Sep 15, 2010

Daniel Island Grille Review and Playing with Food

Last week I was given the opportunity to do a review of the Daniel Island Grille. Known as "The DIG" to locals, this restaurant has a casual but exciting atmosphere. It is a great place to go for a drink after work or to meet up with friends for traditional pub fare with flair. The menu contains what you'd typically see on a bar menu but with a creative twist for a reasonable price. The DIG has somewhat of a sports theme; they have 20 high definition TVs and many menu items are named after famous athletes. 
I brought my new co-reviewer Margaret along for the fun and upon seating we were presented with a few different menus. The DIG has a regular menu with items that are available every night, and several special menus. 

  • Monday, Diner Night - items include pork chops, meat loaf, mac & cheese, and banana pudding!
  • Tuscany Tuesday - Italian specialties, including a pasta and homemade sauce special for only $10
  • Wednesday - trivia night with seasonal specials
  • Thursday - karaoke night
  • Saturday & Sunday - brunch with a Bloody Mary bar
There was so much to choose from, so we started off with a glass of Freixenet, a Spanish sparkling red wine. Neither of us knew that sparkling reds existed, so we were already off to a good start.
After discussing all the menus with our server, Justin, we chose two appetizers. First, we had the Scott Hamilton Hummus and Pita Platter. The hummus was very fresh and had a coarse texture. It was garlic flavored with a hint of lemon. I loved the addition of feta, tomatoes, and kalamata olives with this platter. 

We also tried the Kerri Strug Chicken Spring rolls. These were Southwestern style with black beans, corn, red peppers, spinach, chicken and cheese. It was served with sweet chili sauce. These were stuffed with veggies and so yummy.
We had an even harder time picking out the entrees, but we knew we should try a salad, sandwich, and a special. Out of all the salads, the Bill Parcell's Tuna Salad sounded the best. I chose this entree because it was different from any seared tuna salad I have had. The tuna was placed over mixed greens with artichoke hearts, tomato, kalamata olives with a roasted tomato vinaigrette. Although I wouldn't typically put a tomato vinaigrette over tuna, it was a nice change and went well with the olives and artichokes. Chicken would be really good on this salad.
The sandwich our server recommended was a special. It was turkey, brie, cranberry relish, and spinach on a toasted pita. I liked this sandwich, but I didn't think spinach was a good idea for this salad; I think that turkey, brie, and cranberry is a fine combination in itself.
The sweet potato fries on the other hand were delicious!

For our entree special, we had hibachi chicken and veggies. This was definitely our favorite of the three. There were big chunks of chicken, tonssss of veggies, and a small side of brown rice. I was really impressed with the variety and amount of veggies in this dish. It had broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, and bell peppers.
Here's a pic of everything at once. It was a lot of food for two little girls and we ended up taking a lot home!
But not before we tried dessert, of course! Pictured here is a slice of cheesecake with blueberry topping. This piece of wonderfulness made us wish we hadn't eaten so much earlier! It was delicious. The dessert choices change often as they are made by a local bakery. I was sad that banana pudding wasn't on the menu and definitely want to go back to try it.
We didn't order the chocolate cake, but they did bring a slice out for us to see. Look at that chocolate monster! 
Overall, I was very impressed with the DIG. It's nice to know that you can go to a pub and still enjoy fresh food and have healthy options...and delicious ones. The restaurant is neat because you have the outdoor patio and bar with huge TVs, and you have the inside area for families. I will definitely be back for brunch, mimosas, and the Bloody Mary bar!
Daniel Island Grille on Urbanspoon

In Xtina world...

My roommate is awesome. He's always there to give me the best, honest advice and he makes me laugh constantly. One day I was going on a date and he came into my room after he got back from the gym. I was semi-freaking out (because that's what I do) and he said "I'll be right back." Thirty seconds later, he appears back in my room with two things: a Coor's Light and Scope. He tells me, "Chug this, and swish this," handing me the beer and mouthwash, respectively. It was a great idea...and yes, I did.

Who doesn't love early mornings when you wake up to a surprise? This is what I found on my kitchen counter Tuesday morning:
How awesome is that!

Wednesday morning I found another melon friend:
What a cutie!

Unfortunately melons only have so much drawing space...and they mature quickly sitting on your counter. Tonight it was time to eat him.
Boding wasn't home tonight, but I made sure to show him the massacre.

Bye bye melon...

Later gators! 

