for the fries!
Lows: A lot of places make this mistake, a pickle spear was places in the tray and then my hot dog was places on top. This made my first few bites taste like pickle, no thanks!
Advice: Plan on stopping by one day for a nice little lunch. Plan on avoiding the lunch rush! It qualifies as a "good ride"!
Thanks for stopping by!
-T-Boyd
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Just Chill....Just Right or Just Wrong?
It's been a while since the last time I blogged for my fans. I do apologize for my absence last week. I'd like to throw a shout out to all the special olympics participants today out at the Park West Recreation Complex. We were all out there volunteering and having a great time.
Being in the Park West area, today's adventure took place at Just Chill located off the main strip into Park West off of North Hwy 17. Location is pretty good. You do have to know where you are going to get in there. It looked like the majority of their demographic area consisted of stay at home moms that play tennis all day and elderly ladies that do not know how to use 2009 cell phones. You don't have to scream into the microphone for the other person to hear you!! Some people would like to enjoy their lunch on such a beautiful day.
Anyway, on to Just Chill. It was a nice establishment. It looked like it was a mom and pap kind of place when I walked in. It was my 1st time there so I asked the cashier/cook what she recommended. A local sitting at the bar immediately told me to get the philly cheesesteak. So I did. Why not trust a guy that comes everyday supposedly? I ordered my usual water with no side and got away for $7.12. It could have been $6.12, but this was one of those places that gives the receipt with the tip line already on it while the employee stares you down. You know they are saying in their head "You better tip you cheap b#$#a$#!!". Needless to say it was awkward so I tipped $1.00. I felt better about my tip once I noticed that the cashier/cook brought our food outside to us instead of yelling my number into an intercom.
My food is here and it looks great. The bun looks fresh and homemade and had a nice crunch to it which made it even more fresh. I took my first bite and man that guy was right! The philly cheesesteak is a must have at Just Chill in Park West. My only complaint would be to add some more meat to such a bready bun. It had great flavor but needed more of the main ingredient. Steak!! I would even be willing to pay more for more meat instead of the awkward tip line on the receipt. Honestly! Why do I have to tip prior to my meal. My experience could have been terrible. Could you see it? Um, excuse me, can you credit my card back $1.00 because this was terrible and your service is terrible too. That just doesn't happen. I'm just weird I guess.
Today's trip to Just Chill was overall a solid 7.5.
Time: About 10-12 minutes for food to arrive. Standard
Price: $7.12 with tip. I can't talk about it anymore. Gosh it bothers me though.
Experience: Not bad at all. I would like to try something else next time to see if steak was just running low that day.
Atmosphere: Pretty clean. Didn't see any problems except for the fake ketchup at our table. HAHA! Maybe Just Chill can answer that one. Do you guys fill the Heinz bottles with Cisco ketchup? Very sly, but don't think you got that one past Mr. Ish. It's happened to him before. Not his first rodeo!
Facilities: Clean. No problem there. Should be a comfortable lunchdump pending daily tennis matches and cell phone usage in the area.
Highs on Trip: Being back together with the gang. All 4 baby!
Lows on Trip: Lack of meat on my philly cheesesteak.
Advice: Definitely worth a stop in. Highly recommend the philly cheesesteak. Order extra meat though if it's not too pricy. I'd like to see Just Chill include some chips or something if you don't order fries. Just a suggestion.
Being in the Park West area, today's adventure took place at Just Chill located off the main strip into Park West off of North Hwy 17. Location is pretty good. You do have to know where you are going to get in there. It looked like the majority of their demographic area consisted of stay at home moms that play tennis all day and elderly ladies that do not know how to use 2009 cell phones. You don't have to scream into the microphone for the other person to hear you!! Some people would like to enjoy their lunch on such a beautiful day.
Anyway, on to Just Chill. It was a nice establishment. It looked like it was a mom and pap kind of place when I walked in. It was my 1st time there so I asked the cashier/cook what she recommended. A local sitting at the bar immediately told me to get the philly cheesesteak. So I did. Why not trust a guy that comes everyday supposedly? I ordered my usual water with no side and got away for $7.12. It could have been $6.12, but this was one of those places that gives the receipt with the tip line already on it while the employee stares you down. You know they are saying in their head "You better tip you cheap b#$#a$#!!". Needless to say it was awkward so I tipped $1.00. I felt better about my tip once I noticed that the cashier/cook brought our food outside to us instead of yelling my number into an intercom.
My food is here and it looks great. The bun looks fresh and homemade and had a nice crunch to it which made it even more fresh. I took my first bite and man that guy was right! The philly cheesesteak is a must have at Just Chill in Park West. My only complaint would be to add some more meat to such a bready bun. It had great flavor but needed more of the main ingredient. Steak!! I would even be willing to pay more for more meat instead of the awkward tip line on the receipt. Honestly! Why do I have to tip prior to my meal. My experience could have been terrible. Could you see it? Um, excuse me, can you credit my card back $1.00 because this was terrible and your service is terrible too. That just doesn't happen. I'm just weird I guess.
Today's trip to Just Chill was overall a solid 7.5.
Time: About 10-12 minutes for food to arrive. Standard
Price: $7.12 with tip. I can't talk about it anymore. Gosh it bothers me though.
Experience: Not bad at all. I would like to try something else next time to see if steak was just running low that day.
Atmosphere: Pretty clean. Didn't see any problems except for the fake ketchup at our table. HAHA! Maybe Just Chill can answer that one. Do you guys fill the Heinz bottles with Cisco ketchup? Very sly, but don't think you got that one past Mr. Ish. It's happened to him before. Not his first rodeo!
Facilities: Clean. No problem there. Should be a comfortable lunchdump pending daily tennis matches and cell phone usage in the area.
Highs on Trip: Being back together with the gang. All 4 baby!
Lows on Trip: Lack of meat on my philly cheesesteak.
Advice: Definitely worth a stop in. Highly recommend the philly cheesesteak. Order extra meat though if it's not too pricy. I'd like to see Just Chill include some chips or something if you don't order fries. Just a suggestion.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Guest Blogger Kristen's Tell-Tale Lunch
Let me start this blog by saying I really respect what the Lunch Spot crew is doing. The fact that I was asked to be the guest blogger was a pretty big deal to say the least. I was excited at first but then I immediately had butterflies. It’s not everyday you are able to be seated amongst literary wizards. What if I didn’t know which fork to use or prematurely reached for the ketchup? I calmed my nerves and mustered up a game face. Here is my review…
Todays lunch spot was Poe’s on Sullivans Island. This was definitely not my first visit to this fine establishment. Mr. Ish and I frequent this watering hole year round. From sitting by the fireplace in the winter to lounging in our wet bathing suits in the summer, it ranks highly on our places to grab a drink and get away from the real world. With every visit I have flash backs to high school English reviewing the Raven and Tell-Tale Heart. Classic!
As I walked up to the restaurant I was greeted with a warm greeting and birthday wishes by our lunch spot gang who were seated on the porch. Joining us today was the ever classy Jay, the quite beardy RJ, the gorgeous AJ (who just witnessed a drug deal downtown) and of course my main squeeze Mr. Ishee. Even better then the company, there was a queso dip already on the table. Just enough for a taste for me.
From the time I took my seat on the picnic bench to the time the server took my drink order time elapsed about 7-8 minutes. I noticed the boys drinks were all empty at this time. I understand that time slows down on the island but I was thirsty. I ordered my diet coke and 3 minutes later I ordered my hop frog burger. Upon first sip of my beverage I noticed something was off. Now this is my first time not ordering a cocktail/beer at poes so maybe I never noticed the tainted pop. (soda, sorry I’m a yankee) AJ agreed, she also said it tasted like cleaner or plastic hoses. I’m not picky so I continued to drink.
Now Poes is well known for their burgers and this one lived up to the fame. My burger came and it was delicious along with hot fries. I only had one complaint. We were given just one napkin apiece. Now, usually this would suffice. But when you are eating a thick burger with toppings and bbq sauce one napkin might as well be a wet nap. The rest of the group also had napkin problems and RJ had to tango with the mustard for a minute.
Time: Honestly I didn’t keep a close eye on the clock. I’m assuming 45 minutes from sit down to walk out. Again time slows down and this is a very reasonable time for Poe’s.
Price: $$$- now it’s definitely not a recession friendly quick lunch. For 2 burgers and 2 cokes Mr. Ish and future Mrs. Ish’s tab was about $25. This is with out the usual 2 beer minimum.
Atmosphere: Laid back as usual. Always seems that Jack Johnson is playing overhead. Great people watching and since it was gloomy it felt like Edgar Allan Poe himself could have been seated at the next table over.
Experience: Relaxed. I did leave in a slight food coma.
Highs: I loved my seat location on the porch. Good view of Middle Street and the pedestrian traffic.
Lows: Never got my thirst quenched. It was TAINTED!
Experience: On a 1-10 scale I’d give it a 7.5. I’ve had better at Poe’s… but again this visit didn’t include Blue Moon on tap.
Advice: Please go here. Fish Tacos are excellent along with many options of beer on tap. Just ask for a pile of napkins and diet coke in a can.
Thanks for a great birthday lunch guys! Can’t wait until the next outing.
Todays lunch spot was Poe’s on Sullivans Island. This was definitely not my first visit to this fine establishment. Mr. Ish and I frequent this watering hole year round. From sitting by the fireplace in the winter to lounging in our wet bathing suits in the summer, it ranks highly on our places to grab a drink and get away from the real world. With every visit I have flash backs to high school English reviewing the Raven and Tell-Tale Heart. Classic!
