Faux Foodie Friday

Today is a fun day in Faux Foodie Fridays. Most of the time, I’m revisiting a restaurant I’ve already been to. My opinion may be altered slightly by an experience that exceeds or fails to meet my expectations, but the expectations are there nonetheless. I walk through the door considering past experiences and hoping for either a change or more of the same.

When I go to a brand new (to me) restaurant, however, I am unencumbered by expectation. It’s a clean slate, an empty plate, an expectation-free zone. This is a rare opportunity for me, because after working for over two years in downtown Greenville I have been to most of the lunch-serving restaurants.

Today, a few co-workers joined me for a walk to Lemongrass Thai Cuisine. Two of them were a bit nervous about trying a new type of food…particularly at a place with a slightly expensive lunch menu that I was unable to give a recommendation to. I think our meal was best summarized by one of these apprehensive individuals who afterwards said, “that was really good. And you know, when you take into account all of the free stuff they give you, it’s not a bad deal.”

Well said, co-worker. Well said. Because if I have one complaint about Lemongrass, it’s that the menu doesn’t clearly describe what you’re going to get. I ordered an entree assuming that it would come with rice. It did, but it would have helpful if the menu had a note: “all entrees served with steamed rice.” Similarly helpful notes could read, “all entrees receive complimentary spring roll” and “free watermelon for everyone!”

If the menu had documented these items, my co-workers would have entered the restaurant with less trepidation. Others, reading the menu at the door, might be more likely to step inside. Of course, the “gifts” of appetizer and dessert, when served as unexpected surprises, may serve to augment the dining experience. I know that we were impressed to see extra (and free!) plates headed our way.

It’s a silly, ridiculous thing to complain about, I know. Aside from that, the food was unanimously declared delicious. I ordered the “ginger special” with chicken. It had carrots, peppers, mushrooms, celery, and baby corn and was served with a side of steamed rice. Fabulous. One of my iPhone-toting co-workers snapped a picture for me: (Sidenote: It’s quite amusing to listen to a pair of graphic designers argue about the best angle and lighting for a quick cell phone picture for me to put on the blog. Ha!)

Ginger Chicken from Lemongrass

  Everyone else ordered some variety of fried rice (one with chicken, one with shrimp, and one “spicy”), and plans were already underway to make a second trip. I’d say the Lemongrass experiment was a success.

Faux Foodie Faux Friday*

*I know this isn’t Friday. I have a lot of catching up to do and a little extra time to compose a post today.

Mmmmmmmm…Barley’s. The mere word produces a Homer Simpson-like response in me. Barley’s is a “Taproom and Pizzeria” on Washington St. While I’m not a beer-drinker I am most certainly a pizza-eater, and Barley’s appeals to both the pizza-enjoying and money-saving areas of my personality.

You see, Barley’s has not just a lunch special, but the lunch special in downtown Greenville. $5.55 gets me a slice of pizza, a bowl of chilli, and a drink. It could also get you two slices of pizza, OR a slice of pizza and a salad, OR a salad and a bowl of chilli, OR any other combination you can think of. Pizza slices are plate-sized, so there’s no need to worry about leaving hungry. It’s awesome.

Of course, it’d be less awesome if the pizza was subpar, but I really enjoy it. The crust is ever-so-slightly crunchy, which I think it should be, and there’s an excellent ratio of crust to sauce. Where most pizza gets ruined for me is in overapplication of tomato sauce. Barley’s is just right.

There’s not much else to say. Pizza = good. Lunch special = good. Barley’s = good.

Faux Foodie Friday

Two of the guys I work with have been talking about this new restaurant for weeks. It’s their new favorite place, and they’ve already asked me to go with them several times. “It’ll be great!” they said. “You can review it on your blog!” they said…not because they actually read my blog (or at least, I don’t think they do) but because I have jabbered about reviewing  restaurants on at least one occasion.

And I resisted, because my plan was to cover the restaurants on the West end and then work my way up Main Street. There are a plethora of restaurants on the other side of the Reedy just waiting for me to patronize them — Saffron’s Sidewalk Cafe, Brick Street Cafe, Smoke on the Water, Red Clay Cafe, Mary’s, surely others that I can’t recall but end with the word “cafe”…what’s that? Disrupt my meaningless plan to eat lunch with actual people and have actual conversation? Hmph.

