Three New Restaurants Coming to Main Street Greenville Soon!

Downtown Greenville's already vibrant restaurant scene is about to get even more crowded! Three restaurants are slated to open between this month and May.

BREAKWATER RESTAURANT & BAR

The first restaurant, scheduled to open in February, is Breakwater. Breakwater is going to be located where Rio Grille was once, at 802 South Main Street. They are coming to Greenville via Beaufort where the original  Breakwater location has won many accolades.

The food is considered "New Southern Cuisine", and from what I can tell, looks like a challenger to Greenville's ever popular Soby's.  I will be in Beaufort soon, so I  may need to venture in and try the original before venturing to their Greenville location.

MAC'S SPEED SHOP

The next restaurant, slated to open in late March is Charlotte's own, Mac's Speed Shop! A barbecue restaurant with a biker theme. In fact their motto is "Beer Bikes BBQ". Mac's Speed Shop will be located at 930 South Main Street, next to Carolina Triathlon and across the street from Liberty Taproom.

I've been to Mac's and I'm a big fan. Their BBQ is great, the beer selection rivals that of Barley's and just because its a biker themed place, doesn't mean that's the core clientele. I visited Mac's Southend Charlotte location last week during lunch and the place was packed with  business men and women enjoying some tasty BBQ.

Over the years, they have developed a loyal following, which I think will be the case in Greenville, once they open. Garden and Gun Magazine described Mac's Speed Shop as, "
If Disney were ever to open a biker bar—focused on craft beers and barbecue—it would look something like this". Needless to say, I can't wait for Greenville to enjoy what people in Charlotte have been enjoying for years!

A NEW CONCEPT FROM LARKIN'S - NAME TBD

The final new restaurant opening on Main Street in Greenville within the next few months is a new concept from the people that brought you Larkin's on the River. I'm a fan of Larkin's, so I am sure this will be an excellent concept.  According to General Manager Bob Munich on Fox Carolina, "they have not decided on a name for the new place yet, but it will have lower prices and a more casual feel than Larkin's on the River". Based on that, I am thinking that this is probably going to be a gastropub kind of  place, a la, Nose Dive in Greenville or Red Drum in Mount Pleasant.

I'm having dinner at Larkin's on the River soon. While there, I will inquire more about the new place and if I learn anything new, I will share later.

The new location is going to be located in the old Hot Dog King at 209 South Main Street. I applaud any business that will open a new business in a previously closed establishment.

The Greatest Steak Grilled at Home, According to Mrs. SNarolina Foodie!

According to my wonderful wife, I grill one excellent steak. Together, we've enjoyed some of the Carolina's best, so when I hear her praises on my grilling, it makes me happy. My steak grilling technique comes from the Morton's Steak Bible.

First, I select high quality beef,  from places like the New York Butcher Shoppe and Whole Foods. I've noticed that when I've gotten beef from other groceries, quality has been an issue. Please note, not all beef are created equal! For our most recent home grilled steaks, I purchased two 8 oz filets from the New York Butcher Shoppe out of Charlotte, NC.

The following are my directions for the greatest steak grilled at home:

1. Bring your steaks out of the refrigerator and let stand for 30-60 minutes. What I've learned, getting the meat to room temperature, aids in the grilling process and the meat cooks evenly.

2. Once the steaks have come to room temperature, I cover them in Extra Virgin Olive oil (EVO).

3. After coating the steaks with EVO, I coat the steaks, liberally with Sea Salt. Actually, most meat that I grill, I coat in Sea Salt.

4. While I am waiting for the steaks to get to room temperature, I get the grill fired up to around 500 - 550 degrees F.

5. With the combination high temperature on the grill and the Steaks at room temperature, it doesn't take long for the steaks to cook, especially the way I like them, RARE! At the high temperatures, most steaks will be ready within 10 minutes or less.

6. Enjoy! No steak sauce is needed, especially when you have a high quality piece of beef!

Grilled Filet Mignon, RARE!

Cook Out comes to Greenville!

I like a good cheeseburger as anyone. If you make a good cheeseburger, people will come. North Carolina has been lucky. For years, North Carolinians have had an excellent chain called Cook Out. This place offers burgers, bbq, hot dogs, chicken and milk shakes all of which are excellent. Within the past two years, Cook Out has been aggressivley expanding south of the border into South Carolina.

