The Food Thread

[adrockc2]

Any favorite meat, tea, and three restaurants in Greenville?

My favorites are K&S and Gus's both on White Horse Rd near 81.

I haven't eaten at either in years but they were both pretty consistent.

[Danmire]

Compadre's Mex Mex restaurant is now open next to Port City Java in the West-End. Haven't tried it yet.

[Greenville]

Nice article in The Greenville News about several Charleston-based restaurants and their success in Greenville:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs....NEWS01/71001030

The fact that the Greenville High Cotton is performing comparably to the well-known Charleston High Cotton speaks volumes. I am also pleased to see that Liberty Tap Room is doing well. I wondered how they were performing, especially since it is currently a few blocks from most of the West End activity. It will be interesting to see how it does now that baseball season is over. I predict that they will do just fine.

When is the Boat House supposed to open at Falls Park? I have never been to any of the ones in Charleston, but they are certainly well known here and I have heard good things.

[gs3]

Nice article in The Greenville News about several Charleston-based restaurants and their success in Greenville:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs....NEWS01/71001030

The fact that the Greenville High Cotton is performing comparably to the well-known Charleston High Cotton speaks volumes. I am also pleased to see that Liberty Tap Room is doing well. I wondered how they were performing, especially since it is currently a few blocks from most of the West End activity. It will be interesting to see how it does now that baseball season is over. I predict that they will do just fine.

When is the Boat House supposed to open at Falls Park? I have never been to any of the ones in Charleston, but they are certainly well known here and I have heard good things.

Great article!

I found the following quote very interesting, as it demonstrates the real connectivity of Upstate (which is sometimes questioned).

"People who live in outlying areas of Charleston such as Moncks Corner or Walterboro don't typically drive to downtown Charleston for fine dining, he said."

"But people in Spartanburg drive to downtown Greenville to have dinner, or Anderson, or Pickens, or Clemson. We see them all the time," Elliott said. "It's a very real distinction between the two markets."

[whitehourseview]

I finally had the opportunity to try out Liberty Tap Room Saturday evening and came away real impressed.

I had grilled chicken with pecans and cranberries, greens and sweat potatoes, almost Thanksgiving like, and it was excellent.

The decor was muted, not in your face, and certainly didn't have lots of crazy crap on the wall. Hard to believe that building is brand new based on the interior, for it looks much older.

The wait staff was good, and they had some nice outdoor music on their patio. The food wasn't anymore expensive than an Applebee's or Ruby Tuesday, and much better quality I think.

I recommend it.

[Greenville]

Thanks for the review of Liberty's. I have been to the one in Columbia a few times, and if ours in Greenville is as good as that one I will be pleased. I look forward to trying it soon.

Has anyone tried American Grocery yet, or know how they are doing? I am thinking about giving it a shot on my next trip to Greenville, but would be interested in hearing what others thought about it first.

[wellen]

I had the chance to try both Blue Fire Grill and Azia over the past week. It has been mentioned that the ambiance in both places is really cool. That is true, but I was very dissapointed at both restaurants.

At Blue Fire, the meal was TERRIBLY expensive for the amount of food. I could spend less on more (and better) at any of Soby's restaurants. The seared Tuna was mushy. The rocks glasses are tiny, so you are spending $6-10 for a couple sips and a bunch of ice.

Being a glutton for punishment, I tried the seared tuna at Azia, as well. I have never seen it screwed up so bad. They actually burnt it. Also tried the ribs. They were tough and were slathered with what I think was sweet and sour sauce (the same as you can get at No.1 China.) Rocks glasses were the right size, but the pour was light for a $7 house liquor. (I might want to switch to beer.)

Maybe I just had bad luck, or caught them on a bad night. But a first impression has been made, and I doubt I will go back to either.

[gs3]

So Brueggers is open on Augusta now? Anyone been in?

http://www.franchising.com/pressreleases/2133/

[DowntownCityGirl]

Has anyone tried American Grocery yet, or know how they are doing? I am thinking about giving it a shot on my next trip to Greenville, but would be interested in hearing what others thought about it first.

I tried American Grocery for the first time last week and really enjoyed it. Bottom line: our food was excellent and I loved the atmosphere. I expected it to be a little stuffy or haughty, and it definitely wasn't. And our waiter was great -- the perfect balance of professional and friendly (all too rare in Greenville). Having heard about crazy high prices and small portions, though, I have to wonder if the owners have made some adjustments to the menu. Our appetizer and entre portions weren't oversized, but they certainly weren't small, either. We definitely felt full when we left. And our bill was completely in line with what we'd pay (including drinks and tip) at Rick Erwin's or High Cotton or even Devereaux's and Giorgio's. I can't afford to go every week, but it was nowhere near as pricey as I'd been led to expect. I'd highly recommend it.

[Greenville]

I tried American Grocery for the first time last week and really enjoyed it. Bottom line: our food was excellent and I loved the atmosphere. I expected it to be a little stuffy or haughty, and it definitely wasn't. And our waiter was great -- the perfect balance of professional and friendly (all too rare in Greenville). Having heard about crazy high prices and small portions, though, I have to wonder if the owners have made some adjustments to the menu. Our appetizer and entre portions weren't oversized, but they certainly weren't small, either. We definitely felt full when we left. And our bill was completely in line with what we'd pay (including drinks and tip) at Rick Erwin's or High Cotton or even Devereaux's and Giorgio's. I can't afford to go every week, but it was nowhere near as pricey as I'd been led to expect. I'd highly recommend it.

