1312 Newcastle Street

Brunswick, Georgia 31520

(912) 267-5630

Jim's Store Front

On a trip to visit family we decided to take a detour to see the city known as Historic Brunswick, Georgia.  On this journey we find almost no places to grab breakfast in the downtown area. Near the end of the downtown area is a little place called Jim’s Corner Cafe Dessert Bar. The building is very old, I am guessing from the early 1900’s. You really do get the feel of stepping back in time as you grab your table in the cafe. Seating is limited in this charming cafe, with only a few tables and chairs, and no booths. Lighting is a little bit dimmer than that of most places but it is a historic building and not so dark that it is an inconvenience.

Jim's Dining Room

The gentleman that was waiting on tables this morning was very nice and quick to help us. He gave us the menus and it did not take us long to decide on the omelets. When it comes to the breakfast items they are a little bit limited on the choices but not so much that you can’t find something. The omelets are priced as most places are in the $6 to $7 range or you can choose a cheese omelet for just over $5. What I was looking for was the Ham and Cheese omelet with biscuits. In my quick response I ask the young man if they have a side of gravy so I can make me a plate of biscuit and gravy too. He checks with the kitchen and they can do it, yay me!

Pie's Breakfast

While waiting for the food I am soaking in the atmosphere of what was either an old drugstore or maybe a grocery store. The place was pretty well filled with customers and when I asked the waiter if Jim was a real person he said yes that he had been in the back of the dining room for the first few minutes that we were there. Just a few moments later our food arrived and quite possibly the fluffiest omelets I have ever seen. They were almost like a piece of culinary art. Not to forget the biscuits were huge! A few minutes later the waiter brought me a side of gravy to pour over my biscuits. This was a perfect breakfast with a cook that knows what to do in the kitchen. As a matter of fact I cannot rave on the omelet or the biscuits and gravy any more than to say it was fantastic. If not for Jim’s Corner Cafe Dessert Bar being over an hour away and also the smell of the paper mill in Brunswick we would make this place a regular stop. Apparently this is a regular stop for those who go to the resort areas of St Simons or Jeckyll Island.

Rhonette's Breakfast

Upon receiving our bill we were offered drinks to go, which we decided not to get. The bill however was a bit of a shock to me, due to the fact that they did not give me a side of gravy. Instead I was charged for a full order of biscuits and gravy. It is one of those things that I look at and say, that meal was fantastic I just won’t order the gravy next time. If you find yourself in Brunswick then swing through the downtown area for a meal. They are closed on Mondays but offer breakfast and lunch all the other days of the week. With a menu that offers burgers, sandwiches, soups, and pastas that all range from $6 to no more than $9 you have you pick of what has proved to me a great meal.

Front of Jim's Menu

Review by Pie, email: pie@piesplate.com

7895 Normandy Blvd

Jacksonville, FL

(904) 783-0987

Store Front

My first visit to Mr. Sandwich was in 2007, and the beginning of many, many breakfast stops. Even though Mr. Sandwich is open for lunch and occasionally dinner my personal history is only during breakfast. Tucked away in the corner of a Winn Dixie shopping center just west of I 295 Mr. Sandwich is a bit more than your typical sandwich shop. The location on Normandy Blvd has been the home of Mr. Sandwich for over 25 years, and has recently attempted in a name change to Corner American Grill. Understanding that tradition is going to prevail they have decided to keep the name Mr. Sandwich..

My friend and I first found Mr. Sandwich while looking for breakfast one Saturday morning after going to a weight loss meeting. Since then my breakfast of choice has almost always been the same and no, it is not weight loss friendly. The shop serves breakfast till 11:00 am and is a short menu but they are willing to be as creative you would like with the items they have. My personal favorite breakfast items are the scrambled eggs, sausage and toast, but I like to add a side of 2 cinnamon pancakes. When you place the order at the counter and take your seat beware that in just a few minutes you will need to go back to the counter to pick up your food. 

Menu

On the day that I made my last stop to Mr. Sandwich I sat there watching Rachel Ray on the HDTV set up behind the counter. The T.V. has been set up and they encourage people to stop in to watch football games on Saturdays. According to the menu they are closed on Sundays, so the NFL games would be out of the question. But when you stop by for breakfast you get to watch things like, Rachel Ray. In another corner they have a couple of video games that you can play. 