As I walked up to the restaurant I was greeted with a warm greeting and birthday wishes by our lunch spot gang who were seated on the porch. Joining us today was the ever classy Jay, the quite beardy RJ, the gorgeous AJ (who just witnessed a drug deal downtown) and of course my main squeeze Mr. Ishee. Even better then the company, there was a queso dip already on the table. Just enough for a taste for me.
From the time I took my seat on the picnic bench to the time the server took my drink order time elapsed about 7-8 minutes. I noticed the boys drinks were all empty at this time. I understand that time slows down on the island but I was thirsty. I ordered my diet coke and 3 minutes later I ordered my hop frog burger. Upon first sip of my beverage I noticed something was off. Now this is my first time not ordering a cocktail/beer at poes so maybe I never noticed the tainted pop. (soda, sorry I’m a yankee) AJ agreed, she also said it tasted like cleaner or plastic hoses. I’m not picky so I continued to drink.
Now Poes is well known for their burgers and this one lived up to the fame. My burger came and it was delicious along with hot fries. I only had one complaint. We were given just one napkin apiece. Now, usually this would suffice. But when you are eating a thick burger with toppings and bbq sauce one napkin might as well be a wet nap. The rest of the group also had napkin problems and RJ had to tango with the mustard for a minute.
Time: Honestly I didn’t keep a close eye on the clock. I’m assuming 45 minutes from sit down to walk out. Again time slows down and this is a very reasonable time for Poe’s.
Price: $$$- now it’s definitely not a recession friendly quick lunch. For 2 burgers and 2 cokes Mr. Ish and future Mrs. Ish’s tab was about $25. This is with out the usual 2 beer minimum.
Atmosphere: Laid back as usual. Always seems that Jack Johnson is playing overhead. Great people watching and since it was gloomy it felt like Edgar Allan Poe himself could have been seated at the next table over.
Experience: Relaxed. I did leave in a slight food coma.
Highs: I loved my seat location on the porch. Good view of Middle Street and the pedestrian traffic.
Lows: Never got my thirst quenched. It was TAINTED!
Experience: On a 1-10 scale I’d give it a 7.5. I’ve had better at Poe’s… but again this visit didn’t include Blue Moon on tap.
Advice: Please go here. Fish Tacos are excellent along with many options of beer on tap. Just ask for a pile of napkins and diet coke in a can.
Thanks for a great birthday lunch guys! Can’t wait until the next outing.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Law & Order: Pizza Intent
In the Town of Mt. Pleasant's search for low priced lunches, the most recession friendly places are pursued by the bloggers of lunchspot.com, these are our stories....(DUN,DUN,DUN)
The lunchspot.com crew was a man down for the 3rd straight day this week but we continued to press on in our lunch spot quest and chose NYPD Pizza as today's lunch destination. When we ordered the cashier was very kind in asking if we wanted to wait for the fresh pie that was being put in the oven instead of the last few slices of a pre-cooked pizza. I went with 2 slices and soda special and added some mushrooms as a topping. I have to hand it to NYPD they did not hold back on the quantity of the toppings. The only thing that I have always been a little confused about with NYPD is that they have a waitress (who was exceptionally polite and prompt with refills) that gets your drinks for you when they have the drink machine out where customers could fill their own drinks. This is not a complaint at all just merely an observation of what I find to be an odd setup. The slices were a good quality size and made for a very tasty lunch.
Time: No accurate time was kept but very reasonable.
Price: Everyday lunch deal of 2 cheese slices and a drink for $5 flat is one of the best deals we have found so far in my eyes. Ish kindly picked up the tab so I am not sure of an exact amount.
High: RJ's return to the lunch spot crew after being absent the first 2 days of the week.
Low: The absence of Senor Boyd from the lunch spot crew
Atmosphere: TVs are a little small but very clean and overall an enjoyable establishment.
Experience: Not my personal favorite pizza place but still quite delicious with good deals and great customer service!
-Jay
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The lunchspot.com crew was a man down for the 3rd straight day this week but we continued to press on in our lunch spot quest and chose NYPD Pizza as today's lunch destination. When we ordered the cashier was very kind in asking if we wanted to wait for the fresh pie that was being put in the oven instead of the last few slices of a pre-cooked pizza. I went with 2 slices and soda special and added some mushrooms as a topping. I have to hand it to NYPD they did not hold back on the quantity of the toppings. The only thing that I have always been a little confused about with NYPD is that they have a waitress (who was exceptionally polite and prompt with refills) that gets your drinks for you when they have the drink machine out where customers could fill their own drinks. This is not a complaint at all just merely an observation of what I find to be an odd setup. The slices were a good quality size and made for a very tasty lunch.
Time: No accurate time was kept but very reasonable.
Price: Everyday lunch deal of 2 cheese slices and a drink for $5 flat is one of the best deals we have found so far in my eyes. Ish kindly picked up the tab so I am not sure of an exact amount.
High: RJ's return to the lunch spot crew after being absent the first 2 days of the week.
Low: The absence of Senor Boyd from the lunch spot crew
Atmosphere: TVs are a little small but very clean and overall an enjoyable establishment.
Experience: Not my personal favorite pizza place but still quite delicious with good deals and great customer service!
-Jay
P.S. The next 9 followers that sign up to get us up to 50 followers will receive a special commemorative gift from the lunchspot.com crew!
P.S.S. We would love to hear from any of the lunchspots that we blog...please feel free to drop us a comment!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Man, when does the siesta start?
Well, after yesterday's Moe's Monday guest blogger not sending in his blog, we thought we would grab a hold of the reins to control the quality and dignity of the blog once again. Today we went to Los Arcos in Mt Pleasant. A great little Mexican place nestled in the corner behind King Street Grille MP. I know Mexican two weeks in a row. It's a good month.
My experience, except for the parking debaucle, was heavenly. I walked in to the other two members (Jay and T-Boyd) to fufill the quorum of the lunchspot. When I go to sit down at the table and there is cheese dip waiting for me, it really is magical. Number one: I get to eat cheese dip with my chips. Number two: I didn't order it, so I don't have to pay for it!! Not to come off sounding cheap, but I am. Sweet tea was very sweet and tasty. I had the ala carte 2 beef burritos. Those burritos were delicious but so filling.
It was a good visit; from the lady bringing me the coloring book to pass the time to future guest blogger K-Quinn showing up to blast us with her knowledge of facebook and ponder her adventure next Monday where she will be taking over yourlunchspot for the day. Life was good today and Los Arcos was the vehicle for our pleasant cross-country adventure. I'm not sure if it was Los Arcos so much as it was just a perfect day where everyone was upbeat and unpicky. Music was a little louder than Senor Tequila. There was a buzz in there today, but not too loud where you can't hear each other.
Los Arcos: Thanks for a good lunch. Nothing stood out as far as food, service, or anything, but nothing got in the way either. Sometimes that's enough.
Time: Not as fast as usual, but we needed the talking time, and the chips, queso, and salsa always fills in the awkward pauses nicely.
Price: $7.50 ($9 with tip) only concern is sweet tea was $2.20... Come on guys, really???!!!
Atmosphere: Nothing spectacular, but nothing obtrusive. I mean come on it's a Mexican restaurant. You know what one looks like.
Experience: Delightful
Highs: Seeing my future bride pop-in for a water
Lows: Learning that T-Boyd will not be at Monday's celebration of lunch and life, and that he doesn't know how to use facebook. Don't worry, we'll coach him up.
Advice: Go there and eat a lot of food! It wasn't the best food, but it was 4.50 with unlimited chips. Who could complain?
-Ish
My experience, except for the parking debaucle, was heavenly. I walked in to the other two members (Jay and T-Boyd) to fufill the quorum of the lunchspot. When I go to sit down at the table and there is cheese dip waiting for me, it really is magical. Number one: I get to eat cheese dip with my chips. Number two: I didn't order it, so I don't have to pay for it!! Not to come off sounding cheap, but I am. Sweet tea was very sweet and tasty. I had the ala carte 2 beef burritos. Those burritos were delicious but so filling.
It was a good visit; from the lady bringing me the coloring book to pass the time to future guest blogger K-Quinn showing up to blast us with her knowledge of facebook and ponder her adventure next Monday where she will be taking over yourlunchspot for the day. Life was good today and Los Arcos was the vehicle for our pleasant cross-country adventure. I'm not sure if it was Los Arcos so much as it was just a perfect day where everyone was upbeat and unpicky. Music was a little louder than Senor Tequila. There was a buzz in there today, but not too loud where you can't hear each other.
Los Arcos: Thanks for a good lunch. Nothing stood out as far as food, service, or anything, but nothing got in the way either. Sometimes that's enough.
Time: Not as fast as usual, but we needed the talking time, and the chips, queso, and salsa always fills in the awkward pauses nicely.
Price: $7.50 ($9 with tip) only concern is sweet tea was $2.20... Come on guys, really???!!!
Atmosphere: Nothing spectacular, but nothing obtrusive. I mean come on it's a Mexican restaurant. You know what one looks like.
Experience: Delightful
Highs: Seeing my future bride pop-in for a water
Lows: Learning that T-Boyd will not be at Monday's celebration of lunch and life, and that he doesn't know how to use facebook. Don't worry, we'll coach him up.
Advice: Go there and eat a lot of food! It wasn't the best food, but it was 4.50 with unlimited chips. Who could complain?
-Ish
Congratulations to Mellow Mushroom!!
In our first 'Ask the Followers' poll, Mellow Mushroom narrowly edged Andolini's and Giusseppi's for the Best Pizza in Mount Pleasant! Congratulations Mellow!
Stay tuned for the next 'Ask the Followers' Poll coming soon!!
Stay tuned for the next 'Ask the Followers' Poll coming soon!!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Top Five of the Week!!
