Sparkle City Eateries

[hub-city]

Rock Water Tavern is now open in the old Spice of Life building. I look forward to getting over there, and trying it out.

ARTICLE from HJ

[Sparkleman]

I was in Rock Water with my wife on Wednesday when they opened (can you tell we were excited that it was open?). There was no fanfare to go with the opening because according to Dan(the owner) he had had to set the opening back so many times that even he didn't know when he would/could open. It seems that the people of our fair city have made this guy jump through so many hoops he began to wonder if there was a conspiracy against his opening. The problems with city inspectors, managers, fire marshalls etc. is insane in this town. Dan went on to say that he has never had this problem in any restaurant he has ever worked in or operated and that has been in Florida and NC. I began to get a better understanding of why it takes a restaurant so long to open in this town (Wild Wing took forever if you recall as Five Spices).

Anyway, as for the restaurant it is beautiful inside. The old building (circa 1920) has been fully restored. The coolers for the bar contain probably the coldest beer in Spartanburg. The courtyard is going to be very fun come spring or warmer winter days and there is a really cool waterfall that Dan's Dad hand built. We didn't eat anything as I want to wait for the restaurant to work the kinks out but the place will be an ideal destination before any event over at the CCC.

[Spartan]

Welcome to the forum, Sparkleman!

I'm glad to hear that the restaurant is nice. I look forward to going there.

I didn't realize that there was such a difficult process to get restaurants open in town. That would explain many things. What types of problems are happening with the inspectors, managers, fire marshals, and whatnot?

[roads-scholar]

Dined at Rock Water last night and was so impressed by the food, service, and ambiance that I booked a table for 12 for New years Eve there.

[Sparkleman]

Spartan:

I used to post on the Hub-Bub boards (and still do occasionally) but these seem to be more informative and in tune with what's really going on in the "SC".

The problems range from RWT (Rock Water Tavern) needing a 2nd fire escape to seperate electrical lines throughout the building. The old Bar Magnolia Street Pub had twice as much space as RWT and one fire escape but some yokal told him that he had to have 2 or they would close him down until he got them. They screwed around with him on the electricity (contractors, the city, and Duke) and that's why he had power in the restaurant on Wednesday night but not on the sign down on St John that was supposed to be illuminated by spot lights and let folks know that he was open.

Man I have lived here since day one and the bullsh*t that goes on in this neck of the woods is unparralled in the state/south. Nowhere is more close minded than here (just read the Stroller for daily examples). Hopefully under Mr Barnet's leadership we can wake this joint up and move from being a redneck funny little town to somewhere that folks would actually want to visit for more than a Wofford football game and the Beacon.

[Spartan]

Yeah that Hub-bub boards (which I occasionally post on as well) are just not designed to do what we do here at UP.

Anyway, I think part of the problem with whats happening at RWT is that this type of redevelopment is really not very common in Spartanburg, and people just don't know what to do. I'm sure there's plenty more places out there than Magnolia St Pub that get away with way more than you think. IMO its just an issue with growing up that Spartanburg has to deal with.

Still looking forward to trying RWT....

[Spartan]

Mellow Mushroom opens today! Its in the former location of Canyon's and Pranza on East Main. I expect they will do very well since its Mellow Mushroom. Ours is owned by the same group that owns/operates the ones in Columbia and Greenville.

[Sparkleman]

Any chance they will be serving Sweetwater Beer out of Atlanta???

[hub-city]

Tried Mellow Mushroom the other day and it was packed and great!!!

Also, Rock Water Tavern is now open for lunch, so we went yesterday and really enjoyed our meal. all lunch items were $8.95 and included one side and a drink. I had the blackened prime rib sandwich with seafood chowder as a side and it was awesome. 10-12 entree selections for lunch, but an ezpansive dinner menu.

[Spartan]

Converse Plaza is really hitting hard times these days. The karate school closed, Converse Cinemas closed, and now, Marble Slab is moving out. Ironically, to the location at Hillcrest next to Panera Bread where they were originally going to locate several years ago.

Converse Plaza was purchased about a month ago from Johnson Development by a company called Waterstone Retail Development Inc. Their website doesn't reveal any useful information about the company or its other holdings, so its hard to say what they will do with this site.

Article

[Sparkleman]

A couple of things about pizza in the "SC".

