Farm to Table Dinner featuring Stone Brewing at Greenbrier Farms

Very rarely do events like this come to such a happy confluence. I really like Stone Brewery. I love Greenbrier Farms and I love American Grocery. When I was invited to the Farm to Table Dinner that featured all three I was ecstatic. One of my favorite Chefs preparing food from my favorite farm, pared with beer from one of my favorite breweries. Awesome…and it was.

Five courses of exquisite, is how I would define this meal. I have to say that it was A LOT of food and A LOT of heavy food but WOW. My favorite course was the fourth (image above). Basically it was pulled pork, but made into “paddy” then seared so it had a nice crust. The mustard was house made and brilliant. Collard greens and grits are about as southern as you can get and went perfectly with the pork. YUM!

I also I loved the charcuterie and the salad course as well. Actually the whole meal was brilliant and the beers were delicious and bountiful. Below I tried to remember all the courses and beer parings. I might have forgotten something, but that should be pretty close.

Courses

1. Charcuterie with grilled bread. Like pate (terrine or head cheese) with all kinds of goodies (lamb and pork head).
2. Salad with greens, pickled green tomatoes, roasted red and white beets, turnips vinaigrette.
3. Cassoulet deconstructed. White and red bean, kale, chicken confit, pork belly, aioli, green tomato chow chow.
4. Pork roulette (pulled pork, crispy sear), housemade mustard seed mustard, collards, Anson Mills grit cake, pork and lamb demiglaze.
5. Ginger and molasses cake, butterscotch Chantilly, whipped cream quenelle.

Beer Parings

1. Stone IPA
2. Stone Pale Ale
3. Stone Levitation Ale
4. Stone Smoked Porter
5. Stone Imperial Russian Stout

If you are not familiar with Greenbrier Farms, they are a small farm located outside of Greenville, SC and are definitely on my Favorites Products List.

American Grocery is my favorite restaurant in this area. If you’ve been following this blog you undoubtedly know this. I have written about them on several occasions.

Fall for Greenville 2011, downtown Greenville, South Carolina

We are very fortunate in this area to have a lot of great restaurants. We are equally lucky to have many outdoor events. As I have posted before, Fall for Greenville combines the best of both. This outdoor festival is full of music, great local food and eclectic beer and wine selections and proceeds go to local charities. What a phenomenal event! You can read more about this event in my write up from last year or download the Fall for Greenville 2011 Map(pdf). Below is some of the food I sampled. If you are within a few hours of sleepy Greenville, SC and haven’t been, I would highly recommend this event.

Tacos from Fonda Rosalinda’s

Ford’s Red Beans and Rice

Looking South, Main Street, Greenville, SC

Soby’s Lobster Mac and Cheese

Larkin’s Yukon Gold Chips with Bleu Cheese Dip

Looking South, Main Street, Greenville, SC

Local Pork Chops, Creamy Grits and Quick Chow Chow

One of my favorite things to do culinarily is to attempt to mimic a meal from a favorite restaurant. I try to make the same meal, with my twists. Maybe I add a little more of this or less of that. An example is a visit to The Lazy Goat (a favorite in downtown Greenville, SC) I had a brilliant lunch. Serrano Wrapped Halibut with Haricot Verts and Duck Fat Fries (best in the world…duck fat, enough said). This inspired me to make Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut with Haricot Verts and Baked Duck Fat Fries. I switched the prosciutto for the Serrano because I like it better and I baked the fries because I don’t have a fryer.

Earlier this year on a pilgrimage to Charleston, SC we visited a newly opened restaurant for dinner. Husk, a Sean Brock (admittedly one of my favorite chefs) restaurant, offers local southern inspired cuisine. As a matter of fact, none of the food served in the restaurant can come from north of the Mason-Dixon line (seriously). That night I had a Fudge Farms Pork Chop with Crispy Pig Ears, Bacon Braised Cabbage and Speckled Butterbean Chow Chow. Yes, I said with crispy pig ear. It was amazing, the pork chops were perfectly cooked, and the broad beans add a nice creamy balance against the sour and heat of the chow chow. Oh, and then there is the pig’s ear. I tell you, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. It essentially tastes like bacon. I love when Chef’s use the whole animal, I think it respects the animal to discard as little as possible. I digress; the pig’s ear was crispy, smoky, sweet and salty. It really did finish the dish perfectly. On last thing, if you aren’t familiar with chow chow, it is a spicy southern relish that is usually used down here as a condiment.