This week was very enjoyable for all of us. We would like to personally thank the local businesses for their efforts. We hope all of our followers have a great weekend with the Bridge Run and the Cajun Festival. Thanks for voting this week for our Friday journey to Seel's Fish Camp. Stay tuned for Monday's blog. Don't drink and drive! Say no to drugs! Stay in school!
RJ
1. Larry's Giant Subs 9.0
2 Moes Southwest Grill 8.75
3 Senor Tequilas 8.5
4 Seel's Fish Camp 8.25
5 Ichiban's 8.0
Tough week to judge! They all did great! Larry's was #1 for price and time. Moes was #2 for new adventures and enjoyment of that newby. Senor Tequilas fell a little with the table issues in their establishment, but was still great food! Seel's got #4 because of price mainly. And finally Ichiban's received #5 because of lack of atmosphere and no egg roll with the special at lunch. We need to add that in guys. Let's go!
T-Boyd
1.Senior T's-8
2.Moe's-7
3.Larry's-6
4.Ichiban-5.5
5.Seel's -4.5
Great top three! Tuff prices at Seel's and cold fries!
Jay
1.Moe's 8.0
2.Larry's 7.5
3.Ichiban 7
4.Seel's Fish Camp 6.5
5.Senor Tequila 5.5
Tripp must of slipped in a margarita at lunch the day we went to Senor Tequila and one when he put in his top 5 (Senior? Tequila). Moe's is tough to beat for me. Look forward to next week!
Ish
1.Moe's 8.25
2.Larry's 7.5
3.IchiBan 7.5
4.Senor Tequila 7.5
5.Seel's Fish Camp 6.0
Good Week for eating... Got pricey though. I splurged on cheese dip and drinks. I'll hold my integrity instead of giving everyone 9's and 8.5's, please.
RJ
1. Larry's Giant Subs 9.0
2 Moes Southwest Grill 8.75
3 Senor Tequilas 8.5
4 Seel's Fish Camp 8.25
5 Ichiban's 8.0
Tough week to judge! They all did great! Larry's was #1 for price and time. Moes was #2 for new adventures and enjoyment of that newby. Senor Tequilas fell a little with the table issues in their establishment, but was still great food! Seel's got #4 because of price mainly. And finally Ichiban's received #5 because of lack of atmosphere and no egg roll with the special at lunch. We need to add that in guys. Let's go!
T-Boyd
1.Senior T's-8
2.Moe's-7
3.Larry's-6
4.Ichiban-5.5
5.Seel's -4.5
Great top three! Tuff prices at Seel's and cold fries!
Jay
1.Moe's 8.0
2.Larry's 7.5
3.Ichiban 7
4.Seel's Fish Camp 6.5
5.Senor Tequila 5.5
Tripp must of slipped in a margarita at lunch the day we went to Senor Tequila and one when he put in his top 5 (Senior? Tequila). Moe's is tough to beat for me. Look forward to next week!
Ish
1.Moe's 8.25
2.Larry's 7.5
3.IchiBan 7.5
4.Senor Tequila 7.5
5.Seel's Fish Camp 6.0
Good Week for eating... Got pricey though. I splurged on cheese dip and drinks. I'll hold my integrity instead of giving everyone 9's and 8.5's, please.
Seel's Fish Camp, Off the Hook??
The followers have spoken, the lunchspot gang made the long journey over to Seel's Fish Camp on Sullivan's Island today. What a great weather day to be on the Island! Parking was a slight issue but after a search we found a spot and took a little walk. We sat inside today and when we first arrived we were one of the only tables inside. I thought it was interesting when I noticed that they only had 3 servers on with a crowded patio and a crowd coming through the door to fill up the inside tables as well. If you are an eatery on Sullivan's Island on a day like today you need to expect a larger crowd. I will say that the two managers did a great job of assisting the servers.
I ordered the usual which is the flounder poboy. It took awhile for our food to arrive but it was understandable considering how busy they were. Once the food arrived I was starving and ready to eat! Rj also ordered the same sandwich as I did and he went to take a bite and found that it was as hot as lava. After I watched him struggle to breath in and cool off the fire that was baking his tongue, I decided to start in on my fries first and let my sandwich cool off. Much to my dismay, the fries were the exact opposite of the sandwich. I can only assume that they had the fries plated and were waiting on my sandwich in the kitchen. I snacked on a few cold fries and then began to eat my sandwich. This wasn't my best flounder poboy that I have had from Seel's. I actually think that the food was better when they were at the Long point road location.
Time: Not too bad considering the crowd and the fact that it was a great weather Friday!
Price: I had a sandwich, fries, and a water. With tip it ended up running me $11!!!! Way more than this guy can afford for lunch these days!
Experience: As always I enjoyed the conversation and company of the fellow lunchspot crew. AJ you need to sign up as a follower, that's just ridiculous! Nice music playing.
Highs: The hush puppies.. seriously do they put some crack in those things are what? Man! they are addicting!
Lows:Cold fries.....having to look at all of the delicious beers on tap and not being able to partake!
Advice: Great place to go and have a beer and some food. Just expect to pay the SI prices!
Get out and enjoy the weather!!!
-T-Boyd
I ordered the usual which is the flounder poboy. It took awhile for our food to arrive but it was understandable considering how busy they were. Once the food arrived I was starving and ready to eat! Rj also ordered the same sandwich as I did and he went to take a bite and found that it was as hot as lava. After I watched him struggle to breath in and cool off the fire that was baking his tongue, I decided to start in on my fries first and let my sandwich cool off. Much to my dismay, the fries were the exact opposite of the sandwich. I can only assume that they had the fries plated and were waiting on my sandwich in the kitchen. I snacked on a few cold fries and then began to eat my sandwich. This wasn't my best flounder poboy that I have had from Seel's. I actually think that the food was better when they were at the Long point road location.
Time: Not too bad considering the crowd and the fact that it was a great weather Friday!
Price: I had a sandwich, fries, and a water. With tip it ended up running me $11!!!! Way more than this guy can afford for lunch these days!
Experience: As always I enjoyed the conversation and company of the fellow lunchspot crew. AJ you need to sign up as a follower, that's just ridiculous! Nice music playing.
Highs: The hush puppies.. seriously do they put some crack in those things are what? Man! they are addicting!
Lows:Cold fries.....having to look at all of the delicious beers on tap and not being able to partake!
Advice: Great place to go and have a beer and some food. Just expect to pay the SI prices!
Get out and enjoy the weather!!!
-T-Boyd
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Guest Blogger TJ Rostin has a Lunch from the Far East.....
Even though the weather was beyond miserable, I decided to cross the river and have lunch with the crew today. After speaking with RJ earlier in the day, I was pumped about the lunch destination. Any time I get a chance to go to Ichiban’s, I take advantage. I arrived a few minutes before the crew and I had a chance to take in the surroundings. I love the “Dollar General” decorations that are used to create the atmosphere. They hang from the ceiling so nicely and they are constantly in motion from the breeze that was provided by the open door. I would have been more impressed with a Jackie Chan look alike greeting me upon arrival. Maybe next time.
The waitress was nice despite the minor language barrier. She was quick with the salads but she was having some trouble with the drink refills. I am not one to complain that much, but poor Ish was dying for some more sweet tea. After politely flagging her down, Ish got his much needed refill. After that, she checked on us every 2 minutes. Good recovery! The food was very good as usual. I always order the Teriyaki Chicken with fried rice and today did not disappoint. I had a good variety (not too many veggies) but I could have used a little bit more teriyaki sauce. After watching RJ squirt the secret sauce on his finger and lick it off, I knew it must have been good stuff. It was good, but not the best I have ever had. I cleaned my plate with ease and it was the perfect amount for lunch. Anymore and the afternoon “food coma” would have been too much to overcome. Next I will certainly branch out and try the “Special”. It looked just like mine but add steak (it was steak right?? MEOW!!!)
All in all my lunch experience with the crew was very good. The conversations were great (some funny, some disturbing). How does RJ come up with some of that stuff? Next time I will bring a notepad and a pencil so I can write all of those lines down. I hope the boys will invite me for another run in the future and I wish them the best with future lunch destinations.
Time: Salads came in 1-2 minutes. Meal took about 10-12 minutes. Borderline but not too bad. 15 minutes to eat and socialize.
Price: $7.08 (had a water). Threw in $2.00 for a tip for a grand total of $9.08. Decent
Atmosphere: See 1st paragraph. Kind of dark in there.
Experience: Always a good one when Ish, Jay, T-Boyd and RJ are around.
Highs: “NO GYM PRACTICES” conversation, Recruiting for Cajun Festival (Sunday April 5th), Posterior appearance of a certain customer, giving the cashier a Lunchspot business card.
Lows: Ish getting Big Leagued with the fake laugh, No egg roll with the meal (only $1.50 more if you want to splurge)
Advice: I recommend it to anyone. Could not go every week though.
ORANGE JUICE ANYONE??????????????????????????
Thanks again fellas and good luck with the blog.
T.J.
The waitress was nice despite the minor language barrier. She was quick with the salads but she was having some trouble with the drink refills. I am not one to complain that much, but poor Ish was dying for some more sweet tea. After politely flagging her down, Ish got his much needed refill. After that, she checked on us every 2 minutes. Good recovery! The food was very good as usual. I always order the Teriyaki Chicken with fried rice and today did not disappoint. I had a good variety (not too many veggies) but I could have used a little bit more teriyaki sauce. After watching RJ squirt the secret sauce on his finger and lick it off, I knew it must have been good stuff. It was good, but not the best I have ever had. I cleaned my plate with ease and it was the perfect amount for lunch. Anymore and the afternoon “food coma” would have been too much to overcome. Next I will certainly branch out and try the “Special”. It looked just like mine but add steak (it was steak right?? MEOW!!!)
