I have been quite busy so here is a long-awaited review.... South 21.
I went here after driving by it several times and seeing it on the Food Network. I know Guy (from Diner's Drive-ins and Dives) raved about it on his show - especially the onion rings. Well, here's my review of the place.
Upon entering, the place seemed clean and service was friendly. I ordered the Jumbo Cheeseburger (a Super Boy with Cheese) and onion rings. I waited about 5 minutes and bingo - my meal was ready. The burger on first glance looked pretty good as it was topped with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and onions. I did notice that the burger patty itself was thin - like a McDonald's hamburger patty. So - having the two patties seemed more like a 'normal sized' burger. I took a bite and the cheese was melted nicely and oozed out. The bun was nicely toasted but the taste of the burger confirmed my initial glance of the thin patties. I was able to eat the burger pretty quickly.
Next, the onion rings. They were thin thin thin - just like the burger patty. I bit into them hoping for a gush of flavor - but nothing, nada, zeltch. No flavor in the batter and barely an onion inside the fried ring. I was very disappointed due to all the hype placed upon this onion ring. The onion rings were also very dry. No moisture+no flavor makes CLT Food Ghost a dull ghost. I had to use ketchup to choke a few more down.
Maybe it was an off day, but overall I was not impressed. And concluded that either Guy's tastebuds are wacked or he's a very good liar.
The service was great but the food... well... I give South 21 2.5 ghosts (with service saving them).
I can get a better burger elsewhere - one place being my own grill. Sorry South 21.
South 21 has a Matthews location which is more sit-down and the drive-in location up on Independence on the way to Uptown.
http://www.south21drivein.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment