Poe’s Tavern – Sullivan’s Island, SC 3/19/10

Have been here many times, but never a review. This can serve as a compilation I guess. Food: menu is small but the burgers and tacos are good. I have probably ordered the tuna tacos 80% of the time, mahi tacos 10%, and burger the rest of the time. All are good and safe bets. My wife orders the buffalo shrimp salad most of the time. Also, fries are some of the best in the area.

The beer at Poes is OK, decent amount of drafts, but most wasted on inane products. I have also been here when the draft system has been down, the beer tasted flat, and have also got a different beer than I ordered. For the most part though, the beer was served acceptably.

Last time I was there, I was squinting to see what was on tap when the bartender said the list is on the board. The list on the board is firstly not up to date and secondly only lists the brewery not the beer. This is something I find more and more with uneducated servers. I have ranted about this before. When asked what beers they have, they answer with the name of the brewery and omit which style. This probably comes from their macro upbringing in the beverage industry. Nobody ever says which Budweiser is that on tap? Needless to say, I never did find out what Kona was on tap although I wouldn’t have ordered it anyway. A second thing that happened after the first bartender left (shift change) was a server asked the bartender which Southern Tier and where it was from? This is a tourist destination so they were likely looking for a local product. The bartender did tell her the type, but just said I don’t know about location, not “so and so knows” or “I will find out.” Anyway, I told her Lakewood, NY and she looked at me and said “is that really where it is from?” I was thinking no, I go around to bars and make up places when people ask where a brewery is from. Minor point: most, not all of the bartenders think they are something special. Servers have been better.

The last item that is a peeve is when they are busy, it is a crapshoot for a table. You are forced to hawk over people trying to guess which one will finish first. Sometimes, if you have good Karma, a table opens up as you walk up, but then you probably gain bad Karma because there is likely someone else somewhere else in the place who has been waiting longer. The answer to this is they are busy enough where they don’t care, just be forewarned.

Will I go back, duh, yes. I just wish they cared more about the customer and the beer.