Stella's Southern Bistro still in our top three.

From my experience with Stella's Southern Bistro, they were one of the first restaurants in town who shouted the praises of their local farmers and food producers, and even have an entire wall devoted to them. Stella's Southern Bistro is one of the best restaurants in Upstate South Carolina.  There's no question.  I doubt anyone would argue this point with me. But you really don't hear much about it because it is tucked away in Simpsonville.  People are always asking me what the best restaurants are in Downtown Greenville, but they are missing some of the best eating spots around by not leaving Main Street.

Chef's wicked skills in the kitchen are no surprise being that he, like many of our great Southern chefs, came up under the wing of Slightly North of Broad Executive Chef Frank Lee.  Jason worked his way up to Sous Chef at SNOB and then became the Executive Chef of High Cotton Restaurant in Charleston when it opened in 1999. There he caught the eye of The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Southern Living, The Washington Post and The Food Network. After seven years with High Cotton in Charleston, he relocated to Greenville to take the Executive Chef position at the newly opened High Cotton Greenville.  Then in 2008, he and wife Julia opened Stella's to rave reviews. You are seriously considering making reservations now, aren't you?

I've reviewed Stella's before, but Stella's owners, Jason and Julia Scholz, were so sweet to host me and my PR buddy Amy Corley of ACPR Media a couple of weeks ago to try some new items from Chef Jason. He even put together a special tasting menu for us.  How awesome is that?!  Our waiter was so stoked to even be serving the menu, that he kept a copy for himself.  I had a hard time getting pictures because each dish was so complex, but I'll give you the rundown.

This beautiful plate of Pan Roasted Charleston Sheepshead with citrus rutabaga puree, eggplant caponada, beets and curry oil was pure heaven. I love when a chef challenges my palate, mixing flavors I'd never put together in a million years. 

If duck is on the menu, I will always order it because it's not something I'd make in my own kitchen. (Yes, I know it wouldn't be THAT hard, but it's a mind thing.) I was totally pleased it was on the menu. This was a duck sampler plate with a crispy braised wonton, seared breast, confit, Crescent Farms shiitake, gingered plum and scallion salad, sesame roasted okra, bourbon barrel soy "umami". I ate my way around the plate savoring each and every separate piece of this dish. 

I have never had a pork ribeye!  I was mesmerized.  This plate included grilled belly rillon, ribeye and riblet, heirloom hominy, sea island red pea succotash, a Johnny cake, Southern Relishes, and BBQ Pork jus. Beautiful. 

I think both Amy and I were stuffed by this point.  Half of this dish ended up in a to go box for my husband. On the plate,  beautifully seared Deckle and Kobe Beef with Kobe beef bacon and a duck fat twice baked potato, with Crescent Farms carrots, caramelized cauliflower, and roasted beef au ju.

 There are no words: Chocolate Torte and Praline Mousse with bourbon ice cream, bourbon caramel and Cracker Jack peanuts.

This piece of warm, Spiced Carrot Cake Bread Pudding with cream cheese frosting ice cream, cinnamon anglaise, and rum soaked raisins was a bit of heaven.  It was a shame I was so full because I wanted to lick the plate.

Since opening Stella's has continually wowed diners with their coastal Carolina and American South inspired dishes.  Both Jason and wife and co-owner Julia have gone above and beyond to create a unique and inviting dining experience every time we've eaten at their restaurant.  They are in our top three favorite restaurants in South Carolina. No lie. 

Local chefs headed to Charleston Wine and Food Fest

A few of my favorite chefs are headed to Chucktown next week for the Charleston Wine and Food Festival. Greenville Chef, Chef Patrick Long of The Green Room will be joining Charleston's famed chefs Sean Brock, Mike Lata, Craig Deihl, Jeremiah Bacon, dozens of visiting chefs, and close to a hundred Low Country Chefs as they show off their culinary talents during this uber popular foodie fest. (It's not too late!  I'm available if someone wants to throw a ticket (or two) my way?)

You could say that Chef Patrick is headed home.  He spent his early career under the tutelage of notable Charleston chefs, working in the kitchens of both Old Village Post House and Wild Olive.  Long will be participating in the Culinary Village and will be manning the grill for a Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Fire Roasted Corn Salsa demo at 4:45pm on Sunday, March 9.  

If you'd like a little Greenville preview, of the dish he's taking to Charleston, sign up for the So Long Winter Blues Cooking Class at The Cook's Station this Tuesday, Febraruy 25.  Cost is $40 per person. 

