KOUNTRY KUPBOARD - Walhalla, SC

Since we're in Walhalla several times a year, we usually eat at The Steak House Cafeteria, but on our last two visits we were a little disappointed with our meals. Their chicken was still great, but all of the sides tasted as though they weren't being prepared the way they were in the past. This led us to try a different place in Walhalla - Kountry Kupboard (located on the left hand side of the road, just as you're leaving the main part of town going toward Seneca). While it's not much to look at on the outside and it's fairly small on the inside, this will be our new "go-to" place in Walhalla. The chicken had a great crust, second in taste only to O.J.'s Diner in Greenville, SC. The above plate is my wife's, mine was the same, except I substituted mixed beans (which was really a mixed bean soup) for the green beans. Everything on our plates was delicious. We got a couple of desserts - banana split pie and coconut pie to bring home and they were equal in tastiness to the food we had in the restaurant. On a final note, adding to our dining experience was the fact that the staff were extremely nice.

BACON BROS. PUBLIC HOUSE

Bacon Bros Public House is located on Pelham Road in Greenville, SC in a strip mall next to Earth Fare. While the menu looked interesting, sometimes that can be misleading. In this case, the food was just as good as it sounded on the menu.

We had a couple of appetizers - Cornmeal fried pickles with smoked onion dipping sauce and a bowl of smoked turkey gumbo with tasso ham, okra, chocolate roux, and gold rice. As you can see from the photo this was a very large order of fried pickles. The cornmeal helped soothe the bitterness of the pickles. I found this a plus, my wife found this a minus. Regardless, they were very good and I would order them again. The smoked turkey gumbo was delicious and my wife, who doesn't really like gumbo, said this was the best she ever tasted and would consider ordering it again.

For our meal we split a corned beef Reuben on rye with a side of beer battered onion rings (which came with sorghum ketchup.). The corn beef was tasty and very tender. The sandwich could have used a bit more sauerkraut for our taste, but overall was a pretty good reuben. The onion rings were made with such sweet onions that they had little taste, unless dipped into the sorghum ketchup, which managed to be both sweet and spicy at the same time. 

I had two pedestrian draft PBR's (reminded me of years back drinking draft at Peaches in Myrtle Beach) and my wife had two Allagash Curieux (triple ale aged in Jim Beam bourbon barrels).

This was a great meal, even if some things weren't quite to our personal tastes. Everything that came to the table lived up to the menu description and the service was always right on time. They even split our Reuben/onion ring order without being asked. This is one place we'll definitely be visiting again.

BUBBA'S BBQ & BASH

 

Did you ever eat somewhere and think to yourself "It couldn't be that good" and have to go back the following week to confirm that it was actually that good. Well, that's what happened to us when we tried Bubba's BBQ & Bash in Spartanburg, SC. I was a little leery of the place, since it was in a brand new building, and usually, it seems, the good bbq joints are in some building that has been re-purposed for a restaurant.
 

The first week we both had bbq sandwiches with their bbq slaw (you have to ask that the slaw be added to the sandwich). This slaw isn't exactly "red slaw" but it's not regular slaw either, falling somewhere between the two. For sides the first week we had hush puppies and macaroni pie. The pulled pork was so good on the sandwiches that they didn't need a bit of sauce. Any type of sauce covered up the great smoke taste in the meat. The hush puppies had onion and pieces of corn and were just right. The macaroni pie was better than O.J.'s Diner and better than Wade's Restaurant and that says a lot about how good it was.

We returned the following week to see if it was as great as we thought it was the first time. This time we got two sides with each meal. My wife had bbq slaw and potato salad and I had hush puppies and onion rings. The potato salad was fine, but it was the mustard based type and both of us prefer a mayonnaise based potato salad. The onion rings were of the very thin variety and cooked to a crispy goodness. Was the pulled pork as good as we thought...YES! Bubba's BBQ & Bash is now my #1 top pick for bbq in upstate SC. The only drawback, it's a 30 minute drive, but I know I'll be hitting Highway 29 and making that trip again SOON!

HENRY'S SMOKEHOUSE

Henry's Smokehouse, 240 Wade Hampton Blvd, Greenville, SC

For my money, Henry's has the best smoked pork in Greenville. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't agree, so we seldom eat there. After trying Pig-Out in Lyman, SC and finding it to be just ok, I wanted some bbq with some taste in the meat, so I headed to Henry's.

We both had a pulled pork bbq sandwich with slaw.

We split an order of fresh cut fries.

The meat was just as I remembered it, moist with a good smoke taste and the fries are always great. My wife's opinion, she's still not impressed...oh well.

PIG OUT B-B-Q

Pig Out B-B-Q, 3001 New Cut Road, Inman, SC

I had heard about Pig Out, located in a converted service station, so a couple of weeks ago we made the trip from Taylors to see what the talk was all about. 

 

The restaurant was clean and the staff were fast with our order, even if they weren't the friendliest group of people.