So that was my inspiration for Pork Chops, Creamy Grits, Chow Chow and garnished with crispy turkey bacon. On a visit to Whole Foods, we just couldn’t decide what we wanted for dinner. Jen suggested that we hadn’t had pork chops in a while. They had the biggest chops I’d seen, fresh, local, organic, thick cut chops. I’d never made chow chow before. A quick Google search gave me some ideas, but I am WAY to impatient to wait 6 hours to 2 weeks as most recipes suggested. I decided on a “quick” chow chow instead. The creamy grits tied this dish up nicely. I could probably have found some fresh pig’s ears (I actually had a bag of smoked ones for my dogs) but…umm…I’ll leave that to the professionals. I usually would have used my go to Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon, but I’m embarrassed to say, I was fresh out. All I had was Jen’s turkey bacon. All in all, this meal was very nice.

The chow chow was amazing, crunchy, sour, salty and spicy. We still have some in the fridge, I imagine it will be all the better in a few more days. I have talked in previous posts (like making quick kimchee and quick pickles) about my impatience in the kitchen. I have an idea and I want to eat it that night, not in a week or heaven forbid TWO WEEKS. The chow chow is the same deal. Most traditional chow chow are pickled and set for weeks or longer. My answer to that is below. Also, my jalapenos weren’t quite ready for harvest so I substituted Srirachi (my favorite condiment). This gave it a little Asian twist, which we liked.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 thick cut pork chops
• Anson Mills Grits (you can use quick grits but NOT instant)
• Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon
• Half and half (milk or heavey cream)
• 1/2 to 1 cup cheese (your favorite cheese that melts easy)
• 1/2 head of savoy cabbage
• 2-3 green tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper cubed
• 1 small vidalia onion sliced thin
• Vinegar (I used a mixture of red, white and cider)
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar to taste
• Sriracha to taste
• Kosher salt
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. First we’ll make the chow chow. Heat a large pot over medium. Because this is the “quick” version, I put the green tomatoes into my food processor and pulsed them about 10 times. I wish I would have only pulsed 5-6 times; it would have left a few more visible chunks. Add a touch of olive oil and drop in the onions and bell pepper, mix for a minute. Add green tomato and juice from processor. Mix all together and add salt, vinegar, sugar, sriracha and bring to boil. Reduce to low and simmer until vegetables are cooked through but still have some crunch. At this point I just removed from heat and let sit until I was done making the other components. Traditionally you cool and put in the refrigerator. I was deliberately vague on the amounts for this recipe. Just add to your tastes, if you like more heat add more sriracha. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 420 degrees.
3. If you have “real” grits, they may take up to 40 minutes to cook. If you have quick grits, that time will be more like 5-10. As for “instant” grits, it is just not right, don’t do it. Prepare the grits per the pack, but I usually replace half of the water with half and half, heavy cream or milk. When the grits are done, add cheese and butter (if you like). Also, on this day, I poured the drippings from the pork chop pan in. That added most of the seasoning. Keep warm.
4. For garnish I used turkey bacon brushed with molasses, but I just can’t recommend that to you all. Use smoked bacon. Put the bacon on a sheet pan and place in the oven. Cook until crispy.
5. For the pork chops, season with salt and pepper and in a large oven proof pan sear both sides. Place in the oven until the chops reach the appropriate doneness. I think the rule is 145 degrees. I like them a little pink, I usually target 130-135 degrees and let the carry-over cooking, when removed from the oven, bring them to a safe temperature.

