Sparkle City Eateries

[FlopShotter]

Does anybody know the status of getting Monsoon back in business? We ate there every Friday night, and I'm missing it after Jazz on the Square. Haven't heard anything about repairs and/or reopening.

[hub-city]

ARTICLE

The old Tap Room will now be home to Cribb's Kitchen on Main. This will be a venture between the owners of Main Street Pub and William Cribb. They were discussing a pizza chain but decided to go this direction. I think it is awesome. I love the current Cribb's Kitchen and he will still keep that space for catering. This will now have an expanded menu for dinner as well as their lunch favorites. Can't wait!

[Spartan]

This sounds promising. I'm glad they didn't go the pizza route. I've never been to the current one, but I'm glad to hear that people like it. I also like the fact that these guys are committed to downtown Spartanburg.

[hub-city]

Bull Hawgs barbecue is moving from Pauline to Spartanburg on pine Steet acroos from Morningside church. I hate that for the pauline folks, but I'm excited to have them closer to downtown. It will be a bigger space for them as well as a higher traffic area.

ANNOUNCEMENT

[Spartan]

Agreed. Very cool for downtown. It's also near the Rail Trail, which is good for that whole corridor.

[Spartan]

There is a great articleabout downtown businesses in the HJ today. They mention many things broadly, but they have several specific mentions of new restaurants that are looking or planning to open:

• 
  
  
• Cribb's Kitchen - old Tap Room location to open in June
  
• Refuel Wine Bar - Wine/beer/spirits and tapas style dishes; to open in August; located at 129 N Spring St (I'd like to see more shops an restaurants on this street)
  
• Carolina Ale House - wants to open, still looking at locations
  

The article hints that there may be more, but they don't specify anything else.

[Sparkleman]

The Carolina Ale House would be an amazing get IF its like the one in Greenville with the roof top bar and grill.

The one on Columbia is out by Columbianna Mall is very sterile. Heck its like being in a bad Wild Wing. Hopefully that location is was one of the first ones and they have learned from that mistake.

Can downtown support both?

[Spartan]

I think it can. I know people who love Wild Wings, but they go there because its the only option. Competition is a good thing. I've never been to the one in Greenville, but it sounds pretty cool. I wonder if Spartanburg even has any buildings that could function like that.

Also, I attempted to go to Rome last weekend. I don't pay covers often in Charlotte, so I refuse to do so in Spartanburg (particularly since I don't care for that kind of place). BUT- I will say that I thought the decorating was not bad. Definitely not a high school prom They pulled off the Roman theme well, but it was just a little much.

[Sparkleman]

I think it can. I know people who love Wild Wings, but they go there because its the only option. Competition is a good thing. I've never been to the one in Greenville, but it sounds pretty cool. I wonder if Spartanburg even has any buildings that could function like that.

Also, I attempted to go to Rome last weekend. I don't pay covers often in Charlotte, so I refuse to do so in Spartanburg (particularly since I don't care for that kind of place). BUT- I will say that I thought the decorating was not bad. Definitely not a high school prom They pulled off the Roman theme well, but it was just a little much.

Thats the rub with Carolina Ale House. They have been scouting locations for a while now. I guess the question is how much are they willing to pay to gut a building and start over. The old Hammomd Brown Jennings building on Church (between Commerce and St John) would work well but take a crap load of $$$ to renovate.

If Rome does not make it about the old thing that will be able to go in there will be an Italian restaurant.

[westsider28]

I like the Hammond Brown Jennings as a location, but agree that renovation costs would be huge. Also, parking would be tricky (valet parking would help). The other locations I can think of would be the Hub-Bub building, the Kress Building, former Kiddie Korner building (maybe too small), former Cornbread to Caviar / Abby's building, and maybe even the old Magnolia Street Pub building (risky location/parking issues). I wonder if there's any chance they would construct a new building (like the future Glenwood South location in Raleigh).

I think that Carolina Ale House would be awesome to have downtown, whatever the location. In my opinion, it's a slight step up from Wild Wings, and would be hugely popular.

[Sparkleman]

I forgot about the old Abbeys building but the problem here might be the low ceilings. I wonder if the ceiling could support rooftop actrivity.

I think the old Maglonias is a great location and that neighborhood is beginning to change with VCOM on one end, the George up the other way, and Wofford kind of sandwiched in between. That place is build like a tank and renovation might not be as much as one might think. Plus its near all the government offices and hospital. Talk about a built in lunch crowd.

[spartanburgh]

They should take part of the ground floor of the Extended Stay Building and use the landscaped area facing Morgan Square for a courtyard area. They could possibly use the rooftop area over the entry area that will no longer be needed by ESA.

