Hello Southwest fans! As you already know, the Dish Trip team travels only in the name of food and our latest Dish Trip took us to Upstate country in South Carolina. This special trip to Greenville-Spartanburg was to celebrate Southwest Airline’s service to their 70th destination and part of the festivities included a progressive dinner where we got to fill up on the best eats in town.
The Video
Here is our latest video of all the delicious action (special thanks to Greenville HD for additional footage.)
[vimeo width=”580″ height=”326″]http://vimeo.com/21512177[/vimeo]
The Stops & Stories
Nantucket Seafood Grill and Marriott Courtyard Greenville
Marriott Courtyard Greenville
http://www.marriottcourtyardgreenville.com
50 West Broad Street, Greenville
(864) 451-5700
Our first stop was for crab cakes and hush puppies paired with Nantucket Summer Cocktails at Nantucket Seafood Grill. This restaurant represents the second addition to the thriving downtown business district by Rick Erwin — a Greenville native — and I was lucky to have joined their CFO for some savory seafood goodness!
The Company Crabcakes were served with a mustard aoili and were filled with so much colossal lump crab meat that I joked that there was no cake, just crab. Amazing! The house-made hush puppies had blue crab, bell pepper and corn and were served with a tasty tartar sauce. This is the spot for Greenville’s freshest seafood, served up in a warm, modern atmosphere but the weather was perfect (despite the wind) to enjoy these delicious bites outdoors in the gorgeous green space at the Courtyard Marriott next door.
The restaurant windows overlook the Courtyard Marriott green space and the patio. This was a perfect spot to sit and sip on a Nantucket Summer Cocktail alongside the peaceful waterfall wall and it felt like an instant vacation. How much fun to have a little slice of paradise to enjoy while looking out at the hustle and bustle of downtown Greenville. (I also heard that this space is used for an ice rink during winter months. Fun!)
Larkin’s on the River
Our second stop for the evening was Larkin’s on the River. I love me some southern food and was so excited to have some good ole shrimp and grits in such a cool atmosphere, along the river. The Larkin’s shrimp and stone ground grits were served in a martini glass with a rich cheese sauce, topped with sauteed jumbo shrimp, peppers and a sprinkle of more cheese on top and was paired with a Ketel One Oranje martini. Larkin’s is known for their steak so I was thrilled to try some of their Tenderloin bites — incredibly tender slices of beef tenderloin served with chipotle aoili and pita chips paired with a Lewellen Syrah. Both dishes and drink pairings are worth a trip to Greenville just for a bite, trust me. (You know I’d actually do that, right?)
Downtown Greenville is like a secret city built on top of a gorgeous park overflowing with natural waterfalls and grassy areas. Picture perfect couples, families and singles use the numerous bridges of the city to hop from hot spot to hot spot and to dine at the adorable restaurants downtown. We walked our way between each restaurant and loved discovered the nooks and crannies of the city.
The Lazy Goat
Our third stop was The Lazy Goat, known for a “made from scratch” approach from the zahtar on the table to the house-made pasta. The concept at this restaurant is to take your time, savor your food, share your stories and escape in the flavors of the Mediterranean. And that, we did!
I sat with Chef de Cuisine Vicky Moore, who was cute as a button and a self-described “food geek” who loves to explore the culinary cultures of different areas of the world. We started with fried goat cheese bites that were dusted with pistachio and drizzled with honey. One bite of one of those little morsels was all that this girl needed to sit back and embrace the slow food atmosphere. But I had to get a taste of the succulent Moroccan lamb that was braised and served with warm pita, cucumber yogurt and plantain chips. Of course I put it all together in one huge, amazing bite and, yes, I needed a napkin. I was so distracted by the colorful tastes of the Mediterranean that I wasn’t paying attention to the mess I was making but that’s what good food makes you do, right? Flavorful dishes, a breathtaking view of the river and a Lazy Goat signature sangria to wash it all down with… check, check and check!
The Nose Dive
Our fourth stop was The Nose Dive, a hip, fun and bustling downtown spot. The Nose Dive is a casual GastroPub featuring an eclectic menu of comfort food and pub fare created by Chef de Cuisine, Joey Pearson. Their signature dishes are favorites like fish and chips, traditional lobster rolls and — one of my favorite pub foods — the Scotch egg, which I was happy to get a taste of.
This hearty snack food is a hard-boiled egg that is wrapped with house-made sausage, covered in Panko bread crumbs and then deep fried to golden brown perfection. It was served with roasted red pepper puree and a celery remoulade. When you cut the Scotch Egg, it creates a really cool layering effect that looks like a food rainbow on your plate. And, who doesn’t like a rainbow? Joey was a good sport to hang with me and I loved his choice to pair this treat with local Thomas Creek Beers. It was a match made in, well, Greenville heaven.
Barley’s Tap Room
Our last stop was Barley’s Tap Room which has been the regular recipient of local “Best of…” awards — best poolroom, best pizza, best beer list, best bar and best place to hang out. We were too full from our food tour of Greenville to try their famous fresh sourdough pizza, but we did enjoy their pool hall and cold beer on tap.
Philly Food Gifts
Of course, as good guests, we came bearing Philly food gifts for our new friends in South Carolina. Our friends at Victory Brewing Company shared a special brew presented exclusively for Southwest Airlines called 737 Lager which paired perfectly with the Victory Beer Truffles from Eclat Chocolates (voted to have the World’s greatest caramels). The Dish Trip team even brought cake pops in Southwest colors from Cakes and Candies by Maryellen for everyone to enjoy.
Conclusion…
We talked, we mingled, we drank and did a toast to celebrate Southwest service to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. A few lucky fans even won round trip tickets on Southwest and we called it a delicious night!
The next morning the Dish Trip team headed over to the airport bright and early to send off the first flights with breakfast and Southwest’s signature coffee blend called Lift. We loved watching a group of locals head to Chicago Midway on a first flight for a day trip just to experience some authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Those are my kind of people! (Many of them reported back to a Southwest rep that they spent a lot more on pizza and beer than their airfare on Southwest!)
As always, follow us on Twitter @dishtrip or friend us on Facebook for more dining details in a city near you. Thanks for reading and watching, we’ll see you on the next Dish Trip!
Photo credit: Allison Benford, Amy Strauss and Danielle Friel
Video credit: Video and editing by Reelfire Productions additional footage from Greenville HD
