The big decision, besides which new Greenville Restaurant would be our big Greenville Restaurant Week stop this year, once we were in the door, was whether we should eat off the special Restaurant week menu or tackle the big selection of fine dining steakhouse fare.
We decided to do a little of both.
I opted to start with the Blackened Sea Scallops with Sweet Yellow Pepper Cream Sauce, at the suggestion of our server, Brad. Poor guy! I bombarded him with a bazillion questions. He probably thought he was being secretly tested by management or something. He said the yellow pepper sauce in the scallop dish is so good that people often order extra bread to sop up the last drop. I dig a good sauce. I was totally sold and happily sopped it all up with slices of the white loaf bread they deliver to the table. I want to mention the pepper oil which is brought to the table with the bread basket. It's made in house and is a little spicy, but flavorfully layered and so amazing soaked up in the bread.
My husband started with the Oyster Tasting, a sampling half a dozen oysters topped with Mango Champagne sorbet, sake and wasabi flying fish caviar and a fresh, cool and delicious tuna tartare. I'm not an oyster fan but I reach over a fork a taste of the sorbet and tartare!
The Fried Green Tomatoes were straight off the $30 Restaurant Week menu, which my friend Nina opted to stick to. They were perfectly fried and extremely thick, served with a little bit of apple slaw and drizzled with chipotle cream.
Is this not the most beautiful steak ever? It was perfectly warm on the inside. I hate it when you order a steak and then cut it open and it's barely warm. This 7 ounce filet was straight off the heat, seasoned simply with salt and pepper and melt in your mouth amazing. Rare is an a la cart restaurant when it comes to their signature meats. You order your steaks and chops and pick your sides from a selection of family sized options, made for two to share (possibly three or four if you just want a spoonful or two).
We had to try the lobster mac and cheese. It was cheesy and rich and creamy with big lumps of lobster meat. It was good, but not the best I've experienced. An A+ for the lobster chunks, though!
I did however, love the Mushroom Risotto. I could have made an entire meal of it. It was even better when reheated to nosh on while I watched the Golden Globes.
Mark always orders salad. I don't understand, BUT someone's gotta check out the rabbit food, I guess. And this salad was a show stopper! Absolutely beautiful. He offered up one of the grapes covered in cheese and nuts for me to try. So yum.
There is a surprisingly large dessert menu at Rare. Nina ordered the chocolate cake (one of two options on the restaurant week menu) which was dark and lovely, and just enough to satiate the sweet tooth at the end of the meal. I was tempted to order their creme brulee, but decided to dig into my chocolate stash when I got home instead.
I'll definitely be back to Rare. It's the kind of place you frequent for those special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, but not so "fine dining" that you can't pop in on a Tuesday night because you can't stand the thought of cooking.
Happy Monday, all!
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