motor supply co bistro

fabulous evening. we've been one time and have been wanting to go back but are waiting until the menu (changed twice a day depending upon what's freshest and most organic, etc) has something irresistible on it again. we check online just before deciding where to go.serviceis terrific. atmosphere nice. our meal was so wonderful i sent out a review to all our out of town friends so they'd want to come for a visit! their menu is unusual - we started with a duck appetizer that was over a potato cake and to die for. my husband had steak and i had fish - can't remember what they were called but both were fabulous.

cool that they change the menu every day and maybe that was the issue with my visit. quickly summed up as "meh". servicewas polite and professional. valet parking was good too. i would definitely suggest looking at menu in advance. i may come back simply to give them benefit of the doubt. i could not give it much more than average at best though.

motor supply company

if you are a fan of thomas keller and like the french laundry or per se, if you have enjoyed the inn at little washington, or binkley’s in cave creek, arizona, you will be pleasantly surprised and enjoy your meal at motor supply company in columbia, south carolina.

i had very modest expectations when my wife and i first dined with chef wesley fulmer and stephanie heikila, the manager. after reading other reviews on line i was not expecting much. i don’t know where those other reviewers who were disappointed ate, but it was not the motor supply we enjoyed two nights in a row while attending the masters.

the menu changes daily and features fresh local products. the creative use of local greens and seafood is what attracted us. on the first night my wife had a north carolina sheepshead (much like a grouper) and i had the shrimp and grits. the preparation and plating were perfect. the fish was perfectly done. the sauces, like the tomato based sauce for the shrimp were subtle and delightful. the second night we had an appetizer of seared scallops with a small piece of smoked lamb bacon. i’d drive here again from virginia for this appetizer alone. it was one of the best things either of us have eaten and we are foodies that have been enjoying fine dining and cooling for many decades. my wife had the swordfish entre and i had the duck. i have never had better duck – and i love duck. the serving is a piece of perfectly done (rare) duck breast and a crispy duck leg. we had dessert (which we don’t frequently do) and it , too was superb. try the pudding with the bourbon cherries (described as a cake on the menu – but really a traditional pudding).

theserviceand wait staff was outstanding – knowledgeable about the ever changing menu, eager to please, but not hovering.

the food here is outstanding – it is five start dining in a friendly bar and grill setting instead of the white tablecloths you might expect in the more traditional five star restaurant. the value of the meal was outstanding. maybe it is because of the location, but i would expect to pay three or four times as much for a meal of this quality.

if you have enjoyed true five star dining, you won’t be disappointed at motor supply.

awful. badserviceand worse food. not a great atomosphere. really disappointed. we had a salad and chicken with dumplings. tasteless and gross. never would return.

very good. a colleague and i took out clients to motor supply company and we had a great meal. two of us got steak, one got tilefish, and another got pork chops; everyone enjoyed their meal. we sat in the outside section and the weather was awesome. the place has goodserviceand great food, will definitely go back.

wow!. oh my goodness, this place was amazing! we found it on urban spoon and decided to give it a try, as it is apparently "the happening place" in columbia. we chose wisely. upon entering i asked for a table for two and was greeted with "do you have a reservation?". this had me concerned, but she also told me they had a fullservicebar which was great, as that's a place that i'm pretty comfortable in. so cutting to the chase, theservicewas excellent, letting me sample a couple beers before ordering. then once settled in with a tasty ale, we started with the mussels steamed in white wine, which were absolutely divine. almost as good as my own, but seasoned with different herbs than i'm used to. maybe lemon grass and a touch of rosemary?? again, quite tasty. then had the ny strip with mashed taters and a bourbon glaze. incredible!! it was all i could do to keep from lifting the plate and licking it clean.

so i've got two more months of visiting columbia, and now that i've discovered this place, i'll be back for multiple visits each trip. so satisfied. so satisfied.

enjoyed. pricey place but very tasty. i had the ny strip. it was cooked perfectly and veggies/mashed potatoes and duck gravy was spot on. very good wine selection as well.servicewas perfect and the atmosphere nice. worth a try.

theserviceis top notch, the atmosphere is really cool, and josh is the best bartender in town. be sure to
try the duck for dinner, and make
sure to have brunch there.

food great -serviceterrible. no excuse for such bad service.

visited by force the other night - outvoted.servicewas slowwww. bread was tasty but tough. serving sizes were just right. temperature of entrées was a bit cool. summary blah blah blah.


