The Bucket Shop

When you think "great bar", "good food" doesn't typically come to mind. This bar is one of my favorite places to go on business lunches, and they have good ranch to boot! A little too thick in consistency for my taste, but overall good flavor. I always order their ranch to accompany the black bean burger, fries, and a glass of Delirium Tremens. The bartender Jenny, whom everyone calls JWoww, is a gem, and assured me that the ranch is homemade. If you go visit ask for her, she knows how to make the best shots in ATL!

The Islander

The local watering hole. Every small town has one...and in Pendleton, SC the watering hole is most certainly The Lazy Islander (unless you are a biker babe...in that case The Twisted Spoke is your go-to). More commonly known as simply, "The Islander", this place has it all. Cheap booze, karaoke on weekends, and a heck of a good time. As mentioned in my previous post I LOVE karaoke, so if the ranch is good then I might as well move in because I'd never want to leave! On a recent visit home some friends and I decide to go fetch some drinks and sing a little karaoke. All of them know about Ranch Out and insisted that I get a plate of fries with some ranch so that I could make a new post. Little did I know, the fries Brittany ordered were no ordinary fries. The potatoes were jazzed up by being fried once, then covered in hot sauce and fried again for that extra crunch. BINGO! These paired with some homeade ranch could arguably be called "The Holy Duo". The cooling effect of the ranch compliments these spicy french fries perfectly. Add a Coors Light to the mix...Woah! I thought the ranch was great...thin consistency, cold temperature, nice coloring. Only complaints I have is the 1)the minuscule serving, and 2)a slightly sour aftertaste (let me stress the slight, only someone with my acute ranch tasting skills would even notice. I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting the upstate, and the ranch too. 4.1 out of 5 stars. 

Silvertron Cafe

Long time no Ranch! Back in April, some of my best friends and I went to Birmingham, Alabama to celebrate my 23rd birthday. Those close to me know that I have another love in this life other than ranch dressing...singing karaoke. It turned out that Birmingham has a bar called "The Nick" where you can sing karaoke with a live band...so naturally I dragged my friends kicking and screaming to Bama so I could sing at this place. Anyways, one morning of this trip we weren't feeling too fresh and needed a nice meal (accompanied by some ranch of course) to put some pep in our step. Drew (my best guy friend in the whole world) knew of this great little restaurant called Silvertron Cafe, and so we decided to check it out. I ordered a burger, some thin & crispy french fries, and as always, a side of ranch. The waitress presented me with a very generous serving of ranch. Wonderful coloring, nice ranch aroma, perfect cool temperature, and that thin consistency I always look for. Drew took a picture for me and we were out the door. We went browsing at some nearby shops, and I was surprised when the man pictured below tapped me on the shoulder and said "Ma'am, I think you forgot your credit card." Sooo typical of me. This guy had overheard us talking at the table about shopping, and when he noticed that I had left my card, went into every store on the block to try and give it back to me. Talk about customer service! He was my hero!! I couldn't wait to get home and write my review! Unfortunately, Drew lost his phone that next day and had never sent me the photo. Without a photo there is really no point in making a new post, so I was super bummed. I shared my ranch woes with a work pal, and he informed me that he was going to Bham on business soon and didn't mind stopping by Silvertron to get some pics. What a great friend! I couldn't believe that he did it! To be completely honest, his pictures are much better than mine; I need to step my game up. I personally think that the second photo with the floral arrangement and the people eating in the background could be on a food magazine cover...just saying. As for the rating...with the combination of excellent customer service, large serving size, great taste, and all the trouble went to get this photo, the Silvertron most certainly gets 5 out of 5 stars! Here is Silvertron's menu: http://www.silvertroncafe.us/