The latest addition in SC is their Greenville location, right next to the Cherrydale Shopping Center. We've enjoyed Cook Out before, but are excited that they are located down the street from our house, which is dangerous in itself. What's good about Cook Out is not just their food, but their prices as well. You can get a lot for a little, especially with their Cook Out Tray combo's.  (See Below)

Cook Out Tray = Lots of  Quality Food and Little Price

Cook Out offers many different options for their burgers. My personal favorite is the Steakhouse Style, which consist of a hamburger, cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, A-1 sauce and mayo. I love this burger because it's what my Dad called a three napkin burger because of how messy it can get.

While I am a big fan or Cook Out's burgers and shakes, I must say, their fries aren't as good as say, FIVE GUYS, but that is another story in itself. If you are looking for a tasty burger with some interesting choices for sides, head to cookout.

Restaurant Week - South Carolina

Its Restaurant Week all over South Carolina! I urge all of you to take advantage of this and try some place new. This is definitely an excellent opportunity to taste some of the state's best menus for a low price!

Table 301 Offering 3 Wine Dinners in Greenville, January 12, 2012

Winemaker Dinners - Thursday, January 12, 2012
Three talented winemakers, three great restaurants, one amazing night of wine & foodWe’re excited to host three dinners with winemakers in town for the American Red Cross Affair with Flair Wine Auction (with a percentage of the proceeds benefiting the event).
NOSE DIVE with Tom Rinaldi of Provenance Winery.
Provenance Wine Dinner - Thursday, January 12, 2012The event is $65 per person and seating is limited. A portion of the proceeds benefit the American Red Cross Western Carolinas Region. For reservations, please call 864-241-3030.Provenance Wine Dinner Menu:StartFamily Style CharcuterieChefs Selection of House Made Hams, Pates, Rillettes & PicklesProvenance Vineyards Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc 2010FishMarinated Tuna CrudoHerb Smoked Blackberries, Grilled PortabellaProvenance Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot 2006MeatPork ShankRoasted Root Vegetables, Apple, Smoked BrothProvenance Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
SweetCandy BarFirm Milk Chocolate, Coffee Crust, Raisins, Bourbon, Peanut Anglaise


Devereaux’s with Joe Davis of Arcadian Winery. For reservations, call 864-241-3030. 



The event is $85 per person and seating is limited. A portion of the proceeds benefit the American Red Cross Western Carolinas Region. For reservations, please call 864-232-7007.Perception Wine Dinner Menu:First Course:

Arugula SaladCider Vinaigrette, Feta Cheese, Toasted Pumpkin SeedsPerception Russian River ChardonnaySecond Course:

Creamy Blue Crab SoupPerception Sangiacomo Vineyard ChardonnayThird Course:

Pan Seared ScallopsAsparagus Risotto, Butter SaucePerception Sangiacomo Vineyard Chardonnay and Russian River Pinot NoirFourth Course:

Braised Beef Short RibsCreamy Anson Mills Polenta, Broccolini, Truffle DemiPerception Bacigalupi ZinfandelFifth Course:

Brown Butter CakeLocal Pecans, Caramel Ice CreamThe event is $75 per person and seating is limited. A portion of the proceeds benefit the American Red Cross Western Carolinas Region. For reservations, please call 864-241-3030.Arcadian Wine Dinner Menu:First CourseCrab CannolliPiña, Radish, Apple, Chive, LemonChardonnay, “Sleepy Hollow Vineyard”, Santa Lucia Highlands, California, 2006Second CourseRoasted GrouperWhite Corn Polenta, Maitake, Lemon, Herbed JusPinot Noir, “Sleepy Hollow Vineyards”, Santa Lucia Highlands, California, 2005Third CourseBeef ShortribConfit Potatoes, Caramelized Onion, Haricot Vert, BraisageSyrah, “Garys’ Vineyard”, Monterey, California, 2001Fourth CourseHot Chocolate & BiscuitFlourless Chocolate Cake, Stuffed Brioche, Malt ParfaitThe Loft at Soby’s with Mark Ray of Perception Wines. For reservations, call 864-232-7007. Perception Wine Dinner - Thursday, January 12, 2012

CreamThe event is $75 per person and seating is limited. A portion of the proceeds benefit the American Red Cross Western Carolinas Region. For reservations, please call 864-241-3030.

Arcadian Wine Dinner Menu:
First Course  Crab CannolliPiña, Radish, Apple, Chive, LemonChardonnay, “Sleepy Hollow Vineyard”, Santa Lucia Highlands, California, 2006

Second Course  Roasted GrouperWhite Corn Polenta, Maitake, Lemon, Herbed JusPinot Noir, “Sleepy Hollow Vineyards”, Santa Lucia Highlands, California, 2005

Third Course Beef ShortribConfit Potatoes, Caramelized Onion, Haricot Vert, BraisageSyrah, “Garys’ Vineyard”, Monterey, California, 2001

Fourth Course Hot Chocolate & BiscuitFlourless Chocolate Cake, Stuffed Brioche, Malt Parfait

Support Your Local Brewery and/or Distillery!