Thank you so much for the detailed, thorough review! It is much appreciated!

[Greenville]

I had dinner on Friday night at Brown Street Club for the first time. They recently reopened following expansion/renovations, and the inside looked great. The service was good, the food was excellent, and the atmosphere was wonderful. I was very pleased with the entire experience, and will definitely go back!

[GvilleSC]

I'll definitely be hitting up the Brown Street Club sometime after I get back. I went to my first Jazz Club recently (in Europe) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[wellen]

The wife and I dined at American Grocery over the weekend. The food was excellent. They kept the recipes simple and tasty. My wife won the appetizer battle with duck egg/arugula soup, but I won the entre battle with the seared scallops over grits. The place is small and feels very cozy. Nice atmosphere overall. The drinks were made properly and in the correct size glasses. The bartender needs to stop with the 'Cocktail' routine, and the wait staff could use a little practice, as there was some odd delays and miscommunications between them. Price was about what I would expect for the food and overall experience. Highly recommended.

Afterwards, we stopped in Pomegranate for drinks. Very cool place and the patio will be a great place to hang out, come summertime. The menu scared the wife a bit, but I can't wait to try it out. Gotta start saving up for the babysitter again.

[GvilleSC]

Mmm, sounds fantastic, Wellen! I can't wait to try it out!

How do they seem to be doing at their location?

[wellen]

American Grocery had a couple empty 4 tops out of a total of 50 seats. Not great for a Saturday night. Pomegranate was packed.

[charlie swords]

"The menu scared the wife a bit, but I can't wait to try it out."

what is the menu like there...i can't find anything online.

[RestedTraveler]

"The menu scared the wife a bit, but I can't wait to try it out."

what is the menu like there...i can't find anything online.

Check out http://www.pomegranateonmain.com/ for the menu.

Oddly, no falafel.

[DT-Gville]

Dined at Tako-Sushi last night. We had a variety of sushi and southwest dishes around the table. The food was fine, but the service was not.

Normally, service complaints are due to inattention from the wait staff. In our case, our waiter bugged us to bits! If the place hadn't only been half-full I would have absolutely thought that he was trying to quick-turn his table. He came by literally every 2-3 minutes to ask if we were ready to order. Mind you, our group hadn't seen each other in a while and were trying to catch up with one another. After our food came our waiter totally cleaned up the table including the soy sauce and condiments, except for the person who hadn't finished - making her feel like she'd better hurry up. Within seconds (no exaggeration) of her putting down her chopsticks, her plate was removed. It was unbelieveable. I'm not sure if he thought he was being ultra-efficient but it only made us feel rushed and uncomfortable. Hopefully, someone more experienced at waiting tables gives him some pointers...

[Beerman]

Dined at Tako-Sushi last night. We had a variety of sushi and southwest dishes around the table. The food was fine, but the service was not.

Normally, service complaints are due to inattention from the wait staff. In our case, our waiter bugged us to bits! If the place hadn't only been half-full I would have absolutely thought that he was trying to quick-turn his table. He came by literally every 2-3 minutes to ask if we were ready to order. Mind you, our group hadn't seen each other in a while and were trying to catch up with one another. After our food came our waiter totally cleaned up the table including the soy sauce and condiments, except for the person who hadn't finished - making her feel like she'd better hurry up. Within seconds (no exaggeration) of her putting down her chopsticks, her plate was removed. It was unbelieveable. I'm not sure if he thought he was being ultra-efficient but it only made us feel rushed and uncomfortable. Hopefully, someone more experienced at waiting tables gives him some pointers...

[Beerman]

Ate there last night .

Food was remarkable. Thought the service was exceptional. New server asked for help from others so we could get a good idea of the fare.

Great atmosphere . I find its helpful to convey to staff you wish to be left alone in a nice way. It helps them learn and saves you the unintended aggrivation

[gs3]

^ Good to hear positives about Tako Sushi. So far, the reviews I've heard have been a very mixed bag. Didn't think they had the polish to compete in the downtown Greenville market. Good to hear.

[gs3]

This is what I always suspected. Greenville's constant influx of business / corporate travel give a good kick to the local economy. The high numbers of business travelers help Greenville support the highest per capita number of fine dining establishments in the state.

While the article doesn't say this, I'm sure Greenville's business travel is the reason we have a Westin, Hyatt, Crown Plaza, etc. (hotels usually found in larger cities) along with the reason that our airport continues to serve over 1.5 million a year, even with sky high prices.

Interesting article:

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...5/1003/BUSINESS

[gs3]

The somewhat new website for Azia and Peter's restaurant group. Excellent website.

http://www.aziagreenville.com/home.asp

[RestedTraveler]

The somewhat new website for Azia and Peter's restaurant group. Excellent website.

http://www.aziagreenville.com/home.asp

This is a VERY well done site. Thanks for posting it, gsupstate! I've been wondering for a while if they had a site.

[gs3]

This is a VERY well done site. Thanks for posting it, gsupstate! I've been wondering for a while if they had a site.

Looks like Azia is doing well for Peter. I've been there a few times, and the crowd is always large. To be suburban, this is really a good afterwork drink kind of place.