Lost Isle — Restaurant in South Carolina

December 2024: We went in with such high expectations and I cannot express the level of annihilation in which every expectation was obliterated (wait time/host team, service and food).

Synopsis: If you put raisins in your baked mac and cheese, come here. If you don’t..save your time and money or take the chance hoping our experience was a very off off night for them

We were quoted 10 to 15 minutes and 1 of 2 parties waiting by their standing tables, but the deer in headlights look from the gentleman who assured us he was apart of their host team should have let us know it was of course not going to be 10 to 15 minutes. It was 50 minutes to an hour before we were seated and this was only after we approached the other host team member to let her know how we were quoted incorrectly. She seemed horrified and unaware, but our number was definitely in the system. We waited as long as we could because we truly didn’t want to rush, but what system are they using in which they are not keeping track of parties quote times? It felt like we had to clock in with their team to help them keep track of their guests and just set the tone for the whole experience to come.

Food/Service: You order yourself at both the bar for drinks and an order area by the outdoor kitchen by giving them your table #/tab name. I truly do not get the hype over their whipped ricotta or drinks, but that is a personal preference and I would never leave a 1 star review about that. The only seasonings they know exist is butter and garlic - staple seasonings for sure, but not enough and so over saturated in their bread in multiple dishes. It was like Texas toast on steroids. The bartender service with garnishing and quality matched the unbalanced, horrible cocktail to come.

What I will and am leaving a one star review for is the icing on the cake of this horrible experience: the steak my table ordered MEDIUM RARE and received it Pittsburg Blue aka it was still mooing. When ordering I specifically said, “medium rare, please do not make it too rare” - but the woman taking our order at the kiosk did not move her hands at all to add a note or a modifier, she just smiled and nodded with her hands by her side. Please see the attached photo of how our meat came out, does that look medium rare to you? If the chef or restaurant only serves it rare then that is fine, ONLY if that is communicated I.e. “we recommend that it comes rare, so no modifications can be made”. But, this could not match their service or standards on their best night I am assuming. This is their highest priced cut of meat might I add.

So, keep in mind there is no server coming around to check on you and we tried to get through eating this piece of meat. We truly just couldn’t finish it. No one came to check on our table until after we were done eating and it wasn’t genuine - he seemed rushed and frantic, ready to move on to the next table. I cannot even remember a time me and my friends have ever tipped less than 20% on a dining experience until this - but truly who gave us good service at any point of this experience? From start to finish? No one.

And yes, we paid full price for everything we ordered as we didn’t want to be there any longer than we were kept and didn’t even know who to approach if we had decided to ask for something to be comped. Which, is another uncharted territory we never have to cross into dining downtown where we live or anywhere else in CHS off the peninsula.

Suggestions: a system that allows you to see the original quote time of your parties, qualified people at the door to quote, actual communication or care about meat cooking time/temps, a manager or lead server that makes rounds to tables to genuinely check in on them in a timely manner, mention that your wine by the bottle is actually tap on your menu (we got a “bottle” of Gruner) and bartenders that have ability to answer questions about...

We were so excited to try Lost Isle, so we got a babysitter and set off on this culinary experience! It was a Saturday (9/6), so we arrived about 4:20p. There wasn't a line yet, so we went next door for a drink and returned at 4:50p to about 5 parties in line. We were seated at 5pm and by 5:30pm, there were still a few open spots. We started with drinks. 🥂 🍹I had Thai Me Up, which reminded me of a Creamsicle. I enjoyed the citrus paired with the vanilla. It was refreshing and sure made a pretty picture! 🍹Hubby had Peel the Burn. He really liked it and appreciated the dehydrated banana peel on top, which also made a pretty picture. I'm not a fan of banana flavors, but this drink wasn't overbearing and actually tasted pretty good!

