Laura had a meeting, and I had some time to kill, so I decided to try a new place. Tonight it was the Blockhouse Restaurant and Oyster Bar, located on Augusta Street.
Atmosphere
Having been in this spot since 1981, the Blockhouse is a bar with a few pretenses at being a restaurant. The name refers to the Blockhouse Steeplechase in Tryon, NC, so there are pcitures and stained glass representations of horse racing all over the place. The walls are of dark, rough-hewn wood. There are about 12 booths and eight small tables. Even at mid-day, the place is dimly lit, and there are no windows.
Menu
As one would expect of a bar, appetizers and lighter fare make up the majority of the menu. There are soups, salads, sandwiches and burgers, all hovering in the under $10 range. There are a few entree’s, mainly steaks and a few fried seafood dishes, starting around $18.
Food
I started with a gin martini. This was excellent, and turned out to be quite reasonable. This was followed by a bowl of seafood gumbo. The soup was excellent – just spicy enough, with large chunks of scallops and shrimp amongst the okra and tomato. I decided to stick with the bar food theme, and ordered a ribeye quesadilla to round out the meal. Again, the flavors were great. I had plenty of good food, but not so much that I felt uncomfortable.
Service
My server was friendly and efficient. Nothing to complain about, but nothing outstanding, either.
Conclusion
This seems like a nice place to gather with friends for snacks. I’m not so sure it would stack up for a heartier meal, but the food was still good.