Summa Joe's Searing Pans

We went into this review completely blind, not knowing what type of food Summa Joe's had to offer and having no idea what to expect. When we first heard the name 'Summa Joe's Searing Pans' for some reason we thought it may have an Asian influence. Then persons of Anderson were recommending Summa Joe's pizza and absolutely raving about it therefore we were wondering if it was some sort of Italian cuisine. We were wrong on both suspicions.

What 'type' of cuisine do they actually have? Well, we don't quite know how to describe it other than saying that it's fresh and made with as many local ingredients as possible. They have everything from shrimp cakes, to lamb lollipops, to turkey sandwiches, to buffalo chicken pizza, to jerk chicken penne pasta! You try labeling that!

Here's what we do know, their food is delicious. They actively support local farms and dairies and use local ingredients in as many dishes they serve as possible. The cheese they use from Split Creek Dairy Farm absolutely melts in your mouth. We ordered their flat bread and their marinara with split creek chevre cheese to dip it in. The combination is delectable! One of us doesn't care for tomatoes but even he devoured the dip! That has to say something!

We also ordered their 'Beatles White Pizza' and 'Rasta Pasta'. I wouldnt order that particular pizza again but that's because of me, and not the restaurant. I made a mistake in ordering something without toppings and sauce. If you like your pizza simple and plain but fresh then you'll love the white pizza. It just wasn't my cup of tea. The 'Rasta Pasta', which is penne pasta with chicken or shrimp in a spicy jerk sauce accompanied by roasted local veggies, was a favorite by all of us. We would pay them for their recipe for their jerk sauce/seasoning, it's that good! The chicken was perfectly cooked and prepared, and the veggies were so fresh (we know we keep saying that but it's the best way to describe everything they serve) and tasty. We have actually ventured back already to have a second helping of their 'Rasta Pasta'. Yummm!
Their prices are middle of the road, like most other Anderson restaurants. The 'Rasta Pasta' is a bit expensive, we believe it was $14.50 with the chicken. We suppose that's the price you pay for such fresh (there's that word again) ingredients. The pizza was about $8.00-9.00, which was acceptable. The only price we had a bit of an issue with was the flat bread and dips for it. You pay $2.00 for the flat bread (or baguette if you choose), about 6 pieces of it, and then an additional $2.00 for the dips. That sounds reasonable but let me finish. If you want more bread then you have to pay additionally for it. This is odd to us because at most restaurants you get bread for free or pay a small charge for unlimited bread. Also, one of the dips they offer is olive oil with a touch of balsamic vinegar. At Italian restaurants you get this on your table for free. It's silly to us that you should have to pay for olive oil, especially $2.00. Paying $2.00 for the marinara with cheese makes sense as well as the other dips like olive tapenade and bruschetta. Perhaps they'll consider revising their menu to reflect a lower price for the olive oil and not charge you for additional bread. That's just our suggestion!

Summa Joe's has a really cool vibe inside. It's reminiscent of a 60's diner but with a modern twist. and on the walls you'll find pieces of art from local artists (We can not rave enough about how much we love that they support our wonderful city!). We especially loved a painting centered on the middle of one wall of two jelly bean looking characters dancing. It is the cutest thing, you have to see it!

When you enter Summa Joe's you really do feel welcomed and like family. Both times we've been there, the owner's son who has to be around 2 or 3 years old, was following the waiters around like their shadow or helping his daddy in the back. He's adorbale and well mannered. The waiters are very laid back, over use words like 'cool', and give you those endearing half smiles when making a recommendation. Dining there is more than just satisfying a hungry tummy, it's an experience that we recommend everyone give a try!

Oh and by the way, you can find Summa Joe's downtown just before Matty's. Look out for the rainbow colored umbrellas out front!

Visit Them Here:
Summa Joe's on Facebook

Tony's On Main

You asked and we listened. Many people are buzzing about the newest restaurant in Anderson, Tony's on Main, located... well guess where? On Main st (where the Monterrey's Mexican restaurant use to be)! We've received mixed reviews and opinions from persons who have tried out Tony's.

Here's what we know, the owner of Tony's also owns Carlee's Restaurant (his daughter's name) and we believe Tony's on Main is named after the owner's son. Here's a rumor we heard and don't know if it's factual, the owner of Tony's also owned Palmetto Grill that has since gone out of business. There's your background information, now onto our personal review...

