Red Bone Alley Local Hotspot
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about where I live, and to be honest, it would take me quite a few blogs to fully describe the beauty of my home state. I love South Carolina! I want to help y’all understand how beautiful our Southern life is, and part of what makes it that way is all of the unique places we visit around the state. I’ve decided to share my favorite local spots over the course of the next few months so you can see for yourself how amazing everything is. I love the slower paced lifestyle in the country, but when we want to indulge, we head to bigger cities. I attended Francis Marion University in Florence, SC so I have a little knowledge of the popular spots. It’s a small town but is growing like crazy with new developments and attractions galore. One of my all time favorite places to go, especially when I am pregnant, is lunch at Red Bone Alley restaurant!
This is my FAVORITE place to eat in Florence, South Carolina! Whether it’s a family gathering, work meeting, or just lunch with a friend, Red Bone Alley is always my first choice. I am huge foodie and this restaurant encompasses all of my favorites with drool-worthy plating! I couldn’t possibly choose one entrée as my favorite, and I have tried them all! Everything is just that good!
Sometimes I’ll meet someone for lunch just to eat one of their homemade desserts! Owner, Dale Barth, decided to make the food with fresh local ingredients bought directly from local farmers, honey gathered by South Carolinian beekeepers, Darlington County rice, freshly caught Atlantic seafood, and the highest quality aged Western beef flown in daily. Red Bone Alley is an absolutely fabulous place to eat whether you’ve just left the gym or you’re on a hot date with your hubby. Dale Barth wanted to create a dining experience that helps his customers escape from reality, and the interior does a spectacular job doing so! Not only are the foods enough to make you come back again and again, but the décor has been taken to another level to show the Southern lifestyle that we live as Carolinians.
The interior is not what you would expect when you view the building from the outside. Once you walk inside, you are immediately taken to downtown Charleston, the open space and tall ceilings help create that transformation. On the ground level the seating sections were created to all look different with the help of hand painted murals by Charleston artist David Boatwright! The first seating area beside the kitchen is structured like a sidewalk café along the streets of Charleston. Behind that is what I would call a backyard eatery for families with small children. It’s surrounded by a picket fence with a play area and a full-sized ice cream truck loaded with free ice cream after kids finish their meals! There is the porch section that is reminiscent of sitting on a bayou porch; this is where we chose to sit and over look the restaurant during our meal. If you want to enjoy a frothy beverage or glass of wine, you must check out the bar area because it is a sight to see in itself. It also features big tables for your friends to join and munch on appetizers while you watch sports on the weekend!
Along with great food and beautiful views at Red Bone, they have created a gift shop area to check out while your table is being prepared or after you enjoy your meal. The gift shop houses their clothing line that offers options to fit your youngest to your oldest family members and friends and also food products. The Red Bone food products range from grilling sprays to finishing sauces featuring the best Southern ingredients! If you’re not local to the area, you can purchase them online at their website here.
Derrek and I went there a few days ago to enjoy a day date while we had a sitter for our kids. Food is the way to my heart and Derrek knows me to a T! When I found out that we were going to Red Bone, I started planning what I wanted to eat in my head. We started out with appetizers with our favorites – he always gets the Crisp Sweet Chili Shrimp and I LOVE the Pita Chips with house made Ranch, Pimento Cheese, and Thai Sweet Chili sauces to dip the chips in. These are defiantly our guilty pleasure indulgences and we get them every time we eat there! During lunch they offer lunch sized portions of their dinner entrees that include a salad (which is a must when you eat at Red Bone). I love this option because even though it’s a smaller portion I normally have left overs to take home and enjoy later. I am a Shrimp and Grits type of girl, so I got the Low country Shrimp and Grits which is topped with Spicy Fried Shrimp, Seared Ham, Mushrooms and Green Onions and a side salad with house made Hot Bacon Honey Mustard dressing. If you know me, you know that is my FAVORITE dressing and I love eating it anytime it is an option. Derrek ordered one of their steaks. I love that their steaks are aged at least 21 days for tenderness, seasoned well then seared at piping hot temperatures. At our lunch, he enjoyed the Marinated Grilled Rib Eye. It’s marinated in a citrus and soy sauce then flash grilled and served with caramelized onions. He also enjoyed a side salad with the same dressing I get and a side of new potatoes.
We were both so stuffed after we ate that we couldn’t even think about ordering a dessert and each of us had to-go plates to snack on later. I cannot say enough good things about Red Bone Alley. When you go, it’s easy to want to order the same thing every time because it’s delicious, but try and step outside of your comfort zone and try something different on the menu. Everything is made to perfection and will leave your taste buds thanking you! If you don’t have to the time to sit down and enjoy your meal in the restaurant, they offer curb side to-go service, so it’s also great to enjoy on the go!
