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

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.

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.

Suckling Pig Confit, sautéed young greens, roasted beets, mustard jus, smoked bacon at FIG.

One of our favorite vacation spots is Charleston, South Carolina. It is very convenient for us here in Greenville, SC to get to (usually less then a 3.5 hour drive). It has every thing we love, the beach, the history, the shopping and most importantly for me the restaurants. If you are a foodie like me, this is a Mecca. Restaurants like McCrady’s, Fulton Five and FIG all make my favorites and can satisfy any foodie cravings you might have.

On this particular trip our “splurge” meal was FIG, short for Food Is Good. I have NEVER eaten anything at this restaurant that I did not LOVE. The atmosphere has a great vibe and the decor is well done not over done. I know for a fact that most of the staff are the same as my very first visit years ago. That says a lot too.

The menu has never been the same on any two visits and most of the ingredients are sourced locally and sustainable. Better then all that, the food IS good. On this visit we started with the John’s Island Tomato Tarte Tatin with fromage blanc and tapenade. I love tarte tartin anything (some day I will get around to blogging my tomato and goat cheese tarte tartin) and this one does not disappoint. The tomatoes are perfectly tender, the crunch from the tarte, the saltiness from the tapenade and the tartness from the goat cheese cream makes the dish amazing. The tarte is a great way to start.

For my entrée I had the Caw Caw Creek Suckling Pig Confit with sautéed young greens, roasted beets, mustard jus and smoked bacon. Can I just say, well done Chef Lata! The pig confit was like a REALLY high end pulled pork with pork belly. The greens were tender but still crisp and not overly seasoned. The beets were roasted beets, very nicely roasted (nothing special and still delicious). The mustard jus, as you can see in the photo above, has the mustard seeds and was also not over seasoned. The smoked bacon was mostly in the greens which is how a make them as well. Like most dishes I have had at FIG, The Chef really lets the ingredients stand on their own accenting them when needed but never over powering them.

When dining at an establish such as this Jen and I usually split a dessert. On our last two visits we got the same one, Apple Tarte Tartin over a Honey Crisp with Vanilla Rum Syrup and Rum Raisin Ice Cream. Uhhhh….Yum! Again, very well balanced with the apple, the crunch from the tart and the crisp almost tasted like peanut brittle. The ice cream rounds out the dessert with that cool creaminess and when all combined reminds you of apple pie a la mode.

I really love this restaurant. The food is simple but elevated. It is like my Grandmothers might make but with a more refined culinary technique. Like confit instead of roasting or tarte tartin instead of a pie. I highly recommend this restaurant. The price point is a little on the pricey side as are most Charleston restaurants but it is well worth it in my opinion.

Have you ever been to FIG? What did you think?

Okra, Shrimp and Andouille Over Rice.

In July we spent a week on Pawleys Island, South Carolina. On this vacation we ate out every night except one. Wednesday, we had visited the Pawleys Island Farmers Market and the Independent Seafood Market (Georgetown). These trips left us with a pound of shrimp about as fresh as you can get and a pound of fresh okra. What the heck am I supposed to do with THAT?

I remembered once having a Gullah/African type meal with tomatoes shrimp and okra but I couldn’t find the recipe anywhere. Sooooo…as usual I winged it. I find when you use fresh ingredients and add spice, pork fat and beer, you’ll usually end up with something pretty eatable. I came up with okra, shrimp and andouille sausage over white rice. If I do say so myself, this worked out quite well. I served it with some roasted corn on the cob.

Sorry I don’t have a photo.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound fresh okra
• 1 pound fresh shrimp
• 1 large onoin, coarsely chopped
• 1 large can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes
• Crushed red pepper flake
• 1-2 large andouille sausage (or more if you want, you could also use chorizo or hot Italian sausage)
• 1 beer (don’t use light beer, and preferably use a local micro-brew, just cuz’)
• Olive oil
• 1 lemon
• fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• White rice, I just used instant

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat large pot over medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom.
2. Cut the andouille in bite size pieces and add to the pot. Cook until brown and crispy on all sides and most of the fat is rendered out. Remove andouille and reserve for later.
3. Add onions and sauté until tender and translucent. Add crushed red pepper flakes and season with a little salt.
4. Pour the sauce from the tomatoes in with the onions the add the tomatoes one by one crushing them with your hand. Carefully they will spray all over you if you don’t take care.
5. Cook the tomato onion mixed for a few minutes on medium heat. Re-season with a little salt and pepper.
6. Add a whole beer to the mixture and add back the andouille. Let simmer. If you need more liquid add more beer, water or a stock would be fine.
7. Go ahead make your rice following the directions on the box.
8. Add the shrimp to the pot. Watch the shrimp carefully so you don’t over cook, they will cook very quickly. Mix in the parsley.
9. To serve, place the stew in a large bowl, place the rice in the middle in a scoop and squeeze a little lemon over it. You could also dust the top with a few leaves of parsley. Enjoy!

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.

Congrats to Chef Sean Brock of McCrady’s on the James Beard Award.

One of my favorite Chef’s in the whole world has won the most prestigious culinary award one can win, The James Beard Award. Chef Brock was named the Best Chef Southeast for his work at McCrady’s at 2 Unity Alley in Charleston, South Carolina. The restaurant is located in an old building down a tiny cobble stone street. The bottom floor has been many things during its history including a tavern and a warehouse and I have been told by several staff there, a whore house upstairs (Nice, huh!). If you sit around awhile you’ll hear stories about pirates and all that cool stuff.

The building, however, is NOT why it is my favorite restaurant in the south and has been for many years. Check out Chef Brock’s ever changing menu and commitment to farm to table cuisine, it is ridiculous. The best thing I have ever eaten in my life was at McCrady’s, a tuna tartare (I will review that some other time).

Read more:
Charleston City Paper
NY Times
All the James Beard award winners (PDF)