Saturday Adventure

Since Cook-Out opened at Cherrydale in Greenville, the parking lot has been packed.  Some days the drive-thru is actually lined up down the very busy highway.  I had to find out what made it so great, so on Saturday, we went there.  I ordered a Steak House burger (burger with grilled onions, cheese and A1), a small fry, and a Cheerwine float.  The hubs got a regular burger with hushpuppies and onion rings.  I was not impressed.  The burger was greasy and heavy and fell apart.  I didn't finish it.  The float was okay, but more ice cream than float.  I felt awful for a good hour after eating there.

The day got better.  Our friend Dave owns Liberty Tax in Berea and he was hosting "The Chickenman" Ernest Lee.  Ernest is a Columbia legend.  He parks his mobile art getup randomly around South Carolina's capital city.   Whenever I get down there, I usually hunt him down. He paints mostly chickens and palm trees on pieces of board and if you ask, he'll paint pretty much anything you want (as long as there is cash involved).  He's a character. And he's been spending more and more time in the Upstate.  Yep, we bought a few things.

Then we visited this place across the road at 6340 White Horse Road, Greenville.  Remember Mork and Mindy (Na-noo, Na-noo!)? Television trays where we ate our breakfast and watched Saturday morning cartoons?  The band Kiss? Those big video games from the arcade?

This place is a total time warp.  Metal lunch boxes and thermoses, Star Wars memorabilia... remember the glasses you got at fast food restaurants when you bought a meal?   They also have a few relics from my parents and grandparent's day thrown in with a weird selection of funky couches and salvaged hotelesk furniture.  We walked around pointing and telling stories and laughing.  It an awesome cultural experience and a must if you live in Greenville! (Rumor has it that a certain fellow TRHS Devildog who works at this store will soon be on the show American Pickers.)

Then after Dan drug me around to the Comic book and gaming stores in town and I drug him to a wine store, we made our way downtown so Dan could experience his first Scotch Egg at Nose Dive.  I tried one when the restaurant opened and have been a couple of times since, but this was his first time.

Here's the problem with Nose Dive.  I want to like it. I've written about it several times.  The atmosphere is pretty cool!  It's a happening place, but the food... well, it is just okay at best (with the exception of the Goat Cheese Cheesecake which is strangely no longer on the menu and hasn't been replaced with anything to drool over).

He ordered the Scotch Egg and I ordered the Beer Battered Cod Tacos.  Neither dish was salted enough.  And my fish which was nicely battered, but was super greasy and had zero seasoning.  The accompanying salsas were fresh, but absolutely no heat. I salted the hell out of the fish and asked for more cilantro and more limes to try to salvage the tacos I assembled... no use.  Just blah. Dang you Nose Dive!  Why can't you be better?!

Sigh.  See?  The night before we ate at Devereaux's and it ruined me!