Waterfront: Edisto Island, SC

Like I have said in previous posts, we've hit just about every restaurant in Edisto. The Waterfront was one of the only places open during the lunch hour on a Sunday morning so we decided to check it out. They offer a buffet style breakfast and lunch on Sundays. The breakfast buffet has your standard pancakes, fruit, bacon, etc. The lunch buffet is more southern style favorites like corn, grits, green beans, gumbo, biscuits, slaw, fried chicken, etc. Supposedly it is all served until 3 p.m. but my daughters got quite upset when they wanted more pancakes and the kitchen staff began pulling the trays around 2:00p.m.

The service here was really quite slow and awful. They were not even that busy with maybe only 6 tables worth of people and only about 30% full. Our server had our table and one other yet didn't waste a minute telling us how she had hoped it would be a nice, relaxing Sunday morning. I told her I was sorry to have ruined her day.

My husband ordered the buffet and tried a little bit of everything (2 pictures above). The grits were obviously instant, the corn came from a can, the gumbo was mushy, the fried chicken was hardly fried as all of the batter had fallen off. Even the "peaches & cream poundcake" was simply frozen poundcake with canned peach bits & juice poured over the top. Nothing about any of it was made from scratch.

Our friend ordered a blue cheese burger (above). He said it was good, but he also noted that after waiting over an hour for our food (those of us who ordered off the menu and did not get the buffet had to wait over an hour...in a restaurant with 6 tables), he didn't know if it actually tasted so good or that he was so hungry he didn't care.

I ordered the crab cake sandwich and as you can see, the bun is twice the size of my crab cake. Heck...even the onion slice is bigger than the crab cake. The flavor was OK...but definitely not something I would rush back to order.

Our other friend ordered a grilled chicken sandwich topped with American cheese. Nothing special about this either. Like the other menu-items...it was not something that should have taken over an hour to make...especially not when it looked and tasted like it had been thrown together in a mere 5 minutes.

Bottom line: I would not recommend the Waterfront to anyone. The service stinks, the food stinks. Everything about this place just stinks. Go across the street to the Sea Cow. The service may not be much better but at least you will get fresh food and you'll get it fast.

Enterprise Pavilion: Edisto Island, SC

On Edisto Island, there are public beach access areas every so often on the main drag. #1 happens to be conveniently located right next to the Edisto Pavilion restaurant and gift shop. When you're done at the beach, simply throw your stuff back in your car and head inside to get something to eat!

We decided to try some appetizers to start and chose the calamari (above) and the crab balls (below). I will say the calamari was some of the best and freshest I have ever had. The batter was nice and light and the calamari itself was cooked just right...not rubbery like it often can be. The dipping sauce that came with it was fantastic...a jalapeno honey jelly type mixture that had hints of both sweet and spicy. The crab balls were really disappointing as they were basically small crab cakes but battered very thickly to keep from falling apart in the fryer. You just couldn't taste the crab because of the greasy, thick batter. And if you can't taste the crab, then what is the point?

My husband ordered a bowl of the She-Crab soup and although it was clearly fresh (he found crab shell in it), it had not had the chance to thicken up and was quite runny for a cream-based soup. That didn't stop our 4-year-old who stole it and consumed the majority of the bowl. She has a tendency of doing that with soups. He also ordered the jalapeno poppers which he described as "horrible." In fact he only ate one and the rest sat on the plate. They were obviously not fresh and were plucked from the freezer somewhere just prior to being dropped in the fryer.

I chose one of the daily specials which was Mahi-Mahi with 2 sides. The fish itself was a nice-sized portion...too bad it was very over-cooked. I have never before gotten fish stuck in my teeth. Corn on the cob...yes. Steak sometimes...yes. Fish...NO! It should be light and flaky but this was thick and dense. The coleslaw was some of the worst I have ever had and I was quite glad that I had ordered a simple baked potato as my other side. They would have had to try really hard to screw that up. It was at least edible which is more than I can say for the hush puppies that also accompany your entree. They give you a generous serving of TWO (yes only 2)...but I'm guessing this is because they may have noticed no one ever eats both! After the first...no one would dare eat the second. Just like the crab balls they are over-battered and very greasy.

Our friend ordered the daily special of yellow fin tuna. Like my Mahi...the portion size was good. He ordered his steak medium-well...and as you may have guessed...it came out more like a hockey puck. The color of the filet was not the red and white one would expect with a fresh piece of tuna, but rather it was grey and almost black in the middle. Not sure what was up with that?

Our other friend chose the Flounder and crab cake combo. I'm sensing a theme here...OVERDONE. The crab cake was exactly the same thing as the crab balls and were just Eehh.

Bottom line: If you're craving some Calamari, by all means head to the Pavilion. If it's fish you're in the mood for, please save yourself the disappointment and head to Whaley's instead. You'll pay less and get a better quality meal. Don't get us wrong, The Pavilion is still defiantly worth a visit at least once as the views cannot be beat, but you will also pay for that view as this is the only dining option directly on the ocean on the entire island. Stop into the bar located on the other side of the building for a cold beer and an appetizer and all your worries will go away!