The “sauce” you see in the photo above is actually the pickling liquid from the chow chow. I was very pleased with my decision to serve the chow chow warm. While eating, the sauce mixed with the grits and was delicious. I like the vegetables being sour with good heat and still having some crunch. The chow chow was nice this way although not traditional. Let me know what you think.

2011 Greenville Restaurant Week at Devereaux’s and American Grocery

Every year South Carolina puts on a Restaurant Week celebration. Through-out the state some of the nicer restaurants offer a prix fixe 3 course menu which is generally offered for around $30. Most of these restaurants usually have entrees that cost $30, so this is a really good deal. Restaurant Week in Greenville is a huge success with most of the restaurants staying packed the whole week. I love the idea because I believe it exposes many to restaurants they might not normally go to and cuisine they might not normally try. Brilliant!

So for a raging foodie like me it is heaven. This year we visited two of my favorite restaurants in Greenville; American Grocery and Devereaux’s. I’ve said this before but it is not easy to “shock” my palate with something I wasn’t expecting. Both of these restaurants succeed in doing that more often then not. Below are the sample Restaurant Week menus for each restaurant.

• Devereaux’s Sample Menu (pdf)
• American Grocery – Sample Menu (txt)

We first visited Devereaux’s with a group of friends. It was nice because between us all we had one of every thing. I had Rabbit Risotto (Rabbit Confit, orange zest, chive and asiago), Roasted Duck Breast (pictured below), and the Rosemary Funnel Cake (Pumpkin crisp ice cream, orange and honey, also pictured below) with wine pairings.

First the risotto; what stuck with me was the orange zest. The rabbit was great and the actual risotto was tender and creamy (what I would expect from a great risotto). The orange zest just gave the dish a big, citrus punch that caught me off guard (in a good way). The duck was cooked perfectly (which if you’ve cooked duck, isn’t always the easiest to do), with a sweet, chard crust on the out side and almost rare inside. The rice and vegetables that came with it where very nice and the savory demi-glaze was a perfect balance with the rich duck. My final course was the rosemary funnel cake. I have to say that I didn’t taste a lot of rosemary more ginger, but it was delicious. The ice cream and crisp finished the meal very well.

Our second trip was to American Grocery. Let me start by saying this is my favorite restaurant in Greenville. We go pretty regular. This meal was the best I have had at this restaurant. I had Red Fern Farm Lamb Albondigas (lima bean hummus, parsley salad), Blue Chip Farm Rabbit Loin ‘Pasta’ (swiss chard, carrot – bacon cream) and Buttermilk Panna Cotta (citrus soup, almond tuile) with wine pairings.

The first course was Lamb Albondigas, which are basically Spanish lamb meat balls and they were amazing. They were not overly rich and the lima bean hummus and peppery parsley balanced the dish very well. My main course was one of the best things I have eaten (the photo is at the top of the page). Rabbit Lion cooked confit in duck fat. Ridiculous! The fresh pasta made in house was so tender. The bitterness of the swiss chard. And all tied together with a carrot, bacon cream. I wanted to lick the bowl. Seriously, I wanted to lick the bowl and if it wasn’t so crowded I might have. Perfect! My dessert course was a Buttermilk Panna Cotta. It was very good but nothing that blew me away. Nothing could have lived up to my previous course. The panna cotta was not overly sweet, which works for me. The almond tuile had a fair amount of sweetness and added nice crunch. The citrus soup was great with bits of grapefruit it added a nice acidity.

If you have never been to some of these restaurants, Restaurant Week or Foodie Fest (in Greenville) are great opportunities. I highly suggest giving them a try. You may like them, you may not but for $30 you can’t beat it.

Roasted Duck Breast, Devereaux’s

Rosemary Funnel Cake, Devereaux’s

Braised Beef Tongue, Herbed Gnocchi, Smoked Tomato Sauce at American Grocery

First off, sorry, sorry, sorry for the crappy photo. I hate sitting in restaurants and trying to get that “great shot”. Instead I end up with photos like the above. Oh well, you get the gist. On to the food…

If you know me, you probably know that American Grocery, at the West End in downtown Greenville, SC, is my favorite restaurant in town. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Chef Clarke’s ever changing menu continually shocks and impresses me. On this evening, we were downtown in the middle of the week for a friends art show and on a whim stopped by AGR. I had Braised Beef Tongue, Herbed Gnocchi with a Smoked Tomato Sauce and it was, as usual, YUM!

