Looking Back at Yesterday's

Yesterday's
Five Points
Columbia, SC

After just a couple of short weeks, Suit420 was back in Columbia, South Carolina.

It was late afternoon. It was hot. Suit420 was hungry. And I was in search of food.

Recently, my main concern when choosing a restaurant to review has been two-legged whitetails first, booze selection second -- and then food.

But tonight Suit420 wasn't in much of a drinking mood, and since I tagged out the night before, two-legged whitetails were off the table for the evening.

That means Suit420 wanted a good meal.

And based on conversation with locals, as well as what I had read online, Yesterday's down in Five Points was the place to go.

You see, Yesterday's has an interesting story.

First of all, it's been around since 1978. And if a restaurant survives for over 30years in a college town -- they must be doing something right.

Yesterday's was founded in 1978 by three business men who wanted to offer folks something different than the standard Italian, French, Chinese style restaurants that were popping up all over town.


The founders of Yesterday's wanted to specialize in made-from-scratch, good ole American classics from all over the country.

And that's a concept Suit420 likes.

So I found a parking spot, and strolled in to Yesterday's to sit at the bar for a good meal, some baseball and possibly a beer or two.

Yesterday's is quiet compared to other bars in the area, which cater more to young college kids. The lighting wasn't too bright. The waitresses and bartenders were cute and friendly.


And it wasn't overly crowded.

I grabbed a seat at the bar, ordered an ice water and started to look at the menu.

Wow. There was something for everyone. I didn't know where to start.

Yesterday's has daily specials, which include foods like blackened Mahi Mahi, Cuban Pork Loin and Wild St. Thomas, a seven ounce boneless breast of chicken over wild rice topped with sautéed mushroom and Yesterday's white wine sauce.


There was Confederate Fried Steak, Southern Fried Chicken, Lowcountry Shrimp and Grits, and virtually anything else you could think of.

I decided to start with chips and salsa. There was so much food on the menu, and Suit420 needed some extra time.

After a couple minutes, my chips and salsa arrived.

And I must say, Yesterday's salsa is fantastic. I'm not sure what type they use -- the bartender just said the "expensive kind" -- but damn it was good. Better than any Mexican restaurant I've had.


Now for the real food, and Suit420 wanted chicken.

So I went with Uncle Jack's Chicken Breast.

Uncle Jack's Chicken Breast has melted Cheddar cheese, sliced bacon and a side of Bourbon BBQ sauce. Plus two vegetables.

For vegetables, I decided to go with green beans and macaroni and cheese.

In the meantime, while waiting on my food to arrive, I decided I'd enjoy a Wood Chuck Apple Cider, which Yesterday's happent to have on draft.

Ten minutes later, and the bartender was handing me a plate with delicious-looking food on it.

And it tasted as good as it looked.

But my decision for grilled chicken wasn't easy. The guy beside me had ordered Chicken Fried Steak, and it looked amazing. He also had very good looking mashed potatoes with white gravy.


In the end, Uncle Jack's Chicken was the right choice, and Yesterday's lived up to its reputation.

The food was great. The green beans were fresh, with a little peppery taste to them. And the macaroni-and-cheese had just the right amount of cheese-to-noodle ratio.

The chicken was covered in cheese and bacon -- good crisp bacon -- and there was some special BBQ sauce on the side, which was very good and went well with the Cider.

That's why I ate every last bite, and didn't leave a drop of food on my plate.

And the best part of all was that Yesterday's has Yesterday-style prices. My food was only 8.95.

Satisfied, I settled up with the bartender and headed out for a post-meal puff. It was time to leave "Yesterday's" behind and head back to today.

Rating: Bought the Shirt