Asheville's Chef Katie Button is also headed to the festival. She and her team own Curate and have just opened The Nightbell, a speakeasy, in downtown Asheville to rave reviews. Did you know she's a James Beard Semi-finalist for Rising Star Chef?  She will be cooking in the kitchen at High Cotton for the Perfectly Paired Dinner on Friday, March 7, 2014 at 7:00pm. She will also be hitting the grill for a demo on Saturday, March 8, 2014 at 1:30pm - 2:15pm.  This will be at the Outdoor Living & Grilling Area, Culinary Village, Marion Square, so just scoot on over there if you should be one of the lucky ones hanging around with a glass of wine in hand at the festival!

 

It's not too late to head to the Low Country for some of the best food of your life. For Charleston Wine and Food Festival ticket information, you can go here.  

A Rare taste: Greenville Restaurant Week 2014

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!

A little burr, SC Restaurant Week and other Greenville food news

a frozen bubble pic by Gap Creek Gourmet fan, Tricia Kyzer

Good morning, folks! I hope you all survived the cold snap.  Whew! I swear I don't ever remember it being that cold outside.  15 degrees when I was driving my daughter to school. 15!  Brrrr. Someone on Facebook posted pictures of frozen bubbles.  I so wanted to go outside and blow some and see what would happen, but I just couldn't make my body and brain agree on standing out in the cold. 

I am keeping warm by eating bread.  Seriously.  I am in major bread mode.  On Tuesday I ate a Chocolate Croissant from Upcountry Provisions in Travelers Rest for breakfast and then a giant piece of bread (a ginormous sample) from Great Harvest Breat Company for lunch. Oh, and I walked out of the store with two loaves of fresh out of the oven bread that I have continued eating on for three days.  I think I might go into full fledged hibernation soon. 

Last night my Greenville Small Plate Crawl partner, Carolina Epicurean, and her husband came over for dinner.   I made this AMAZING Italian Pot Roast again.  Yay for Rachael Ray.  This is still the best pot roast I have ever eaten in my life.  And no, I didn't take a picture.  (What is wrong with me?  Wait.  Don't answer that.)

Today is the first day of South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association's South Carolina Restaurant Week. Should be a national holiday, as far as I'm concerned. Greenville Restaurants roll out the red carpet with crazy awesome dining deals during the 11 day culinary event.  For the past two years, we've gone to American Grocery, but this year, we are trying out one of Greenville's newest restaurants, Rare. I keep hearing rave reviews so we're going to go give it a whirl with our friends Nina and Mark. Here's a link to their Restaurant Week Menu. Of course, you'll be hearing all about my experience here next week.  Restaurant Week runs until January 19.  You can follow them on Twitter @RestaurantSC.

Greenville Small Plate Crawl is coming up March 24-26!  It's another great opportunity to try some of the best restaurants that Greenville has to offer. Mark your calendar and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 

A big change has happened at one of Greenville's downtown Restaurants.  Table 301, the group responsible for Soby's and the recently closed Devereaux's, is doing a little bit of shuffling. According to eGreenville, Chef Spencer Thomson, formerly of Devereaux's is taking over the kitchen at Nose Dive.  This is very exciting for me because I really like the atmosphere at Nose Dive, especially the upstairs bar area, but I really haven't enjoyed the food there.  One of the few places in Greenville I just couldn't get behind, and I love the guys at Table 301.  I really, really wanted to love this place, but just couldn't.  But the new chef seems to be switching up the menu which will include the Truffle Tater Tots so famous at Devereaux's. I'm excited for the change and can't wait to get in there for a menu tour! 

In other Table 301 news, Soby's is having a five-course wine dinner on January 24 with special guest, Racetrack celeb and winemaker Randy Lewis. The dinner will showcase Napa Valley's  Lewis Cellars, which was established by Randy and his wife Debbie.  Table 301 Chefs Shaun Garcia and Rodney Freidank have created a special menu to accompany four of Lewis' highly-acclaimed wines and Lewis will be on hand to answer questions about the winemaking process. Lobster, duck, Wagyu beef and bison are on the menu. The dinner is $125 per person, plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, please call (864) 232-7007.

And the biggest news of all (besides the fact that it's my birthday month) is that ADAM ROBERTS (Squealing!!!!) The Amateur Gourmet is visiting Greenville late this month and I think I am going to get to sit down for a meal with him!  I am so excited.  I really, honestly, can't stand myself.  I am catching up on all of his podcasts and rereading his blog and his two books.  I am a HUGE fangirl. I'm telling you, he is coolio, coolio, coolio.   I was actually working on getting him to come visit Greenville myself as a guest of Gap Creek Gourmet and when I got in touch with him, I found out he was already coming!  I guess he's sort of on tour or something.  At any rate, it will be the absolute highlight of my year.  If anything tops this, it's gonna be a damn good 2014.  And you know I'm gonna blog the heck out of meeting him, so stay tuned.

One more thing before I buzz off... quite literally since I've finished like three cups of coffee during this post.  I'm loving the new addition to our fleet of pets.  Her name is Noel.  I might love all her fur off before she is full grown.  I am smitten. If I had known how cute and cuddly they are, I would have had guinea pigs my whole life.  