Tony's on Main offers Italian/American cuisine, so if you like a one stop shop for sandwiches, burgers, meatballs, fried pickles, and baked spaghetti, it's your kind of place. It's quickly obvious when entering Tony's that they didn't put too much money into the decor of the restaurant. Not that that's extremely important but the ambiance does matter quite a bit to some. There are randomly placed pieces of art and faux antique tin signs scattered on the walls; none of which come together in a cohesive manner. To us, something was 'off' with the decor, I think it may be due to the white walls. White isn't inviting, it's sterile feeling. Again, not that the wall color is THAT important, just thought we'd share our uneducated opinion on restaurant decor.

Moving on... Where we were seated was amongst a few other occupied tables. Quickly it became apparent that the persons occupying these other tables were all friends and family of the owner. We came to this conclusion because a man, who had to have been the owner, was chatting with these people about his kids and at another table was talking to a young girl named 'Carlee'. We think it's great that his friends and family are so supportive of his new restaurant endeavors.

However, here's what rubbed us the wrong way... Seated in a booth next to us was a man the owner seemed to know well or want to impress because the owner welcomed him in and told him he'd bring bread right out for him (which he did personally). He made small talk with him and made sure he was happy with his meal, and checked up on him often. We think that's great service and wonderful to take such great care of your customers. But here's the hitch, he didn't so much as acknowledge us at our table. Not a "how's your meal?", no "let me get some bread right out for you", nothing. He wasn't busy because only a few tables were occupied so there's really no excuse for skipping us over. If he treated all of his customers like he did the man in the booth next to us then he would surely keep customers coming back for more. It feels good to feel wanted and appreciated and welcome. They have a sign on the wall that reads something like 'Come in as a stranger, leave as a friend" (Can't recall if those are the exact words but close to it). Well we came in as strangers and left as strangers.

The food... the food was good. It wasn't 'out of this World' but it wasn't bad either. The following comparison we are saying in the best of ways and is not meant to be taken negatively. We ordered their Italian meatball sub. The meatballs were a good size and tasty as well the sub as a whole. It tasted a lot like the meatball sub from Subway only a bit fresher. Being compared to Subway may be a bad thing to some but not to us because we happen to really like their meatball subs! We do recommend it if you find yourself trying out Tony's. One of us ordered the philly sub special and it was devoured in about 1 minute tops. I think that's a definite sign of approval and we recommend it as well (but keep in mind it was a special, not a permanent fixture on the menu, but perhaps it should be). How was the bread before our meal you ask? Well we didn't get any bread, so you might want to ask the very special man sitting in the booth next to us, perhaps he enjoyed it ;)

The prices were low which we, as well as everyone else, loves to see! Our subs were about $5.95-6.95 and each came with a side. Not bad, huh?

Tony's is a great place to eat for a quick bite with the fam when mom doesnt feel like cooking or perhaps a great lunch spot to meet up with your friends during the busy work week. We think they have some work to do on treating each customer like they're special (or treating them all like their not so special, which ever, the goal is consistency) and maybe some interior decorating to do. All in all, it was a pretty good place to eat, not a waste of money, but not some place we would frequent. Try it out yourself and let us know your thoughts by commenting on this blog post. We're finding some people love, love, love Tony's (maybe they're friends of the family) and some didn't enjoy it one bit. You be the judge...

New York Pizza & Pasta

A week or two ago we posted a question on our facebook page asking "Where can you get the best pizza in Anderson?"... overwhelmingly, between comments and messages, the answer was clear, New York Pizza & Pasta. We decided to test these survey results by trying out their pizza ourselves.

It turns out the Anderson Community did not steer us wrong, New York Pizza & Pasta was absolutely and completely delicious. I wish there were a better word to describe it than delicious. We have tried many pizza places in and around Anderson and the South like Papa Johns, Pizza Hut, Cici's, Little Ceasars, Wedgy's, and other hole in the wall family-owned locations. New York Pizza completely blew every where else out of the water. We unanimously agreed on that, which is a rarity.

If you like the freshest of the fresh ingredients, none of that fake stuff, and like your pizza to taste like heaven in your mouth instead of cardboard, then you must try their pizza!