38 comments:

  1. how cute is your housemate!! :) those melon dudes are cool.

    all of the food looks great... that cheesecake... um, NOM. and anything with brie is a good thing :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those melon messages are the cutest! What a great roommate :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. OMG. So cute. You clearly are blessed with wonderful ppl around you!

    and loved the review. I only wish I lived close enough to visit!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey girl! I went to DIG for brunch with my mama and enjoyed it. I was surprised how fresh their ingredients seemed, given its a pub. That pita & hummus plate looks delicious. I need to go back from that. Your roommate is hilarious. Whatcha up to this weekend?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Haha, that melon is ridiculously cute. And so are you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. that restaurant looks DEEEE-LISH! and you're roommie is a true sweetheart...is he single?! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Can your roommate be my new best friend?

    And Jersey Shore would totally love that motto: "Chug This, Swish with This"

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow--that's definitely pub food kicked up a notch!! Love the looks of the place. And sweet potato fries are the best hands down!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a fun roommate! HAHA! People who make me laugh are an EXCEPTIONAL breed in my book! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oooh sparkling red wine! Is it wrong that I want wine now at 9:30 am? :p

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ohhh.. you have me wanting that beautiful piece of cheesecake! Looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That place on DI looks great...if you ever need a pal to do a restaurant review with...I love food :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. i can't believe you didn't tell me about the sparkling red wine! you're gonna have to fill me in asap, please. and although i've already commented on fb, i love the melon people SO much.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your roommate sounds like a gem. What an awesome dinner - i didnt know there were legit sparkling red wines either! Incredible.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Those honeydews are ADORABLE! Have you seen this?
    http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/fruit-gobbler-688370/
    And that food all looks sooo good.

    ReplyDelete
  16. YUM...melons! Great review! Everything looked so good! Oh and I think you should attempt fried chicken at home. It was so much easier than I thought it would be too!

    ReplyDelete
  17. You are too cute! And omggg all the food looks SO good. I would have gobbled up that hummus plate and spring rolls in a heartbeat!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Is it inappropriate to say, Nice Melons?!

    ReplyDelete
  19. LOL your roommate's melon faces are so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  20. That blueberry cheesecake looks so delicious!

    Hilarious roommate!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hilarious!! Love the melon pics... xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  22. HAHA that's awesome that you have such a cool roommate!

    All that food looks AMAZING :)

    I have a point and snap camera. It is made my Casio and is the Exilim 7.2 Mega Pixels. Sorry that took me so long to reply! I had been at the beach and just got back into the blog world today! Have a great day :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. You may have the best roommate ever.... He seems like a totally awesome person! lucky you! Good advice too... beer solves many problems- um... or impacts them, if you're in AA... nevermind. lol

    But love the melon faces! ha!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow, I want to go to the DIG and try it all! I'm a sucker for southwest style rolls and that cheesecake looks to die for!

    Your roommate is awesome-visuals plus fun notes? Fabulousity I tell you.

    Keeping it classy I see with Coors Light I see. I like keep it classy with PBR and Listerine--holla!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Love that happy fruit!! Can I steal your roommate and make him come leave me smiling melons in the morning? I can't imagine having a bad day after waking up to them!

    DIG sounds awesome...I think I'd order several slices of that cheesecake and call it good. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  26. haha love the melon messages and how you portrayed yourself as a killer! haha Humanizing inanimate objects NEVER gets old! Hope to meet up with you Saturday - woo!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Your roomie sounds awesome! Those melon ideas are too cute :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Seems like it was a lot of fun reviewing DIG! The hummus looked awesome!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. holy shiiiit i would definitely have ordered that hibachi chicken and veggie dish if i knew it looked like that!!! i love the sauce holding it all together- rediculous!!

    gahhhh YUMMM cheesecake too ;) <3 <3

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  30. Whoa that hummus looks awesome! As does the cheesecake. Now I'm hungry!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hey girl! I'm glad you liked my post on healthy swaps! Good to hear that others believe in balance rather than deprivation!

    Ps. the melon people are adorable! :)
    Enjoy your weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  32. i didn't know about sparkling red either, till i moved to Australia and found it everywhere! (haha...i'm so sheltered!) and those melons are awesome. you must have a great roommate :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. That pita platter looks so legit! Also your melon friends crack. me. up. I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Those melons are adorable!
    But even more important - that food all looks AMAZING! The sandwich...the sweet potato fries...the cheesecake! YUMMM! :-P

    ReplyDelete
  35. hahahha this is too funny. I wish I had a roomate who did nice things like that!! :)

    ReplyDelete