This week, I finally allowed “practicing my social skills” to win over my “read a book in the corner like a loner” tendencies. I went with the guys to the “Greek Place.”

The “Greek Place” turned out to be Kozani, an Italian/Greek restaurant that has “recently” (I mean that in a very “ish” sense…it’s been there for months and possibly at least a year) opened across the street from Sticky Fingers. I can’t remember what used to occupy this space before…the turnaround in downtown Greenville is sadly quick and I’ve given up keeping track of all the restaurants and shops that come and go. And very unfortunately, if my experience at Kozani is any indication, they may not be around for long.

There is also the possibility that the bad experience may be (mostly) my fault. Let’s examine the evidence…

First, I reasoned that “Italian” came first in the name because it was their specialty. Otherwise, my technical writer brain insisted, things would have proceeded in alphabetical order. This despite the fact that ”Kozani” was fairly obviously a Greek word. Eh. Thus assured, I ordered the Tortellini off the Italian side of the menu.

Almost immediately afterwards, I regretted this decision. Some delicious-looking pitas and hummus were delivered in individual bowls to the table next to ours and I became irrationally envious. There was a hummus entree? I want that! Why do I continually miss opportunities to enjoy pureed chickpeas? I wanted to steal their food…or take my order back. 

Forty-five minutes later, we were still waiting for my boiled pasta and the guys’ two sandwiches. There appeared to be only two servers, so I was valiantly attempting patience and understanding until a table of ladies who showed up 10 minutes after us were served their food (all cooked dishes, no salads) before us. Then I gave up and settled for perturbed. And wished for pita bread. And enjoyed my free coke (The good news — soft drinks and refills are included with the price of any entree. You know how I love free…). But mostly wished for pita bread in the most perturbed fashion imaginable.

Then, my food arrived. I was prepared to leave off feeling perturbed and prepare to enjoy some food (I do love food), when a bowl of poup (Like that? I totally Rachael Rayed my own food word…it’s like a combo of pasta and soup) splashed down in front of me. The menu said “spinach pasta rings, stuffed with cheese, covered in creamy basil sauce.” It is my fault that I read “tomato” cream sauce and was therefore expecting something orangey, cheesey, and tomato-y. It don’t think it’s my fault, however, that I was not expecting the tortellini to be drowning in a “sauce” with the consistency and taste of skim milk…with bits of dried basil mixed in. Nope. Not my fault at all.

I had my techno-savvy iphone-owning co-worker take a picture. Here it is:

?!

Am I being a brat, or does that look disappointing? Probably both. It’s no secret that I’ve been in a bad mood all week. There were probably only 15 tortellini hiding in the skim milk lake, leaving me still hungry once I had fished them all out, which certainly didn’t help matters.  To continue with my brattiness, I’ll add that the bread fell short of my expectations as well. It was saturated with butter and garlic and made me wish to time travel back to before I placed my order so I could order the hummus! For pity’s sake!

But I could not time travel. All I can do is whine about it, and tell you that if you’re to go there, maybe you should order off the Greek menu. And expect to wait awhile.

Faux Foodie Friday

I wanted to eat outside today. This may not seem like such a big deal, but I typically hate eating outside. I know, I’m lame. I blame this particular weirdness on growing up in a state named after its frequently windy days…eating outside meant inevitably getting more dirt, bugs, or hair in your mouth than actual food. Blech.

In South Carolina, wind is less common…although many times when I see people utilizing the outdoor seating at restaurants I think, “gah! Too hot! Need air conditioning!” What can I say? I am a wimp. An anti-picnic wimp. However, once a year the urge to enjoy a meal outside strikes…on a perfect, non-windy, sunny-but-not-too-warm day.

Today was that day, so I capitalized by going to the Overlook Grill. The beautiful day held up its end of the bargain and my book and I had a relaxing lunch. The Overlook Grill is fine for what it is…the typical sandwich/salad/wrap/burger fare. However, I do feel like you get charged a little extra for the privilege of dining so close to the Reedy River. Don’t get me wrong — the seating area is impressive and I think it’s fun to be in the middle of the action. It makes me feel like part of the Greenville scene. As the tourists pass by, I can almost hear an imaginary tour guide saying, “and here you’ll notice a local resident enjoying some lunch while taking in the splendor of the Reedy River Falls.” And the tourists say, “ooh, ahhh.”

