The James — Restaurant in South Carolina

Our first time. We sat in the bar area. Jennifer was our server. She was great! Good food, too! We will be back.

2nd visit... We got a table for 5. IMHO, this isn't the place to celebrate a special birthday if you're hoping they might do a little something for you...

My mom used to go to a Greek restaurant that was there prior. She had heard it was nice and there was a wait to get in so she wanted to go to celebrate her 80th birthday (that day), my guy's birthday was the day before, and my sister, who surprised us (she lives in Indiana), had a birthday 2 days before and drove down.

I had the chicken piccata, which apparently doesn't come with pasta or potatoes, so a heads up for you, that's a $5 add-on. It also was the favorite dish from the night. My guy and sister shared the ribs and a small prime rib. They both were debating between the 2. They were happy someone didn't get stuck with the ribs. The ribs we thought were just "good." (The slaw wasn't the best). The prime rib was better, but I've had just as good other places. (Our first visit, I had the prime rib sandwich, so I wanted to try something different*)

My mom and her other half shared a large prime rib and a single crab cake. (We weren't impressed by the $20 crab cake. My sister and I had a small bite. That was enough for me) I guess I don't eat out enough, but with those prices, I would recommend this place but with noting the prices to someone.

I'm sure my business won't be missed because they are always packed. I've only eaten there twice because it's hard to get in.

Getting a reservation for more than 4 takes calling in. We did like the reminder text. The restaurant is clean.

My mom notes that they wanted us to buy a dessert so they could put a candle on it... she didn't feel like it was worth it. Yes, it's definitely a nice place for dinner, but we probably won't be celebrating anything special here, or at least not on my dime. And for me... after both meals, afterward I'm bloated. Both times I left with half my meal. I did try at least a bit of the ribs, prime rib, and crab cake. And stole a few...

If I had to give the James a grade, it would be a "B-"-- but with A+ prices.

Ok-- the makeover of the building is lovely, clean and fresh. The server was fine in every way-- prompt, friendly and helpful. Issues come in with menu inconsistencies, overall quality of the food, and the heavy....heavy... prices.

I ordered PEI mussels and fries for my main; the menu says the broth is "white wine, cream, garlic, lemon and herbs." However, I was served PEIs in a strange brew of pepper flakes and over-the-top ginger. The broth wasn't bad (nothing that cutting the amount of ginger couldn't help)-- but there wasn't much broth and it was not what I ordered based on the menu. The grilled bread was cold and very hard. It might have been softened had there been some broth in the bottom of the bowl.

My dining partner had a similar experience with menu inconsistencies. He ordered the crab cakes. They were supposed to be served with grilled asparagus, but instead he was given "fries." As for the crab cakes, they were fine, but nothing special. Here in Charleston, really excellent crab cakes abound, so when we got the "market price" sticker shock of $46-- we were feeling rather cheated about the missing asparagus. (I mean--$46 for two crab cakes, a ramekin of coleslaw and a handful of fries? No, honey--no.)

My partner had two cocktails-- $14 a piece. Ouch.

I leave off saying that the Napa salad we ordered to start was generous, although a bit dry-- and suspiciously similar to the coleslaw mixture on the crab cake dish.

Will we go back? Yes-- to try a few other things before final judgement. We live on Johns Island and are always happy when a new restaurant comes into the mix, but as a Charleston native, I've been spoiled by access to excellent restaurants all my life-- especially when it comes to seafood. There is room for improvement.

Take away: Make sure you're being served what you...

At first glance, the food was good, the service was good, but the takeaway thoughts were conflicted.

First, I am almost always turned off by restaurants of this caliber that parse out their wine by the ounce. Having a glass a wine or two with dinner at an "upscale" restaurant is at least half the enjoyment of the meal for a wine lover. It cheapens things when you are asked how many ounces you want, only to find out that the $14.00 glass came from a bottle of wine that only retails for $15.99!

We also requested to share the 14 0z prime rib -which was more than enough meat for 2 women. We were told sure, but we would have to cut it in half ourselves at the table. They would not cut it for us. I have eaten at many steak houses and fine restaurants and requests like this are almost always met with happy accommodation. Unfortunately, at the James, it was not the case. They supplied us with a steak knife and said have at it. I even had to ask for an additional plate so that we could share it, and to make matters worse we asked for medium rare, and it came out rare and somewhat cold.

Then we both ordered dessert that incredibly were topped with cool whip, not whipped cream. Really? Again, sort or cheesy, not to mention that cool whip is so bad for you.

Lastly, we were also required to pack up our leftovers at the table ourselves, like we were dining at some tavern or pub. Again, dined at a lot of restaurants at this level who take your plates to the kitchen and bring you back the box...in a bag. Not here.

The bill arrived at over $130.00 for 2 people, and while the cost is not my issue here; we did enjoy the food, we were a bit dismayed with the overall lack of service and ambiance that you would expect from a more upscale restaurant.

On a happy note, however, I will state that our waitress was wonderful! Friendly, happy...