14 replies to this topic

[JDawgBBall9]

I didn't see an appropriate topic in the index, was in the area two weekends ago and am bored so I figured I'd report.

In Spartanburg I ate at the Beacon Drive In, which is apparantly a Spartanburg landmark. Served southern fried food and had a pretty classic feel to it. Probably wouldn't appeal to most of the diehard foodies on here but for what it was I thought it was pretty decent. Won't go in depth, just linked the site.

Downtown Clemson really didn't have too many options, went to Wingin' It for some wings but by that point we had been drinking most of the afternoon so to me they tasted like the greatest wings ever. Plus they had fried pickles, which I love but can never really find in Maryland. Which is probably a good thing for my health. Actually now that I think about it I think the Beacon was the only meal I had where I wasn't intoxicated. Including dinner at Little Caesars, which might have been the highlight because of the childhood nostalgia and I hadn't eaten at one in probably 12+ years.

I'll be down in Greenville in May so recommendations would be appreciated for that as well. I know my sister has some places in her rotation but curious about your input as well for all cuisine types and price ranges. From what I understand, a certain high-profile poster should be able to provide some input on this topic (not necessarily Greenville)

[Joe H]

I'll be down in Greenville in May so recommendations would be appreciated for that as well. I know my sister has some places in her rotation but curious about your input as well for all cuisine types and price ranges. From what I understand, a certain high-profile poster should be able to provide some input on this topic (not necessarily Greenville)

Soby's New South Cuisine

[DrXmus]

Soby's New South Cuisine

Wow, there was NOTHING like Soby's when I was growing up near Greenville (Travelers Rest) in the 70s and 80s. My dad, who is a meat and potatoes kinda guy, says Stax's Peppermill [Editor's Note: Peppermill is closed] is a great go-to restaurant. Good luck finding a web site. I tried for a while, but gave up. It's near Haywood Mall, if the Mall is still there.

The Beacon is a landmark! I went to see my dad last summer and made the Beacon an important part of the trip. It's certainly no foodie destination, but it's a place everyone should see at least once.The onion rings are my thing. How can you go wrong eating rings at a place with huge (50lb?) bags of onions you walk by to get into the joint? It hasn't changed in decades. You still place your order with the guy at the counter and he screams your request, usually in diner code, to the rest of the huge, visible kitchen staff. It's classic. Best sweet tea around, too.

Clemson was a food wasteland when I was in school there, and apparently still is. The only restaurant I really remember eating at as a poor student was Bojangles. We usually had to make biscuit runs at midnight due to an overwhelming need for munchies. I really wish we had Bojangles up here.

OK, so I realize I'm not helping you any, but thanks for mentioning the area. It's not much of a destination for people around here.

[astrid]

About a year ago, we had the 10 course tasting menu at Devereaux's in downtown Greenville. It has the same ownership as Soby's. One of the best meals of my life and started me on the financially ruinous path of fine dining.

[JDawgBBall9]

The Beacon is a landmark! I went to see my dad last summer and made the Beacon an important part of the trip. It's certainly no foodie destination, but it's a place everyone should see at least once.The onion rings are my thing. How can you go wrong eating rings at a place with huge (50lb?) bags of onions you walk by to get into the joint? It hasn't changed in decades. You still place your order with the guy at the counter and he screams your request, usually in diner code, to the rest of the huge, visible kitchen staff. It's classic. Best sweet tea around, too.

Clemson was a food wasteland when I was in school there, and apparently still is. The only restaurant I really remember eating at as a poor student was Bojangles. We usually had to make biscuit runs at midnight due to an overwhelming need for munchies. I really wish we had Bojangles up here.

Yeah their sweet tea was really good and they were proud that they were the leading seller of sweet tea in America. Or something like that. It was quite a nice experience and if I'm ever in that direction again I'd go there again. However we had to kill time so we took the detour off of I-85 to go there for lunch.

Couple Bo's locations in PG County.

Basically the only reason to go down there is if you have family in the area or maybe driving through. I figured it deserved its own thread though so that one person could bump it in two years.

[goldenticket]

The Lazy Goat is a nice spot along the Reedy River, Mediterranean with small/shareable plates and some entrees, too.

[Joe H]

Downtown Greenville and the Falls area of it is one of the prettiest, most unique downtown areas I have seen anywhere in North America or Europe. Not an exaggeration; for a smaller city this is an absolute benchmark. Soby's has been an annual stop of mine during business trips for ten + years. It is an excellent restaurant whether for Greenville, Atlanta or D. C. I have not been to Devereaux but look forward to visiting on a trip over the winter. Greenville has a lot going for it right now.