Megan the Cheapskate would like to note, however, that my half wrap, fries, and drink totalled to just over the price for my beloved Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich or Lunch Express sampler plate from Larkin’s or High Cotton, respectively. That seems a bit unreasonable and makes the fantastic Larkin’s or High Cotton lunches even more appealing to me…if such a thing is possible. You mean I could’ve gone to Larkin’s and spent less money (you know, assuming I could avoid the cheesecake tempatation this time)? I could revel in the adorably small portions of the High Cotton sampler plate for pretty much the same price? And they have outdoor seating as well? Uh……..huh. Yes.

Faux Foodie Friday

It’s occurred to me that these Faux Foodie posts tend to be a bit…over the top in their praise. It’s my own fault, of course — I’ve consistently hit my favorite restaurants on the West End. What could I do but sing their praises? From a blogging standpoint, however, I’m worried that it gets a bit boring.

So. This week, in an attempt to spice things up, I made a second trip to a restaurant I vowed NEVER TO GO TO AGAIN. That sound you just heard was Running Buddy’s gasp of shock and dismay. Let’s see…how to explain this…I don’t know a lot about food. I really don’t. I know what I like and I’m willing to try most things, but I’m not really that adventurous or knowledgable.

With that said, I think there are places where “fancy” just means eating exquisite food. Where things are prepared differently than you expect and the results are surprisingly good. Places where, on occasion, if you can ignore the dollar signs you can really indulge. Then there are places where “fancy” just means “snooty.” Places where the chef can refuse to cook a beef dish past medium rare because that would “ruin it.” Scoff. When it comes to the food I’m paying for, I’m a lot less interested in a chef’s artistic integrity than I am in getting something I want. That doesn’t ooze. This may be an example of how uninformed I actually am, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for the beef to cook a little longer.

The real shame is that I want The Lazy Goat to be a place I enjoy. The location and decor of the restaurant are incredible. I mean, go look at the pictures. It’s a multi-level restaurant with a Mediterranean feel overlooking the Reedy River.  It would be a great place to go with a group of people. And so, in the spirit of second chances (and knowing that it would at least make for blogging variety if it failed) I returned there for lunch today.

And…it was ok. It was definitely better than the previous experience, but not good enough to put it in my “top picks” list. I took the safe route and ordered a dish without meat — the pasta of the day, which was spaghetti with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. It was light and tasty. I got it with a side of ciabatta because I like dipping bread in pasta, and there was enough tomato and olive oil runoff at the bottom of the bowl to satisfy my dipping tendencies.

One minor complaint I have is that it’s less than desirable to sit by the wall between the indoor and outdoor seating. I had my back to the door, and every time a server passed to and fro it the door slammed loudly and vibrated the rest of the wall. It probably wouldn’t be that noticeable for anyone NOT dining alone, but it caused the lone girl reading a book to jump out of her chair a couple of times!

I’m apparently sliding down the slippery slope of desserts, because when I was finished with the pasta I asked for the dessert menu. There, I saw another chance to overcome a negative first impression. The Lazy Goat has a gelato shop (it’s probably spelled “shoppe”) in its lower level that RB and I tried to go to once upon a time. We’re big fans of Luna Rosa further up Main St. and thought this would help us forgive TLG its past wrongs. We walked over on the one day there were people working on the wastewater pipe near the Reedy River. The stench was horrendous, but we suffered through it only to discover an “I’m sorry, we’re closed until 1:30″ sign on the door. It was after 2:00. It really wasn’t a big deal, but the initial negative impression plus the unexpected closure plus the terrible smell (which wasn’t even their fault) cemented the negative impression.

Today, I hoped to overcome that grudge for good. Because really, who harbors a grudge against a restaurant? It’s just silly. So I ordered some gelato and…it was ok. It really seemed more like “ice cream” than “gelato” to me, although I couldn’t really explain the difference to you in scientific terms. In my opinion,  however, if you’re looking for gelato in Greenville you should go to the Luna Rosa. It’s much creamier.

Well. I feel better now that that’s done. TLG and I aren’t exactly BFFs, but we’re no longer sworn enemies, either. I call that progress…or maybe I’ll just call it lunch.