My Wife had a pork BBQ sandwich slaw plate with beans and red bbq slaw.

 I had a similar plate but I had regular slaw as one of my sides. 

The beans were great, some of the best I've had at a BBQ restaurant (Be warned, they are on the spicy side.) The regular slaw was good slaw, but nothing special, but the red bbq slaw, that you could get on the sandwich or as a side was a definite plus. Once again be warned, the red slaw is a little spicy.

I was really expecting something great from the BBQ, but found it was no better than Bucky's here in Greenville and I'm not a real big fan of Bucky's. Both Pig Out and Bucky's BBQ pork has very little smoke taste. You have to use a sauce at both places, since the meat can't stand on its own. Luckily, the mustard sauce at Pig Out saved the sandwich. 

My opinion is, if you're in the area, it's ok BBQ, I've had worse, but it's definitely not worth the drive from anywhere over five miles away.

MAC'S SPEED SHOP

We visited Mac's Speed Shop 930 S Main St, Greenville, SC 29601 on a Thursday afternoon in September. Located near the Greenville Drive Stadium, parking is no trouble after 1 pm, as can be seen from our parking space which was just a few feet from the door.

Mac's has a huge beer selection, although our waitress told us she was only familiar with brands like Bud Light, however she offered to bring us a sample of anything we thought we would like to try. I had a draft Oskar Blues Dales for 4.50 and my wife ordered a Yuengling, which came in a very large can for 3.00 (quite a bargain for downtown Greenville).

We ordered three appetizers. First was a cup of chili with cheese, onion, and sour cream and more tortilla chips than you would ever want (4.00). The chili was ok, but a little on the thin side. I wouldn't order it again.

Next were the fried pickles with ranch dressing (4.00). These had just the right amount of spice and were fried perfectly. We would definitely order these again. 

For out final pick we tried the 3 sliders plate (7.00): One pork bbq, one pimento cheese, and one brisket. The pimento cheese was ok, but nothing out of the ordinary. The bbq pork was pretty good, but the real star of this plate was the brisket. When I think bbq, I think pork, so I've never tried brisket, but these were so good, I wish all three had been brisket sliders.

Mac's is a small chain (4 in NC and this one in Greenville) and while I normally avoid chain restaurants, Mac's was A-OK in my book and is a place I plan to eat at again.

I WENT TO FALL DOWN DRUNK FOR GREENVILLE and DIDN'T EAT A CRABCAKE

Some years we go to Fall Down Drunk for Greenville and some years not (last time I went was 2010). This year we were on our way somewhere else and decided we would go IF we got a free parking space and IF it wasn't too far from Main Street. Since both those requirements were filled with a parking spot on Camperdown, this year we made it to Fall For Greenville (although I still prefer the Cafe and Then Some's title of Fall Down Drunk for Greenville).  What we ate and comments below:

Above is Nicole’s 'Not Your Mama’s' Banana Puddin' from Fitzpatrick's Food and Spirits and it was mighty good. It lived up to its name, being nothing like a normal banana pudding; however, I don't know what it consisted of except for the two banana slices on top, but I would definitely eat this again.

Above is Smoked Salmon & Potato Croquettes from Passerelle Bistro. I really couldn't taste any salmon, it tasted mostly like potato, but they added some capers which help save the dish. So this one is ok, but I wouldn't want another.

 

Above is Smoked Bacon Mac & Cheese from Soby's. This was pretty good, but nothing great, which is how I have always found most of Soby's food - pretty good, but not great.

 

Above is Salted Caramel Chocolate Mini Cupcake from The Chocolate Moose. This was really good and made me wish for a full size one. I need to go back downtown sometime and get a full sized one. 

Above is Pimento Cheeseburger Sliders from City Range. These were really good, both the meat and the pimento cheese were very tasty. An equal to Como Pete's pimento cheeseburger and that says a lot. Wouldn't mind having these again.

Above is Key Lime Bon Bon also from City Range, which was key lime ice cream covered with good quality chocolate. This was another item that I would eat again. 

Above is Brunswick Stew w/ Smoked Pork & Corn Bread from Two Chefs, our last dish of the day and the most disappointing. While it sounded good, it was obviously made under the assumption that adding a lot of hot sauce to a dish would make up for its shortcomings. Except for a few bites, we threw most of this in the trash.

MOJO'S FAMOUS BURGERS and MORE

IF Mojo's is trying to create a chain, they have certainly succeeded. Although they only have three locations - one in Simpsonville, one on Woodruff Road and the one that I ate at near Cherrydale - I have never eaten in a local restaurant that made me feel like I was eating in a conceptual chain.

They serve complimentary peanuts (WHAT A CONCEPT) that come in a big bucket, with another bucket for your shells....these two buckets take up 1/2 of the table. Furthering the chain concept is what sounds like "Best Hits From Happy Days"...OR maybe that should be "Worst Hits From Happy Days"....since it's every 50s song that has been run into the ground by being overplayed. And Hell Yeah!!! Play that music loud, so we can all think we're having a good time. And last but not least, throw in a lackadaisical server to top everything off.

