Excited about Erin’s! Erin’s Restaurant - Rock Hill, SC

Take that Outback! (haiya!)

I managed to find a gem in the chain restaurant-addled suburb of Rock Hill for last night’s dinner and am very proud of myself because of it (note: it was at the very bottom of the third restaurant website I looked at behind every chain imaginable). Nestled in the downtown core we didn’t even know existed is a tiny little spot with no matching plates and lots of Three Stooges photos on the walls – and a helluva menu.

Last night was Valentine ’s Day – cue the forgetful boyfriends’ and husbands’ headslap now “oh crap!”- and we managed to snag a table at this packed eatery alongside many lovey-dovey couples and their spoon feeding ways.  Oh boy, were we in for a treat though – with regards to the food, not the icky spoon-feeding couples, they should leave that stuff at home, but I digress.

Adorable.

Erin’s Restaurant:

I’m going to give this one an 8/10. I boosted their rating because of their ability to thrive in such a cookie-cutter saturated market and because of the amazing steak, but it dropped a bit when I thought about dessert (but mostly because I would have rather had another piece of beef than the cheesecake, which was good in its own right, but paled in comparison to my 8 oz sirloin).  Also: they have fabulous service, a little on the mellow side, but the food was always brought out fresh, and we never felt rushed (for a change).

  

This picture is pure food-porn. The plate, and the contrast between the crisp cracker and creamy/salty cheese. Perfection. (..ok, maybe I'm the only person who really likes the plate, but it's sweet!)

Pimento Cheese, crackers and celery – The homemade pimento cheese with roasted peppers instead of pimentos was a real show-stopper. I enjoyed the texture and the presentation. Although I think I prefer my pimento cheese warm, it gives it a bit more character (I know,  I know, it’s not traditional, but I like what I like). 

loving the little crocks.

Warm brie with candied almonds – Normally I’m not a huge brie fan (so shoot me), but this cheese had a wonderful richness and bold cheese flavour that I really liked. Apparently South-Carolina Brie is my favourite (although most likely a lesser-known variety). 

I should have gone for a cheese stringing picture. Ah well, there's always next time.

Sampler plate with Erin’s other sides – The waitress was kind enough to bring over a sample of the sides available last night that we didn’t choose to have with our steaks and let me tell you, there were some real winners in this bunch. The drunken carrots were beyond amazing (I couldn’t stop eating them) and they were right when they claimed that their collard greens were “the best in the south”; I know I try them everywhere I can, and none have compared. Nicely done. 

If only all restaurants were like this... ok, if they were, I'd be the size of a house. but I'd be happy.

 

6 oz sirloin, garlic green beans and sweet potatoes – Ok, first off my only criticism: the potatoes were a little on the cool side, but delicious nonetheless. Now onto the point of this paragraph: the steak and the green beans made me want to cry they were so good. The meat was so tender and flavourful, when it ended I was truly sad, and the green beans were the perfect compliment. Hands down, the best steak I have had in recent memory (and the whole plate was $18!). 

say cheesecake! (as a fab friend of mine always does).

 Chocolate Cheesecake – The cheesecake was yummy, creamy and rich (everything you would want it to be), but not much more. I enjoyed every bite of it, but I think I was far too full to appreciate it fully. There’s always next time.

My message to Erin’s- don’t stop what you are doing even one bit, little places like this need to take a foothold in small towns and never let go. Oh, and save me a seat for next time with a big steak waiting.

xoxo

-BBC