The Rusty Crane's Rustic Goodness Makes for a Good Day!

 

Today was an awesome day...my sister invited me to watch a great college football team play then, she took me to dinner at The Rusty Crane. We both hadn't tried this place yet so we were famished and excited to stop at this rustic eatery. With our team winning, what better way to top off this awesome day, than with some good eats?





     There was a 15 minute wait for the patio, 30-45 minute wait for inside and there was just TWO of us!  The long wait made us realize this place HAD to be good.  Okay, to be brutally honest, the reviews I'd read made me nervous about trying this place out. I'd read they were rude, slow, and the food not too tasty...thank goodness my sister and I both are "try it for ourselves" type of gals. I never take reviews to heart but it is good to know what's being said, you know, just to prepare ourselves for what to expect.  Here was our experience...  

     ...we were greeted by the hostess with a smile...a little stressed look, but she was friendly nevertheless.  We waited about 17 minutes and then we were seated.  Immediately, a drink server came over and took our drink order. As soon as they brought us our beverages, we were told who our actual server would be. Another ordinary wait and boom, our server was there.  Greeted us with a friendly smile and took our order.  

     We wanted to start with the chips and salsa...my sister, who makes the best homemade guac ever, wanted to taste their version of house-made.  It did NOT disappoint, rich in avocado freshness, cilantro, onions and seasonings. A little heavy on the lime juice, but still absolutely delicious. The salsa was oh so fresco too. I couldn't stop eating the fresh, crispy, perfectly salted chips with these flavorful chip dressings. 

 Chips & Salsa $3.99 Guacamole order added +$2.00

      My sister Chris ordered the spinach salad with baby spinach, black bean hummus, feta cheese, tomato, red onions and sliced almonds, tossed ever so lightly with a balsamic vinaigrette. She said it tasted perfect and delicious, she absolutely loved it. 

The Spinach, baby spinach, black bean hummus, feta cheese, tomato, red onions, sliced almonds, all tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. $8.99 w/grilled chicken $11.99

     I had the Uncle G's Pulled Pork, Crane rubbed pork, slow roasted with house BBQ sauce, red onion & pickles, served on a grilled bun, which has been brushed with butter...mmm, butter. All sandwiches come with your choice of Crane fries or sweet potato fries. Let me just say...sweet mother of potato fries. The pork sandwich was juicy and LOADED with flavor and they put just the right amount of sauce on it.  The sweet potato fries (they should really rename them "sweet mother of potato fries") were perfectly crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside, with a dusting of some kind of pepper, like cayenne or something. They had a slight kick to them...gosh, they were good. EVERYTHING was delicious. 

Uncle G's Pulled Pork sandwich with house BBQ sauce, red onion, & pickles, with sweet potato fries (aka, sweet mother of potato fries). $8.99





     The atmosphere was great, the employees were all awesome and friendly. Even though our wait was a bit long for the food, they informed us and followed up, letting us know the status of our wait time AND kept our drinks and chips a flowin'. Super awesome service, food and peeps. So glad we gave them a try. Remember, reviews, be it from critics, diners or bloggers are just stories of their/our experience. I suggest you always give a business a chance. After all, everyone has an off day now and then, but today was not one of them for The Rusty Crane...today, was a good day. Cheers!