If the thought of eating beef tongue grosses you out, I am sure you are not alone. In fact, when cooked appropriately, it is extremely flavorful and tender. In this case it WAS cooked properly, braised until tender and full of flavor. The Chef must have seared it before or after the braise because it was nice and crisp on the out side, but melt in your mouth tender inside. The gnocchi I would describe as little pillows of heaven, tender and delicious. I didn’t really taste the “herb” in them, but they were very good. The smoked tomato sauce made the dish, rich yet acidic, it seemed to make the gnocchi lighter and the beef tongue richer. You could definitely taste the smoke and spice, but it wasn’t over done at all. Finally the meal was topped with peppery arugula and shaved Parmesan it give a little lightness and contrast.

As with most meals I have enjoyed at AGR, each component of the meal was great but together amazing. Please see my last post (Duck, Jeweled Couscous and Dandelion Greens at American Grocery) for more information on AGR. If you are a foodie like me, you will love this restaurant.

Fall for Greenville 2010, downtown Greenville, South Carolina

Once a year, in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, we celebrate the coming Fall and our beloved city. It is called Fall for Greenville and we celebrate with great food, great music and…uhhh…ummm…OK, beer. The event features a lot of music from the area, food from over 40 local restaurants, a beer garden with local, regional and national micro-brews, a children’s area with rides and much, much more.

I realized that some of you may have never even heard of Greenville, South Carolina. If you have been here recently you know that it is a beautiful area between Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA. Minutes from the mountains and a few hours from the beach. There is a lot going on here and Fall for Greenville is one of my favorite things.

As a foodie, I can’t miss this event. I can sample over 40 restaurants, some old favorites (Soby’s, Larkin’s on the River) and some new (Bavarian Pretzel Factory, Grille 33 @ The Channel). The beer garden has grown over the years and added many very tasty beers.

So, you combine great weather, great food, great beer and music, it can’t get better, right? WRONG! One more thing…it all benefits local charities. That is correct, you get to eat great food, drink beer, people watch and listen to music and all for good causes. It doesn’t get better then that for me. Below are some photos taken at this year’s event, click to enlarge.

Have you been to Fall for Greenville? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

 

Beef tips, blue cheese chips from Larkin’s, beef empanada

Looking North, Main Street, Greenville, SC

Looking North, Main Street, Greenville, SC

Beer Garden at Fall for Greenville

Knockwurst, sauerkraut, spicey mustard, lobster cigars

Looking South, Main Street, Greenville, SC

Fall for Greenville, Children’s Area

Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues, Saturday Night

Turkey Pastrami on a Cheese Bagel Sandwich with Cucumber Salad at Greenfield’s Bagels

I don’t eat a lot of bagels any more. I am not sure why, I just don’t. There are two places I get bagels from, Chick-fil-a (breakfast bagel) and Greenfield’s Bagels and Deli in Greenville, SC.

Greenfield’s bagels are house made and awesome. I like them all, but my favorite are the savory ones. Jalapeño, Cheese and the all time classic Everything. Besides their amazing bagels, Greenfield’s has deli meats and cheese, house made soups and salads and much more. I try and go grab lunch there whenever I am in that area of town (my company moved downtown Greenville and I’m not as close any more).

The sandwich above is my favorite, turkey pastrami with provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion and spicy mustard (NO MAYO, I can’t stand the stuff…more on that another time). I usually either get the cheese or jalapeño bagel for my sandwich. When you purchase a bagel sandwich you can get your choice of salads which sometimes vary. I love the cucumber salad so much that I have tried unsuccessfully to remake it at home (some day I’ll sack up and ask for the recipe because I’m missing something). At any rate, they also include kosher pickled cucumber, olives and green tomatoes that are a perfect accent to the sandwich and salad. No need for chips here, this is one filling lunch.