Breakfast

The gentleman behind the counter lets me know that my food is ready, I grab it and sit back down. Assuming that my pancakes were either ready or soon to be ready I decide to wait for them before I begin to eat. This was a mistake though; it took another 6-7 minutes for them to be ready. I say 6 to 7 because I knew that it was more than 5 but less than 10. By the time that they were ready my eggs were cold, maybe I am being picky but my personal preference is to have all of my food at the same time. The gentleman that took my order and prepared my food noticed that I was not totally happy and re-cooked my eggs and sausage. Thank You sir for that.

Cinnamon Pancakes

One of the best breakfast items in the city of Jacksonville is the cinnamon pancakes that are offered at Mr. Sandwich. The eggs are eggs and same with the sausage. Basically nothing special with most of the breakfast but it is worth going out of the way for just the pancakes. For the pancakes you will spend under $3.25 for two and under $4.00 for three. You can’t find an item for breakfast over five bucks, with the sandwiches as low as $2.19. If you are hungry for lunch you should know that the burgers are all under five dollars and same goes for the salads. They offer wings as well and even have beer on tap. Soon I will make stop for the lunch just so I can give you the reader a different option than just breakfast. 

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

3rd Street (A1A) & 9th Street South

Jacksonville Beach, Florida

(904)270-0080

www.thirdstreetdiner.com

3rd Street Diner

OPA! OPA! OPA!  Yeah! Sorry, I had just got into the Greek spirit. The 3rd Street Diner is a Greek influenced restaurant in the beaches area of Jacksonville, Florida. For years there has been a restaurant in this location either a Chinese place or as in the last few years the 3rd Street Diner. When these guys opened, they were a 24 hour diner, but now they are known as a late night diner. Now instead of around the clock they are opened till 2 am. They also offer a large menu of both American and Greek food, either for dine in or delivery.

Dining Room

On the day that we stopped in, neither one of us had been to the 3rd Street Diner before. This would be a new experience for the both of us. As we were seated we noticed the table was extremely uneven and would wobble back and forth to the point that drinks would spill. Rhonette had to take a small stack of napkins to wipe the old food off of her chair, and we needed the server to wipe down the table that had dried food on it. So the beginning of this visit is taking its toll and we are on very edge of getting up to leave and go to get tacos down the street. We really wanted to give another place a try and so we allowed this beginning flaw to slide for now.

After looking at this menu of 5 full pages and watching other’s food come out we are still at a bit of a loss of what to order. When our server comes we both just go with the first thing that we see on the menu at that time and hope for the best. My order was for the Chicken Rueben but instead of the French fries I asked if they would substitute the roasted Greek potato wedges, to which they were glad to accommodate. Our server took off to put in our order and we were still talking about the place in a manner of negativity. This will always happen to either someone who is writing a review or anyone who has an opinion. Notice it for yourself, the next time that you are with friends at a restaurant, if you start off with a bad experience you will look for every negative aspect of the rest of the time that you are at that place. 

Chicken Rueben

With this in mind we are hoping that we have not made a mistake by not going to the taco place down the street. We are glad we stayed; the 3rd Street Diner hit a home run with our meals. Typically I only talk about my meals in these reviews, but in this case I will mention that both my meal and the potato salad that Rhonette ordered was great. Let me start with the Chicken Ruben, the server gave me a small dish with the Russian dressing to put on the sandwich. This dressing was amazing, so amazing that I asked the waitress to tell me about the recipe that is a specialty of the chef on duty. It was the must have on the Chicken Ruben, and the flavor was so full and not overbearing. The roasted potatoes were in the Greek style, drenched in olive oil and spices on top. These potatoes are not listed on the main menu but on the Greek section near the back. Not having had the French fries at 3rd Street Diner I cannot tell you that you must get the roasted potatoes, but I will tell you that the next time that I am there that I will get the roasted potatoes. 

Rhonette's Potato Salad

If the Chicken Ruben for $8.95 is not your style then you can get a hot dog for $3.95, a club sandwich for under 9 bucks, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, salads, or if you want a seafood dinner they have the option of fried seafood dishes in the $15 range or even broiled selections for just a bit more. For those of you that have little ones, the 3rd Street Diner has several items on the kids menu including pancakes, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti with meatball and more. All the kids’ items include a soda or iced tea and they are willing to substitute fresh veggies for the French fries all for under five dollars.

Desserts

I will let you know that on the way out of the 3rd Street Diner I looked at the desserts that are almost all made on location. The items that are not made there are ordered directly from a bakery in New York. Also, I got a cannoli, typically I do not like a cannoli, however this one was calling my name and boy was it good. 