* Random note…did everyone notice my new banner? I made it with my own two hands in Fireworks yesterday. I’m not exactly a graphic designer, but I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Faux Foodie Friday

I feel a little guilty about this…I really do. The plan with Faux Foodie Friday is that I bring my lunch to work 4 days a week and then reward myself with lunch out on Friday. Well, this week I threw good intentions, healthy eating, and budgets to the wind. My excuse? Well, there weren’t any groceries in the house. Suresuresure, I suppose I could have made a PB&J, but…well…I ran a marathon! I deserve to eat out. Four times this week…at three different sammich places…because I just don’t feel like making my own sammich. Oh, and that piece of key lime pie? I earned it. And happy hour at Arizona? That too!

Yes. Well. At some point, I know, I’ll need to get back to normal. (“Normal” people carry their finisher’s medals with them at all times, right? Just checking.) I have concluded, however, that today is not that day. I took the opportunity to spoil myself one last time (you know, because I earned it…have I said that enough?) by going to my favorite restaurant in downtown Greenville — Larkin’s on the River.

Mmmm…Larkin’s. This is one of those “fancy” restaurants that I would imagine relies on theatre-night traffic and special events. While most similar places are “dinner only” (ugh, one of my least favorite phrases!), Larkin’s has long served lunch. Delicious, affordable lunch. I’m so glad to see High Cotton on the “lunch” bandwagon, but Larkin’s will always hold a special place in my heart.

Although (Larkin’s Chef? Are you listening?) it is sad that Running Buddy’s favorite dish — beef tenderloin pasta — is still off the menu. It was so good! And the remaining pasta dish on the menu CANNOT fill its shoes. Let’s see…beef and mushrooms and linguini in a rich sauce. Yum. Or…spaghetti noodles, chicken, and vegetables floating in a sea of chicken broth. Is it soup? Is it pasta? Is there a way to eat it without being spectacularly messy? The world may never know.

With beef tenderloin pasta off the table and the day’s specials iinvolving fish (ew), I ordered my usual — the Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich. It’s served on a wheat bun with a side of fruit. Whoa. Maybe I’m not  throwing healthy eating to the wind, after all. I’m a big fan of this sandwich because of the fruit option (we’re talking blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and grapes…not the sad little pile of colorless melon some places give you) and the fact that the sandwich comes with a slice of pineapple on top. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been a fan of pineapple on grilled sandwiches…or maybe I’m just a fan of pineapple. Either way.

Larkin’s was as good as it always is. Although I’m pretty sure the waiter called me “darlin” at one point…and he was younger than me. I’m not really sure what to do about that. Even after living here for several years, I can’t get used to checkout clerks, salespeople, and the like calling me “sweety,” “darlin’,” or “sugar.” I always want to say, “you know we don’t know each other, right? And that I’m married?”

Anyway. In keeping with the whole “last reward from the marathon” theory and also to get rid of any lingering notion that I’m some kind of  healthy eater, when the sandwich and fruit had been dispensed with I asked to see the dessert menu. RB and I ordered dessert the first time we visited Larkin’s, discovering in the process that the desserts are at least as expensive as the lunch entrees. ¡Ay, caramba! They are, of course, terrifically good. I felt guilty about doubling my ticket with the inclusion of a slice of cheesecake…until the slice of white chocolate cheesecake with a gingersnap (I think) crust arrived, sitting on a puddle of some sort of vanilla bean liquid with a posse of raspberries, blueberries, and whipped cream alongside. Um…caloric or financial guilt? What? I can’t hear you…I’m in love.

Faux Foodie Friday

The latest trail post. With pictures. I know. I need to stop breaking promises. I know. But this whole “editing pictures and finding maps and reading information” thing is a lot more work than just churning out another post about incessant marathon training.

Sigh. One of these days…

On to happier things — FOOD! Despite the gloomy weather and assurances for a wet walk, I couldn’t postpone my trip to Pomegranate on Main any longer.  The hummus. It calls to me. Yum. Armed with my trusty umbrella and the aforementioned hankering for chickpeas, I made the hike…only to discover that I did not, in fact, need to bring the umbrella (better safe than sorry!) and to neglect to order hummus at all.

What’s that? After yammering on about hummus in several posts? Well, it occurred to me on my walk that I was going to be eating lunch alone. (Duh.) So I could order an appetizer and an entree, sure, but when you combine that with the “free” appetizer the restaurant already provides it makes for a lot of food for one person. Even if that person is training for a marathon. And we could say that I’d take extras home, but we all know that won’t happen. I’d either forget it in the office fridge or leave it in my car all weekend. No good.

