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. 

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.

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! 

Flip Burger

I had heard so many good things about this restaurant and finally decided to go. Everyone knows that nothing accompanies a good burger like hot, crispy, salty french fries. Everyone also knows that if you give a girl some fries, she's gonna want some ranch to go with it! The crystal hot sauce shrimp burger was great; the ranch to accompany it was so so. A little bitter and off in color, I was disappointed in Flip's variation of the condiment. 2 out of 5 stars.