We moved on to food. There were 3 of us and we shared everything we got... 🥣 Whipped Ricotta was my favorite small plate! The sweet and savory paired with the blistered tomato flavor bombs was absolute perfection! 🥣 Charred Eggplant Dip is something I would've never chosen for myself, but was surprised by how good it tasted! This was my second favorite small plate. The texture was similar to hummus, but a but smoother. I enjoyed the sweet and tangy notes and especially the yogurt topper. 🥣 Smoked Fish Dip was kind of basic, but still good. I just wasn't blown away by it. 💡Pro-tip: If you run out of bread, ask for more! There's no extra charge. 😉 Onto more food! 🍽️ Hubby had Fire Roasted Sapelo Island Clams and this was not something I would've considered, but the flavor was AH-MAZING! Sweet and a little spicy, sour and tangy, we dipped bread in the juice to finish the dish! 🍽️Harissa Cauliflower Steak was what our friend ordered and I was also pleasantly surprised by the flavor explosion! I would've never chosen that dish, but I like it better than my own! 🍽️ I choose the Smoked Tomahawk Pork Chop because I'm a sucker for a good pork chop and surely such a renowned restaurant would have a great pork chop... But I was majorly disappointed. I felt that the overall pork chop was way too charred and a little overdone, if I'm being honest. I didn't feel like I got all the amazing flavors because all I could taste was... char. 😭 I only ate 3 bites before I just couldn't do it anymore. My friend said that the last time she was there it was a lot different, so maybe it was just a bad day? Thankfully, the sides helped! 🍽️Curry Braised Collards were hands down the best collards I've ever had... And I'm from TN! So juicy, lots of curry flavor but not to the point it was too spicy. I wanted to eat the entire bowl by myself! 🍽️ Crispy Grit Cakes were second in line for best sides. The cake itself is just a vehicle for the toppers, but that's grits in general, so I was ok with it! The cashew romesco was a nice balance to the creamy goat cheese. 🍽️Smoked Brussels Sprouts were my hubby's choice, but I didn't care too much for them. They were a little spicy and I'm just not a fan of Brussels anyway. We had one more round of drinks before heading out.. 🍹Down the Wabbit Hole was our friend's drink and I got a taste. It was a nice drink without too much bitterness that campari can sometimes give. 🍹 Hubby had Gintonica, which I'm not a tonic fan but enjoyed this! The tonic isn't overpowering as it's more balanced with whatever else is in the drink. 🍹🚫I opted for the Aplos Arise in the Pomegranate No-Jito as I've been getting more into zero proof drinks. I actually really liked it and wished I had done it for both my drinks! It's light and refreshing and not overly sugary like many mocktails can be.

The evening was beautiful and not too hot. There are fans to keep things cool and the bugs down, however... 💡 Wear bug spray because there are tons of mosquitoes. You'll start feeling them when you get in line.

Overall it was an awesome experience and we hope to return, especially since I need to redo from my main...

First, let me say that the food, drinks, and the atmosphere here are ABSOLUTELY amazing. It really does deserve the write up in the New York Times. Truly amazing, really!

The reason I give it three stars overall is that the lack of table service is quite puzzling. So the concept is everything thing is outside, there is an open air grill where everything is prepared, all of the seating is outside, the bar is outside, everything. Again, this adds to its allure. However, there is only full service at the bar. Meaning, if you are seated at a table, no one comes to take your order, you have to walk up to a food ordering station and once the meal is prepared, someone does bring it out to you. Where our group were scratching our heads is that if you want a drink, you have to wait on line for the bar. If you’re there with a group or perhaps on a date, each time you want to have another cocktail, glass of tea, etc., you must walk up and wait in line at the bar and that wait can be several minutes. It was taking us 15-20 minutes each time as the bar is PACKED not only with the people enjoying full service at the bar, but everyone else waiting in line to get their drinks as well.

I asked one of the staff the purpose of this and they mentioned it was so people mingle. Ok, I get wanting to mingle, but what if we want a nice intimate dinner with family, friends, or possibly a date….we ant to spend time with them, sitting comfortably where we can converse, not on line waiting for our drinks.

With alcohol typically being the highest margin item at a restaurant, why create barriers for that?

It just didn’t make any sense to anyone at our table. We became frustrated with the up and down of trying to get another glass of wine that we just switched to water…..and by no means, were we trying to get intoxicated, we just wanted a couple of glasses of win through our dinner.

With wait service being one of the most affordable labor positions for a restaurant, this is truly mind-boggling.

Again, the atmosphere, the food, drinks, and the service where there is service are all amazing. It was our feeling that this one small change would catapult this restaurant even further into the dining...