Sweetgrass Diner

I went home this past weekend, and one thing you guys can be sure of is that upstate South Carolina doesn't have a shortage of homemade ranch. After ruining any chance of a diet earlier in the day with 4 Krispy Kreme doughnuts, I didn't hesitate to join my Mom and her boyfriend to the new diner in downtown Clemson, SC. You know how every town has a restaurant location where a business can't seem to make it? That's where Sweetgrass Diner decided to open shop. We walked in and the smell from the gas stove was so overwhelming that Ryan commented, "Good thing Clemson outlawed smoking downtown, because if someone struck a match this whole place would explode" haha. Our waitress looked to be about 15, and she had lackluster serving skills to say the least. Okay so back to the ranch. I ordered a burger ("best in town" supposedly) with fries, and of course a side of ranch. The waitress assured me that the dressing was in fact homemade. My expectations weren't very high (due to the interesting pre-meal experience) and I was even more concerned when I was handed a container of blue cheese dressing. Thank goodness for my dressing expertise, because I knew that she had made a mistake and didn't waste a fry on "the other white dressing" (not a fan). Despite the awful service, the ranch was pretty darn good. In my opinion, it was the best part of the meal. Not too thick and held a nice shade of white. The taste was good, but had an after bite that was a little off. Although I probably would never eat at this establishment again, I would recommend that you folks try the ranch. Sorry for the less than aesthetically pleasing photo, I had accidentally taken a bite before I took the picture. 3.9 out of 5 stars.

Jack In the Box

Late night mistake. Fellow Ranchers beware! It makes the already terrible food even worse. As your friend, I'd advise not bothering. 0 out of 5 stars.

Ruth's Chris

Hey fellow Ranchers! Sorry I haven't posted in a while! It's been insanely busy at work, and to my extreme disappointment, I haven't gotten to enjoy much ranch! This past weekend I was invited to a wedding in Birmingham, Alabama. The groom's family generously provided all of the wedding party with rooms at the Embassy Suites, and all meals were taken care of too. Free meals and lodging was such a thoughtful gesture; I quickly came to terms with the fact that my beloved condiment wouldn't be served at such a fancy smancy affair. Indeed, no ranch was served at the wedding. Luckily for me, the combination of booze, fancy footwork, and fireworks (they were incredible by the way) made post reception-ers hungry for some late night munchies. Conveniently located in our hotel was a Ruth's Chris restaurant, so most of the wedding guests sat down in the bar to enjoy some appetizers and drinks (the party is NEVER over). Someone offered me a shoestring fry (salty, crispy, and delicious) but I couldn't indulge myself until I had a saucer of chilled ranch alongside it. The bartender (Kevin I believe) was wonderful and gladly fetched me some. I was not in love at first sight with the ranch he presented me. Although it was a nice shade of white and the herbs had a vibrant green color, I was a little put off by the thickness of it. Typically good, homemade ranch has a runny consistency, but Ruth's Chris was able to discredit this rule. The ranch was UNBELIEVABLE. Not only did I eat the fries I had ordered, but I found some leftover fries that our party had left behind so that none of the ranch went to waste. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, when I took the saucer up to my room later that evening, I had nothing else to dip so I just licked the ranch right off my fingers. Ruth's Chris, I'm extremely impressed. I must warn other rancholics though, my tastebuds could've been a little off that evening...Ranch Out would've gladly charged me with an R.U.I. (Ranch Under the Influence). I think my actions in my hotel room make it pretty clear though, this ranch was finger-licking good! Bama did not disappoint. 5 out of 5 stars! 

Outback Steakhouse

G'day mates! I went home over Easter weekend and was absolutely craving some Aussie Cheese fries. Anyone who knows me understands the importance of this appetizer in my life. I was first introduced to the 2900 calorie, 182 grams of fat, 240 grams of carbohydrates delight my junior year of high school. My Nana (the best cook I know) had hurt her back in the garden on Saturday morning, so she was unable to cook a traditional Easter Sunday meal for the family. So, instead of hastily thorwing a meal together, the family decided to go to good ol' Outback in Anderson, SC. I have been to MANY Outback's across the country, but none can beat this establishment. The manager Gary Durkee does an amazing job of running his Outback like a well-oiled machine. Wonderful service, and to top it off, their food is better than any Outback that I've ever been to. Their cheese fries are my absolute favorite indulgence. And if you didn't already guess, this preference in food can be credited to the ranch which accompanies the artery clogging meal.Outback's ranch is a little thicker than the ranch that I usually like, but this ranch is the exception to my ranch rule that "runny is better." Their ranch also differs in its coloring, taking on a more eggshell/cream shade as opposed to white. Whatever Outback is doing, they're doing it right. Hand down they have the best ranch of any chain restaurant in America. Outback's ranch dressing is the perfect compliment to the bacon and cheese covered crispy fries. Gary made a quick stop by our table to make sure everything met our expectations. While there, he informed me that Outback makes the ranch fresh daily, and that if I liked it so much, they would gladly bottle me some for $5!!!! Umm, yes please! And oh yeah, Outback's ranch = 5 out of 5 stars!