Cheers! Have a good week!

A look back at 2013.

We're five days away from a brand new year, so I thought I would share some of my highlights of 2013 with you.  Here we go!

In January I surprised my mother with a visit from my aunt who lives in California.  It was a perfect birthday surprise for Mom.  We had a blast bebopping around together.

Last winter my daughter and I decided to make donuts.  While we were baking, it started pouring snow outside.  She ran out and made a snowball.  It was one of those perfect little memories. And those were really great donuts.

Dan and I spent our anniversary this year in Charleston.  We had an incredibly special dinner at Husk complete with sparkling wine and a special menu just for us.  We also walked on the beach in the freezing cold and ate fresh oysters at Bowan's Island. (I'm not a fan of oysters, but it was a neat first time experience.)

 

I battled a case of severe depression during the first part of the year. (Booo!) It was rough, but one day during my funk, I had the absolute pleasure of babysitting my God-daughter.  She is a complete joy and brightened my world.  It's the little things sometimes...

My daughter and I were walking on the beach during spring break and she bent down to write something in the sand.  When I saw it, I almost cried.  We are at this neat stage before boys, before she starts claiming her independence and Mom becomes uncool.  Sierra + Mom = love.  

Joy. Joy. Joy.

We were blessed to spend a TON of time at the beach this summer. Isle of Palms is my second home of sorts and a wonderful, wonderful place to cool out and spend time with my family and friends.  

Life is not always rainbows and moonbeams.  But sometimes it is. 

My family from DC and Tampa visited!  I was so stoked to meet new additions to the family and spend some time with my cousins.  I can't wait until I see them all again! Love you guys!

Chattooga Belle Farm Dinner.  One of the coolest things I have ever done in my life. (Thank you Edible Upcountry!) 

Euphoria 2013 was a blast!  I met Kat Kinsman from CNN's food blog Eatocracy.

I held a baby pig.  I checked that off my bucket list!

Renegade Vittles Dinner.  The best chefs in Greenville cooked one of the most amazing meals of our lives. 

I met Chef John Currance, got his cookbook, then made my first homemade Guinness Whole Grain Mustard,  and brined and smoked my first beef tenderloin. Holy moly that was good eatin'! Best thing I made all year.

I made eggnog with my chef buddy John Malik and drink master at Bacon Bros, Jason Calloway. (Really, I watched and documented, but...)

I spent a lot of time at Bacon Bros this year!  Standing beside Anthony Gray while he shaved paper thin pieces off of his country ham for me to eat was pretty dang amazing. 

I hung out with Passerelle Chef, Teryi Youngblood.  One of the coolest chicks in town. 

For the first time I made a cheesecake that didn't crack.

I had the pleasure of visiting Posana in Asheville and was over the moon happy that owner and chef Peter Pollay sat down and joined us for dinner.  

The new addition to our family. 

The most awesome thing to happen this year?  I am partnering with Carolina Epicurean blogger, Laura Huff, for Greenville Small Plate Crawl 2014 coming March 24-26.  I'm excited to be partnering with her to bring her popular WNC food crawl to the Upstate.  Restaurants are already signing up and I keep hearing how excited people are about the crawl.  

Here's to more excitement and joy in 2014!

Passerelle on a rainy holiday night

Last night we ate at Passerelle Bistro, and it was the perfect place to spend a cozy, rainy November evening.  Downtown streets were emptier than usual.  It was peaceful and calm.  We huddled under our umbrella and made our way along the fall leaf speckled sidewalk and down the steps to Passerelle, right by the Liberty Bridge at Falls Park.

As we settled into our seats at the bar, my husband commented on how the place reminded him of a dinner in an old detective movie: tile floors, wooden tables. I have to say I agree.  I dig it.

This was my second time visiting Chef de Cuisine, Teryi Youngblood, and on this visit, I had the opportunity to also meet her sidekick, Sous Chef Drew Erickson.  Since the crowd was a light when we first arrived we had some time to chat with the chefs.  Chef Drew and Teryi both have made their way up the ranks of Table 301 via Soby's.  Youngblood's first cooking job was at Bistro Europa as a prep cook.  (Her dad always said she should either be an engineer or a cook, to balance her left and right brain.)  She paid her dues working in the kitchens of Soby's and Soby's on the Side whipping up the famous White Chocolate Banana Cream Pies.  She made around 1,011 during her tour, if you want to be exact, and she has proven she can actually even make the pies blindfolded.  Oh the tom foolery that goes on in a kitchen! She may be a whiz at making pies, but her love and talent for french cuisine landed Chef the gift of her own restaurant with Table 301.

