Scratch Italian Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Beaufort

A southerners idea of authentic Italian.

Atmosphere. ZERO. It didn’t give off Italian Restaurant vibes. The sound track was pop country music! The place just looked like the (former) Fat Patties. Don’t call it high end- not even table cloths on the tables. Portions are smaller, but adequate. Service. I walked in alone just before 5:00 on a Friday night. Thats early. Maybe 5-6 tables taken. Still, I was asked if I had a reservation. No, I’d like to eat at the bar. Service? Holy payroll Batman! I counted 10 servers working front of the house. A couple of people were being trained in the bar area. Service was good. Wine by the glass very limited. I heard someone tell their dinner partner that they wished there were more and better options. There maybe were 3-4 reds by the glass. The overall list is pretty small. I had 1 glass. I got the 2/1 app special (thanks to my server). I ordered the meatballs and the “polenta fries”. Meatballs were not hot. The sauce was nothing special. A friend was there that night and said the same thing. I don’t recommend the Polenta fries. They had a lot of garlic salt, (?) but weren’t real tasty. It’s a very small menu. If there were specials, I didn’t hear about them. I had the short ribs over polenta. Pretty good. I’m thinking no more than 4 oz. Literally served on a 8” plate. Not a dinner plate. For dessert, server recommended Tiramisu. It was only ok. Pretty decent size. Sauce on the side held the most flavor. Friends got the Zeppola and were surprised there was no chocolate sauce -not even a puddle on the plate. Total before tip (including fees and taxes) $66.00. Would give it another try with my SO, but not...

My husband and I were very excited to see an Italian restaurant going into the old Fat Patties. We are in desperate need of some good restaurants around Beaufort, and in particular a good Italian restaurant. Our server was fantastic. We were seated promptly, although it was beside a woman sitting by herself watching videos on her phone with the volume all the way up. Thankfully she was on her way out. The Spritz that I ordered was very good, and my husband’s drink was as expected. They were out of several food items. My husband was hoping for some spaghetti and I was hoping for some ravioli or noodles with a great sauce. The only ravioli offered had butternut squash, so I was disappointed. The waitress said that they don’t have a regular spaghetti, but their’s had crushed tomatoes for the sauce. We were both disappointed in the options. I understand high end Italian, but they need to have more options for those of us that don’t want vegetables in our Italian, or just want noodles with sauce. Maybe they could offer a selection where you pick noodles and pick a sauce. I ended up with a small Caesar salad, and when I say small I mean small. It was puny for the price. My husband got the chicken with veggies, and although it tasted okay, it was bland and extremely small for the price. Overall the service was great and we love the concept, but the menu is lacking and the food is overpriced for what you get. We won’t be back unless they...

After arriving with my party of 5, we sat at the bar. Had the smashed potatoes appetizer, and was not impressed at all. Boiled potatoes, little to no seasoning, completely bland. During our 2 hour experience, our plates first came out for 2 people, then another long 30 minute wait, then another dish, then another 30 minutes, then finally the last two. We didn't eat together, and after asking the manager what's going on, was told they are just merely having kitchen issues. I personally had the orecchiette with sausage and greens, and it was tasty. I also had the little gem Caesar salad, and it was severely underdressed.

I also want to point out that the first time the ravioli was brought out, it was swimming in olive oil. It was more like olive oil soup with butternut squash raviolis. They took it back, and when she got her ravioli (last I might add. We had to remind them they still owe her a ravioli), it was lightly deep fried (probably trying to hurry it out the window). It was also too thick for a ravioli, which made for a weird, fried pasta mouthfeel.

To summarize, wait a while before trying it out and let the owner sort it out with his management team and staff. If they are serious about being a good Italian place, changes will...