Tag Archive | restaurant

Farmer Shed – Tuesday lunch

I was on my way to Savannah and was driving through Lexington, SC at lunch time. How fortuitous for me! I decided that I needed to stop by Farmer’s Shed for lunch. I was all ready to order the cranberry pork chop, when the lady taking my order said "That is Wednesday’s menu. Today is Tuesday."

Oh.
I was in a quandary now. I did not know what I wanted to order. I finally decided to get the chicken pot pie, collards, and squash casserole. The collards were very tasty as usual. And the squash casserole was equally wonderful. However, for me, the chicken pot pie was just okay.

(1) I thought I was going to order pork chops. I was so thrown off, that it did not really matter what I ate. The enthusiasm that I had going in was gone.
(2) Even though there was a lot of good flavor in the pot pie, there was so many peas. I don’t like peas. I spend more time picking peas out of the pie than actually eating it.
Complaints aside, the crust on the pie was flakey, delicious goodness. There was a lot of meat which made this very filling. That being said, the peas are a deal breaker so I would not order again. I hate peas that much.

If I do, I will make sure of the day’s menu so I can avoid taste bud disappointment (that has to be a first world problem). All in all, this a Triple D pick that was on point. Sometimes his suggestions can be hit or miss. I am not above giving credit when credit is due. Good going Guy Fieri!

Livingston – Franklin NC

Nov22

Livingston Bar & Grill
Franklin, NC

I went with my Nana to Franklin NC to visit a bed and breakfast. After a day of sightseeing, we wanted a nice dinner. Franklin does not have a lot of chain style restaurants, which was fine with me. Livingston Bar & Grill had a lot of delicious looking Caribbean items on the menu, including many vegetarian entrees. Nana and I decided on Conch Fritters with Key lime mustard sauce ($9) and Cuban Style Pork plate – mojo (pronounced mo-ho) marinated pork served over coconut rice, black beans and fried plantain ($18).

The key lime mustard sauce flavors could have been more developed. The mix sounds good on paper, but did not come through when I tasted it. Fortunately for us, the conch fritters were delicious and did not need any dipping sauce. The batter for the fritters was lightly fried with conch chucks throughout. I was pleased since the last time I had fritters this good, I was in the Bahamas. Who knew I would be able to get conch fritters in the mountains of North Carolina?

The Cuban style pork plate was enough for two people (this is why we shared a plate). I ordered this to-go and received heaping portions of rice with pork piled on top. There were several slices of sweet caramelized fried ripe plantain which balanced the salty, vinegary flavor of the pork. The coconut rice has bits of coconut in it, but it was not sweet to me. The black beans probably absorbed any possible sweetness in the rice.

Overall, everything was very tasty. I would eat here again. I like their interpretation of Caribbean flavors and ingredient combinations. If you are in Franklin NC or just passing through, Livingston Bar & Grill is worth a visit.

Buffalo Grill

Nov20

Buffalo Grill – Main Street, Greenwood SC

Last summer Buffalo Grill opened. They serve wings, burgers, chicken sandwiches and fries. It took me a while to go because I heard they were pricey. Plus, I have another spot that I go and was not interested in trying the competition.

That being said, my friend suggested Buffalo Grill and I decided I did not have a better suggestion and we went. With regards to the cost of the sandwiches, it was not as expensive as I thought. You can expect to pay $7-10 for the sandwiches without fries. Fries are about $3 but the serving sizes are big enough to feed 2 people (maybe even 3 depending on how hungry everyone is). I ordered the buffalo chicken sandwich and it was a big fried piece of meat generously doused in buffalo sauce. The flavor was good and "hot" was not too spicy. And the "buffalo fries" were covered in the same buffalo sauce. A simple concept but I was wondering why no one else has thought of it!

The atmosphere and feel of the restaurant was what I expected. It has an open layout with televisions tuned to the sport’s networks. Servers greeted us with a smile as soon as we walked it. It did take considerable time for us to get our food. That is because they make everything to order. I only mention that because if you are going there for lunch, be prepared to get back to work a little late. Other than that, it was a good meal and I will be back.

I love Fusion – Greenwood SC

Jul31

Fusion Thai and Japanese cuisine in Greenwood SC is one of my favorite restaurants. They serve (as the name implies) Thai and Japanese food.
From the Japanese menu, I like the hibachi chicken, fried rice, and fried vegetable mix (mostly cabbage though). During lunch, the entrée comes with soup and salad. It is not anything too special but it is really tasty. The portion size is also good for me. When I am really hungry, I can eat the whole thing. But on a normal day, if I eat all of my soup and salad, I can eat about half of my chicken and rice. I do not know if they make their ginger dressing, but it is good. The balance of flavors work very well together. I usually ask for extra so that I can put ginger dressing on my hibachi vegetables. Don’t knock until you try it .

From the Thai menu, I usually get one of the various curry dishes (see picture). When I have Thai food, I get white rice. The picture show the dinner portion. I was eating off of this plate for days. I did not realize so much rice comes with the meal (in the silver dish with ladle). When asked how spicy I want my food, I usually go for the medium hot spice. For anyone that eats Thai food knows, Asian spicy can cause a sneaky-take-a-minute-for-your-head-to-catch-fire feeling. And I like it!!! But if you are not used to spicy, let the server know. I do not want you to ruin your meal because you cannot eat the food if it is too spicy. Depending on who you ask, you might not get a real understanding how spicy the food is until you begin to eat it and you are sweating profusely while your nose is running and your tongue goes numb. For me, I like a little foodie torture while I feel the heat.

If you live in Greenwood and you have not been by Fusion, you are missing out on some really delicious food. If you live out of town, do yourself a favor and pass through Greenwood and visit Fusion. You will not be disappointed.

Omega Pancake House – Myrtle Beach

Jun26

Going to Myrtle Beach means eventually ending up at one of the many pancake houses. Unfortunately for us, we went to Omega Pancake House on Kings Hwy near the Convention Center. The fact that there were only 4 cars in the parking lot should have been a clue that we should have went elsewhere. But it was 1:00 in the afternoon. I was thinking that we arrived after the brunch/lunch time rush.

In any case, we entered a nearly empty restaurant.

I ordered French toast, bacon, and 2 fried eggs. Dave ordered chicken sandwich and fries. I did not take a picture of our food because it was kind of sad. Scratch that. It was very sad. I only took a picture of the sign on the outside after I left because I realized that I need to tell people about the disappointment they should expect if they decide to dine at this restaurant.

1. The French toast was Texas toast that has not been fully coated in the egg mixture. It was more fried Texas toast than French toast.

2. The eggs were supposed to be fried hard, but had a very liquid center. I don’t like liquid center.

3. The chicken sandwich was inedible because the chicken was so tough. Dave tried to cut the chicken with a steak knife with little success.

The service at the restaurant was okay and our server was friendly enough. We did not send our food back because we were doubtful the cook would be able to bring us something better. I felt like we were on an episode of Restaurant Impossible BEFORE celebrity chef Robert Irvine shows up. I wanted to go Hell’s Kitchen on the cook and yell “What the #$%* is this mess you are trying to pass off as lunch?” But I did not feel like getting arrested.

I realized the best word to summarize the food was MEDIOCRE

Overall, unless they appear on Restaurant Impossible for a total makeover or have a change in management, I doubt the food will improve. Better to go to IHOP than this pancake house (and that is saying something because I don’t like to recommend chain restaurants).