Charlie's Still on Main — Restaurant in Milford Charter Township

First off I would like to say that I am very excited that this place has opened because it will be yet another great addition to the Main Steet options in MIlford. The entire place, pretty much anywhere you could sit, has a beautiful view of downtown Milford. A group of four of us visited this restaurant on the 29th and our visit went as follows. We walked in and our wait time was calculated at 45 minutes to an hour, the hostess called us after about 15 minutes. The atmosphere was clean, warm, inviting, and pleasant to look at. The decor is very reminiscent of Kentucky and Tennessee bourbon and whiskey culture. Although I will say after we were seated there seems to about 4 too many tables throughout the entire front of the house. With people sitting in the chairs it was hard to scoot in between them to get to ours. The noise level was a little bit on the louder side but not obnoxious. While the front of the restaurant itself, on the exterior windows has bourbon as one of its main selling points, there was not a bourbon exclusive menu. Our waitress informed us that they are working on having a list put together to have when you first sit down, it was also a little disappointing that she was unable to tell us any prices for any of the bourbons that they had. The tables and floors were clean, attractive, and they even had fresh flowers on the table. While the bussers and wait staff were all hustling and doing a great job, and looked they enjoyed their jobs and wanted to do them well. However the waitresses seemed to be a little clogged at the POS system by the drink pickup. Personally for me I was disappointed that there were plastic straws, disposable plastic salt and pepper grinders, as well as styrofoam take away containers, solely because I am trying to reduce my use of plastics and styrofoams significantly this year. The bourbon prices were very fairly priced, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof was $15 for a healthy pour. I had the Grapefruit Shrub Ruby Red which a bartender made for me at another Milford restaurant after saying to him that I love grapefruit cocktails but no where around the area makes a well balanced one, The Grapefruit Shrub Ruby Red is definitely that, I would highly recommend it! All of the cocktails that I watched the bartenders make were made from scratch in an efficient manner and attention to detail was paid. For a busy night there were managers backing up their wait staff and bussers and bartenders which is always great to see! On top of the excellent drinks, and professional service, the appetizer plates they brought out were warm, the seating was very comfortable and the spicy honey sauce, and chicken gravy that came with the perfectly cooked wings was phenomenal! A preamble to the Hot Chicken Sandwich, if you come to this restaurant and order the Hot Chicken Sandwich without knowing what TRUE hot Chicken from Tennessee is supposed to taste like, and then you complain that the sandwich is "too hot"; then you ordered the wrong thing, and you have no one to blame but yourself. (If you can't make the trip to Prince's Hot Chicken in Nashville then watch the episode of Sean Brock on Mind of a Chef on Netflix visiting Prince's. ) The Sandwich was nostalgic, spicey, flavorful, and downright delicious. It took me back to my very first encounter with hot chicken at Prince's, so much so that I had to relay it to the Chef, they did a superb job with their spice recipe. The seasoned fries that came with the Sandwich were perfectly crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside with the proper amount of seasoning. I ordered a side of Succotash is what I would call it because I don't remember their name for it, but I would definitely recommend that as well! Fried green tomatoes reminded me of ones my Meemaw would make when I was a kid, and the sauce that came with them was on point! We will definitely be coming back again and can't wait to try another one of the awesome...

My grandma and I love this place, and we visit here every time we decide to eat out! The food is amazing. I would go as far to say that it is the most interesting restaurant in Milford, and everyone should try it out! The first few times we visited, we had a lovely waitress (brown hair, glasses, didn’t get her name), but the last two times we have visited, I have had issues with your server, Jordan (blonde hair, had a black bow in it today). I would have given five stars if I did not have the experience that I did. The first time we had her as a server, I waited about 30 minutes before I received the drink I requested. The reason why I eventually got it was because I asked the young man giving us our food if he could get it for me because I believe she had forgotten. I didn’t think anything of it, people make mistakes. BUT when my grandma and I visited today, it happened again. Almost exact same situation. I was waiting for about 20 minutes for the drink I ordered, and she came by saying, “Oh, I totally forgot your coke!” I thought, “Awesome! It’s coming!” But then another 10-15 minutes passed...so she acknowledged to me that she had not given me the drink I asked for, then proceeded to do other things. I finally asked another server if she would be able to grab me my drink once I saw Jordan getting shots for a guest while I still had not received my request. Now I’m thinking this seems intentional because it happened the last time my grandma and I were here. I don’t know why because we are always polite and good tippers. The young girl (blonde hair, black jeans) got back to me within 30 seconds with the drink and straw in hand! I really appreciated the quick service from her. (I also ordered fried shrimp on top of my salad, and Jordan gave me grilled shrimp.)

When we visit, I always order an item to go because my boyfriend also enjoys the food. I ordered a Black n Bleu for him, but Jordan rang it up as the burger I ordered today, the Black Bean BBQ burger. When I explained to her that she processed the wrong item, I felt like she was implying that it was my fault and that she was reluctant to fix the order. She basically said, “When you said order another one, I just assumed it was the black bean burger. I should have asked you to clarify.” But I remember specifically that I said Black n Bleu burger, and my grandma, who is hard of hearing and wears hearing aids, said that she heard me say Black n Bleu. I believe she heard me say order another burger to go, and then just tuned me out. When we visit again, I’m going to politely request another server if we get stuck at one of her tables. All the other servers have been amazing. What should be an enjoyable time creating memories with my grandma turns into an uncomfortable atmosphere...

We had the privilege of attending what we hope is the first of many bourbon tasting dinners. Though not officially opened until 06/26/2019, Charlie and his team created a magical evening for all 57 special guests.

The bourbons for the tastings were all top shelf special selections. Glynn Gutzeit shared bourbon tidbits as he lead the conversation for each bourbon tasting. Throughout the evening we were presented with 5 tastings. Our group of 10 tasters rated 3 of the 5 bourbons outstanding. The first choice hands down was Woodford Reserve Batch Proof from the Masters Collection. It was everything a great bourbon should be....wonderful nose, full flavor on the palate and a warm lengthy finish.

The other 2 favorites were the Old Ezra No. 7. and Blood Oath No. 5. At 117 proof Old Ezra packed a punch assaulting the taste buds and hugging you all the way down. However, once the taste buds were acclimated you couldn’t resist going back for more. The meal ended with Blood Oath No. 5. Every sip was an uncharted, sensory adventure....chocolate, honey with extra shakes of pepper with a bit of orange. Amazing

The chefs prepared a meal that rose up to meet the bourbon tastings. Corn fritters bursting with fresh corn kernels. A salad with a perfectly grilled slice of watermelon, spinach and feta with with a honey balsamic glaze. The shrimp and cheese grits served third, were rapidly devoured leaving guests looking for more.

Charlie’s Smothered Fried Chicken was served next. The chicken was tender and moist, the breading light and delicious. Garlic mashed potatoes with home stock silky gravy with grilled onion was comfort food at its best. When you thought it couldn’t get better we were presented with a rich melt-in-your-mouth coca-cola cake with vanilla drizzle.

Charlie and his entire team of professionals certainly raised the expectations for a great dining experience by giving a...