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.