Chef Drew started working in the Soby's kitchen at 16 years old.  He didn't know the first thing about working a prep line, but through hard work and determination he earned the respect of Table 301's top chefs.  Chef Teryi says he's quite the prodigy. When Passerelle opened, she couldn't think of a better candidate to stand at her side.   They are a fun duo to watch when the orders start rolling in.  Chef Drew's feet hardly ever leave the ground.  He practically skates from place to place tossing, and grilling, assembling and plating.  It's mesmerizing.

I asked Chef Teryi about her own Thanksgiving traditions.  She gathers with her family and friends and joins in on the cooking, though her mom handles most of it, still.  They fry up turkeys (though Chef would rather roast one), make traditional cornbread dressing (just like my mom!), and Teryi prepares dessert.

I highly recommend eating at the bar facing into the kitchen at Passerelle.  It's an awesome experience to see chefs prepare your food.

David, our waiter/bartender, served up two of Passerelle's signature drinks.  A tall stemless champagne glass arrived with French 75, a drink containing Van Gogh gin, cointreau, lime, sugar and champagne.  It was really a wonderful drink.  We were also served an Orange Blossom, which contained lots of orange and grapefruit juice, amaretto di saronna, gin, soda and bitters, but it was a little too fruity for me... sort of like an orange juice and ginger ale, really.

Our first course was a bowl of Mussels Passerelle swimming in a sauce of French red espellette pepper, saffron and tomatoes, with a side of grilled baguette.  The mussels were awesome, but the sauce was pure heaven.  We sopped it up with our bread and  immediately began cursing.  (My husband says you can tell we are enjoying our meal when the expletives start flowing.  There was also much moaning.)  The staff told us that people seriously take the juice home with them to eat with Triscuits the next day.  That tickled me.

Next to came out were two rectangles of baked goat cheese and blueberry lavender jam encased in crispy, light pastry shell.  They were sitting on a bed of petite lettuce, and candied walnuts (which are lucky to make it to the plate since staff snack on them relentlessly from the time they are cooled).

Then chef prepared us a sampling of her Smoked Salmon-Potato Croquettes.  Chef hot smokes salmon, boils potatoes and adds butter for these lovely smooth bites in a crunchy Panco shell. They are served with Caper relish, and horseradish crème fraîche. 

David brought me a glass of Chateu Blaignan Bourdeau (2009).  I told him I wanted a dark, deep, meaty wine.  Wa-la. (Or as a reader pointed out, voila. Hahahaha!)

The salads at Passerelle are really lovely and refreshing.   We tried the Frisee Salad.   A salad of celery and artichoke hearts with pequillo pepper, hazelnuts, bacon lardons, and a tarragon vinegarette.

And we also tried the Arugala and Radiccio salad with golden beats, orange segments, goat cheese, spiced pecans, and apple cider vinaigrette.

I had lunch at Passerelle a while back and sat and chatted with Chef Teryi for a while.  She's an Easley girl, a grad of Wren High, who's always been a Francofile at heart.  The concept behind this restaurant is comfort, country French, a bistro.  And she picked out everything from the countertops (which she says look like someone spilled wine on them) and benches to the glasswear. Even down to the minor details.  This restaurant is every inch hers. She wanted people to walk into her place and feel comfortable and happy.  I think she hit the mark.

I've got to get back to the meal or this is going to be the longest post ever!

Duck.  I had told her at our lunch meeting that I absolutely love duck.  And the duck at Passerelle might be the best duck I have ever put in my face.    It's simpy prepared.  It just sits beside a celeriac (a root veggie) gratin which is topped with long fingers of ginger carrots and is surrounded by a brined green peppercorn sauce. They also brine the bird for 2 days before it's cooked.  I ordered mine medium (you get the full flavor of the duck this way) and it was absolutely fantastic and cooked to perfection.  The outer fat layer was only slightly crisp on the outside.  Perfect.

My husband had the shrimp and polenta which could rival any shrimp and grits in town. We greedily kept passing our plates back and forth, finishing off every last bite.

Dessert:

Creme Caramel: think a French version of Flan, witha  fig and almond financier and chantilly cream on to and a rich, smooth, not overly sweet... almost dark chocolate Flourless Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut crunch, raspberry sauce and chantilly cream.

When I first visited Passerelle with a friend for lunch, I wasn't impressed with the decor.  The food was good, but the fancy French fare I was expecting.  I kept hearing about this French place that everyone loved, but when I tried it, I didn't get it.  I thought "this isn't French food!". But it was all along.  Chef wasn't out to create a menu of the finest French Cuisine.  She was out to serve up a taste of French Countryside.  A taste of home.  And from the time you walk into the place, it really feels like you have walked into someone's kitchen and pulled up a chair at their table.  It's nice, but also comfortable and the food that lands on your plate will warm your heart and soul.  Now, I get it, and it's a really wonderful experience.  We'll definitely be back again and again.