-----07 nov, 2010-----

have not been for over 13 years. yes, that's correct, i have not stepped foot into motor supply in over 13 years. it was easter 1997, we entered with a family group of 5, to a rather empty restaurant. we were asked to sit at this couch waiting area, while they got us a table . they offered us a drink (tea), and we waited for about 25 minutes. then a waitress came over and said they would not be able to serve us today and recommended a few other places to eat. yeah, i was shocked, but i did not say a word, and we walked out. and i will never ever return!

quality costs more. if you want to eat cheap, go elsewhere. if you want to dine, sit back and enjoy the ride. charcuterie and cheese board apps were great, entrees - porterhouse pork chop and a steak - were excellent. no room for dessert.servicewas very good and our server was knowledgeable about the menu. imho: msc's food is at the level to which momo's aspires, fails to hit, but overcharges you for anyhow. msc delivers quality ingredients, nicely prepared and presented, with some imagination behind the menu. they merit the prices they charge and i do not resent the bill when it appears.

don't bother - just simply awful. i would certainly like to have the dinner all the other folks on this site are raving about.
ours was sub-par at best.
first of all, the restaurant is filthy. the off-yellow wall we were next to was covered in grease stains, pen and scuff marks. all of the vents that i could observe were fluttering with fluffy mold. so already i was turned off.

and the moment we were seated in the dining room i remembered why i haven't been there in such a long time. it is extremely loud and quite difficult to have a conversation.

the app of mussels were served with a butter/garlic sauce was supposedly with ham. i don't recall what variety of ham, but i can assure you it wasn't supposed to be country ham, which it most certainly was. the broth was thin and a bit salty, but not overly so.

then was the disaster that was called a salad. i know a bit about anchovies and what was placed on my plate was unfit to be delivered for consumption. i didn't think it was possible to make those little briny fishes bland, but mission accomplished. inedible is the only word that fits. my wife's salad was nothing special with tomatoes and a few cukes.

my wife's ribeye was served raw. granted we like rare steaks, but in this case it was ordered medium rare. it wasn't even a good pass at a black and blue. it was sent back and eventually served up on wallpaper paste, better known as mashed potatoes. the steak was promised a sauce of peppers and cheese (don't recall the exact cheese), but what we received was velveeta and rotel. that was scraped off immediately.

my gag grouper was nothing special. just panned seared, but no flavor whatsoever. i could have had a fish stick and tartar sauce with more imagination.

theservicewas not particularly attentive and often we had to flag her down to correct numerous plating issues. wineservicewas non-existent, unless you count arriving and pouring, literally, the last drops into my glass.

what was good? the haricot vert, which was served on both entrees, was perfect.

and yes, we did make our complaints, politely, known to the waitress (i still can't use server as a word). she was apologetic, but that was as far as it went.

overpriced, under-served and food not worth it at virtually any price. stay away!

not that my review matters as the place was packed and folks all around us were stating how pleased they were. apparently a lot of people in columbia truly have no idea what a decent meal tastes like.

great value, not high priced.. this was by far my best dinning experience in columbia, by far. our server could answer all of our questions, she knew he wine menu very well, exceptional detail all around. four of us shared every appetizer on the menu, order our own main dish, and shared two bottles of wine (louis latour pinot noir) the charcuterie plate was my standout for the apps. homemade seeded mustard, i detected maybe a little horse radish and some honey, house made pickles, a mousse pate' and country pate', great mix of both duck and cochon.

the standout for the main dishes were the soft crab and the duck. the soft shell crab was just fried, not too heavy, and the duck was perfect, tender meat, crispy skin..divine.

our bill ran just a bit over $50/person. i would never consider this high priced. ruth's chris will run you more than that per person without wine. msc is moderately priced, but a great value for what you pay. i must recommend this joint.serviceand food combined for an absolutely great experience.

pricey, but worth it.... msc is a bit on the pricier side so we only go for very special occasions, but the food is excellent and theserviceis superb. the portions are not huge, but definitely a great place.

pork poterhouse. we had dinner there last night and theserviceand food were superb. it is hard to rate a particular dish as the menu is handwritten and new daily. we all loved the polenta appetizer and the pork porter house was superb. victoria had the lamb chops and they were perfect! pricey and worth it!!!!