Tonight we decided to try Sticky Fingers downtown. I had seen these new restaurants popping up here and in Columbia, and wanted to give them a shot. Apparently the first one was in Mt. Pleasant, and they have spread from there all over the Southeast, with most of their restaurants here in SC.
Atmosphere
A downtown location almost guarantees a cool atmosphere, and this was no exception. The setting is very casual, with wooden benches for booths, and Blues decor over all the walls. The emphasis is Memphis BBQ and Ribs, so why not Memphis Blues? It wasn’t just on the walls, but coming from the sound system as well. The place was loud, and getting crowded, but it never felt frenetic – just fun.
What we didn’t know was that the SEC playoffs were going on at the BiLo center, so the town was crowded with basketball fans. We got there around 5:40 and were seated with no problem. By 6:00 there was a 45 minute wait for a table.
Menu
With the casual atmosphere comes casual fare. The specialty is ribs in five varieties – Memphis Wet and Dry, Tennessee Whiskey, Habenero Hot, and Carolina Sweet. These come in three sizes, and seceral combinations. In addition, there are sandwiches, salads, and burgers of various types.
Food
We started with Deep Purple beer, which was supposed to be a raspberry wheat brew. Unfortunately, they had just tapped a new keg, so the glasses we got were flat. Fortunately, they were kind and brought us new glasses – only slightly less flat. Oh well. Laura ordered the Carolina Sweet ribs and I got the Tennessee Whiskey ribs. These came with baked beans, and we both substituted baked apples for cole slaw.
The ribs were outstanding. Laura’s had a hint of sweetness, and mine were just good. The meat came apart with just a fork, thereby avoiding the namesake condition. There were bottles of the other sauces on the table, and I just had to try the Habenero Hot. There was only a hint of heat, with most flevor coming from a pepper sweetness that complimented my ribs perfectly. Since Laura’s ribs were already sweet, it didn’t help hers as much. Everything was quite tasty.
Service
As with everything else, service was great. The waiters were very helpful, even with the flat beer. Service was quick and cheerful.
Summary
This is a definite party place – this location anyway. I don’t know how the other places are, but I’m sure sure we will give them a try.