Earle Street Kitchen and Bar — Restaurant in Anderson

I'm going to be honest here and say this review may be a little biased, but nothing will be embellished. I can say that I'm fortunate to get the opportunities I do in life. So when I had the opportunity to go meet up with a new friend in Anderson, SC I jumped at that chance. First, let me say I am not being influenced in any way to write this as this was a few weeks ago. This is coming from my personal feelings and experience at the time but here's where the bias may be, but let me explain. I was brought to the cozy under the bridge venue by a friend of mine who happens to work there on our evening out in the town. At first glance, aesthetically speaking ESK could be my ideal to personally own as a restaurant. The location, the decor, the vibe just give the feeling of good southern hospitality with a new age twist. Again, being 100% transparent; my visit to the establishment was near closing time so I didn't order from the menu and only sat at the bar, but that was plenty of inspiration to be able to write this. As I sipped on one of several local craft beers I see the bartender engaged in conversation at the last seated table in the room. He wasn't rushing to clean up or avoiding eye contact to escape the last few requests. He was full on involved with the table whom seemingly were enjoying themselves. Moments later, I am approached by this same gentleman(leaving name out on purpose) to which he introduces himself. From that point we struck up conversation and talked like we had known each other for years. As my acquaintance and the remaining staff finish up; I continue feel more at home versus just sitting and waiting. Employees were very friendly, and the moral was definitely high. This is a very important element in providing a good service and product. Closing time in a restaurant is a sacred time. Everyone has responsibilities and everyone is on a mission to finish on time. Being that I have first hand experience in this; the atmosphere was still relaxed and mood was inviting. In my opinion, it's nice to experience this during these crazy social distance times. Things are different now. We don't go to simply hang out at our favorite places and grab a bite. We go, we eat, we leave; and this is somewhat expected. At Earle Street Kitchen I didn't get that feeling of being or needing to rush. Sitting down and talking to a stranger felt good. Although, I didn't get to order off of the menu, but looking at what was to offer; I can say there wasn't one thing on there that I wouldn't order for myself. I promised myself that the next opportunity I have to do so, Earle Street Kitchen; the restaurant under the bridge, is on my Anderson South Carolina must...

More like 2.5 stars, being generous leaving 3. Had high hopes but... Came from an hour away for Sunday brunch. They don't take reservations except for parties of 10 or more. Told it would be a 15 minute wait. Ended up being more like 30 minutes. Then when we were seated outside as we requested there were probably the same amount of empty tables as seated tables, so not sure why the delay. Didn't get any menus even after a server came up and rudely asked us what we were drinking. Kinda flying in the dark when it came to wine/bar drinks since we didn't have menus. Finally had to ask someone cleaning a table for them. Someone else brought the drinks except for one. Finally it showed up and that person offered to take our order. The collard green wontons were the hit of the table. They came out hot and were very tasty. The fried pickles were ok because the breading kept falling off. Pickle spears are just too big to be friend properly. Our entrees arrived, again all of them except for one. The chicken and waffles were good. The chicken fried chicken was ok, the green beans and potatoes had no flavor. The pulled pork benedict was good but the side of fried okra was obviously a frozen Sysco product. The pieces were all fried together in big clumps. Now onto the meatloaf...what a disaster...there were huge pieces of BAY LEAVES throughout the entire two slices. The person who ordered it kept having to stop chewing to literally spit the pieces out. And none of us could figure out why the goat cheese crumbles, they added nothing to the taste. The selected sides, collard greens and potatoes were just as bland as the chicken fried chicken sides. Requested salt and pepper but everyone was finished before we got them. Finally got the last entree... the fried chicken Brussel sprout salad, the kitchen forgot to make it. But it was worth the wait except one of the chicken tenders was so burnt it was inedible. Other than that it was amazing. Nice small tender sprouts all coated nicely with a very good honey mustard dressing. Great mesh of flavors from the bacon, cheese, chicken, fresh greens and sprouts. Based on other reviews and the menu I had such high hopes for this place. But was really embarrassed at how disorganized the service was and how bad and bland the majority of the food was especially since we invited 2 friends to make the hour drive with us to try it. Oh, and the other thing, when you request to be seated outside, you are literally seated under a bridge...with pigeons...and pigeon feathers...and...

Food is everything!

That said, let me highlight the positives: The atmosphere has a cool vibe as far as the space. Music playlist is good until it repeats, then wanting more of the genre but not repeats. Good location and easy to get to. Menu is eclectic and a good variety. Love the ghost cheese dominance! Will I return? Yes. But, I'll give instructions before ordering to make sure the mistakes aren't made. So, what are the negatives?

It seemed as if a staff member died during the day. Only our waiter hada smile. Everyone else gave off a real bummer vibe. There were only three tables and a bar sitter, and I didn't see anyone smile the whole time. I know where we live in the stream of time, and the entitlement people feel, but management needs to realize they need to fake it, if necessary.

Like I said at the beginning, the food is everything! Beer is made off-site, so is usually consistent, so no credit to the establishment, but the food is representative of the owners and management. There are so many places to eat in Anderson, you have to be better than mediocre. Why do I say this?

The one gauge of any place I go is whether or not they can cook meat to temp and nut overcook. I ordered the Blueberry burger medium-rare. It came medium-well. So disappointing! And in this day and age, with all the food shows and YouTube videos showing how to cook to temp, the only reason it wouldn't be that easy is, first, management not interested in quality, and cook not interested in putting out good product. Why so adamant? Because my wife ordered a chicken sandwich and it was tough and stringy. Unacceptable! The best thing was the fritters and fried pickles. Sad.

So, why didn't I give only one star? Because I believe in the three strikes rule. This was only my second time, and the first couldn't be judged because I only got a beer.

Who knows, if management reads this and passes on real management style in communicating and correcting, maybe the third time will be better. If so, I'll tell others about this place. If not, well... It seems they do fine anyway, if that's acceptable, but it won't be from my referral.

I really like the place and, if the food was as well cooked as the creativity in the dishes, they would have a great thing. Of course, I see their rating, and figure I'm probably the odd duck. So be it, and enjoy! I spent $60 bucks for what I consider a $20 meal and the only good feeling I have is that, at least, one waiter knows to smile and so glad we got him. He saved the worst...