Charleston - Time for Breakfast!

Even though I LOVE breakfast....I only went out to breakfast twice this trip. The golden rule for weekend breakfasts in Charleston....get there early 'cause chances are your gonna wait:)

First was Joseph's a very small spot about 1/2 block from the hotel - which of course was why it was chosen. I've actually eaten at Joseph's before and my experience then rang true again. Good food, very casual atmosphere. Right up my alley for breakfast. I had eggs benedict and it hit the spot. I actually split it with my friend and it was just enough -- with my toast of course. Toast with breakfast is one of those things I'm not sure I could do without:) OK who am I kidding bread in general is on my list of things I can't live without.

My only criticism of Joseph's this time around was the service; which in this case was non-existent. The restaurant was clearly understaffed, which generally I don't like to hold against the servers because that's poor scheduling on the manager's part. However in this case when we did get the server to notice us, she had the personality of a rock. Unfortunate for the overall experience, but hey the food was good:)

Next was brunch on Sunday at Poogan's Porch. Again - out the side door of the hotel and across the street.....ding! ding! So winner in terms of location. First and foremost we should probably talk about my affinity for brunch. I LOVE BRUNCH. Maybe it's a Southern thing, I don't know --- but I love a good brunch. I think it's because you can get your typical breakfast food, but you get to throw in a little chicken and gravy, maybe some shrimp and grits....oy. So it pains me to say that Princess was very disappointed in Poogan's Porch this go 'round.

Here's the deal, I've eaten dinner at Poogan's Porch about 2 years ago and LOVED it. Not to mention, I've recommended it about a hundred times since. But boy oh boy, the brunch was a disaster.

First, there was a wait -- which actually I didn't mind. (Which for those of you that know me, this is shocking) I mean, hey, it's the weekend in Charleston...25 minute wait was doable. Poogan's Porch is located in an old, and some say haunted, house on Queen Street. The restaurant is broken up into several rooms which in my experience always presents a service challenge. The rooms are not equipped with coolers or heat for the food, so if you want coffee or an extra round of biscuits, the server has to leave the room and high-tail it to the kitchen - wherever that might be in the house. Again --- not sure about that set-up from a service perspective. If you're going to do it, staff it appropriately. We waited a good 10min before our server even came to the table....another 10min for coffee. So at this point, my patience (which my friends will tell you is limited on my best days) is started to take a dive south. It's the Yankee in me:)

Our server --- BLESS HIS HEART -- needed a stiff kick in the rear. Just didn't have a clue about service. The thing I will say, is that there was a guy busing the tables that was a sweetie. He was constantly looking around the room and actually got us coffee and biscuits - not to mention helped a couple other guests mid-cleaning table because the actual server was on hiatus. Maybe our experience could be redeemed by killer food?? Not the case unfortunately. The food was generic and the coffee was cold. NOT a combination for Brunch under any circumstance. I had the shrimp and grits, which were OK, not the best but OK. Come On! It's the South and it's Charleston. If you're going to have shrimp and grits on your menu, freakin' commit. My friends had an eggs and meat plate and I think both of them would of said the same thing. It was OK. Really disappointing after the wait and the lousy service.

So I don't know what to think about Poogan's Porch now, certainly would NOT recommend it for brunch....maybe dinner will be better? Not sure, and not sure I'm willing to give it a go again with so many wonderful options in Charleston. It hurts to say that because 2 weeks ago I would have bet my life on it. Funny how things change, eh?