Jay M.
Google
My girlfriend and I visited South+Pine in Morristown for her birthday lunch on a Saturday afternoon. While we were excited to try the place based on its glowing reviews, our experience turned out to be a bit uneven.
Parking was a hassle, there's no dedicated lot, so we had to find street parking, which was metered and tough to come by on a weekend. We arrived around 3:00 p.m. and found the place nearly empty, with only one other table of diners inside. The space itself was cozy with a rustic charm, highlighted by unique wall decor made of old doors pieced together creatively. It had a quiet, relaxed vibe.
We started off with drinks, the toasted coconut latte and the vanilla bourbon latte. Both were delicious, not overly sweet, and offered a nice balance of flavor and coffee. However, by the end of the drinks, the syrup had settled at the bottom, making the last few sips overly sweet, so I didn’t finish mine completely.
For an appetizer, we shared the spicy lamb meatballs served over Greek yogurt and cucumber relish. They were flavorful, though definitely not spicy despite the name—barely a 1 out of 10 on the spice scale.
For our entrees, I had the short rib and winter veggie hash with poached eggs and chipotle hollandaise, which was pretty good in terms of taste, but I was disappointed by how little short rib was in the dish, it leaned heavily vegetarian. My girlfriend ordered the Fried Chix 2.0 (chicken and waffles), and unfortunately, it was a major letdown. The chicken was bland and lacked seasoning, and even the waffles didn’t impress, which was especially disappointing since she’s a big waffle fan and didn’t even finish it. She said it was bland and chewy. Probably an over mixed batter. We also got a side of Polenta fries, made out of corn meal. These were pretty good, crunchy outer shell with a mushy seasoned corn meal on the inside.
Service started out strong with a kind and attentive waitress who greeted us and brought our drinks. However, the second server who took our food order was less pleasant, her demeanor was curt and a bit rushed, despite the restaurant being nearly empty. At one point, she even pressured my girlfriend to order quickly, and I had to ask her to come back in a few minutes.
Meanwhile, we could see some staff casually chatting at another table, which didn’t make the rushed vibe feel very justified.
We decided to skip dessert and try another spot down the street instead. Overall, South+Pine had some highs, like the lattes and cozy atmosphere, but also several lows, particularly with the entrees and service. I suspect the rave reviews are more reflective of their dinner menu, which we didn’t get to try. I might consider coming back in the future for dinner, but as far as this birthday lunch went, it was just okay.