Greenville, SC: Sticky Fingers BBQ

Greenville is a nice town with a very cool restored downtown area that is charming and has a number of nice restaurants [and a surprising number of people asking for handouts . . . what's up with that?]. So today was a Sunday and I was disappointed in the number of what looked like great spots that were closed, but you know I like me some BBQ so I settled on Sticky Fingers. What a disappointment!!! The only thing that was good was the beer, everything else was average at best. The ribs looked promising, but the sauce was bland and boring. The mac'n'cheese tasted as if it came from a box and used that nacho cheese stuff rather than real cheese, and the baked beans were tepid. How can this happen in the heartland of BBQ? Then there was the service [or lack there of] . . . I sat at the bar, which is usually a good thing. Not here. The bartender was distracted by everything, including the TV. I had to ask for water, and after the food arrived had to ask for silverware. When I asked for the check and put out my card I actually had to ask him to process the card as he was leaving the area on some other distraction. This place has a prime location in the main street in downtown Greenville and is a prime disappointment. Don't waste your time or the calories, you'd be better off with room service at the hotel.

EatHereOrNot: NOT

Honolulu: Royal Hawaiian: Mai Tai Bar

This is place where the drink was created, on a beautiful terrace overlooking the Pacific in the classic Royal Hawaiian Hotel. I went for lunch and have this to say: BAD SERVICE, BAD ATTITUDE, and BAD FOOD. It was a disaster on every front and I tried to give them some slack.



The bar wasn't crowded, there were open tables when I sat down for a late lunch. After waiting 10 minutes to be acknowledged by the waiter [snippy] I ordered a drink and their Lobster Cobb Salad. The food arrived 40 minutes later . . . with no contact from the waiter in the interim . . . and it was NASTY. The lobster was like rubber and tasteless. The entire salad and plate were tepid, no where close to chilled and dressing nonexistent. Oh, and there was no bacon [listed on the menu description] . . . what's a Cobb Salad without bacon I ask you??? The waiter returned after I was more than half way through the salad and when I asked about the bacon he said "So, do you want me to get some?". My, my. He eventually brought bacon, after I had completed the meal and was waiting for a check and said something like "you already ate your lettuce . . . ". And then said that they'd buy my lunch, basically admitting that it had been a bad experience.



I don't know if they were understaffed, if the kitchen was in chaos or if something was broken. All I know is that the experience was bad and, to compound things, the attitude of the staff was indifferent at best. Thank you, but I'll have my salad in the sun elsewhere next time. And you should too!



EatHereOrNot: NOT!