Tried Tucker's Place South County for the first time today. It was highly recommended by our hotel desk clerk for having VERY good burgers so thought we'd try it.
I split the Daily Special with the wife which was a hamburger well done with cheddar cheese, seasoned fries and a side salad with ranch on the side.
As far as the food goes:
- The side salad was pretty basic. I believe it was iceberg lettuce with shredded mozzarella and bacon bits on top. I think I remember maybe two cherry tomatoes but definitely one. The salad wasn't too bad. The amounts of mozzarella and bacon bits were generous.
- The burger was served like the old McDLTs back in the day: the 'cold' side was separated from the 'hot side. You can see in the picture how it was separated. You'll also see that there was no cheese on the burger. However, in the tiny little plastic 'bowl' to the right you will see a orangish-yellow goop. Turns out this was the 'cheddar cheese' which seemed to be cheese whiz instead of a slice of cheddar cheese. I was not expecting this so was kind of weirded out. I mean who doesn't really like cheese whiz. I just haven't had it since maybe the year 2000 or earlier. In its current presentation, it did not entice me to spread this onto my burger. Also, the burger was really well done versus just well done. It tasted okay but I would have expected a little more from a sit down restaurant.
- The fries we received were not seasoned. You see it as so in the photo. Our waitress did say, "Oops, forgot to season the seasoned fries. I'll be back with some seasoning." She returned with a small plastic bowl like which held the cheese whiz but contained the seasoning for the fries. I spread it over the fries but because the fries were no longer hot, if they were at all, the seasoning was not really sticking to or absorbing into the fries. I think they could have been good if the seasoning was properly applied at the right time.
As far as the service goes, the server was fairly good with some assistance from what I think was the busser. The busser was the one who followed up with us for refills and to clear any dishes that needed it. When we were sat in our booth, our server probably didn't show up for a good 10 mins or so. No worries as we weren't in any hurry. The place did seem a little busy since it was lunchtime on Friday. We also did have to wait about 10 mins to be sat.
The restaurant seemed old. Like the carpet, booths and decor seemed really dated. I don't know how long it's been around but it felt like it could have been since the early to late 90s.
FINAL VERDICT: Overall, I thought the food I had was just okay. Maybe the burger would have been better at medium/medium rare but I don't think I'll return to find out. Substituting what seemed to be/was cheese whiz for an actual cheddar cheese slice is not redeemable for me. I would not have ordered it if I knew it was not a slice of cheddar cheese. The restaurant seemed to have an older crowd (60+) of repeat customers. Others may have a different experience, but I just don't feel like I can justify returning./p>
