Stefano's, Florence, SC April 22, 2010

We had 13 people with the Florence Welcoming Club. The menu has a wide range of  entrees, including some lunch pasta specials which come with a salad or soup, and the quality of the food was good. I had the tuna melt grinder, which was a large portion (even though I ordered the small size) on a white roll smothered with melted cheese.One waiter was assigned to our table, a sure sign of trouble. It took over 30 minutes to get our food once we ordered. Dishes of herbed oil were on the table, but there were only enough bread sticks provided for a quarter of our party. Much later in the meal, more bread was brought after someone asked for it. The coffee was average, not terribly warm, and I had to ask for a second cup. Getting our checks paid was another experience of delays. The delays really took away from the overall dining experience.

Overall rating: 2 out of 5.

Victor's Bistro & Garden Room, Florence, SC

We sat in the Bistro area and fortunately there was not much smoke. (They told us they are going smoke-free on May 1st.) We chose Pinot Noir and Two Oceans Shiraz glasses of wine - both very flavorful. The bread is served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a saucer - a real treat. John had goat cheese salad which had a large slice of goat cheese on top. My house salad had good quality baby greens with fresh mandarin oranges, plenty of pecans and their house dressing. (The red onion in the salad over-powered the shallot in the dressing, but it was still good.) There seemed to be a delay before the entrees arrived, but the wait was worth it. John's salmon was excellent, though he thought the portions (especially the side of sliced, grilled zuchini as well as the asparagus he ordered) were small. My mackeral, the catch of the day, was wonderful- good flavor, texture and portion-size. It came with sun-dried tomato sauce on creamy grits, along with the grilled squash. A cup of very good coffee completed the meal.

Overall rating 5 out of 5.

Starfire Grill, Florence, SC March 30, 2010

Starfire Grill changed their menu and it seems to have thrown everything into disarray. It took an extraordinarily long time to get our drinks (They were out of the Shiraz listed on the menu but substituted a different one.) and for them to take our dinner order. This was a Wednesday night and there were a couple of screaming kids nearby. Receiving the wine served in a dirty glass added to the negative experience. Our water came after the meal was served, and the rolls came when we were almost finished eating.  All the prices have gone up, which puts Starfire into a higher bracket than any comparable restaurants in the area (such as Red Bone Alley, Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday's, Chili's). They added MahiMahi to the menu and kept the old favorites (crab cakes, souvlaki, quesadillas) and also have a great selection of salads. John had Salmon with roasted red pepper sauce and I had the traditional crab cakes (which looked a little thinner than last time). The quality was good, as usual, with the generous portions of perfectly-done grilled vegetable medley along with their rice. The quality and flavor of the Greek Salad was also up to par. Perhaps things will go a little more smoothly next time we visit, but that will not likely be for a while.

Overall rating: 1 out of 5.

Red Lobster, Florence, SC March 19, 2010

We arrived shortly after 6 PM on Friday and were seated promptly. It took several minutes however, before anyone came to take our drink order. (The server did apologize and took our dinner order at the same time.) As an experiment we ordered one glass of Merlot at $4.95 and another Merlot at $6.95. Yes, we could tell the difference, the more expensive one having a more potent berry flavor, and the $4.95 glass, while perfectly good, had a detectable alcohol taste. The Caesar salads were great-fresh Romaine and just the right amount of creaminess to the dressing. John had the create your own feast with 2 pieces of salmon (wood plank grilled and very moist and flavorfull, but he said was too salty) and one stuffed flounder. It came with mashed potatoes and he ordered asparagus, which glistened with oil and looked roasted. My baked stuffed flounder was large and tasted great. The broccoli that came wtih it was steamed- just the right amount of tenderness and bright green in color. We ordered key lime pie for dessert. They were generous pieces and the lime flavor and consistency was perfect. The decaf coffee was right up there also. We had to ask  for a second cup and when she brought it that batch was much weaker. Our server seemed perhaps to be overextended, but was friendly, checked on us frequently and was concerned that we had everything we needed.

Overall rating 3.5 out of 5.

Hibachi Grill Supreme, Florence SC March 18, 2010

Stepping into Hibachi's foyer, your first view  is of  the waterscape with plants, waterfalls, a water wheel and goldfish. Then you will notice the many serving tables (The photo only shows half of them.) of food, loaded with everything from fruit and salad , American hot food, oriental dishes (including several chicken, shrimp and vegetable dishes), and a made-to-order grill and a sushi bar. On the grill, select the vegetables you want, along with crab, chicken or meat, and they will grill it for you, (You might ask them to hold the sauces.) resulting in a perfectly done entree. The quality of the sushi was good, with all but two of the varieties being raw. I was pleased to see fresh mixed baby greens on the salad bar, along with healthy toppings. My favorite vegetables were the broccoli dishes (several to choose from), fried zucchini and spinach topped with cheese (from the American section). The oriental hot selections with their sauces were typical of a buffet. There were a number of desserts, including cream puffs, cakes, cheesecake and  half a dozen flavors of ice cream. For a lunch price of $6.15, including tax, this is excellent value. If you are over 65 you get a slight discount.) I was with the Welcoming Club Lunch Bunch and our group of twelve was seated promptly and we were well attended with drinks and plate removal throughout. If you enjoy buffet dining, I would definitely recommend Hibachi Grill.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5.

International House of Pancakes (IHOP) Florence, SC March 14, 2010

We arrived a little after 6 PM and were seated right away, and they cleared a booth for us. Ebony, our server, was pleasant and efficient. John ordered onion rings as an appetizer and they were steaming with just the right amount of crispiness. We both ordered the Grilled Tilapia Hollondaise, the only entree I ever order other than an omelette. At about $9, it is excellent value as it comes with salad, two sides and toasted garlic bread. The lettuce in the salad was fresh, though the tomato was what you would expect to get at this time of year, the honey mustard good. The tilapia portion was generous and cooked just right with good flavor. I had brocolli and corn as sides and they were not overcooked.  John had coffee which he said was very good.

Overall rating: 5 out of 5.

Chili's Florence, SC March 11, 2010

We had not been to Chili's in a while and were suprised to see how popular it is. Fortunately we were seated right away and had the friendliest server, Pam, who was very knowledgable about the menu and helped us make our selections.  The "happy hour" special - $2.99  for selected wines was excellent value, and I thought the Sutter Home Cabernet (once they returned the Chardonnay which they initially brought- a common mistake) had a full berry flavor. We had a coupon for free chips and Queso. The chips were light but pretty salty and the Queso was a bit too ordinary, like something you would find at Taco Bell. The salsa was okay. My entree was the herbed salmon (the only seafood entree on the menu since they have dropped tilapia) which came with broccoli (slightly overdone, but not bad) and I substituted Caesar salad for the rice. The salmon was a large portion and grilled  just right. The Romaine in the salad was slightly worse for wear, but the salad was good.  John had a Swiss Mushroom Burger (which came with fries) which he proclaimed "excellent!" It  took quite a while for the entrees to arrive and to get our check processed, but it was not an annoyance. The most memorable part of the meal I would say was our server, Pam, whose warmth set the tone for our relaxing Friday night meal.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5.