If you find yourself at the beaches of Jacksonville and are hungry I highly recommend 3rd Street Diner, it is worth the wait and the dirty tables.

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

2245 Leaphart Road

West Columbia, SC 29169

(803) 796-0291

Terry's Diner

For over forty years there has been a restaurant in West Columbia South Carolina that is the epitome of a mom and pop style diner. When you step into Terry’s Diner and grab your seat in either the smoking or the non smoking section you feel a sense of Americana. It is a feeling that this country seems to be losing at a rapid pace. This is the kind of place that families have been visiting for many years. As a matter of fact Toby Taylor was the owner of Terry’s for over twenty years, but in recent years a customer bought Terry’s and gave it to his daughter. His daughter is Jessica and grew up going to Terry’s. She is now scene behind the counter working over the grill. She also is the first one to see you walk in the door and makes sure that you are greeted on your way to your table.

Smoking or No Smoking?

On this particular morning that we came in there was a big football game in town. All the staff was wearing the colors of their favorite team…some in orange, white and purple and some in crimson and black. The rivalry between the Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers was the only thing on the mind of everyone in the Columbia, South Carolina area on this day. Since the game was being played in Columbia only about 10 miles away there was talk amongst the customers about traffic and which would be the best way to go. At one time Jessica made an announcement loud enough for the entire place to hear, “It’s just over 2 hours till kickoff y’all”. We knew that by noon that Terry’s would be deserted.

3 Eggs & Hash

On this our breakfast stop I decided that I would order 3 eggs over medium and corned beef hash. When we sat down this was the meal I wanted but later I got a taste of the onion sausage and kind of wished that I had ordered that instead, but we will get to that in a few. When my meal came I have to say that my eggs were more on the easy side than the medium, but that can also be a personal preference. The corned beef hash was basic and might have come straight from a can. If it did or if it didn’t come from a can, in this case I do not care, cause it was delicious. I also had some wheat toast there to ’sop’ up the plate. Trust me; this is the kind of restaurant that you are expected to use your toast or biscuit for cleaning your plate.

The Grill

Terry’s Diner is one of those places that when the hand written ticket is given to you there is no pricing on there. So unless you are adding it up as you go, you will need to wait for the cashier to ring it up for the total. But not to worry, the total for the two of us including coffee and soda was less than $11.00 including our tip we were out for under $15. This was a surprise, due to the fact that we got a lot of food. As we waited at the register they were cooking up some fresh sausage. They told me that the sausage is from a local meat shop from nearby Lexington, S.C..  They offer a couple of different sausages but the one that caught my eye was a sausage made with onion in it. As they said, it was the healthier of the two. By healthy they did not mean ‘good for you’ healthy, but larger and more of a thick piece. At this point Jessica offered me a piece of the sausage for a sample. Thinking that she would give me a sliver I was anxious to get a piece. Actually she gave me a good side order size of the sausage on a napkin. This sausage was fantastic, so much so that for the next hour I would continue to make comment about it. So the next time that I visit Terry’s I will get the onion sausage either as a side or maybe in an omelet.

 Unfortunately getting to Terry’s is a little bit of a challenge if you are not from the area. It is so good that I would like to tell everyone passing though to go by there but, if you are not using a map finding program on your phone or computer this could get you lost. Let’s say this… Leaphart Road is off of 378 in the West Columbia area not far from I 20. It will sneak up on you though. When you see the Waffle House on 378 there is only one way that you can turn, take that turn and follow for about 2 miles (more or less) Terry’s Diner is on the right near a barber shop. If you are not used to directions in the south, this is kind of a common way to give them. Personally I do hope that you will swing by and eat at Terry’s Diner, you will enjoy it I am sure.

Review by Pie, email: pie@piesplate.com

1367 Cassat Ave
Jacksonville, FL 32205-7084
(904) 387-6866

 It sometimes seems as if there are more hole in the wall sandwich shops in Jacksonville than there are cars, or sushi places. Okay, so maybe that is an exaggeration. But with that said, there are a lot of them. Jacksonville seems to pride themselves in quick, blue-collar, mom n pops style places to grab a quick ‘grinder’ or burger. All of these shops offer your basic breakfast and lunch. Most of these places close by 4 and are not opened on the weekends. Gators Deli on the west side of Jacksonville is no exception to this rule. They offer good basic food from 7 am till 3 pm on Monday thru Friday.