On to the food.....I knew I would NEVER order another hamburger from Mojo's when I picked it up and found the bun C-O-L-D....they've lost me before I've even taken a bite. The restaurant counts on the meat warming the bun, which it did on my dining companion's bun (who by the way liked the burgers), however my bun never warmed up properly. The meat was a pretty good quality, but on the dry side...which I must also note was the same with the chili on my burger...dry as a bone.

After having said all the above, I guess you think I would never go back to Mojo's, but they did have something that saved the whole meal....fried dill pickles....fried with just a light batter like they should be and their fries, while cut into too small pieces for my liking were also tasty. I'd return in a heartbeat to eat the pickles...but PLEASE don't make me order another hamburger.

COMO'S PETE'S No.4

In a search for fried pickles, Peggy ran across Como's Pete's No. 4 on Augusta Rd. It has been years since we've eaten there, but today we made the trek across town and it was more than well worth it.

Above is the much sought after pickle fries, this is a small order and was $3.15. They were cooked to perfection and mighty tasty. Too bad you can't order a beer at Pete's since that is the ideal compliment to these, but I'll have to say Pete's had a very good sweet tea ($1.99). How good....well I normally don't drink tea anymore, but I must have had three glasses today. 

I had the Pimento Burger (4 oz patty with homemade pimento cheese) ($4.25), it comes with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. I opted to leave off the lettuce and tomato, since I already had my vegetable serving with the pickles! 

Peggy had the Pimento Chili Cheese Burger (4 oz patty with homemade pimento cheese, served with mustard and onions) ($4.70). I sampled it and found it just as good as mine and Peggy really enjoyed it. These were some great burgers and fried pickles and we will definitely be going back.

EL MATADOR

Sometimes it's good to visit an old friend, which we did tonight when we went to El Matador. We used to go to this restaurant a lot, but over the years, it became "We should go there again sometime". So, we finally just set a date and went.  In case you don't know, El Matador (to the best of my knowledge) was the first Mexican Restaurant in Greenville back in 1968 and the quality of the food has never wavered. The meal we had tonight was right on target with all the meals we've eaten there through the years.

You're served complimentary salsa and chips to begin and we always just go for the mild which is spicy enough. It has a great fresh taste and I assume it's made in house.

We also had a small cheese dip, I don't think I've ever been to El Matador and not had cheese dip.

Peggy had a super tostada with beef and a chile relleno.  The chile relleno is like no other I've ever had. It's a chile stuffed with beef and cheddar cheese and wrapped into a ball and battered and deep fried. The flavor reminds me of real buttered popcorn (you know before they came out with that goop they use on popcorn now).

I tried something new (for me), a pollo fundido (seasoned chicken with three cheeses, deep fried, then baked with more cheese). Ok, that's a lot of cheese but it works. Our tab (with two beverages) was 28.00 pre-tip. We had our favorite server Rusty (I don't know how long he's been at El Matador, but I swear he doesn't age). Rusty is one of the top servers you will have anywhere. So the lesson here is, don't forget your old favorites. They were your favorites for a reason and are just waiting for your return.

BUCKY'S BAR-B-Q

 

It had been a while since I ate at Bucky's Bar-B-Q at 1700 Roper Mountain Road in Greenville SC, but I have had a "hankering" for one of their sandwiches for several weeks. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I remembered it.

 

You order at the counter and serve yourself drinks ( only tea or pink lemonade at this time, but Coke products will be served starting in February).  I had a sandwich plate with sides of baked beans and sweet potato crunch and, of course, slaw on my sandwich. My dining companion had just a sandwich with slaw and we shared my side items. With two beverages, the cost was just a little bit over $12.00. The price was good, but they have definitely cut back on how much meat they put on the sandwich.

While the sides were good, the BBQ itself was just okay - just not much smoke taste, which I'm looking for in BBQ, and really just not much taste at all. The meat was moist and both their sauces were good - a mustard based one and a tomato based one. If I graded this meal on a scale of yuk, not terrible, okay, pretty good, and Wow, Bucky's would fall smack dab on okay. There's nothing wrong with being okay, I'm just looking for something a little more tasty.

TANNER'S BIG ORANGE

Tanner's Big Orange 

322 South Pleasantburg Drive  Greenville, SC 29607

Tanner's has been around Greenville since 1943 and you can see some old photos by clicking HERE.  One of my Aunts worked there when they were located on Main Street.

We had a couple of chili cheeseburgers, an order of onion rings, and we both had a pineapple drink.

We found the burgers to be okay, but nothing more. The onion rings looked like your standard frozen rings, but turned out to be much better and were quite tasty, and of course the pineapple drinks were good. Price was just a little bit over $13.00 which was very reasonable. While the meal was pretty good and the price was fair, I can't really see us going back anytime soon...unless it's through the drive-through for a pineapple drink. Below are some more photos of the inside of the restaurant.