Porches Restaurant

This restaurant has been good in the past, I've gone several times and recommended it to several people.  This is an entree and two sides with a small dessert that costs $20, food quality and creativity are both  good and about par for what I would pay in a metropolitan area with comparable options.  One of our orders  had a side of  baked potato casserole.  She was brought out a different side, no big deal at all.  The server then brought out the correct side.  I tried my crab cake and found that it wasn't done at all, sides were done but other than that it was pasty.  Not because it was full of crab meat, but because it wasn't cooked long enough.  I know the difference.  I was returned and had been placed back in to cook by the plate, bed of greens it was on were hot and the original crab cake that I had tried out was still there.  Now we aren't talking about a steak here, we're talking crab cake.  You replace that and check to make sure your other orders that you are sending out are done, obviously precooked and I get that.  Next we didn't even get our desert before the check.  Now I knew I needed to tell the owner about this because it was really unacceptable and they needed to know.  

I don't want anything for free, but they needed to know this.  And I wasn't happy by driving 20 min to eat here and there were problems.  I can get over some, but this wasn't acceptable.  So I approached the cashier who happened to be the owner.  I told her about the situation and she immediately became defensive, explaining she had food returned to her after it had been cooked when she was a customer.  I said Ok, I have too but not a small crab cake.  I just wanted her to know.  She then blamed much of it on the server, and I responded that she really did a good job.  I was then told that her son had been in the cooking for 17 years and he's the cook.  Ok, that's nice. I had a bad experience and thought she should know, I explained that I managed in the hospitality industry as well and always made sure the customer was taken care of. And if not, then I needed to know and rectify the situation.  Again, I wasn't expecting anything.  I told her that and she questioned where I had worked like I wasn't qualified to evaluate food quality and service.  I worked in a city with a James Beard award winner and have had years enjoying good food and service.  I didn't say anything about that at all, I'm not a food expert by any means.  I just don't feel I need to produce credentials when I'm trying to offer feedback.

As I said before the food has been good here, and they have the market cornered.  As much as we pay to enjoy a good meal there are reasonable expectations we have as consumers.  This owner had an opportunity to take a bad experience and make it positive.  Instead she chose to question the customer's culinary I.Q.  I won't be going there again.

Awesome place with great food & atmosphere. Restaurant is actually a beautiful antebellum home. Great southern dishes, some very unique & yummy. I have never been diappointed with my order. One of my favorite restaurants. Staff is little slow, so don't go if your in a hurry. Sit and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Nice little find.  Beautiful house and good food.  Was very busy so that should tell you everything. Check it out!!