All in all my lunch experience with the crew was very good. The conversations were great (some funny, some disturbing). How does RJ come up with some of that stuff? Next time I will bring a notepad and a pencil so I can write all of those lines down. I hope the boys will invite me for another run in the future and I wish them the best with future lunch destinations.
Time: Salads came in 1-2 minutes. Meal took about 10-12 minutes. Borderline but not too bad. 15 minutes to eat and socialize.
Price: $7.08 (had a water). Threw in $2.00 for a tip for a grand total of $9.08. Decent
Atmosphere: See 1st paragraph. Kind of dark in there.
Experience: Always a good one when Ish, Jay, T-Boyd and RJ are around.
Highs: “NO GYM PRACTICES” conversation, Recruiting for Cajun Festival (Sunday April 5th), Posterior appearance of a certain customer, giving the cashier a Lunchspot business card.
Lows: Ish getting Big Leagued with the fake laugh, No egg roll with the meal (only $1.50 more if you want to splurge)
Advice: I recommend it to anyone. Could not go every week though.
ORANGE JUICE ANYONE??????????????????????????
Thanks again fellas and good luck with the blog.
T.J.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Larry's Not a GIANT Letdown...
Let me start with saying that I'm not a huge sub guy. I have been to Larry's Giant Subs in the Anna Knapp Shopping Center a handful of times. I have never just 'wanted' to go get a sub. You just kind of end up there because your day got busy and you need quick sustenance and fast food isn't on the agenda. I must admit that I had no idea we were headed to Larry's today, but I must confess a late-night dream of a meatball sub last night. I know what you are thinking; who dreams about food? Usually not me, but it happened.
I think what I have been missing the other times I have visited Larry's was something I had today; an open-mind. Whether it was my 'meatball sub' dream or 'The Fat Boys are Back' on the radio for the ride over, whatever it was, it worked. Sometimes the undefining qualities of a place make or break a restaurant. Today fit in that category nicely. Let me talk about that for a moment. Time from order to food ready averaged about a minute and a half (Really). RJ was the only one who ordered a cold sub and the sub was at the table before he could even fill up his water (yeah he's on the health train again; even though egg salad sandwich isn't very healthy, but I digress). I went with the meatball, because dreams do come true (that's a lesson for the kids out there). It was at a perfect temperature. Good no Great bread. Flavor was nice. The only knock on Larry's in the past has been the chip selection which was actually in good shape today. (Baked Lays -Cheddar/Sour Cream)
Now let me turn to the aforementioned intangibles. We had a 'sandwich runner' that when he brought me my sub said 'Thanks for choosing Larry's'. I really liked that. He was moving around with the fervor of a chicken with his head cut off and the grace of a ballerina. Sandwich running and, for the first time in my restaurant dining career, I saw someone check the bathroom for cleanliness. Yes, it was him. Saw some dirt on the floor so he returned to sweep it up. All the while, he had a smile on his face. Nicely Done Larry's. Maybe he was Larry? A thought left to ponder for next time...
Time: 2 minutes from order to serve. 25 minutes to eat with good conversations. Candidate for 'Fastest Lunch in Mount Pleasant'
Price: 8.08 (no tip needed) nice to-go drink. and the combo was with an 8" sub not the standard 6", and believe me, two inches goes a long way. (Insert Michael Scott quote here)
Atmosphere: Not a great ambiance spot, not as clean as Firehouse, but it wasn't terrible. Probably my least favorite part of Larry's. Bathroom is uni-sex and a one at a time, so I'm just sayin'.
Experience: A nice surprise for a quick lunch with a looming staff meeting at 1:30, no 1, no 1:30.
Highs: Everyone having an enjoyable experience and the "Thanks for choosing Larry's" comment. Good Stuff.
Lows: Awkwardly touching Jay's foot under the table.
Advice: If you are a sub-person: No-brainer, Do it! If not, give it a chance. Big menu, friendly, and decent lunch specials. Have an open mind and try to catch some Fat Boys on the radio for the ride over. It did help.
-Ish
I think what I have been missing the other times I have visited Larry's was something I had today; an open-mind. Whether it was my 'meatball sub' dream or 'The Fat Boys are Back' on the radio for the ride over, whatever it was, it worked. Sometimes the undefining qualities of a place make or break a restaurant. Today fit in that category nicely. Let me talk about that for a moment. Time from order to food ready averaged about a minute and a half (Really). RJ was the only one who ordered a cold sub and the sub was at the table before he could even fill up his water (yeah he's on the health train again; even though egg salad sandwich isn't very healthy, but I digress). I went with the meatball, because dreams do come true (that's a lesson for the kids out there). It was at a perfect temperature. Good no Great bread. Flavor was nice. The only knock on Larry's in the past has been the chip selection which was actually in good shape today. (Baked Lays -Cheddar/Sour Cream)
Now let me turn to the aforementioned intangibles. We had a 'sandwich runner' that when he brought me my sub said 'Thanks for choosing Larry's'. I really liked that. He was moving around with the fervor of a chicken with his head cut off and the grace of a ballerina. Sandwich running and, for the first time in my restaurant dining career, I saw someone check the bathroom for cleanliness. Yes, it was him. Saw some dirt on the floor so he returned to sweep it up. All the while, he had a smile on his face. Nicely Done Larry's. Maybe he was Larry? A thought left to ponder for next time...
Time: 2 minutes from order to serve. 25 minutes to eat with good conversations. Candidate for 'Fastest Lunch in Mount Pleasant'
Price: 8.08 (no tip needed) nice to-go drink. and the combo was with an 8" sub not the standard 6", and believe me, two inches goes a long way. (Insert Michael Scott quote here)
Atmosphere: Not a great ambiance spot, not as clean as Firehouse, but it wasn't terrible. Probably my least favorite part of Larry's. Bathroom is uni-sex and a one at a time, so I'm just sayin'.
Experience: A nice surprise for a quick lunch with a looming staff meeting at 1:30, no 1, no 1:30.
Highs: Everyone having an enjoyable experience and the "Thanks for choosing Larry's" comment. Good Stuff.
Lows: Awkwardly touching Jay's foot under the table.
Advice: If you are a sub-person: No-brainer, Do it! If not, give it a chance. Big menu, friendly, and decent lunch specials. Have an open mind and try to catch some Fat Boys on the radio for the ride over. It did help.
-Ish
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
South of the Border
Much to the delight of Matt Ishee, the lunchspot crew took a little trip south of the border today and decided to give Senor Tequila a try. The lunch got off to a rough start when we were originally placed in a booth in the back of the restaurant that 4 anorexic models could not have fit in. After prying ourselves out of the booth, we were moved to a much larger table but still had some seating issues as we were right on top of the table beside us. Needless to say the lunch wasn't off to a good start and when my drink order was messed up I was quickly beginning to question what kind of sick man Matt Ishee really was.
I tried to stay positive and not be one to judge too quickly and the queso dip that Matt so kindly shared with the table lifted my spirits up until the meal came. A meal that I had to basically draw a picture of on a napkin so the waiter could understand that I wanted a chicken quesadilla. I was excited that my order came out correct and with a load of chicken, but that turned out to be a not so good thing when the chicken was not very tasty. I decided that I prefer these Mexican restaurant for dinner when I can enjoy a couple of adult beverages.
Time: Not bad and I cannot blame Senor Tequila because we were waiting on a girlfriend of one our bloggers, who is also a non-follower of the blog to no-show us!
Price: $6.59....no complaints here!
Experience: Willing to try again in our expansion blog....dinnerspot.com
Atmosphere: Awful....not crowded, music was too low to hear and tvs were average at best.
Highs: Knowing Matt can't complain about us not going to Mexican with him anymore and the sight of Ryan trying to get out of an extremely tight booth.
Lows: I got word of a Thursday Lost recap lunch....I'm going to need a big screen for that one!
-Jay
I tried to stay positive and not be one to judge too quickly and the queso dip that Matt so kindly shared with the table lifted my spirits up until the meal came. A meal that I had to basically draw a picture of on a napkin so the waiter could understand that I wanted a chicken quesadilla. I was excited that my order came out correct and with a load of chicken, but that turned out to be a not so good thing when the chicken was not very tasty. I decided that I prefer these Mexican restaurant for dinner when I can enjoy a couple of adult beverages.
Time: Not bad and I cannot blame Senor Tequila because we were waiting on a girlfriend of one our bloggers, who is also a non-follower of the blog to no-show us!
Price: $6.59....no complaints here!
Experience: Willing to try again in our expansion blog....dinnerspot.com
Atmosphere: Awful....not crowded, music was too low to hear and tvs were average at best.
Highs: Knowing Matt can't complain about us not going to Mexican with him anymore and the sight of Ryan trying to get out of an extremely tight booth.
Lows: I got word of a Thursday Lost recap lunch....I'm going to need a big screen for that one!
-Jay
Monday, March 30, 2009
Moes Monday sponsored by Pepto Bismol
I hope all of our followers had a great weekend. I know I did! Today's adventure as usual always steers us in the direction of Moes Southwest Grill in the Belle Hall Shopping Center for Moes Monday.
I was a little hesitant this morning in even making the lunchspot adventure because evidently bourbon, beer, nachos, a chicken sandwich, and a reuben do not play well in the stomach together. Yes...I had a fun Sunday! Who couldn't with the sun shining and the wind blowing 40 knots at Patriots Point for the College of Charleston baseball game. I actually got some good sun (or maybe windburn) yesterday too. I look like I just got off a 4 day cruise with Carnival to The Bahamas and passed out on the sundeck after 6 buckets of PBR (you know, the good stuff). Anyway, my stomach was hurting all morning from my Sunday. I decided to not let my fellow lunchspotters down and attended today's lunchspot at Moes Southwest Grill.
