Lisa M.
Yelp
We sought this place out because we're both from the south and are aaaalllways looking for new places to try, and of course, compare to our favorite places in the South. We really wanted this to be aaamazing.
To start, service was suuuuper slow, but we were out for an afternoon outing, so we just rolled with it. The wait person brought us a "menu," which was a card with a QR code. What if we chose not to bring our phones?!
We ordered bottled water, my spouse ordered a cup of coffee, and I ordered a bloody mary to drink. For starters, we ordered the fried deviled eggs, and for lunch, my spouse chose shrimp and grits, and I chose chicken and waffles.
The first thing we received, after our bottled water, was the fried deviled eggs. The deviled part was pretty good, but we all know what happens to the whites of an egg when it's over-cooked: it gets tough and rubbery. And that's exactly what we ate. Deep fried tough egg whites with deviled yellows atop. I would've much rather preferred fried pickles over these. IF we return, the eggs won't be ordered again.
Next, we received our meals. The shrimp and grits were ok - the grits were thick and gooey, and the sauce over the dish was terrific but also too thick and sorta gluey. And there wasn't enough of it to complete the meal. The chicken and waffles were ok. The chicken was really good, but there were two wings. If I had had my choice, I would've preferred a thigh or breast. There wasn't enough chicken meat to make pace with as much waffle on the plate. And the waffle wasn't belgian (which I was kind of expecting for the price), it was soggy and very mediocre - it seemed like a boxed waffle mix. Also, not what I expected for the hype AND the price.
As we were finishing our meal we were finally brought our beverages. The coffee cup was hotter than the coffee - so it was obvious it had been put in the microwave. Not a travesty here - but the coffee wasn't hot, just the cup was. My bloody mary ended up being the best thing on the table, but it would've been nice to enjoy it before and during the meal, not as we were asking for the check.
Now, as for the check: no one bothered to inform us that there would be an EIGHTEEN PERCENT service charge added to the check. The food, for what it was, was already pricey as heck, and then we got an 18% SERVICE fee attached to the check? And that wasn't even gratuity. So, for lunch, we ended up paying over $100 for a meal I could've DEFINITELY made better in my own kitchen.
So, we continue our hunt for banging southern food in California.
This wasn't it.