I then considered having only hummus for lunch, which seemed somehow sad, or having the lunch special of a hummus wrap but I’ve never been able to embrace tortillas as a delivery system for anything but tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. I know. It’s weird.

So. In the convoluted way so typical of yours truly, I rationalized myself right out of my favorite part of that restaurant. However, if you ever visit Pomegranate yourself, hear me well:  GET. THE. HUMMUS. It and their flatbread are amazing. You will not regret it.

I, meanwhile, am enjoying the “free” appetizer (Sidenote: I love the free appetizer. It’s like a reward just for showing up! Whether it’s chips and salsa, bread, salad, bread and salad, or whathaveyou…I love it.) which, in Pomegranate’s case, is a basket full of warm, soft flatbread and a platter with feta cheese, unsalted butter,  and mint. According to the waitstaff, the typical way to eat this is to mix butter and feta, spread it over the bread, and add some mint leaves. That may sound odd, but the bite of the mint with the creaminess of the cheese is a decent combo. Although to be totally honest, I mostly go for the two things that really interest me — the bread and cheese — and ignore the rest.

My “usual” at Pomegranante is their chicken stew. It’s a fairly sweet stew in a pomegranate and walnut sauce, served with basmati rice. I like to combine the stew and rice. Mighty tasty. I noticed today that they’d added two vegetarian dishes to their menu, and while I’m not a vegetarian, I opted for the vegetarian kabob today in the spirit of completely changing things up. I then marveled about how, for the third week in a row, I’d managed to order tiny amounts of many things. This is apparently my “thing.”

The veggie kabob consists of red and green peppers, portobello mushrooms, yellow squash, pineapple, and onions and is served with the ubiquitous basmati rice. Once the offending onions were removed from the mix (blech), I had myself a nice little lunch. It’s very different from the type of thing I normally eat, which is definitely part of the appeal. The restaurant itself has a great atmosphere, and that certainly doesn’t hurt, either.

Faux Foodie Friday

I had planned on going to a really fantastic Persian restaurant today (hummus! flatbread! basmati rice! stew! excessive exclamation points!) because it’s, well, really fantastic, I haven’t been there in a long time, and since I started with High Cotton it seems like a good idea to hit all of the places on the West End first.

But then, Husband emailed and wanted to know if I wanted to go eat lunch with him on Friday. (Cue the “awwww…”) I thought about it…go on a semi-date with my husband, or eat by myself in the originally intended restaurant? As I didn’t have a book to read love him a whole lot, I chose Scott. There’s a restaurant I’ve been wanting to take him to, anyway, and it just happens to be on the West End. Far, far, far into the West End.

We went to Compadre’s, a growing “Mex Mex” restaurant by Fluor Field. (The first time I went there, it had about 10 tables. Now, they’ve expanded into the shop next door. As good as the food is, I wouldn’t be surprised if they take over the whole block eventually!) The main reason that I like Compadre’s is that their food is lighter and fresher than the typical sit-down Mexican restaurant. I don’t like the places where you order a combination plate and everything arrives in semi-liquid form. You know what I”m talking about? And how does rice get into a mostly-fluid state, anyway? Gross.  It’s also the home of the cheapest lunch special in downtown Greenville…good food for a low price is a tough combo to pass up. If it wasn’t farther than I’d really care to walk, I’d be tempted to go there several times a week.

The distance is not prohibitive, however, when you have a chauffeur, so off we went today. Scott went his usual route and I went mine…in his case, that means ordering a la carte in order to avoid choices between two side dishes he doesn’t like. In my case, that means looking for the best balance between “food variety” and “waste not, want not.” I ended up with one of the lunch specials — a chicken taco, chicken enchilada, and Mexican rice for $4.60. I am a cheap date. There was also, of course, the obligatory chips and salsa (me) or plain ol’ chips (Scott). And waters for both of us, because at this point in eternal marathon training water-drinking  is (1) free and (2) habit. (Sidenote: Although I must confess that I caved and fell back on my Mountain Dew addiction a bit this week. You see, the cat…the adorable, stupid cat who loves me unconditionally and doesn’t understand why I don’t mind when she meows for attention at 2:00 in the afternoon but mind decidedly when she shrieks continuously at 2:00 in the morning…she started up with the racket and I ended up getting no sleep. The next day was torment, and I caved. I’m not proud of it.)

