Southern Culture, birthday festivities and the Carrie Diaries

For my birthday lunch my bff took me to a new restaurant in town called Southern Culture. We pulled up to our wooden table and I feasted on Country Fried Chicken breast on a warm, fluffy buttermilk biscuit topped with peppery sawmill gravy.

And we had a warm banana pudding for dessert.  If you've ever treasured sampling a warm custard straight from the pot on the stove, then you're going to go nuts over this pudding.  It's creamy, sweet heaven. 

That's how the fare rolls at  Southern Culture, a new locally owned restaurant at Cherrydale Crossings in Greenville. It's the food you grew up with at grandma's Sunday table, but amped up a bit.   Chef Chad Gangwer rolls out Southern comfort in the form of Open Faced Pot Roast, Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf, and Pulled Pork Nachos (piled insanely high). And that's just the lunch menu offerings.  (I have reservations tomorrow night to check out their dinner, too.) 

The festivities continued through dinner and will continue on through the weekend. (Is it possible I'm getting tired of eating?) My mother came over with bubbly and I made my easy gluten-free coconut shrimp for dinner last night.  I coated these little guys in egg, coconut and a gluten-free flour (almond flour in this case) then fried them up golden brown. Mom had strong opinions about me cooking on my own birthday, but after one bite she was placated.

Like my little cake? There are cakes for all occasions, and I've ordered a coconut cake from The Hungry Drover for weekend festivities, but Publix just makes the quintessential birthday cake.  It's sugary and fluffy and everything I remember from my childhood birthday cakes. I was digging into the icing before the last candle was lit.  No self control.  

My husband gave me my very own facejug for my birthday, specifically made for me by our artist friend Greg Patton.  He makes the face mugs for Blue Ridge Brewing Co. in downtown Greenville and you can get his work at The Forest in Travelers Rest. See the little Starbucks to-go cup and little cupcakes? And she's holding a bag with journals on one arm and you can't see it, but there's a little piece of folk art under the other arm.  Greg made a jug for my husband last year and I had to have one of my own.  I think he did a pretty dang good job of capturing me, don't ya think?  I told my husband we could use them for ashes when we die. 

Warning, brain candy to follow: I have to tell you about The Carrie Diaries.  I closed my 37th birthday by watching the first episode and I'm obsessed. The show is the very much anticipated prequel to Sex and the City and follows Carrie Bradshaw as she heads to high school for her Senior year in the wake of her mother's death. For change of pace, her dad helps her get a once-a-week internship in Manhattan and she begins her intense love affair with the big NYC. I was in love with this show in the first couple of minutes. I just can't help myself. 

And the birthday festivities continue...