It's kind of hard to go to Moes and not get the Joey Bag of Donuts. I would like to thank today's guest Mark Hladek for introducing me to the new "Phil-E" at Moes. I started my lunch by walking in to a fantastic "Welcome to Moes". I felt like I was appreciated and they knew exactly who I was when I walked through the door to find no line in front of me except for my lunch party. That is always a great site when you see no line at Moes. You always get a little concerned when the line is wrapped around the tables and you feel like all you can do is stare at the guy trying to eat a Joey Bag in 2 bites. You know the guy I'm talking about. Their is one in every lunchspot. They feel as if they eat their lunch without chewing that the contents will take longer to digest therefore they feel comfort for a longer period of time.
Our guest Mark decided to try the "Phil-E" today and when I saw the guy make it all I could do was order it too. It looked delicious! Rice, steak (good scoop too!), onions, peppers, mushrooms, and topped with queso. I didn't even need anything else on it. I told the lady to just wrap it up and let's go. I continued my quest of the assembly line by paying for a $6.02 bill, getting my sprite, and putting my concoction of salsa with a touch of medium sauce of top. For all you followers out there I recommend giving it a whirl. I did have to pay an extra $0.50 for the onions, peppers, and mushrooms evidently but I wasnt' mad about that. You still can't beat $6.02 for lunch though.
I'm seated and ready to conquer my "Phil-E". I'm excited! The first bite is fantastic and I loved every one after that. My stomach has been fine ever since. The "Phil-E" soothes the stomach and at the same time fulfills your every need. I highly recommend the "Phil-E" at Moes Southwest Grill and give today's adventure a solid 9.0.
Time: Good pace today. No line at 12:30pm.
Price: $6.02 Can't beat it!
Experience: See you next Monday!
Atmosphere: Very clean today. Have had some sloppy days in the past though.
Facilities: Not recommended. Only a 1 man facility. No way to have a comfortable lunchdump without someone knocking on the door.
Highs on Trip: My "Phil-E"
Lows on Trip: Certain conversations during lunch
Advice: Don't be afraid to venture away from your usual when the "Phil-E' is lurking.
See you next week!
RJ
I was a little hesitant this morning in even making the lunchspot adventure because evidently bourbon, beer, nachos, a chicken sandwich, and a reuben do not play well in the stomach together. Yes...I had a fun Sunday! Who couldn't with the sun shining and the wind blowing 40 knots at Patriots Point for the College of Charleston baseball game. I actually got some good sun (or maybe windburn) yesterday too. I look like I just got off a 4 day cruise with Carnival to The Bahamas and passed out on the sundeck after 6 buckets of PBR (you know, the good stuff). Anyway, my stomach was hurting all morning from my Sunday. I decided to not let my fellow lunchspotters down and attended today's lunchspot at Moes Southwest Grill.
It's kind of hard to go to Moes and not get the Joey Bag of Donuts. I would like to thank today's guest Mark Hladek for introducing me to the new "Phil-E" at Moes. I started my lunch by walking in to a fantastic "Welcome to Moes". I felt like I was appreciated and they knew exactly who I was when I walked through the door to find no line in front of me except for my lunch party. That is always a great site when you see no line at Moes. You always get a little concerned when the line is wrapped around the tables and you feel like all you can do is stare at the guy trying to eat a Joey Bag in 2 bites. You know the guy I'm talking about. Their is one in every lunchspot. They feel as if they eat their lunch without chewing that the contents will take longer to digest therefore they feel comfort for a longer period of time.
Our guest Mark decided to try the "Phil-E" today and when I saw the guy make it all I could do was order it too. It looked delicious! Rice, steak (good scoop too!), onions, peppers, mushrooms, and topped with queso. I didn't even need anything else on it. I told the lady to just wrap it up and let's go. I continued my quest of the assembly line by paying for a $6.02 bill, getting my sprite, and putting my concoction of salsa with a touch of medium sauce of top. For all you followers out there I recommend giving it a whirl. I did have to pay an extra $0.50 for the onions, peppers, and mushrooms evidently but I wasnt' mad about that. You still can't beat $6.02 for lunch though.
I'm seated and ready to conquer my "Phil-E". I'm excited! The first bite is fantastic and I loved every one after that. My stomach has been fine ever since. The "Phil-E" soothes the stomach and at the same time fulfills your every need. I highly recommend the "Phil-E" at Moes Southwest Grill and give today's adventure a solid 9.0.
Time: Good pace today. No line at 12:30pm.
Price: $6.02 Can't beat it!
Experience: See you next Monday!
Atmosphere: Very clean today. Have had some sloppy days in the past though.
Facilities: Not recommended. Only a 1 man facility. No way to have a comfortable lunchdump without someone knocking on the door.
Highs on Trip: My "Phil-E"
Lows on Trip: Certain conversations during lunch
Advice: Don't be afraid to venture away from your usual when the "Phil-E' is lurking.
See you next week!
RJ
Friday, March 27, 2009
LUNCHSPOT OFF TODAY!
YourLunchSpot.Com has taken today off due to meetings and a non-quorum attendance. Stay tuned for Monday's blog. Don't drink and drive! Say no to drugs! Stay in school! Spread the word!
RJ
Top Five of the Week:
1. Brixx 9.0
2. Benito's 8.0
3. Moes Southwest Grill 7.5
4. Dog and Duck 7.5
5. ????
Ish
1. Brixx 8.0
2. Benito's 7.5
3. Moes Southwest Grill 7.0
4. Eat Out of the Dumpster
5. Dog and Duck 4.5
Jay
1. Moe's Southwest Grill 8.5
2. Brixx 8.0
3. Dog and Duck 6.0
4. Benito's 5.0
5. No Lost Talk at Lunch!!! 4.0
Solid Top 3!
RJ
Top Five of the Week:
1. Brixx 9.0
2. Benito's 8.0
3. Moes Southwest Grill 7.5
4. Dog and Duck 7.5
5. ????
Ish
1. Brixx 8.0
2. Benito's 7.5
3. Moes Southwest Grill 7.0
4. Eat Out of the Dumpster
5. Dog and Duck 4.5
Jay
1. Moe's Southwest Grill 8.5
2. Brixx 8.0
3. Dog and Duck 6.0
4. Benito's 5.0
5. No Lost Talk at Lunch!!! 4.0
T-Boyd
1.Moe's
2.Dog and Duck
3.Brixx
4.Benito's
Solid Top 3!
Guest Blogger Jeremy Aven's Take on Dog and Duck
My day began with what is usually the worst day of the year: paying the tax man! I should have known it would be a great day for a great lunch when apparently Obama somehow tripled my tax refund. I had planned to hit a regular lunch spot while I was in town with what the MPRD crew defines as the “MPSC” crowd but was pleasantly surprised when the new blogger celebrities rolled into Dog and Duck unannounced.
The Dog & Duck was definitely a regular spot while living in Charleston. Several of the items on the menu really became tried and true favorites of not only myself but also favorites of what I consider to be lunch officianados. The chef salad (with honey mustard or Dharma Ranch) is second to none and the French Dip with au jus is really unparalleled in the lunch restaurant category. What I have really come to consider Dog & Duck though is a bar with really good food and a fantastic “specials” menu (regardless of the CowYetti burger incident today). The chef apparently knows what he is doing and throws out a lot of different items that are sometimes as simple as a “Cowboy” burger or as spicy as the Desperado (spicy shredded chicken & cheese burrito with salsa. Some items also reoccur on the specials menu like the chicken salad sandwich which I believe is served up every Tuesday.
For those of you who like to order straight from the menu there are also plenty of options. The “Plain Guy” sitting next to me today had a very fresh looking YardBird (grilled chicken sandwich) that he seemed to rather enjoy. The “Healthy Guy” had the Golf Club which is a pretty nice little club sandwich but if you want to keep up with this guy you are going to have order light mayo and a water!
The “Serious Blogger” down at the end for some reason picked the sandwich that was claimed to be “Piled High”. I mean come on that is like asking for something that you know you are not going to get! You might as well have asked for the million dollar sandwich expecting the winning lotto ticket inside. When it came out it wasn’t piled so high but it did seem to be piled high with mayo that surely came from the mayo they saved from the Golf Club with light mayo! At least the restaurant was prepared with plenty of napkins.
Our final taste tester is what most of us “lunchers” are really looking for. Where can I get the most bang for my buck. Well I would suggest taking this guy with you anywhere. He single handedly deduced that the “Cowboy Burger” on the special menu was nothing more than the “Yetti Burger” on the regular menu. The only thing special about it was the extra $1 they charged you for the new name!
I don’t know if I paid any attention to the bathroom, the server, or even the price of the lunch. It’s always a great lunch by any standard when you have great company and at least get food that doesn’t break the bank or send you straight to bathroom when you get back to office!
The only thing that would have completed the lunch was the “ol MPSC work wife”! I appreciate the opportunity to hang with the local celebs while I am in town and hopefully they will invite me back for another guest blogging opportunity!
-J
The Dog & Duck was definitely a regular spot while living in Charleston. Several of the items on the menu really became tried and true favorites of not only myself but also favorites of what I consider to be lunch officianados. The chef salad (with honey mustard or Dharma Ranch) is second to none and the French Dip with au jus is really unparalleled in the lunch restaurant category. What I have really come to consider Dog & Duck though is a bar with really good food and a fantastic “specials” menu (regardless of the CowYetti burger incident today). The chef apparently knows what he is doing and throws out a lot of different items that are sometimes as simple as a “Cowboy” burger or as spicy as the Desperado (spicy shredded chicken & cheese burrito with salsa. Some items also reoccur on the specials menu like the chicken salad sandwich which I believe is served up every Tuesday.