I like to support local and regional businesses. I applaud anyone that goes out on their own to create a business, especially in the ultra-competitive food and beverage industry. It takes guts to risk it all on an idea that you think is worth sharing.  In the Carolinas, we are fortunate enough to have some quality breweries / distilleries.  When traveling in foreign countries, I always drink the beer/wine/whiskey of that respective country. That also goes for the state or city that I'm in as well.

Lately, I've been trying more of the Carolina's best beers and now moonshine and I must say, we are very fortunate to have some guys that put their heart and passion in providing some quality beverages. I want to highlight some of the notable ones that I've tried recently.

The latest creation is, Dark Corner Distillery, here in Greenville, SC. Joe Fenten and Richard Wenger pursued a dream and created South Carolina's first legal Moonshine, thanks to some new laws here in South Carolina. They have put a lot of heart and history in Dark Corner. Though it's only a few months old, they are starting to have some distribution within the Upstate of South Carolina. I look forward to seeing what all they create in the coming months/years. I certainly hope to see it in the bar at HUSK in Charleston very soon.

If you are ever in Greenville, stop in and visit the Distillery and Gift Shop in the heart of downtown Greenville. 241-B North Main Street, Greenville, SC. Hours of operation: Tuesday - Saturay, 10am-6pm.

Another Greenville business worth mentioning is Thomas Creek Brewery. They've come a long way, since their beginnings in 1998. I'll admit,  I didn't become a true beer drinker until about 4 years ago. Before that, I was a Bud Lite kind of person. Sad I know.  I've become a fan of Thomas Creek, especially their River Falls Red Ale. If you're a fan of IPA beers, I recommend the "Up the Creek" Extreme IPA (pictured above), which I had last night for the first time.

Other South Carolina breweries worth noting include: R. J. Rockers out of Spartanburg and  the new Westbrook Brewing out of Mt. Pleasant, SC.

Some fellow foodies were married back in October and had beers from North Carolina and Georgia during their reception. One of the beers was, The Duck-Rabbit, Milk Stout. I'd never had it before, but of course had to try it. I'm not a fan of dark stout beers, but this one is excellent with beef. The Duck-Rabbit is based out of Farmville, NC, call themselves the Dark Beer Specialist. They sold their first beer back in 2004 and have  since established a strong following within the Carolinas. If you are a fan of Guiness, branch out and try and support an even better Regional Brew.

As I continue to try other brews from the Carolina's I will definitely continue to post them in the coming months.

SNarolina Foodie 2011 Year in Review.

2011 was the launch of SNarolina Foodie and with random postings and the realization that updating a food blog takes time and effort, if you want quality. I am excited about 2012, with a new camera, new logo and the potential to take SNarolina Foodie to a new level.

Highlights from 2011:

·         Restaurant of the year: HUSK, Charleston, SC, Bon Appetit Magazine’s 2011 New Restaurant of the Year.  A cool restaurant and cool concept that stands apart. A whole posting will be coming in January, in addition to my second dinner there.

·         Restaurant with the absolute best Service: Charleston Grill, Charleston, SC. Hands down, food is excellent, service is absolutely tops. Mickey Bakst, the General Manager has to be one of the best restaurant managers in the country. Watching him work the crowd is entertaining enough.

·         Best Steakhouse Overall: Grill 225, Charleston, SC. Excellent choice in meat and sides and a great atmosphere with old school steakhouse service.

·         Best Steak: Rick Erwin’s, Greenville, SC. I’ve tried some good steakhouses in 2011, including Del Frisco’s, BLT Steak, Chophouse ’47. Erwin’s invests in good steaks. Unfortunately, their service and sides aren’t up to par to their beef.

·         Best Mac n Cheese: Youssef 242, Hickory, NC. Mac n Cheese is my favorite food of all time. Here they call it, Mac n Cheese Loaded, and it certainly is loaded with tons of cheese. Honorable mention and a very close second is, Solstice Kitchen (Columbia, SC)’s Skillett-Baked Smoked Gouda and Bacon Mac n Cheese.

·         Best Fried Chicken: Jestine’s Kitchen, Charleston, SC. If you like crunchy fried chicken, this is the place. I’ve been going to here for over 14 years and the chicken is still excellent. Close second place, Esso Club, Clemson, SC.

·         Best Ice Cream/Yogurt/Gelato: Luna Rosa Gelato, Greenville, SC. They make their gelato every day onsite. I can say without a doubt, this is the best gelato in the United States. More places are now offering gelato, none come close to this place, except maybe Paolo’s Gelato Italiano in Charleston. Paolo’s is good, however he is cash only and sadly, I never carry cash.