 The two visits that I have made to Gators have both been during breakfast. It just so happens that the location that I get my oil changes done for my car are in walking distance of Gators. Apparently this cafe is popular with the mothers and fathers to grab something for their kids on the way to school. Its location is on a very busy road full of car dealerships, car washes and a few garages. When you sit in the Deli and ‘people watch’ you will notice a pattern of pick-up trucks, work vans and the hard workers that have made America great. You won’t see any $3,000 suits here.

 The gentleman that is the owner of Gators is also the one who will take your order. He also will tell you when the order is up and ready. This gentleman is an Asian man who introduces himself as Sam. Sam told me that he bought the business 11 yrs ago. One thing you can tell the very second you walk in is that he is a major University of Florida fan. Not just the Gators football team, but softball, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball. There are posters that literally wallpaper this establishment dating back to the 80’s. When I was at the counter ready to place my order, I noticed on the menu that breakfast is served till 10:46. Naturally I asked Sam about the odd time of 10:46. He let me know that customers would ask for one more minute…just one more minute. So, he gave them the one more minute. This little place is full of character between the Gator stuff on the wall, to Sam and to the people that stop by for their food.

 With my belly growling for some breakfast I decide to get the 2 eggs (scrambled), bacon and the grits. When asked the kind of toast I would like I asked if I could get a bagel, Sam said sure, and called it bagel toast. I heard him call the order back to the kitchen and even then he said ‘bagel toast’. After sitting in the front of the restaurant for a few minutes I hear Sam at the counter. He yells out ‘Eggs, Bacon, Grits and Bagel Toast’ to let me know the order is ready. I grabbed my food and sat back down. The eggs, bacon and the ‘bagel toast’ were perfect nourishment for what I was needing. The flavor was good and the eggs were not over cooked. Now the grits were another story. They were watery and obviously not made by a Southerner. For those of you who are not from the South you probably would not care, but for those of us who are…we do! If grits are not your thing they do offer what they call ‘chunky hashbrowns’.

 Gators Deli offers a daily lunch special that cost $7.39. They vary from a turkey sub to an Oriental Special of fried rice and egg rolls. All lunch specials are served with fries and a drink. They serve Coke products and I would recommend that instead of the tea. At least on the day that I stopped in the tea was very bitter. 

Before I left I wanted to stop by the men’s room to wash my hands. The restroom is a one room with a toilet and a urinal. No divider walls in between either. After washing my hands I realized that actually locking the door to the bathroom was nearly impossible. Of the whole place the bathroom was the least clean of anywhere in the place.

When it comes down to it and you are looking for a good meal, you should give Sam and his Gators Deli a try. Just don’t wear a UGA or FSU shirt in there!

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

St. Augustine, FL

 Late on a Sunday night in the tourist town of St. Augustine, Florida is a difficult time to find a quality restaurant. Typically the reviews that we will be doing with Pie’s Plate are going to be either more of an independent style restaurant and not a chain…unlike in this review. (For this review, we aren’t even going to list the addresses; just know that these are the only restaurants by their name in St. Augustine)  However, finding ourselves in St. Augustine on a Sunday night after a concert, we were hungry.  Like most small southern towns, St. Augustine is one of those that closes down early. This left us with the option of the Village Inn to grab a meal.

 As we stood in the entrance of the restaurant and waited to be seated we noticed that they not real busy. But we waited to be seated nonetheless. We waited for a few minutes, which was ok. The manager took us to the very back of the almost empty restaurant to be seated. The tables near the back are also right next to the kitchen. So, that section was very warm with no fans or air circulation of any kind. After asking if we could move to a cooler area, the hostess said to go ahead and pick where we would like to sit. After finally grabbing a booth near the front we were told that our waitress is named April and would be with us soon. After waiting for a few minutes and looking over our shoulders for ‘April’ we were finally recognized. We ordered our drinks and listened to a story about people asking April for her “pie” (yep, we didn’t need to hear that).  We were ready to give our food ordered then, but that would have to wait because April left to get our drinks. April returned a few minutes later with our drinks and with absolutely no exchange of words as she turned and walked away. We finished our drinks and waited. Numerous times we turned to get someone’s attention. Then finally, frustrated, we decided to leave. As we got to the counter the manager/hostess greeted us at the register and asked if there was a problem because she saw us looking for assistance. (Personal note here, if you are a manager and witness such a scene, take the matter into your own hands and speak to the customers before they decide to leave) Even though the manager/hostess told us she would comp our meal, we were not ready to endure the poor service and turned to walk out. On a lighter note as we left, April made sure as we were on our way out the door to tell us thanks for stopping in.