For those of you who like to order straight from the menu there are also plenty of options. The “Plain Guy” sitting next to me today had a very fresh looking YardBird (grilled chicken sandwich) that he seemed to rather enjoy. The “Healthy Guy” had the Golf Club which is a pretty nice little club sandwich but if you want to keep up with this guy you are going to have order light mayo and a water!
The “Serious Blogger” down at the end for some reason picked the sandwich that was claimed to be “Piled High”. I mean come on that is like asking for something that you know you are not going to get! You might as well have asked for the million dollar sandwich expecting the winning lotto ticket inside. When it came out it wasn’t piled so high but it did seem to be piled high with mayo that surely came from the mayo they saved from the Golf Club with light mayo! At least the restaurant was prepared with plenty of napkins.
Our final taste tester is what most of us “lunchers” are really looking for. Where can I get the most bang for my buck. Well I would suggest taking this guy with you anywhere. He single handedly deduced that the “Cowboy Burger” on the special menu was nothing more than the “Yetti Burger” on the regular menu. The only thing special about it was the extra $1 they charged you for the new name!
I don’t know if I paid any attention to the bathroom, the server, or even the price of the lunch. It’s always a great lunch by any standard when you have great company and at least get food that doesn’t break the bank or send you straight to bathroom when you get back to office!
The only thing that would have completed the lunch was the “ol MPSC work wife”! I appreciate the opportunity to hang with the local celebs while I am in town and hopefully they will invite me back for another guest blogging opportunity!
-J
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Dog and Duck.....Thank God for my tax return!
I would personally like to thank our followers on voting for Thursday's adventure and having it drawn out of a hat. We did just that. Actually all four of us drew one place out of the hat and then I drew one from those four places. Dog and Duck here we come!
As we arrived to Dog and Duck I noticed that their were not many parking spots available and not many people were inside. More than likely all the cars were from Moes Southwest Grill customers because some establishment (no names being said) decided to make Moes parking area look like a U-Haul parking lot. Anyway, luckily I found a spot back in the corner right next to the dumpster. No fumes though! That's a good sign.
As I walked up to Dog and Duck I noticed we might have 3 guest appearances at lunch today from our soccer friends. Jeremy Aven (former member of MPSC) and Matt Parmer (current MPSC member) were sitting outside at a table while Kian (current/former/current MPSC member) was on the phone having a serious conversation with the Indian girl from "Bend it like Beckham" about coaching in Mt. Pleasant. I decided to ask them if it was ok if we sat inside today because my favorite table was available near one of the TV's and the special board. Speaking of the special board. WOW! The Cowboy Burger looked really good except it was $8.95.
As I skimmed the menu I noticed that the Yetiburger had all the same ingredients as the Cowboy Burger minus the onion ring and an onion roll for $1.00 less. Come on! $1.00 for an onion ring? Let's go people! Your not outsmarting this heavy eater. I just ordered my Yeti with an onion roll instead of sourdough.
So I went with the Yetiburger. I'm excited and I saved $1.00. So as we sat there we all got to hear from former local celebrity Jeremy Aven about his move to Savannah and about how his tax guy does waaaaay too much Red Bull before seeing clients. It was really good to see him again. Kian was very nice to let us munch on his fries that he did not want during this conversation. Matt and Kian were very much into their Blackberry's during this time. It was either very important stuff from that Indian girl again or just online pornography. You be the judge.
My meal is here and it looks great! Fellow lunchspotter Ish did have a slight pause when he noticed that his turkey-bacon grill was not piled high with turkey and both sides of his bread looked like my mirror after a huge zit was conquered. Anyway, back to me. My burger looked and tasted great. I did have a couple wierd bites not knowing if the patty was premade or fresh. But all in all good. My side of baked potato salad (comes with my meal by choice) has great flavor and pretty good texture. It was a little more creamy and runny that I've had in the past. But still not bad at all. Our waitress (future follower) did a great job of keeping my drink full and changing channels when asked. I would like to give her a shoutout for that.
Overall I would give this adventure to Dog and Duck a solid 7.5.
Time: My meal did come last, but not crying about it. Normal time (roughly 7-10 minutes)
Price: $10.64 with tip. Too pricey for this guy and some unusual taxes all over my bill.
Experience: I will return down the road once I save money to eat there.
Atmosphere: Good. Nice and roomy with TV's. Very clean too.
Facilities: Average lunchdump spot. Crack in the door gives strangers the opportunity to see what's going on in there though.
Highs on Trip: Seeing Jeremy Aven again
Lows on Trip: Dog and Duck Prices! Too Much!
Advice: Go there with a rich friend that you know will pick up the bill.
See you next week!
RJ
As we arrived to Dog and Duck I noticed that their were not many parking spots available and not many people were inside. More than likely all the cars were from Moes Southwest Grill customers because some establishment (no names being said) decided to make Moes parking area look like a U-Haul parking lot. Anyway, luckily I found a spot back in the corner right next to the dumpster. No fumes though! That's a good sign.
As I walked up to Dog and Duck I noticed we might have 3 guest appearances at lunch today from our soccer friends. Jeremy Aven (former member of MPSC) and Matt Parmer (current MPSC member) were sitting outside at a table while Kian (current/former/current MPSC member) was on the phone having a serious conversation with the Indian girl from "Bend it like Beckham" about coaching in Mt. Pleasant. I decided to ask them if it was ok if we sat inside today because my favorite table was available near one of the TV's and the special board. Speaking of the special board. WOW! The Cowboy Burger looked really good except it was $8.95.
As I skimmed the menu I noticed that the Yetiburger had all the same ingredients as the Cowboy Burger minus the onion ring and an onion roll for $1.00 less. Come on! $1.00 for an onion ring? Let's go people! Your not outsmarting this heavy eater. I just ordered my Yeti with an onion roll instead of sourdough.
So I went with the Yetiburger. I'm excited and I saved $1.00. So as we sat there we all got to hear from former local celebrity Jeremy Aven about his move to Savannah and about how his tax guy does waaaaay too much Red Bull before seeing clients. It was really good to see him again. Kian was very nice to let us munch on his fries that he did not want during this conversation. Matt and Kian were very much into their Blackberry's during this time. It was either very important stuff from that Indian girl again or just online pornography. You be the judge.
My meal is here and it looks great! Fellow lunchspotter Ish did have a slight pause when he noticed that his turkey-bacon grill was not piled high with turkey and both sides of his bread looked like my mirror after a huge zit was conquered. Anyway, back to me. My burger looked and tasted great. I did have a couple wierd bites not knowing if the patty was premade or fresh. But all in all good. My side of baked potato salad (comes with my meal by choice) has great flavor and pretty good texture. It was a little more creamy and runny that I've had in the past. But still not bad at all. Our waitress (future follower) did a great job of keeping my drink full and changing channels when asked. I would like to give her a shoutout for that.
Overall I would give this adventure to Dog and Duck a solid 7.5.
Time: My meal did come last, but not crying about it. Normal time (roughly 7-10 minutes)
Price: $10.64 with tip. Too pricey for this guy and some unusual taxes all over my bill.
Experience: I will return down the road once I save money to eat there.
Atmosphere: Good. Nice and roomy with TV's. Very clean too.
Facilities: Average lunchdump spot. Crack in the door gives strangers the opportunity to see what's going on in there though.
Highs on Trip: Seeing Jeremy Aven again
Lows on Trip: Dog and Duck Prices! Too Much!
Advice: Go there with a rich friend that you know will pick up the bill.
See you next week!
RJ
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Benitos....... If We Must...
Well followers, today's lunchspot.com crew decided to hit up Benitos after bouncing a few ideas around. We were fortunate enough to have another guest luncher with us today. Sydney Strong, MPSC coach , C of C Women's Soccer assistant coach and a personal favorite of today's blogger was in attendance. Plus one for today's lunch experience right off the bat!
Typically when I walk into an eatery I like to take note of how busy the place is. Once this info is gathered I form an idea on what to expect. An empty restaurant during the lunch rush is not a good sign. Walking in, I noted that the place was almost empty, uh o. We actually happened to be the only party seated in our particular section. This could cause some concern to some but I decided to stay positive by thinking "I bet we will have quick service." Our server was friendly and did a great job in general. Blogger Ish did seem to have some sort of problem with his change upon payment of the bill but would not inform me of the situation. I assume he did not want to negatively affect my blog since he is a fan of the establishment.
The food came after a fairly long wait. I understand that lasagna, spaghetti, and stuffed shells are time consuming dishes but we do only have an hour for lunch. It was agreed upon at the table that the wait was longer than necessary. All of our meals came with a delicious salad that everyone seemed to enjoy. Our guest luncher Sydney was a big fan of the house balsamic honey vinaigrette. I enjoyed my three large shells stuffed with cheese covered in marinara sauce. The only thing that could have made them better would have been a nice bread stick or two for dipping purposes.. I was able to sample the lasagna and was anything but impressed by this weak attempt at what should be a flavorful dish. The meat in the lasagna had little to no flavor at all. My suggestion would be to add in a little sausage or something to spice things up a bit!
All in all, the lunch was good food at a good price. The atmosphere left a little something to be desired though, from the thread bare carpet with gum spots in it upon entrance to the interesting choice of decorations throughout. I did enjoy the conversation about a piece of furniture and whether or not the top was warped from use of just made that way intentionally.
Time: Plan on a long lunch.