·         Best Pizza: Tito’s Pizza, Greenville, SC. There are tons of excellent pizza places, but Tito’s is the best in New York Style.

·         Best Lunch: Dellz Deli, Charleston, SC. This tiny (5 seats) hole in the wall, off upper King Street, quickly won me over in late 2011. I first heard about it, after reading about the rice and bean bowl (excellent). Lately, I’ve been ordering the popular Beach Bum wrap (spicy shrimp  with rice and vegetables and something called da sauce), which I’ve had a hard time venturing away from.

·         Best Beer List: Trappe Door, Greenville, SC. My favorite restaurant in Greenville has the best beer list. Grant it, I love Belgium beer and their Belgium beer list is like most restaurant wine lists.

·         Best Cheeseburger:  Poe’s Tavern, Sullivan’s Island, SC. This is a burger joint that wins the best overall burger category. Great location, atmosphere, beer list and of course large, mouth-watering, flavorful burgers. I personally like the “Tell-Tale Heart” which is a burger with Fried Egg, Applewood Bacon and Cheddar Cheese. A close second is their “The Sleeper”, which is a large burger that also includes Roasted Garlic Blue Cheese and topped with Buffalo Shrimp.

·         Best Italian Restaurant: Wild Olive, Johns Island, SC. I was determined that another restaurant in Charleston was going to be a hands down favorite, then I read about Wild Olive and a dish that some people couldn’t put their fork down when eating. I went, I ate, I loved. The meal that won it all was the “Garganelli with milk braised pork ragu, caramelized onions, rosemary, parmesan.”

I look  forward to sharing much more and really bringing the quality of SNarolina Foodie up a notch.

AMERICAN GROCERY

This evening, we took some good friends to dinner to celebrate their upcoming wedding. We gave them a choice to treat them to any restaurant in Greenville. An excellent choice they made.

American Grocery: "American Grocery Restaurant strives to serve the finest in refined American Seasonal Cuisine, featuring products sourced from local and regional farms and from artisan producers from within the United States.

TONIGHT'S MENU:
Starter: Mussels, smoked paprika cream, grilled bread

Salads: Heirloom Tomato Salad, watermelon sorbet, balsamic reduction

Entree: Braised Beef Tongue, farro verde, local mushroom ragoût, salsa verde I've never ventured to trying tongue. Glad I did venture out.

Dessert: Apple Cobler

Drinks: Cava Brut, Avinyó 'Reserva' NV Penedès, Spain - celebratory sparkling wine to begin the evening.

Westbrook Brewing Company - White Thai - new brewery out of Mt. Pleasant, SC

Bourbon Infused Bourbon - housemade, peaked my interest. Highly disappointed. I like bourbon and bacon. Just not together.

Chocolate Infused Vodka - housemade, I'm not a vodka person, but tried since I didn't enjoy the bourbon.

THE TRAPPE DOOR - BELGIUM HAS ARRIVED IN GREENVILLE AND I LIKE IT!

A few years ago, my wife and I took a trip to Europe and made a stop in Belgium to visit a friend. That visit alone sealed my love for that country, it's food and beer. So when I heard over a year ago that a Belgium inspired restaurant was coming to Greenville, I got excited. The Trappe Door opened about two months ago to much fanfare and I wanted to wait for the right time to visit.

This evening, I took my brother to dinner there for us to enjoy Moules Frites, a favorite of ours and definitely one of the most popular dishes in Belgium and the surrounding countries (Neatherlands, France). For those of you that don't know, Moules Frites are mussels and fries.

This evening, I started with a bottle of Moinette Brune, dark Belgium beer that I've enjoyed before. The Trappe Door has by far the largest Belgium beer selection that I've ever seen. I've already tried many of them, but now I have plenty more to try on future visits. Food wise, we started with an appetizer of blackened crab and bleu cheese fondue. Very good and was highly recommended by our server. Of course we both ordered Moules Frites and made sure that we both didn't get the same selection. There are currently, six different styles of Moules Frites which you can choose from. I got the Thai red curry, which were steamed in a rich, delicious coconut curry broth with diced apples. Michael (my brother) ordered the Mariniere, mussels in a traditional sauce of white wine, garlic and shallots.

I am definitely returning to try the other moules styles in future visits. The other moules styles include: Spanish (supposedly spicy), White and Bleau (belgian white ale, bleu cheese, bacon and dijon mustard), Provencale (tomato-based sauce with peppers, fresh herbs, garlic and black olives) and Fennel and Pesto (fennel and white wine broth with a sweet basil pesto).