1) I had a pie from Venus Pie about 2 weeks ago and it was ok at best.

2) I had a calzone and my wife got a small pie at Mellow Mushroom last night and they were both outstanding! I have been to other MM's in Asheville and Clemson and the pizza is very consistant with the one here. I would have to say that Venus Pie is going to be hurt badly by MM. It will not put them out of business as they will catch the overflow because not everyone is willing to wait. But if they don't get their pizza back up to par, people may not even go then.

3) Sonny's Brick Oven offers up good standard fare in a great environment with many good brews. I doubt they will even be threatened by MM as they are farther away and they will continue to benefit from being closer to the action downtown and at Morgan Square.

Finally, since I know Spartan will read this, how do I put my own avatar on this board?

[Spartan]

I'd say thats a pretty good analysis. I haven't been to VP in a long time, but I know that their main selling point is that its decent pizza and its dirt cheap. They just need to stay open more often. It seems like they close up pretty early, so when I want pizza I usually end up at Sonny's. I wonder how VP and MM will hold up during the East Main Streetscape project?

As for your avatar, just make sure you are logged in and click here.

[hub-city]

Marble Slab is moving from the Converse Plaza to Hillcrest next to Panera Bread. That was their original choice, but the development company changed the lease prices. Now with the movie theater and karate school closed, it just makes more sense to move over. I'll still go!!

[hub-city]

Justin's is now open for lunch on Thursdays and Fridays. looking forward to giving it a try. I love their dinner menu.

[Spartan]

I'm looking forward to going there (for lunch or dinner)

[travey]

Anyone tried the Sweet Caribbean that was featured in the Escape? Seems to be located on E. Main near the Waffle House....in a brick house.... I love a good cuban but can't get over on the East side that often. I like that there is a nice variety of food in Sparkle.

[Spartan]

I haven't heard about that one. I look forward to hearing what its like.

In other news, the GSA Business Journal has an article about the restaurant scene in Spartanburg. Generally its about the Westside and the various closures over there including Hops, DQ, Italian Pie, and Symposium. More importantly its addresses the difficult nature of the restaurant business. I won't go into details, but generally the outlook is favorable. The closures have generally not been because of lack of demand. Hops and DQ each closed because of corporate issues. The article says there is a new operator for DQ that is in the works, so that will reopen (hopefully). So, yay for crappy fast food.

The best quote of the article is this:

"...a lot of Spartanburg residents are in the habit of driving to Greenville for high-end dining options. That is changing, he says, citing the popularity of eight-month-old Justin

[Hemlock86]

I haven't heard about that one. I look forward to hearing what its like.

In other news, the GSA Business Journal has an article about the restaurant scene in Spartanburg. Generally its about the Westside and the various closures over there including Hops, DQ, Italian Pie, and Symposium. More importantly its addresses the difficult nature of the restaurant business. I won't go into details, but generally the outlook is favorable. The closures have generally not been because of lack of demand. Hops and DQ each closed because of corporate issues. The article says there is a new operator for DQ that is in the works, so that will reopen (hopefully). So, yay for crappy fast food.

The best quote of the article is this:

"...a lot of Spartanburg residents are in the habit of driving to Greenville for high-end dining options. That is changing, he says, citing the popularity of eight-month-old Justin's Steakhouse in downtown Spartanburg."

Now, I think one guy's quote isn't enough to suggest anything major, but I like hearing that the mentality of going to Greenville is changing. Obviously due to the proximity it won't completely disappear. It does sound like Justin's has been a replacement for Abbey's Grill though.

Has anyone heard about Brasserie Ecosse lately? I hear its good food, and it certainly fits in the high-end dining spectrum.

The Brasserie Ecosse is great. Definately high-end, but worth every penny. They have done a great job with the renovations and the look and feel of the place is great. It makes for a nice evening with a two hour meal. Finest meal I have had in a long time. Good wine selection. Wait staff was excelent as was the food and presentation. Convenient valet parking is avaliable too. I'd give it five stars for sure and look forward to going back soon.

[Sparkleman]

I second Hemlock86 about the driving to Greenville mentality. I think we finally have a strong core of restaurants here in the "SC" where there is no need to go to Greenville for a good meal. Justins, Rock Water, Brasserie Ecosse, NGA's, even Mellow Mushroom ought to be enough to satisfy any palet against a trip to Greenville.