It’s hard to gush about tacos and tortilla chips, but it was a mighty tasty lunch and I’ve never been disappointed by Compadre’s. It looks like they’ve opened another location at Cherrydale, too, so I’d say I’m not the only one who’s a fan.

Faux Foodie Friday

This is a shameless attempt to copy more popular blogs with a themed, weekly post. While I’m pretty impressed with myself for thinking of something that I should be able to write about week after week without fail, I can’t claim to be cool enough to have come up with this idea myself. Also, I did not invent the Internet.

Neither can I claim to be a “foodie.” I wouldn’t say that I have a particularly distinguished palate and you won’t find me swooning over unique pairings. I read and enjoy a couple of food blogs but am embarrassed by the number of times I’m sent running for a dictionary or Wikipedia to learn the meaning of some word or process.

I do, however, like love increasingly obsess over food. I’m also in the unique position of having walking-distance access to some of the best restaurants in Greenville. I thought I’d pair the two for weekly forays in the culinary world…for that little thing I like to call lunch.

I like lunch. Lunch is dinner’s frugal cousin. I love that I can go to great restaurants and get great food for half the price…no wait time or reserverations required. The number of “dinner only” restaurants in downtown Greenville seriously cuts into my enjoyment; however, it looks like some of them are seeing the let’s-cater-to-the-lunch-crowd light.

You see, High Cotton has started serving lunch. This fact was exciting enough — I’d heard many good things about High Cotton. It’s one of the great “date night” restaurants in Greenville. When the rave reviews were confirmed during Running Buddy and my “Wicked” outing, my desire to test out their lunch menu doubled. And when a quick look at the lunch menu online showed a four-course sampler for only $10, I grabbed my jacket and hiked towards the river.

They call it the “quick fix” — half a sandwich, a cup of soup, a side salad, and creme brulee. It’s a bit of a gamble — the sandwich and soup rotate according to what’s on “special.” It is $10, which seemed like an unbelievably good deal for this restaurant, and you get free cornbread. (I’m always in favor of restaurants that give away carbohydrates.) The waiter also told me that you can get crab soup for $1 more. I’m not a big seafood fan, but I know when the words “crab soup” get tossed around there are people who get pretty excited.

Today, the pimento cheese sandwich and mushroom bisque was on tap. I almost chickened out when I saw the word “pimento.” Running Buddy loves this sandwhich, but I’ve never been impressed with the fluorescent orange color and slimy-looking texture. After a mental kick in the pants, I decided that even if I didn’t like the sandwich I would still have plenty left to keep me company. I ordered it.

Less than 10 minutes later, the most adorable plate in the world was set in front of me. I had a cupcake-sized portion of creme brulee, a cup of soup, the pimento cheese triangle, and the remaining space on the plate was filled in with a tasty-looking salad. When we eat out, I usually order a full meal because I want the sides (Grilled veggies? Seasoned rice? Mac & Cheese? Yes, please!) and then end up eating half of everything. I’ve never seen something portioned so appropriately for me that wasn’t ordered from a menu that came with crayons. It was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. If I was a real blogger, I would have taken a picture. Alas. Looks like I’ll have to go back…

The salad was impressive. Arugula, the type of greens Scott calls “weeds” if he sees them in one of my salads, radish slices, carrots, grape tomatoes, and a vinaigrette. Mighty tasty, presumably healthy, and gone in minutes.

The soup was delicious. It wasn’t too heavy, but it was the most substantial thing on the gorgeous plate. I all but licked the bowl. Yum…mushrooms.

The pimento cheese sandwich…isn’t something I would ever try again. That’s not to say it was bad. With the quality of everything else, I’m sure that someone who likes the orangey spread would be impressed. It was served on texas toast with tomato slices and basil leaves. Most of it remained on the plate.

The creme brulee was just as good as it looked. I know it’s basically just pudding with caramelized sugar on top, but a lot of times I get more enjoyment out of something simple than I would out of something excessively rich. And oh, I did enjoy it. Fortunately, they gave me a tiny spoon to eat it with, the better to coax every last morself from the corners of the serving dish.

The verdict? It was an impressive showing for a very reasonable price. If you’re ever visiting Greenville, lunch at High Cotton, with its vantage point above the Reedy River, would be a great treat.