With your order of frites, you get to choose from 3 mayonaise dipping sauces. There are about 7-8 different sauces that you can choose from. I chose, Belgium style mayo, truffle mayo and curry mayo. All three were excellent. Michael chose Belgium style, in addition to chipotle and a mayo/ketchup combo.

Having been to Belgium and enjoyed moules frites there, Trappe Door did a phenomenal job in creating an atmosphere that's exactly what you will find in Belgium. The night ended with an order of Belgium waffles, which were topped with vanilla ice cream, powdered sugar, and fresh fruit. An excellent dessert to end the night. Next time though, I am ordering the Trio of Mousses, which I noticed being served at another table.

I can honestly say that The Trappe Door has jumped to near the top of my favorite restaurants to enjoy. I now don't have to wait a few more years to enjoy Belgium again. I can now get my fix often, and judging by the crowd tonight, many of us will continue to do the same.

AT COMMUNITY TAP, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BEER (AND WINE)

Five years ago, I wasn't a beer person. In fact, my beer of choice was, heaven forbid, Bud Lite. I finally came to my senses and started exploring the world of beers. There is certainly a world of beers to be learned. Fast forward to today and I can tell you, though I am no connosseur, that my favorite style of beers are Trappist Beer from Belgium and beers of Bavaria, Germany. Lately, there has been a proliferation of shops that focus on Microbrews from the US and around the world. In addition to selling bottles of our favorite small batch hops, they're also selling beer on tap with growlers to get your fill. Greenville, SC, is fortunate to have the Community Tap, which opened in July 2010.

If you are new to drinking beer or are wanting to branch out, visit these guys. Their knowledge will aid in your exploration of beer. With a couple of choices locally, why do I like the Community Tap? I like about the Community Tap because beer (and wine) is the focus. On a recent visit with my growler to Community Tap, Ed one of the co-owners was very helpful in my selection as always. What I noticed is this, Community Tap will allow for you to bring in an outside growler to use. Yes, I own two Community Tap growlers (32oz and 64oz), however a customer that was in front of me, brought her own growler. What's the big deal? I've heard that some places won't accept growlers unless it's their own. Pretty rediculous, if you tell me. It should be about the beer, not the jug you fill and with that, the Community Tap will have my loyal support.

I mention wine with the Community Tap, because recently, they started pouring wine for growlers. I can't addequately talk about the wine, since I haven't tried it yet. However, I can let the NY Times Diner's Journal tell you about it (see link below). Pretty impressive that our local tap has already been written about from one of the NY Times' writers. Just being mentioned is nice, but having an article, now that should speak for itself! Chefs across the country spend careers trying to get mentioned in the Times. Their doing something right.

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/growlers-for-grapes/


The Community Tap
205 Wade Hampton Boulevard
Greenville, SC 29609

Phone:864.631.2525

THE FARMERS MARKET - ARE YOU MISSING ON A GREAT EXPERIENCE AND A CHANCE TO SAVE MONEY?

Just about every major city within North and South Carolina has a Farmers Market. Some of these markets are affiliated with the state's Department of Agriculture and some are indepedent markets put on by the city or other co-op. We've all seen the signs for them, however many of us have never visited one. I am the first to admit, I used never consider visiting them. That all changed about a year ago, when we moved near the State Farmers Market here in Greenville, SC.

We have a friend who enjoys shopping at the farmers market, because everything is fresh, local and that the prices are usually less than the grocery. One day we ventured out to our local market and came back fans. What we found was more than just fruits and vegetables. We found the Farmers Market to have beans, meats and dairy products from local farms. The big trend in the foodie scene is using local ingredients. Hence, with your local farmers market, you don't get much more local than that.

In addition to the official state markets, many cities have their own that usually run on Friday's (Columbia) or Saturdays (Greenville) from May to October. These markets are fun as well, but I will admit, aside from sponsoring local organizations with local products, they can be on the pricier end. The city market's usually offer more of a variety than your state markets.

If you haven't yet, I encourage you to give your local Farmers Market a try and check out the quality and pricing. You're not only helping yourself (read healthy eating, saving money), you are also helping local farmers! You never know, being a regular could really be beneficial in getting the best deals.

Below are links to locations of State Farmers Markets in both NC and SC:

North Carolina: http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/facilities/markets/

South Carolina: http://agriculture.sc.gov/statefarmersmarkets

These are oteher locally grown markets within SC:

http://upstatesc.locallygrown.net/

http://www.saturdaymarketlive.com/


Feel free to share any tips, advice or other local markets, not mentioned.