Their Civic Center Blvd. location has seating for many guests including booths and tables. It also features three flat screen televisions hung high on the walls for your viewing pleasure. Although they didn't have a buffet the night we were there, we do know they feature an all you can eat buffet on Tuesday evening for $7.99. Everyday they offer a lunch buffet for the same price. I look forward to giving the buffet a try so I have an opportunity to taste more than just their pizza and garlic knots.Speaking of, we ordered their garlic knots as an appetizer while waiting for our pizza to cook (which was not long, they're quick in that kitchen!). They were so tasty! If you like your knots to be doughy and filled with garlic flavor then you'll love these. I must also mention they had plenty of 'spices' on the table for you to add to anything you order (I took advantage and put them on my garlic knots) like; garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and parmesan cheese. Yum!

On our pizza we ordered mushrooms and fresh garlic. Don't worry, we brought gum to chew on after! When the pizza was delivered to our table it was piping hot and the cheese was oozing all over it, just the way we like it! I must point out that their tomato sauce is not pasty or 'boring' like those of chain pizza restaurants. It has fresh tomatoes in it and is full of flavor. When you ask for toppings, they give you toppings! The pizza was covered in mushrooms, every inch of it and there was enough garlic to kill any vampire (sorry Twilight fans).

We ate as much as we possibly could until our stomachs couldnt handle anymore. That may be the first time I wished my stomach was bigger. ha-ha! We got the rest of our pizza to go for leftovers the next day for lunch.We have a secret to tell. We liked the pizza SO much that we ordered another pizza a few nights later from their other location by Bloom on hwy 81. I know what you're thinking, we're fatties, which would be an incorrect assumption, at least it would have been until now, now that we've discovered New York Pizza.

The prices are right and comparable to any other pizza place around town. Aside from pizza, they have pastas, calzones, strombolis, salads, and even Italian Nachos (huh?)!

Yes they deliver but are particular about where to, you must call and tell them your address and they let you know if they can deliver there. This is a bummer to those of you who they won't deliver to and may be the only down side to their restaurant. However, you can always go dine-in or pick it up yourself. Wait, what? Get up from watching 'Cops' and pick it up? Yep, you can do it, we have faith in you!

As a side note, the second most favored restaurant in Anderson that serves Pizza was 'Summa Joes'... we plan to visit them in the next month and find out for ourselves. As for now, New York Pizza is Numero Uno!

Visit them Here:
New York Pizza & Pasta Website
New York Pizza & Pasta Menu
New York Pizza & Pasta on Facebook

The Fox Pub

We visited ‘The Fox Pub’ with a large party rather than alone which gave us perhaps a different perspective of the pub than most patrons would have when dining with one or two other persons. We were worried that dining with a larger party would prohibit us from really getting a good ‘feel’ for what The Fox has to offer. However, we found that being with a large party allowed for The Fox to showcase their ‘large party’ juggling skills and give insight as to whether or not they have the ability and are prepared to accommodate multiple persons ordering drinks and food at the same time.

The inside of the restaurant has a pleasant English feel to it; lots of beautiful wood tables and accents, a long bar with thousands and thousands of dollars worth of alcohol for the drinking (English men love their alcohol of course!), friendly inviting sofa seating area at the front, and a welcoming helpful staff.

We had one waitress who took orders from and served all of us. Although she seemed flustered at times, she really held her own. She remembered everything that was needed by each person (that we could see) and was quick to make adjustments to orders and replenish drinks. The only ‘issue’ per say that we had with ordering was a couple salads/appetizers did not quite make it out prior to the main course(s) being served. This resulted in the canceling of said salads/appetizers. We do not fault the waitress for this of course. And because our party was so large, it’s hard to place blame on the kitchen staff whom we’re sure was working extremely hard to get all food out for our large party and all the other occupied tables in the restaurant in a timely manner. No restaurant is perfect.

We personally ordered the filet with chips (thick cut french fries), and Bombay chicken for our main courses. Both were exceptionally tasty. The portions, at least for the Bombay chicken, could have been a bit larger, more rice or veggies perhaps? Regardless, the food was enjoyable and worth ordering again. Everyone seemed pleased with their meals (the chicken pot pie seemed to be VERY popular among everyone) and not a complaint was heard once bellies were full.

