Monday, March 8, 2010

Rendezvous Grill (North Charleston, SC)



Rendezvous Grill North Charleston, SC
Location: 7832 Rivers Ave
N Charleston, SC
(843) 572-1566
Specialty Restaurant: Bar/Grill
Food 2/5
Staff 3.5/5
Cleanliness 3/5
Price 2.5/5
Ambiance 3/5
Overall Rating 14/25

When I heard about this place, I didn't know what to expect. The bar and grill Rendezvous is situated in one of North Charleston's most hectic shopping districts and it has changed management 4 times since its opening, and in one instance it completely cleaned out its kitchen. Now, in a lot of normal businesses, the changing of management usually means a huge difference in how things are ran, double this for a restaurant.
All kinds of crazy crap lines the walls. Odd signs and other bizarre curio line the walls, which can be either good or bad. In a drunken haze, the curio would be fascinating source of comedy, while sober, such as I was, it was distracting. However, I must say that the decorations were not nearly as distracting as the guitar soloist/singer in the corner, the tenor that tried his best to sing a Johnny Cash song and some other various hits from other rock legends. He could play his guitar on some and he could sing some, but it didn't seem like he could do both at the same time very well. Hire a drummer and you'll be better.
The food from Rendezvous is imaginative for a bar and grill. They consist of several vegetarian dishes, including my wife's dish, a panini of basil and mozerrella on a croussant, it was $7.50 and too small for that price, but I had a bite and it was very delicious. I ordered their fried seafood platter with oysters, scallops, and shrimp and I was pleasantly surprised at its freshness. I received about 1/2 dozen of each type of fish that was lightly breaded and fried to perfection in some VERY fresh oil. The scallops were about the diameter of a 50-cent-piece and about an inch thick. I had onion rings on the side and they needed to cooked earlier and kept warm in the kitchen to drain the oil from them. They were rather greasy. Their sauces on the side (tartar, cocktail, and bloomin) was tasty, but a little on the spicy side. I had green beans and they came out great. A salad was order for my other accompanyment, and I must say, for a $10 salad, it seemed to be quite disappointing. It was very undersized and I was told that the peaches had turned sour.
The waitress was attentive and patient with our order.
Cleanliness was nothing to write home about. I didn't see any huge bits of food on the silverware, but at the same time, there were smudges. The carpet in the dining room seemed to show every bit of garbage thrown onto it from its customers. Its an ugly carpet. The furnishings however are quite lovely and there is a very nice lounge that is adjacent to the foyer. So, thumbs up on the suade couches and wrought iron/stone tables in front.
To sum this experience up, I'm going to have to say, by all means, if you're looking for a nice drinking experience, this is it for you, but if not steer clear, you won't find the food you're looking for here.

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