Price: Good prices considering the amount of food you get.
Facilities: For me personally, they left a little something to be desired. I didn't make it into the restroom but if they aren't too concerned with the dining room appearance one can only wonder what may lurk behind closed doors.
Highs on trip: Sydney Strong, the delicious salad and the invitation to a Lost season finale party.
Low on trip: Fellow Blogger Ishee throwing me under the bus in front of our guest. Told you I'd bring this up!
Advice: Try it once see what you think but be prepared to wait awhile.
All in all, it was an ok ride. I'd do it again for the good of the group but not on my own.
PS: Be sure to sign up under followers if you haven't already! Spread the word!!
Be easy,
T-Boyd
Typically when I walk into an eatery I like to take note of how busy the place is. Once this info is gathered I form an idea on what to expect. An empty restaurant during the lunch rush is not a good sign. Walking in, I noted that the place was almost empty, uh o. We actually happened to be the only party seated in our particular section. This could cause some concern to some but I decided to stay positive by thinking "I bet we will have quick service." Our server was friendly and did a great job in general. Blogger Ish did seem to have some sort of problem with his change upon payment of the bill but would not inform me of the situation. I assume he did not want to negatively affect my blog since he is a fan of the establishment.
The food came after a fairly long wait. I understand that lasagna, spaghetti, and stuffed shells are time consuming dishes but we do only have an hour for lunch. It was agreed upon at the table that the wait was longer than necessary. All of our meals came with a delicious salad that everyone seemed to enjoy. Our guest luncher Sydney was a big fan of the house balsamic honey vinaigrette. I enjoyed my three large shells stuffed with cheese covered in marinara sauce. The only thing that could have made them better would have been a nice bread stick or two for dipping purposes.. I was able to sample the lasagna and was anything but impressed by this weak attempt at what should be a flavorful dish. The meat in the lasagna had little to no flavor at all. My suggestion would be to add in a little sausage or something to spice things up a bit!
All in all, the lunch was good food at a good price. The atmosphere left a little something to be desired though, from the thread bare carpet with gum spots in it upon entrance to the interesting choice of decorations throughout. I did enjoy the conversation about a piece of furniture and whether or not the top was warped from use of just made that way intentionally.
Time: Plan on a long lunch.
Price: Good prices considering the amount of food you get.
Facilities: For me personally, they left a little something to be desired. I didn't make it into the restroom but if they aren't too concerned with the dining room appearance one can only wonder what may lurk behind closed doors.
Highs on trip: Sydney Strong, the delicious salad and the invitation to a Lost season finale party.
Low on trip: Fellow Blogger Ishee throwing me under the bus in front of our guest. Told you I'd bring this up!
Advice: Try it once see what you think but be prepared to wait awhile.
All in all, it was an ok ride. I'd do it again for the good of the group but not on my own.
PS: Be sure to sign up under followers if you haven't already! Spread the word!!
Be easy,
T-Boyd
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Another Glorious Day at Brixx
Yes, it is Tuesday, and no, we didn't go to Larry's. Curveball day today. We were joined by guest blogger Johnny Cribb today on loan from the beautiful City of Hanahan. Yes, we enjoy to hobnob with the local celebrities. Yesterday, an Assitant Coach for The Citadel's Basketball team. Today, the City Administrator for the City of Hanahan. I know you're probably impressed, but what we're here for is the food.
Since our guest blogger chose Brixx, we went to Brixx. This will be my first blog for Brixx even though it was expressed by one of our beloved "Followers" that they already know about Brixx, and we should really branch out and give other people a chance. I love Brixx.
But on to Brixx... Our server was one of my favorites, she always does a good job, and for some reason the pizza is always good when she waits on us. Today was no exception. Today we tasted the Barbeque Chicken, Roasted Chicken, Pepperoni, and Bacon (I know curveball, right!) All for $5 bucks a pop. These aren't mini-pizzas either. Even RJ was satisfied with this 11" wood fired portion. So fresh, my arm smells like wood from the fire. Not much else to say other than this was a quality Brixx day!!
Time: About 45 minutes, but no hurry today.
Price: $9 with a drink and tip. (to-go cup was quality)
Experience: Just a great experience. Good tv for light viewing. Good Server.
Bathroom: Very clean
Highs: The 4th piece I ate... Delicious
Lows: Watching Jay squirm when a 30 second Lost conversation broke out.
Advice: When in doubt, Brixx.
Stay Classy....
-Ish
Since our guest blogger chose Brixx, we went to Brixx. This will be my first blog for Brixx even though it was expressed by one of our beloved "Followers" that they already know about Brixx, and we should really branch out and give other people a chance. I love Brixx.
But on to Brixx... Our server was one of my favorites, she always does a good job, and for some reason the pizza is always good when she waits on us. Today was no exception. Today we tasted the Barbeque Chicken, Roasted Chicken, Pepperoni, and Bacon (I know curveball, right!) All for $5 bucks a pop. These aren't mini-pizzas either. Even RJ was satisfied with this 11" wood fired portion. So fresh, my arm smells like wood from the fire. Not much else to say other than this was a quality Brixx day!!
Time: About 45 minutes, but no hurry today.
Price: $9 with a drink and tip. (to-go cup was quality)
Experience: Just a great experience. Good tv for light viewing. Good Server.
Bathroom: Very clean
Highs: The 4th piece I ate... Delicious
Lows: Watching Jay squirm when a 30 second Lost conversation broke out.
Advice: When in doubt, Brixx.
Stay Classy....
-Ish
Monday, March 23, 2009
Joey Bag of.....Heaven!
Ah Mondays, to some the most dreaded day of the week but to the lunchspot.com crew it is the one day that no decision is needed on which fine establishment we will be dining at. Of course, I am talking about Moe's Mondays, where the difference between a good meal and a great meal usually depends on timing and scoopage. The timing is important because you either hit the lottery by getting the transfer of fresh rice and/or meat, which fellow blogger RJ was lucky enough to get on todays visit or you get the bottom of the container which although usually still decent it doesn't get you so excited that you start high fiving in the line. Scoopage (i'm not sure if it is a word but should be!) all falls in the hands of the Moes employee.... it's like when the doctor puts you under for surgery you really just hope he takes care of you because its all up to him. Today, as I usually do, I went with the polite approach and asked the scoop guy how he was doing because every little piece of chicken, rice, and black bean matters when it comes to a good Joey. Today it paid off in a big way as the scoop guy was kind enough to go back for a second scoop of chicken. The cheese and lettuce was proportion nicely in my burrito and even though I had a sloppy and somewhat rushed rolling up of my Joey it still turned out to be one of the better Joeys that I can recall.
Time: We had to wait on our special guest Blake "The Freak" Hall so no accurate time was kept
Price: The loyal Moes customers have been rewarded with a return to the $5 price tag on Mondays after a brief increase to $6....paying just $5 for a burrito, chips, and drink makes me happier than Michael Jackson at a little boys swim meet.
Experience: No better way to start a week!
Atmosphere: Besides seeing 3 MPSC people it was decent....i'm joking!!! please don't get Council involved!
Also, I have always wondered why Moes has a tv....it is always on Fox News with no sound....Hello! Why not just put it on a Full House Marathon?
Jay
Time: We had to wait on our special guest Blake "The Freak" Hall so no accurate time was kept
Price: The loyal Moes customers have been rewarded with a return to the $5 price tag on Mondays after a brief increase to $6....paying just $5 for a burrito, chips, and drink makes me happier than Michael Jackson at a little boys swim meet.
Experience: No better way to start a week!
Atmosphere: Besides seeing 3 MPSC people it was decent....i'm joking!!! please don't get Council involved!
Also, I have always wondered why Moes has a tv....it is always on Fox News with no sound....Hello! Why not just put it on a Full House Marathon?
Jay
Friday, March 20, 2009
"Bad Mushroom Trip"...Take it how you want!
I need to apologize to my fans for the belated blog from our Friday March 20th adventure to Mellow Mushroom in Mt. Pleasant. March Madness has us all glued to the television with our brackets. Ahhhhhh Mellow Mushroom. Where do I begin? I know land in Mt. Pleasant is hard to come by and not very cheap but come on guys can we at least get an entrance off of Hwy 17.
I will admit I was very hesitant in saying yes to the Mellow Mushroom trip because I know what kind of prices we are dealing with. By the way I think Mellow Mushroom could have saved a good $5,000 by not building that "trippy" ball fountain as I walked in. What is that? Anyway, my fellow lunchspotters did mention to me that their was a $7.00 special which includes one slice, one tossed salad, and a drink of your choice (minus alcohol). I don't know if any of my fans have seen me physically but I enjoy eating and I like a lot of food. One slice, one salad, and a drink is not filling up this keg of a stomach.
As we walked in the atmosphere was great! Basketball on every TV with Direct TV showing 4 games at once! All we asked for was to be positioned near TV's. Evidently the section to our right was closed which had very exciting tables waiting for us to sit at. And of course no booths were available. That bothers me when you see a guy and a girl having a cute lunch date sitting at a huge booth together. Just get a table so when a party of 4 or more shows up they can have a comfortable booth to sit in. So we were seated in the middle of a very cramped and crowded eating area near the bar. I felt very uncomfortable with our seat. I felt like the world was getting ready to watch me eat a scorching hot pizza (which I'll get to later). OK, moving on.
I decided to go with the 10" cheese pizza for $8.25. No toppings though, and I'm ok with that. My 3 lunchspotters received their salads first, which were a nice size and I was a little jealous. Fellow lunchspotter Matt was very happy with his green olives until the bill came. I thought that was hilarious! My waitress told me at least 3 times that it would be 30 more seconds until my pizza coming. Just tell me it will be out soon that way I'm not looking over Matt's head and through the giant tripped out magic cap next to us for my pizza.