 As we turned out of the parking lot we noticed a Denny’s. We were hungry, so we decided to give it a try. As with most Denny’s we parked in the motel/hotel parking lot. Upon entering we noticed they were very busy, with customers and several dirty tables. The wait for us to get a table was a little longer than you should expect but not too bad. The waitress came by and introduced herself as Jennifer. She came back a few minutes later with our drinks and to take our order. Denny’s is not a restaurant that I visit on a regular basis. As a matter of fact it has been more than five years since I have last been to one of their many restaurants. One of the reasons I do not visit them is the factory theory. You know (for the most part) exactly what meal you are going to get, and to me that gets boring.

 With my lack of recent visits to Denny’s I was not aware of the new menu items. Of course I knew there would be the Grand Slam or the Moons Over My Hammy. What I did not expect was the new ‘Rock Star Menu’. This new menu gives you a little info on when the item was created and to which ‘rock star’ or band it honors. As I read over the new menu I had a challenge to find exactly what I wanted. Would it be the Rascle Flatts Unstoppable Breakfast, Good Charlottes Band of Burrito’s (which I really was thinking about), or Sum 41’s Sumwich. I went with the Sumwich. There was a fourth item on the menu called the Gym Class Heroes After School Special, but I was not in the mood for the onions and peppers on Texas toast. But the Sumwich offered a French toast sandwich with sliced ham eggs and American cheese along with a side of their famous shredded hash browns and syrup for dipping.

 Now I have got to tell you that this meal will make me want to go back to Denny’s again. However the service never picked up to a status that I would call satisfactory. We were never offered a refill on our drinks and Jennifer forgot to bring my syrup. Even after asking her for the syrup a second time it took her a little while to get it to me. One of the things I do want to point out is that she was very sweet, just not as attentive as I would have liked.

 On the way out of Denny’s I picked up a customer survey card. Here are my results of (and from) the Denny’s comment card:

On a scale of 5 to 1. 5 being excellent and 1 being poor

Greeted in a friendly & immediate manner  (4)

Server introduce his/herself                             (5)

Enjoy Food                                                                (4)

Service Timely                                                         (3)

Server Attentive                                                      (2)

Restaurant Clean                                                     (3)

Thanked and Asked to Return                           (4)

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

1068 Park St

Jacksonville, FL 32204-3908

(904) 356-0227 

There are certain restaurants that exist which have legends attached to their name; the Derby House in the 5 Points area of Jacksonville, Florida is one of those. Some of the legends include the original location having a full service bar; even being known as a speakeasy or a ‘blind tiger’, if you will. There are stories of college football players being served liquor underage and even a night that Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe stopped in for late night visit. There was an article in Jacksonville Magazine that gave details to some of these rumors. If you decide to research this you should know the original name was The Green Derby.

Now located on the corner of Margaret and Park Streets in the heart of 5 Points The Derby House is still a local favorite. One of the busiest times to visit The Derby House is on a Saturday or Sunday morning. On the day of our visit we chose a Thursday. They were not real busy but they did have a few tables that were being used. When you walk into the Derby House you find your own table and a server will get to you when they can. This is rarely a long wait, and usually someone acknowledges that you have been seen. If you have much of a wait you are able to sit back and relax and watch the t.v. that is in the corner (and always on). 

We sat there and I was really craving some breakfast. One great thing about The Derby House is that they serve breakfast all day. After looking at the menu and the specials I decided to go with the waffle breakfast special. This is a waffle, 2 eggs, bacon and a drink. I am not certain if this is a regular special, so I am not going to quote a price on here. But be aware that it was very reasonable. Another item that makes breakfast desirable here is the Macedonia Omelette. This includes ham, bell peppers, feta cheese, onions, tomatoes and green peppers. They also make a great plate of corned beef hash and eggs. For the cost effective breakfast diner: you can get 2 large eggs, grits, toast and jelly for under 4 bucks. 

One of the favorite pastimes of those who visit the Derby House is to count the typographical errors on the menu.  The servers tend to share the duties when you visit, so don’t expect to see either a favoritism or jealousy with the staff and confusion about who is waiting on what table. After we placed our order it took a very short amount of time to get the order brought out to our table. My breakfast was very good. As a matter of fact the waffle was delicious! The servers kept our drinks filled and were very kind.

