John R.
Yelp
Flat Branch was said to be one of Columbia's best places to eat. Upon our arrival, we walked around the building to find the entrance. The hostess quickly greeted us and provided us a table on the patio. The patio had plenty of shade. The music coming from the speakers was modern and at a low enough tone to be heard, but not interrupt conversation. The atmosphere was laid-back and easy-going. Our waiter quickly arrived at our table and took our drink and food order. He then disappeared for the next 55 minutes. The rest of the patio had additional wait staff that were busy taking care of their tables. The long wait for food must have been unusual because some tables clapped when their food arrived as if they have been waiting as long as we had. After our food arrived, our drinks were delivered to the table. I'd love to experience this establishment again and be able to give it more than three stars. I believe the food would have been better if it was served hot. It had clearly been sitting on the expedition line waiting to be delivered for the bulk of the 55 minutes. I believe the one hour wait for food would have felt like less time had the drink drinks been delivered quickly and our waiter checked on us.
New England-Style Crab Cakes: pub made genuine crab meat patties breaded, and deep fried. With chipotle mayonnaise... is what the menu reads. The 4 Silver Dollar sized patties were overcooked and crispy, unlike any preparation method I have encountered in New England. Served at room temperature on a bed of wilted arugula that led me to believe the patties were cooked earlier and placed under a heat lamp. As far as the "pub made" I can give the benefit of the doubt that "pub made" is the wording on the box the cook took them from in the freezer. If made fresh on sight, it wasn't this week.
Southwest Chicken Taco Salad; grilled chicken, tortilla strips, lettuce, black, olives, diced tomatoes, cheese, ranch, salsa dressing. The salad was acceptable but the only nod to the Southwest was the tortilla chips. There was no salsa in the ranch and no southwest spices on the chicken.
Flat Branch Catfish and Chips: Deep fried cornmeal, battered fish fillets, with fries and tartar sauce. The 4 fillets and fries were sufficient in portion size and the tartar sauce was an addition that was not needed, although delicious. Unfortunately, it was also served at room temperature.
Flat Branch Pub Dip; thinly sliced "house smoked", certified Angus beef, sautéed onions, jack cheese, on a sourdough baguette. Served with Au ju and a stout horseradish sauce. The sandwich was terrible. The meat was cold, and was not smoked in that restaurant. The bread was stale. The fries were also cold. Our table had an empty bottle of ketchup, and when we asked the waiter to bring a new bottle, he brought another empty bottle of ketchup.
Maybe Sunday afternoon at 1:00pm is the wrong time to try FlatBranch. We will try it again during a dinner service during the week to see if they can be redeemed.