[ATS]

Downtown Greenville and the Falls area of it is one of the prettiest, most unique downtown areas I have seen anywhere in North America or Europe. Not an exaggeration; for a smaller city this is an absolute benchmark. Soby's has been an annual stop of mine during business trips for ten + years. It is an excellent restaurant whether for Greenville, Atlanta or D. C. I have not been to Devereaux but look forward to visiting on a trip over the winter. Greenville has a lot going for it right now.

Greenville has changed a lot in the last ten years. For a taste of the Olde South, go to North Gate Soda Shop and order a grilled pimento cheese sandwich and a sweet tea. For a taste of the new Greenville, try the ones mentioned already, plus High Cotton and Rick Erwin's.

[astrid]

Had lunch at High Cotton for lunch today -- delicious and CHEAP! +1 ordered their Express lunch deal, which is a literally a four course meal for $10 - a sandwich, a cup of rich soup, a small salad, and a small creme brulee. I got a wonderful preparation of shrimp and grits, a big heaping bowl of plump shrimp, fluffy grits, and spicy andouille sausage. The $10 charcuterie plate is a steal, ample apps for three people and as good as any I've ever had.

Also ate at Rick Erwin's new Nantucket Seafood Grill last night. Very solid steakhouse experience with good food and nice service (though apparently service can be inconsistent). The prices are a bit higher than other places in Greenville and it's not super-creative, but a great place to take in-laws or business associates.

[JDawgBBall9]

^I got the shrimp and grits from High Cotton yesterday and don't have much more to add, but it was freaking fantastic. Started it off with a bowl of Charleston crab soup which was very rich and crabby as well.

[astrid]

Back from a couple days in Greenville, SC. Went to American Grocery, High Cotton, and Lazy Goat.

High Cotton continues to be terrific lunch place. The shrimp and grits is still the best rendition of the dish I've ever tasted. The crab cake and duck confit were really good, probably as good any in the DC area. I would eat here every week, if I lived in the Greenville-Spartanburg area.

Lazy Goat is a pan-Mediterrean place with nice sandwiches, dips, and kabobs. Everything we tried was good to very good.

American Grocery was the best of the three and arguably the best restaurant in Greenville (the other "arguable" best would be Devereaux's, which is like a CityZen to American Grocery's Vermillion). Honest to goodness cooking, emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients, creative flavor combinations, and super-delicious cocktails.

[astrid]

Had dinners at American Grocery and Soby's recently.

American Grocery is fantastic. My comparison to Vermillion was underrating this place (and I'm a big fan of Vermillion). I think it could be a top 10 restaurant in DC. The food is just perfect, not fussy, no novelty for novelty's sake, yet so interesting and delicious on the palate.

Soby's was decent enough (proper seasoning, fresh ingredients), but not in the same league.

[DonRocks]

[I just spent some time reading through every single post and linking up this thread, and loved every minute of it. Not sure if people know, but I went to Clemson undergrad and grad (oh, how I long for a chocolate-peanut butter milkshake from Burgermeister in Pendleton), and actually lived in the Greenville Hyatt five days a week for about three months not long after I graduated. I haven't been back to Greenville in over twenty years, and the changes I'm reading about are fascinating to me.

BTW, the way I link these threads is to link only the first occurrence of something, so if you do a find on, e.g., "Cotton," only the first occurrence of High Cotton in the thread will have a link.]

However, I have to accuse everyone of negligence for not mentioning The Peachoid - which brought a smile to my face every single time I drove by it for over six years. I even remember it was at Exit 92 on I-85. It's shown, for about two seconds, in the film Lost in America which I actually saw in Greenville. The gasps in that (packed) movie theater when the peach flashed across the screen were incredible, and I remember that moment like it was yesterday. People also felt "dissed" because the movie used the peach to represent Georgia (you have to see the sequence to understand why), and Gaffney County alone (at least at the time) produced more peaches than all of Georgia.

BTW, there's now a Burger Joint in Clemson!

[DrXmus]

But nobody I knew when I lived there called it the Peachoid. It was "The baby butt" to all. Very cool water tower, but depending on the angle, it went from "peach" to "ass" pretty quickly.

[DonRocks]

But nobody I knew when I lived there called it the Peachoid. It was "The baby butt" to all. Very cool water tower, but depending on the angle, it went from "peach" to "ass" pretty quickly.

I'd never heard the term "Peachoid" until I saw it on Wikipedia - we always just called it "The Peach."