[Spartan]

^ I agree!!!!

[Sparkleman]

Through a little digging I found out that the Carolina Ale House in Greenville was purchased for 1.3 million for a 13,103 sq ft building that was formerly The Kimbrell Building. Thats about $99 a square foot. The old Magolia St Pub is a little over 8000 sq ft, but that doesn't include the roof if it were usable and it would be a lot cheaper than the Greenville locale for obvious reasons. See tax record below for more info.

Tax record

I really think a restaurant (Carolina Ale House or anything) would go well here and along with VCOM help spur the turnaround in that part of town. When I was in my late 20's/early 30's Magnolias was the place to be regardless of the neighborhood.

[westsider28]

Don't forget about the adjacent 1-story building (263 Magnolia). Carolina Ale House could use both buildings, with the rooftop portion on top of the 1-story building. It's 5,100 sq ft (Tax record), which would put the combined square footage at almost exactly the same as Greenville's (13,200). I agree, the more I think about this location (with Wofford, VCOM, & Marriott nearby), the more I like it.

[Spartan]

I'd say its safe to think that they will look for something similar in terms of square footage. What about the last space in the Palmetto Building, or the location where that mexican restaurant was supposed to open?

Also, I still think a mexican restaurant downtown would do well.

[huck94]

Speaking of Mexican....

This was in the classified of the SHJ today:

NOTICE OF APPLICATION

Notice is hereby given that CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL OF COLORADO, LLC intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license/permit that will allow the sale and ON premises consumption of beer, wine and liquor at 1490 W O EZELL BLVD, SUITE A, Spartanburg, SC 29301. To object to the issuance of this permit/license, written protest must be received by the SC Department of Revenue no later than the 10th of June, 2011.

[new prospect]

Speaking of Mexican....

This was in the classified of the SHJ today:

NOTICE OF APPLICATION

Notice is hereby given that CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL OF COLORADO, LLC intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license/permit that will allow the sale and ON premises consumption of beer, wine and liquor at 1490 W O EZELL BLVD, SUITE A, Spartanburg, SC 29301. To object to the issuance of this permit/license, written protest must be received by the SC Department of Revenue no later than the 10th of June, 2011.

Interesting. According to Google maps, that's just east of Olive Garden and Golden Corral. It must be the former Palmetto Bank building across from Barnes & Noble. With the new Longhorn's near Office Depot, the westside continues to attract chain restaurants.

Edited June 3, 2011 by new prospect

[westsider28]

Yeah, the former Palmetto Bank building has been demolished and they're preparing the land for construction. I like Chipotle; certainly better than Moe's.

In other restaurant news, I saw a sign at the former Rock Water Tavern downtown that said "The Spice of Life Bar & Grill" is coming soon. Isn't that the name of the restaurant that was in that building before RWT (and closed in 1998)? It's like deja vu. Anyway, here's a picture.

[Sparkleman]

My wife told me about The Spice of Life tonight. I went there on many dates back in the day.

If they McCalls(old owners and still own building) are still gonna be running the show, it'll be top notch.

[lifeisajourney]

Speaking of Mexican....

This was in the classified of the SHJ today:

NOTICE OF APPLICATION

Notice is hereby given that CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL OF COLORADO, LLC intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license/permit that will allow the sale and ON premises consumption of beer, wine and liquor at 1490 W O EZELL BLVD, SUITE A, Spartanburg, SC 29301. To object to the issuance of this permit/license, written protest must be received by the SC Department of Revenue no later than the 10th of June, 2011.

Here are the details from the SHJ today: http://www.goupstate.com/article/20110608/ARTICLES/110609719/0/FRONTPAGE

[westsider28]

A good Herald-Journal article about the new Spice of Life restaurant today. It's owned by Jeff Wardat, who owns Sahara on the westside. He says the restaurant will be upscale-casual and southern-inspired, similar to High Cotton or Soby's in Greenville. The name is a tribute to the former restaurant that occupied that building. It sounds like a good concept to me. I'll have to check it out when it opens in mid-July.

[Spartan]

I hope they succeed, but I think that location is to random. It's too far off the beaten path for downtown (nowhere near any other similar restaurants).

[westsider28]

It's near the Chapman Cultural Center & The George. But the fact that this location keeps getting reused while other, more prominent locations remain vacant highlights the problem we have downtown with building owners holding out with unreasonable rents or not renting out spaces (which has been discussed ad nauseam here).

[hub-city]

I'll give it a try. I like the building, but do not care for the surrounding area. It does not seem to safe to walk between the old tire store and the Spice of Life after dark.