By the way, has anyone been in the C Edwards cigar shop since they started serving high end beers? A friend and I hit this place a couple of weeks ago and it is really nice inside. There are leather chairs and sofas, flat panel TV's, a nice view of downtown, a nice patio out back, and above all the cigar smoke is not an issue. Plus the brew selection is rockin! This is a great place to go before you go to dinner.

[roads-scholar]

I second Hemlock86 about the driving to Greenville mentality. I think we finally have a strong core of restaurants here in the "SC" where there is no need to go to Greenville for a good meal. Justins, Rock Water, Brasserie Ecosse, NGA's, even Mellow Mushroom ought to be enough to satisfy any palet against a trip to Greenville.

By the way, has anyone been in the C Edwards cigar shop since they started serving high end beers? A friend and I hit this place a couple of weeks ago and it is really nice inside. There are leather chairs and sofas, flat panel TV's, a nice view of downtown, a nice patio out back, and above all the cigar smoke is not an issue. Plus the brew selection is rockin! This is a great place to go before you go to dinner.

I agree. Why would anyone in Spartanburg drive to Greenville for a quality dining experience? I rate Rock Water Tavern as fine a casual dining spot ANYWHERE. I have yet to dine at Brasserie Ecosse but have heard great things about it. (I'm planning to dine there next week). Justin's is outstanding in every way and I doubt their Greenville location is better (perhaps maybe equal) than the Spartanburg location. The Mello Mushroom is obviously a huge hit as its pretty difficult to get a table there. Then, of course, there's Nga's, Lime Leaf, etc.

[Spartan]

By the way, has anyone been in the C Edwards cigar shop since they started serving high end beers? A friend and I hit this place a couple of weeks ago and it is really nice inside. There are leather chairs and sofas, flat panel TV's, a nice view of downtown, a nice patio out back, and above all the cigar smoke is not an issue. Plus the brew selection is rockin! This is a great place to go before you go to dinner.

Just out of curiosity, how is the cigar smoke not an issue?

There's also Carriage House Wines, which I hear has a great wine selection.

I agree. Why would anyone in Spartanburg drive to Greenville for a quality dining experience? I rate Rock Water Tavern as fine a casual dining spot ANYWHERE. I have yet to dine at Brasserie Ecosse but have heard great things about it. (I'm planning to dine there next week). Justin's is outstanding in every way and I doubt their Greenville location is better (perhaps maybe equal) than the Spartanburg location. The Mello Mushroom is obviously a huge hit as its pretty difficult to get a table there. Then, of course, there's Nga's, Lime Leaf, etc.

What I wish Spartanburg would figure out is that if they were al concentrated around Morgan Square, we'd be a lot better off. Take a look at where some of our new restaurants are locating.

Nga's, Brasserie Ecosse, Mellow Mushroom, Rock Water Tavern, etc. are all located in places other than Main St or near Morgan Square. Right now everything downtown is so spread out, and without a stronger core I worry about the immediate future. Eventually the spread out destinations that we have will be an asset... its just going to take a while!

[Sparkleman]

The cigar smoke is not an issue because you can only smoke in certain areas and there are very nice, modern ventilation systems that suck up the smoke.

The reason the restaurants are spread out is because the closer you get to Morgan Square the higher the cost per square foor to lease unless you buy the building which is what Wild Wing did.

Carriage House Wine does indeed rock and Tony Forest is a helluva nice guy who is also very smart. I will never go to Cheese and Wine again, especially the way they treated me the last time I was in.

[Sparkleman]

I have heard that there is a new Mexican restaurant out on #9 in the plaza at Wood Creek called El Patron. It is supposed to serve authentic Mexican cuisine and not the same fare that most other mexican joints in town serve. In fact my wife has been twice now at lunch and says it is the real deal. I think we are gonna give it a try tonight for dinner so we can also try the margaritas. I'll post a report tomorrow as we won't even get there until 8-9 as we are going to check out the Vikings/Cavs at Red Dobson tonight. The Lady Vikes are shooting for an undefeated season in the region and Doug Lowe's troops are trying to hang in there for a playoff berth.

Go Vikings!

[Spartan]

Is that near Valley Falls Rd?

[hub-city]

It is on Hwy. 9 between I-85 and Business 85, closer to business 85. The food is not too bad. Good lunch fare.