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...