Sea Cow: Edisto Island, SC

When on Edisto Island, one of the most recommended and talked about restaurants is The Sea Cow. Like most visitors, we had to go and check it out for ourselves. It is nestled amongst a few older buildings and built up on stilts like most in the area. There is a nice deck that runs between them and the adjacent surf shop and gift shop. As you can see in the photo above, the decking wraps around the restaurant providing outdoor eating space. There is also a small screen porch to enjoy, or you can choose to sit inside, as we did, on a very humid day. It is a small place and we had a party of seven, so we had to wait a bit for our table. At first impression, the staff seem like they would rather be doing anything else than helping their customers. Each person we encountered was so disgruntled they couldn't even fake it if they had been paid a million dollars. But, we still hung in there because we had to see if the food was as good as everyone says it is. We also wanted to find out what Minnesota coleslaw is (at the top of the lunch menu they advertise that every sandwich is served with "Minnesota Cole Slaw"). Being from Minnesota, we weren't really sure what this meant as MN is not famous for coleslaw and in every good coleslaw that is served in MN, the sauce comes from a jar. When my husband asked our server about "MN Cole Slaw" she had no idea what the heck he was talking about and simply walked away and looked at him like he was a crazy man.

Above you will see the soup of the day which was She Crab Soup. My husband began eating it and spared a bite for me...just in time for our 4 year old to snatch it and eat the rest. It was absolutely amazing. You could tell it was made from scratch, with big bites of fresh crab throughout.

A friend of ours ordered the Shrimp Po Boy and had nothing but excellent things to say about it. Lightly battered shrimp in a generous size and portion amount. Served with crispy fries, coleslaw and a side of tartar sauce.

I wanted something lighter so I chose the Shrimp Salad, served with a bagel, coleslaw and fresh fruit. I was a little afraid because I usually hesitate to order any mayonnaise-based menu items. I always wonder if they will be fresh and I get extremely turned off if there is TOO much dressing as I'd like to actually taste the food...not the mayo. But I was pleasantly surprised. The pile of chopped shrimp took up almost half of my plate and was lightly coated and seasoned so beautifully I couldn't stop talking about it. I loved having it paired with the fruit...it made for a refreshing and satisfying meal on a hot day.

Another friend ordered the Moo Cobb Salad which included greens, grilled chicken, bacon, onion, eggs and Feta cheese. A very simple salad but done very well with fresh ingredients.

My husband ordered the Shrimp & Grits which he will tell you repeatedly that they were the #1 Shrimp & Grits he has ever had. He was in love with the gravy and was thrilled that there was almost as much of that as there were grits. The amount of shrimp was plentiful also and the grits themselves were flavorful and creamy.

After all of that food, we couldn't resist trying some of their famous homemade pie. Above is the Apple Peach which our friends say was incredible. Below is the Bourbon Pecan Pie which my husband loved nearly as much as his Shrimp & Grits.

I chose the Coconut Cream pie and I can honestly say, this pie was the single best dessert I have ever eaten. Light, creamy, plenty of coconut flavor but not too sweet. Heaven. That pie was just Heaven. My husband even found out who was responsible for making these incredible homemade pies and he had to make sure she knew we enjoyed them. He proceeded to give her a high-five and then thought for a quick second about ducking, not knowing if she was going to smack him upside the head or not. She didn't and he actually got her to smile. A very nice finish to our perfect meals.

The bottom line: We have now tried just about every restaurant on Edisto Island. Service at all of them is lacking a bit, even at the Sea Cow. BUT...the Sea Cow...BY FAR...has the best food. Not a single bite of anything we had could have been complained about. It was all fresh and plentiful and cooked perfectly. Next time we are down in that neck of the woods...this is where I will be eating.

FATZ EATZ and DRINKZ: Private Menu Tasting

I received a recent email/invitation from Ted Nichols, Operating Partner of FATZ in Greer for a food tasting event for a new summer menu. I have never been to a FATZ so I wasn't really sure what to expect. My perception of the chain is just another Applebee's or Chili's. Also after receiving this I heard a rumor and read an article that FATZ is re-branding the now closed Woodruff location into a sports-bar concept called Tavern 24 and will be changing another upstate location to a fast food themed establishment to mirror Panera. This means that for the Upstate, we only have one FATZ location way the heck up on Wade Hampton in Greer and three run down locations in Spartanburg. Still intrigued...

Dear Tim,

As a valued member of the Blogger community, I'd like to extend to you the opportunity to be among a select group to participate in an exclusive preview of a sampling of our new Summer Menu.

This Private Menu Tasting is hosted by yours truly, Ted Nichols

along with

FATZ leaders Chip Hoskins, SC Area Partner and

Stephen Loftis, VP of Marketing

Thursday, May 24

4:30PM – 6:00PM

at FATZ Greer 

Register by May 4, 2012!

Ted Nichols, Operating Partner

FATZ Greer

1361 W. Wade Hampton Blvd. Ste. A

Greer, SC 29650

I must say that I was kind of excited to attend this event and was all registered and set to go. About a week prior to the event I was sent my final registration and confirmation along with a consent waiver form that I needed to sign. No biggie, right? I went ahead and finalized the registration and was all set to go. I'll be honest, I never read the waiver in the beginning, but as the day arrived, I decided I had better check out what I agreed too first. Well, now I was back on the invitation website to make them aware that I would not be attending, but the site was already shut down so I was a no-show. 

Here is why I decided not to go:

2. Assumption of Risk. I fully comprehend and accept all of the risks associated with my participation in the Event including, without limitation, food sickness, injuries (e.g., without limitation, those arising out of self-inflicted accidents or mishaps, other participants and the like) and death.

This wasn't the only item on the waiver that was just wrong, but I won't bore you with the whole three page affidavit they sent. I find it strange and odd that you would need to sign away your life during a food tasting event. To me this just screams "we are so unsure of our food that we need to test it out on some Human Rats first"! Maybe I over-reacted, but it still made me feel uneasy about the whole thing. Honestly, is this what the world is coming too? Soon we will need to sign waivers releasing any and all accountability from any restaurant and/or business prior to receiving service.

What would have you done if you were invited to this event and had to sign your life away like this to sample some food?