Because we’re new to restaurant reviewing, we did not record the prices on the menu to relay back to you all. We know to do so in the future. If we were to guess from memory, everything was moderately priced, not inexpensive unfortunately but not too expensive either. Entrees were from about $11.00-$20.00(ish) and many come with sides (that’s a plus!).

In case anyone didn’t know, The Fox has a downstairs area where you’ll find a grand round table with inlaid swords, a few couches, flat screens, and more! It’s perfect for throwing a celebration party or gathering! We ‘heard’ that it’s only $25.00 to rent! WOW! Don’t quote us on that, but that’s what we’ve been told to be true.

We highly recommend ‘The Fox Pub’ to anyone looking for something ‘different’ than your basic bar and grill. The menu is unique as is the ambiance and overall experience of dining there. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Ps. We also hear they have an English Bulldog as a ‘mascot’ that you can find skateboarding outside from time to time. Now THAT is the epitome of ‘cool’!

***Pictures borrowed from 'The Fox' Facebook page***
The Fox Pub on Facebook

Electric City Grill

Electric City Grill is the very first restaurant we'll be reviewing on this brand new restaurant review blog! Although we are not experienced or professional 'reviewers' we hope we are able to convey a positive and constructive review of each restaurant we visit. Let's Begin...


Electric City Grill is brand spankin' new and opened it's doors this past month in the Publix shopping center off hwy 81, and is located next to 'Coach & Jo Jo's'. From the outside it would be hard to tell what type of cuisine is featured within it's glass doors. However, once you approach and peer in through the windows you'll find beveled stone accents, waiters carrying pizza on top of stones, and your nose will quickly fill with the aroma of Greek and Italian spices. Upon entering you'll find two charming suits of armor standing upright eager to welcome you in!

The waiting area is quite small and in the way of other hungry customers entering through the main door. If you have a large party and children, it may be best to give them your name and wait outside in the heat as to stay out of the way of other patrons and getting hit by the door. If you're with a party of adults or it's just you and a friend, you can find yourself a seat at their nicely crafted bar featuring flat screen t.v.s and a great selection of red wines, located in the middle of the restaurant.

On our personal experience, it was quickly apparent that the staff was still trying to figure out who is doing what, when, and where. Although a bit frustrating, it's refreshing to see that each of their staff worked as a team and were eager to jump in where needed. We saw a waitress busing tables when she wasn't taking orders, a bartender carrying empty plates to the back of the kitchen, and a hostess carrying hot plates out to tables.

After being seated it took about five minutes to be acknowledged by a waitress who asked "Has no one taken your order yet? I'm so sorry." Typically this would annoy me, however, because the restaurant is new it is understandable for there to be confusion regarding who has what table. I do hope that this gets worked out quickly. Our waitress was very kind and friendly and had an 'exotic' look to her which made the 'Greek and Italian' theme all the more real, like you're really eating in one of the featured countries.

Our food took longer than we would consider 'norma'l to be served. Perhaps, while they're trying to work out timing in the kitchen they could serve each table with dinner rolls or hummus to satisfy grumbling tummies. Not a 'must', just a suggestion!

Once our food did arrive we can happily report that it was very tasty! I ordered the gyro platter which including a pita topped with gyro lamb meat, lettuce, tomato, and tzatiki sauce. Being a gyro lover and having actually had a few in the country of Greece, I was skeptical as to how 'authentic' tasting it would actual be. I can happily report it passed with flying colors! Absolutely delicious! The meat itself was saturated in rich flavors that will leave your mouth watering (oooh it's watering just thinking about it). The portion was perfect, not too much, not too little. It was a a satisfying delicious meal.

We didn't try any of the Italian options on the menu but we greatly look forward to visiting Electric City Grill again and ordering a pasta or pizza. Although, I will admit, it will be hard to pass up the gyro knowing how good it is.

Pricing: Most entrees were about $10.00-$14.00. Salads were about $6.00, and appetizers ranged between $4.00-$10.00. Very affordable!

Would we recommend Electric City Grill to the community of Anderson? ABSOLUTELY! Arrive with patience and with a taste for authentic Greek and Italian cuisine. We look forward to the restaurant becoming more settled, organized, and expanding on their talents as a team.

Our advice? Skip going to Publix for ingredients to make dinner, bring the family with you, and go to Electric City Grill instead!