Vietnamese Bahn Mi Sandwich at The Nose Dive

Restaurants can come and go pretty quickly. One restaurant that opened with great fan fare in downtown Greenville was The Nose Dive. The next in a long growing line of Table 301 Restaurants that include local favorites like Soby’s, The Lazy Goat and Devereaux’s.

The Nose Dive was a long time coming. Opening in the space that used to be the home of Restaurant “O”, an upscale steak house. The space stayed empty for a very long time by Greenville standards. Never the less, when The Nose Dive did finally open, the “Gastropub” menu was refreshingly unique for the area. Upscale bar food. Gourmet technique and recipes applied to food you might normally not associate with a bar. We’ve eaten there MANY times since they opened and have never had a bad meal. We mostly like the sandwiches and “snacks”. The entree menu or “Mains” is good not great. The restaurant has a nice wine list and better than average beer selection.

The whole reason for the post is to talk about my favorite sandwich in downtown Greenville. The Vietnamese Bahn Mi from The Nose Dive is a PERFECT sandwich in my opinion. PERFECT! Light and Crispy French Bun (with a very little mayo). Char Siu Pork brings some sweet and tangy bar-b-que flavor and is perfectly seasoned, not too little not too much. Spicy Pickled Vegetables add the acidity and crunch that anything “perfect” needs. Fresh Jalapenos slices and a lot of them add enough heat to make me sweat, which I love. Add in some cilantro for that fresh, earthiness and you have the perfect sandwich. YUM! I struggle getting anything else on the menu. I could see how some wouldn’t like this sandwich, it is probably not for everyone. Maybe it is too spicy, maybe some don’t like the pickled veg. For me, it is perfect.

Most Popular Posts of 2010

Attractions in 2010

I had a blast with this blog my first year. 2010 was great and I look forward to having an amazing 2011. I hope some of you got some good reviews or recipes. If so, keep checking back. THANKS!

Below are the most popular post of 2010.

1

Tilapia, White Bean and Radicchio with Lemon Vinaigrette May 2010
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2

Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut, Haricot Verts, Baked Duck Fat Fries June 2010
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3

Pan Roasted Duck, Slow Roasted Tomato, Duxelle, Crispy Potatoes June 2010
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4

Sashimi Lunch at Purple International Bistro June 2010
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5

Pan Roasted Pork Chop, Braised Dandelion Greens, Ricotta Whipped Potatoes with Apple Jus June 2010

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.

Serrano Wrapped Halibut at The Lazy Goat

I go to The Lazy Goat in downtown Greenville, SC all the time. It is literally next door to my office. I have already reviewed the Sausage Fennel Pizza, but I am sure, with time, I will have reviewed every thing that is on the menu. On this particular lunch visit I had the Serrano Wrapped Halibut with Haricot Vert. Oh, almost forgot that I always order their Truffled Pommes Frites with Asiago Cheese (which by the way, might be the best “French fries” ever!

On this day, the fish of the day was halibut. I love halibut; it is one of my favorite fish. Wrapping it in salty Serrano ham then grilling it is almost unfair. I will say that my fish was just a bit dry for me, but still very good. The haricot verts or French green beans were the surprise of the meal. Chef Vicki must have fire roasted the tomatoes dropped them in the beans, added some crushed red pepper and vinegar. That process made like vinaigrette that covered the beans and tomatoes. I remember thinking this is awesome but for me I would have liked a little more heat.

The pommes frites are just ridiculous. I kid you not, they may be the best fries I have ever eaten. Fried in duck fat (that is enough to put them on a short list), truffled and then grated asiago cheese takes these off the chart. Then, as if that all wasn’t enough, they add homemade ketchup. I don’t even like ketchup, but I eat this stuff. It’s not as sweet as most ketchups and has A LOT of horse radish in it so it has a kick. This causes me much conflict. The fries are amazing all on their own, they don’t need condiments. But, the ketchup is SO good I can’t resist it. If I was at home I would be tempted to get a spoon for the ketchup.

I am a fan of The Lazy Goat and highly recommend their food. Lunch is very affordable at around $10-15 depending on if you order appetizers. Dinner is a little pricier but I have never been disappointed with their food. The ambiance is amazing, located right on the river in downtown Greenville. These days the outdoor sitting is great if you get there early enough for the shade or late enough for the sun to be down, otherwise best to sit indoors.

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.

Chili Cheese A-Plenty at The Beacon

So by now you all know I am a foodie and I am sure some of you are thinking I am a food snob. Well I am not. I am an equal opportunity eater. If the food is good, the food is good and the Chili Cheese A-Plenty at the Beacon Drive-In, in Spartanburg, South Carolina is GOO-OOD.

On this particular trip, I had in-laws in town from Indiana. As a person who generally likes to eat healthy food, The Beacon in my opinion is a place you have to go at least once. The experience alone makes the trip worth it, but it can be a little intimidating your first trip. The place is massive as is the menu. You’ll probably stand in line which gives you just enough time to choose what you want. You place your order with a very engaging gentleman, who will probably chat you up a little then promptly yell your order out. What happens next I like to call a symphony of chaos. Behind the counter people who have probably been working there since before I was born, scurry around from station to station. I seriously have no idea how they do it, but I have never had them give me the wrong order.

Now on to the classic, a Chili Cheese A-Plenty. The burger is good, not great. It’s a large thin patty with a white bun. The chili seems like it has been stewing for weeks (which it probably has). So what is the “A-Plenty”? Basically, A-Plenty means that they put the burger on the plate and then cover and fill every remaining spot on the plate with fries AND onion rings. Yes, it is as ridiculous as it seems but it is oh so good.

More About The Beacon Drive-In
As I said above before, if the food is good, the food is good. Now there are varying types of “good”. There is healthy, all-natural, organic, fresh good and there is greasy, fatty, fried, unhealthy good. The Beacon Drive-In in Spartanburg, South Carolina is the latter. The Beacon has been an Upstate SC staple since 1946, serving up burgers, barbeque and their legendary sweet tea. For people who are watching their weight or can’t handle a minor heart attack, this place is not for you. I think they have a salad on the menu, but I am sure they would laugh if you ordered it. This place is what it is, a greasy spoon, go and enjoy. It’ll be worth the hour or three extra on the tread mill.

Sausage Fennel and Caramelized Onion Pizza at The Lazy Goat

I had lunch the other day at The Lazy Goat in downtown Greenville, SC. I go there often because I work in the next building so it is terribly convenient. I usually get something (it doesn’t really matter) and the Truffled Pomme Frites (which are arguably the best “fries” in the world) but today I got the Fennel Sausage and Caramelized Onion Pizza ($10). It was amazing, I ate almost every bite. Usually caramelized onions are a bit to sweet for me but they nicely balance the heat from the fennel sausage. The crust is rustic, thin and crunch, exactly the way I like it. I have had the pizza many times before so it was not a surprise that I enjoyed it. The picture to the right is half eaten so you can see it is a nice portion for the price. I will be writing much more about The Lazy Goat and especially their Pomme Frites so stay tuned.