My pizza has finally arrived and I am excited. It looks great! I love Mellow Mushroom crust from previous experiences. My waitress forgot to tell me that it just came out of the oven though. My pizza put the sun to shame with temperature. My fellow lunchspotter Jay thought this was the funniest thing ever. Not funny at all when you burn all tastebuds before you can get one good bite in. Probably my fault though. I should have known.
Overall my pizza was very tasty and good size for one person. The extra $1.25 was well worth it. I would have to give Mellow Mushroom on this trip a solid 7.0.
Time: Waitress screwed the pooch on this one. Not that long though.
Price: Pretty Good. I ordered well though
Experience: Not bad. I will return for the sequel if my partners would like to adventure
Atmosphere: Great! Basketball was on. Seating could have been better though.
Facilites: Very Clean. I would recommend a lunchdump there.
Highs on Trip: My pizza and the price.
Lows on Trip: Seeing the overall menu and prices. Too pricy for this guy.
Advice: Give it a whirl. I definitely recommend the $8.25 10" chesse pizza. Just wait for it to cool down.
I will admit I was very hesitant in saying yes to the Mellow Mushroom trip because I know what kind of prices we are dealing with. By the way I think Mellow Mushroom could have saved a good $5,000 by not building that "trippy" ball fountain as I walked in. What is that? Anyway, my fellow lunchspotters did mention to me that their was a $7.00 special which includes one slice, one tossed salad, and a drink of your choice (minus alcohol). I don't know if any of my fans have seen me physically but I enjoy eating and I like a lot of food. One slice, one salad, and a drink is not filling up this keg of a stomach.
As we walked in the atmosphere was great! Basketball on every TV with Direct TV showing 4 games at once! All we asked for was to be positioned near TV's. Evidently the section to our right was closed which had very exciting tables waiting for us to sit at. And of course no booths were available. That bothers me when you see a guy and a girl having a cute lunch date sitting at a huge booth together. Just get a table so when a party of 4 or more shows up they can have a comfortable booth to sit in. So we were seated in the middle of a very cramped and crowded eating area near the bar. I felt very uncomfortable with our seat. I felt like the world was getting ready to watch me eat a scorching hot pizza (which I'll get to later). OK, moving on.
I decided to go with the 10" cheese pizza for $8.25. No toppings though, and I'm ok with that. My 3 lunchspotters received their salads first, which were a nice size and I was a little jealous. Fellow lunchspotter Matt was very happy with his green olives until the bill came. I thought that was hilarious! My waitress told me at least 3 times that it would be 30 more seconds until my pizza coming. Just tell me it will be out soon that way I'm not looking over Matt's head and through the giant tripped out magic cap next to us for my pizza.
My pizza has finally arrived and I am excited. It looks great! I love Mellow Mushroom crust from previous experiences. My waitress forgot to tell me that it just came out of the oven though. My pizza put the sun to shame with temperature. My fellow lunchspotter Jay thought this was the funniest thing ever. Not funny at all when you burn all tastebuds before you can get one good bite in. Probably my fault though. I should have known.
Overall my pizza was very tasty and good size for one person. The extra $1.25 was well worth it. I would have to give Mellow Mushroom on this trip a solid 7.0.
Time: Waitress screwed the pooch on this one. Not that long though.
Price: Pretty Good. I ordered well though
Experience: Not bad. I will return for the sequel if my partners would like to adventure
Atmosphere: Great! Basketball was on. Seating could have been better though.
Facilites: Very Clean. I would recommend a lunchdump there.
Highs on Trip: My pizza and the price.
Lows on Trip: Seeing the overall menu and prices. Too pricy for this guy.
Advice: Give it a whirl. I definitely recommend the $8.25 10" chesse pizza. Just wait for it to cool down.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Mmm Pizza!
It is said that, “even bad pizza is good”. I would like to add to that “$5 pizza is even better”
Today’s location was Brixx Pizza.
The lunchspot.com crew settled in today with four friends along for the ride. I walked in, sat down at the table and looked to see which server would be helping us today. I got a sick feeling in my gut when I realized that it would be “him”; a server that I had on a previous visit with fellow lunchspot.com’er Jay Rhodes. Our previous experience with said server was miserable at best. So needless to say, I was not looking forward to the service part of this luncheon. Turns out my “friend” still has some things to learn about food service, but he has gotten a little better. I split a salad and pizza with my lady and unlike last time, he got the order right. Unfortunately “he” had a difficult time keeping my water glass supplied with the key ingredient. I guess he changed his mind after he said that he would take our salad bowls/plates away and bring out some plates for us to share our pizza on. Oh well, we improvised and enjoyed our tasty pizza treat.
Food-Side Brixx Salad and BBQ Chicken Pizza. Delicious.
Service-ehhh.. coulda been better. Have had worse from the same server so guess he is getting better. My recommendation is to sit in the bar area. Get the “old guy” or the lady with the tattoo leg and you will be very happy. She may even surprise you and remember your order from last time!
Atmosphere- See Mr. Matt Ishee’s post.
Price- Tuff to beat a $5 pizza special.
Closing remarks- It was a nice ride. I’ll be back for another spin.
-T-Boyd
Today’s location was Brixx Pizza.
The lunchspot.com crew settled in today with four friends along for the ride. I walked in, sat down at the table and looked to see which server would be helping us today. I got a sick feeling in my gut when I realized that it would be “him”; a server that I had on a previous visit with fellow lunchspot.com’er Jay Rhodes. Our previous experience with said server was miserable at best. So needless to say, I was not looking forward to the service part of this luncheon. Turns out my “friend” still has some things to learn about food service, but he has gotten a little better. I split a salad and pizza with my lady and unlike last time, he got the order right. Unfortunately “he” had a difficult time keeping my water glass supplied with the key ingredient. I guess he changed his mind after he said that he would take our salad bowls/plates away and bring out some plates for us to share our pizza on. Oh well, we improvised and enjoyed our tasty pizza treat.
Food-Side Brixx Salad and BBQ Chicken Pizza. Delicious.
Service-ehhh.. coulda been better. Have had worse from the same server so guess he is getting better. My recommendation is to sit in the bar area. Get the “old guy” or the lady with the tattoo leg and you will be very happy. She may even surprise you and remember your order from last time!
Atmosphere- See Mr. Matt Ishee’s post.
Price- Tuff to beat a $5 pizza special.
Closing remarks- It was a nice ride. I’ll be back for another spin.
-T-Boyd
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
King Street Grillehhhh
You know some people might call me picky in my eating habits. I understand that. I don’t see it as picky. I enjoy flavors. I enjoy the myriad of flavors of a nice white cheese dip nestled in between handmade salsa with cilantro and a warm crisp corn tortilla. I look forward to at anytime being able to savor the taste of a simple red sauce and fresh mozzarella atop a delicious hand rolled crust. Those flavors excite my palate. What I got today from the latest lunchspot.com outing at the King Street Grille Mount Pleasant was far from exciting. You may wonder why the extra ‘e’ in Grille? On today’s trip it stood for ‘ehhhh’, because that’s how my experience went.
I know you may be wondering why we decided to take an upgrade and dump the ‘recession friendly’ concept that got us started, but today at King Street as every Wednesday is Half-Price Burgers! Woohoo. Half-Price of a $10 burger. I know what you’re thinking. Wow, King Street must grind their own beef at such a pricey establishment. If they do, they don’t whip that out on half-price day. Good News: you get two patties. Bad News: they are pre-formed frozen stomach grenades that you can buy at Sam’s and feed to your neighbors dog so he gets the runs and screws up your neighbors cookout you weren’t invited to. Not to mention, they don’t do special orders very well. I know I’m picky, but obviously asking for 1000 Island dressing on the side, is now a ‘special order’. I was a trooper when it came to me with more pink mayonnaise on it than Ru’ Paul’s make-up in San Francisco at a Rainbow parade to celebrate the life of Mary Kay. Even so, I tried to eat it, but eventually sent it back and it was replaced with another sub-par burger that left me wondering why Jay loves King Street so much. So:
Time: one hour
Price: $9 with drink (to go drink was a shot glass)
Experience: Terrible would suffice
Bathroom: not needed until I got in the car and somebody pulled the pin
Highs: good music
Lows: the eating part.
Advice: Hold on to your colon.
Until next time….
-ISH
I know you may be wondering why we decided to take an upgrade and dump the ‘recession friendly’ concept that got us started, but today at King Street as every Wednesday is Half-Price Burgers! Woohoo. Half-Price of a $10 burger. I know what you’re thinking. Wow, King Street must grind their own beef at such a pricey establishment. If they do, they don’t whip that out on half-price day. Good News: you get two patties. Bad News: they are pre-formed frozen stomach grenades that you can buy at Sam’s and feed to your neighbors dog so he gets the runs and screws up your neighbors cookout you weren’t invited to. Not to mention, they don’t do special orders very well. I know I’m picky, but obviously asking for 1000 Island dressing on the side, is now a ‘special order’. I was a trooper when it came to me with more pink mayonnaise on it than Ru’ Paul’s make-up in San Francisco at a Rainbow parade to celebrate the life of Mary Kay. Even so, I tried to eat it, but eventually sent it back and it was replaced with another sub-par burger that left me wondering why Jay loves King Street so much. So:
Time: one hour
Price: $9 with drink (to go drink was a shot glass)
Experience: Terrible would suffice
Bathroom: not needed until I got in the car and somebody pulled the pin
Highs: good music
Lows: the eating part.
Advice: Hold on to your colon.
Until next time….
-ISH
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