Besides the great food the owners and employees are great. Always smiling, always courteous and always quick. Prices are good. If you want blueberry, chocolate, cinnamon or other popular flavors, go early in the morning, by the afternoon they’ll be gone. If you go right around lunch they might have a line near the door. Be patient, the line will move fast and it will be worth it.

Sashimi Lunch at Purple International Bistro

I love seafood and I love sashimi especially when it is done well. You can’t honor the freshness of good fish any more then sashimi. After a social media onslaught of promotion by loyal fans and friends, I decide to check out Chef Jack and the newly opened Purple International Bistro and Sushi. The restaurant is located on Main Street downtown Greenville, SC in the Westend area, walking distance from my office.

I judge most sushi places by their sashimi (thinly sliced raw seafood) plates because you can’t hide behind anything. The fish is either good or bad, no masking it with sauces and seasonings. Chef Jack’s sashimi lunch plate pictured above was the freshest of the freshest, perfect. The lunch plate featured crab, salmon, tuna, octopus and a few others (toro maybe?). We ordered some edamame for the table and that plus my sashimi was the perfect lunch. Light, healthy yet filling.

Another sign of the quality of Purple is that they make their own condiments. Seriously, who makes their own wasbi and soy sauces? Well, they do. That is dedication to the craft.

It seems a new sushi place is opening every week here in Greenville but I will definitely be back to Purple, it was truly some of the best sashimi I have had here. I highly recommend this restaurant. I haven’t been for dinner but if the lunch is as good as dinner, you can’t go wrong.

Sushi and Sashimi Lunch Special at Tsunami

This is the Sushi and Sashimi combo lunch special at Tsunami Greenville in downtown Greenville, South Carolina.

A few weeks back I visited Tsunami Greenville to meet up with a friend. I used to frequent Tsunami but I hadn’t been there for lunch in a long time (It’s ALL THE WAY on the other side of main from my office:-). At the insistence of my friend we meet there. Tsunami’s has been here for awhile and considered by most to have really good sushi. I ordered the lunch special (about $12) which comes with soup or salad. I suggest the salad with the ginger dressing, they put way to much on the salad, which I usually hate, but not in this case. The sushi and sashimi were excellent and as you can see from the picture, you get a lot for the price. I would definitely recommend Tsunami for a quick, light and filling lunch.

Tsunami Greenville (they have five other locations in SC) is located at 106 E. North St.
Greenville, SC one block east of Main Street.

Duck, Jeweled Couscous and Dandelion Greens at American Grocery

On this occasion (this was like 3 months ago during Foodie Week) during my visit to American Grocery I had the Duck, Jeweled Couscous and Dandelion Greens. I am ashamed to admit that I can’t remember what the jus was, but it was good, I do remember that much. The duck was a little chewy, which even the best preparation of duck can sometimes be. The dandelion greens where very bitter, which they always are no matter what preparation they get. The couscous was jeweled with currents and I think dried cranberries which was a little sweet for me. With all that said, I loved this dish. I would not have raved about it if either of the sides were by themselves. The bitterness of dandelion greens and the sweetness of the couscous balanced each other perfectly. Then add the rich and savoriness that the duck and jus brought, well, it was amazing.

More about American Grocery
American Grocery in downtown Greenville, South Carolina may be one of my favorite restaurants in the world. Super fresh ingredients, the menu changes daily based on available ingredients and a dedication to farm to table cooking. The sophistication of their food is amazing. Many times I look at the menu and think, “I won’t like that because of X ingredient”, then I try it and I love it. If you are from this area or visit this part of the country, do yourself a favor and give them a try. This is high end cuisine people, so if you are the buffet type, don’t go here. Consider yourself warned, that Chef Clarke serves an appropriate portion size and the cost is on the higher end for this area. If you are going to have wine or drinks (I highly recommend the bacon infused bourbon) then prepare to spend over $100 for two.