don't believe the hype. at the end of our trip tocharlestoni wanted to stop by to sample this place. i had heard a lot about it, and read several items singing it's praises, so i didn't think the trip would be complete without sampling it.
first thing when you sit down is you get a bowl of sweet pickles. bt they're a little deceptive, as in addition to being very sweet, there are also whole black peppercorns sprinkled throughout. so you have a very sweet items, then you get blasted with a burst of heat when you catch a peppercorn (maybe by mistake) or when you get the remnants of one. it's very intense, and not a welcome sensation if you aren't expecting it.
the next thing i noticed was the lack of any kids menu or kid-sized portions. this really surprised me, as this place seems to pitch itself as a family restaurant. it's sitting on meeting street, just down the street from a hotel, in a high tourist area, but yet it doesn't have anything for children? i'll buy that at husk, but not here.
so my wife, son, and i order our food, and it comes promptly. my wife orders the meatloaf, and while she ate it, she's thought it had a little too much green pepper flavor for her liking. as she said, to each their own on that.
my four year old son was forced to get the full sized turkey sandwich. he ate the turkey, which by itself was a tad dry, and had the fries as well. i thought the fries were cooked ok, but i've had better. plus they were seasoned with copious amounts of seasoning salt--the same thing you an get at the grocery. not all that good, really.
then came my meal. fried chicken, okra gumbo, and mashed sweet potatoes. in reverse order, i thought the potatoes were fine enough. it's kinda hard to screw up sweet potatoes. mash a potato, add brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. easy.
then there was the gumbo. to me it tasted very bland. i didn't expect it to be extra spicy or have a nice kick to it (i wasn't in a cajun place, after all), but i expected there to something. and there just wasn't. i didn't finish it, which is painful for me to type.
and finally there was the chicken. it tasted exactly like the fried chicken i get back home from the grocery store's deli counter. exactly like it. i wish that was a compliment on how good my grocery is, but alas it is not. the chicken was fine and juicy, but the breading and seasoning were very disappointing.
i didn't expect to walk out if jestine's kitchen proclaiming, "oh lordy, lordy! now i know i have done been to the south, child!" but i thought i might get a dash of southern authenticity i can't get at home. barring that, i felt sure i would at least get a good meal. sadly, i don't think i got the former, and i know i didn't get the latter.
this was easily the most disappointing meal of the trip.