As you sit there and eat you do have an overwhelming feeling that there could be a cleanliness issue there. As far as I know they have not had any official issue with this though so I do not want to accuse them of something that they have not been cited with. However, you can make this judgment for yourself. 

After we were finished with our meal we did have to wait an extra long time to receive our check. My belief is that is you have already taken our dirty dishes then it is time to bring the bill. When you do get the bill you should know that it is best to take your money to the counter in the middle of the restaurant. On occasion they have let me pay at the table, but it can take a while. 

If you walk past the cashier and the kitchen area you will find yourself on the outdoor patio. This is also the smoking section. They offer breakfast all day, lunch and dinner is available Monday thru Friday. Some of the other favorites at The Derby House include the Big ‘D’ Super Burger, fresh tuna sandwich, even meatloaf or a N.Y. Strip. There are no items on the menu over $10 with the average price under $7. On certain nights of the week they do offer live music on the outdoor patio. The patio has about 8 tables that are all covered by umbrellas. If the weather does not cooperate they do bring the music inside. 

The Derby House is not a fancy place by any means. But it is very good and very consistent. Do know that on the Saturday and Sunday mornings that there might be a wait to get a table. As far as the hours go you are going to be best to give them a call at (904) 356-0227. 

Also, do not be surprised at all if you see me at The Derby House…maybe even tomorrow.

Reviewed by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

100 James Taylor Drive

Ridgeland, SC 29936

Phone:  (843)726-9521, Call for Hours

Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

About 6 am one morning I headed out of Columbia, SC. My final destination being my home in Florida. On my way I made a point to visit Jasper’s Porch. Having been there before for the lunch buffet several times, I was excited to try something new. It was about 7:30 when I pulled up into the very busy parking lot. Upon entering the restaurant, I could see this was the place for the locals. A large table was in the corner with no less than 8 people sitting and enough room for 3 or 4 more. There they were talking of the latest local gossip, fishing and politics. 

My seat was waiting for me outside on the back porch, overlooking a man made lake. It was very comfortable out there and quite busy with other customers as well. My server, Marian, was sweet and handling all of the tables on the porch. Most wait-staff would be upset, discouraged and ‘in the weeds’. Not Marian though, she was on top of it and was doing it all with a smile. After Marian led me to my seat, she brought me an iced tea, water and a menu. 

For breakfast their options were the basics: Ham and Cheese Omelet, Pancakes, Hash Browns, Eggs and of course Biscuits and Gravy for those of us who do not monitor our cardiovascular health. I went with the Southern Style Breakfast. It included 2 Eggs, Bacon, Hash Browns, Pancakes and Toast. When the food came I was surprised…surprised to the size of the portions! Let me re-word that, I was impressed by the size of the portions. Not only were the portions large, but tasty too. Even though the hash browns were instant and shredded, they were good. I tell you this so you don’t think that you are gonna get fresh hash browns here. The pancakes were not as fluffy as I like…but that did not stop me from eating them. They were good, just not like my Momma’s. The bacon was good but not great (a little undercooked). But the eggs were nice, fluffy, and very good. 

Now to my biggest complaint of my visit to Jasper’s Porch. As I had mentioned I had left from Columbia almost two hours earlier. Not to give you the details, but after grabbing a coffee earlier that morning, well… it was time for me to visit the restroom. The restroom was not very clean at all. As a matter of fact, it was a mess. I needed 2 handfuls of toilet paper with soap on it to clean the toilet seat. Once clean and seated the toilet was not sturdy at all. At anytime I felt like I was about to find myself on the floor of the restroom. Let’s just say that given the cleanliness of the seat, well…the floor is the last place I wanted to be. Lastly the hand dryer was right next to the bathroom entrance which had the door swinging inward and right at you. 

If you find yourself traveling though the South Carolina Lowcountry on Interstate 95, I do very much recommend stopping off at Exit 21 in Ridgeland, South Carolina. If the weather is permitting, I think you should sit on the porch. You can watch the turtles, the fish and the birds around the lake. Jasper’s Porch features Lowcountry cooking. They have breakfast, lunch and dinner. They also have a full service bar and a banquet room for private parties, reunions and weddings. They are nestled between a Comfort Inn and a Quality Inn. After you are finished with your meal and you need to burn a calorie or two…take a walk around the lake on the well groomed and manicured trail. If you get tired, don’t worry, there are a few ‘porch’ swings along the way.

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com