Chomp!

By Ron Aiken

 

Let’s All Hate On Robert Irvine Except We Can’t!

 

You ever go to a place just knowing you’re going to hate it and maybe even secretly (or not) kind of relishing JUST HOW MUCH you’re going to hate it?

Chomp! knows you have, and Chomp! has, too.

While moving in a new college freshman to Bluffton (USC-Braufort’s main campus is there), Chomp! and his family wound up going into a nearby restaurant FAMISHED and noticed immediately it was owned (or at least partly) by none other than Food Network star Robert Irvine, he of the oversized physique and ego whose troubles with truthfulness have been well-chronicled (just Google “Robert irvine” and “trouble” and enjoy the next hour of your life.

Oh, how Chomp! relished the opportunity to lambaste the restaurant, Nosh, and the loud-mouthed Irvine, whose Hilton Head restaurant called “Eat!” closed in December 2013. This was to be a supreme opportunity to launch a screed of perhaps even Biblical proportions.

Except I can’t, I won’t, because dangit if the place wasn’t FANTASTIC in every way.

 

Here’s a picture of the burger I got, the Augusta ($12):

Angus beef patty, pimento cheese, braised bacon. Simple and uh-mazing. The hand-cut fries were so unconscionably good at a table of three, not a single one, not even a little crusty end piece, was left, and EVERYONE GOT FRIES.

 

I’ve been to Kirkman Finlay’s Pawley’s Front Porch, and I’m a fan – especially since they’ll cook a burger rare (truly) for you. But the Nosh burger was better. I don’t know precisely how or why, it just was (another visit in which I had the Beef and Blue ($11) – think great bacon, a great blue cheese spread and pickled red onions – only confirmed this opinion.). And again, the fries were over the moon, just sensational both times, and both times we also were amazed with how good the Fried Zuchinni ($7) appetizer was.

 

What makes Nosh terrific also are the sensible prices across the board. I expected to pay way too much, but ended up paying what seemed like way too little given how terrific everything we ordered was. Even the signature items, the Shrimp & Grits ($16) and Steak & Frites ($21) were, if anything under-priced. Just take a look at the shrimp & Grits entree:

 

Can you believe just $16 for this? We couldn’t, and the grits were soo-perb.

 

The bottom line is never judge a book by its cover, and when you give something you think you’re going to hate a legitimate chance, it’s amazing what can happen, as there’s now NO WAY whenever we’re in Bluffton that we WON’T eat there.

 

If you have any other experiences similar to Chomp!’s of expecting to hate something but ending up loving it, share them with me at [email protected] and I’ll share them with the world. Til next week!

 

 

 

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