THE SKILLET

The Skillet, 435 E. Main St #1, Spartanburg, SC 29302

I've eaten at The Skillet several times and it's on my regular list of places to eat whrn I'm in Spartanburg. I think the first time we went, I ordered a waffle and sausage. My wife ordered Blueberry Pancakes with bacon, which is what I always order now. 

How good are these? Well, I don't even like blueberry pancakes, or at least I didn't think I did until I ordered them at The Skillet. As an added touch, the pancakes are served with warm syrup. I'm also not that big on ordering bacon in restaurants because most places cannot cook it  crispy, but The Skillet knows how to cook bacon that's crispy and tasty.

The above photo shows you the concentration of blueberries in the pancakes. No skimping at The Skillet. 

The Skillet is fairly small with just a few tables and counter seating. They're only open 6am to 2pm Monday through Saturday and 8am to 2pm on Sunday. Everything I've seen them serve looked good and if I lived in Spartanburg, I would try other things, as it is, I'll just keep ordering blueberry pancakes and bacon and be mighty happy.

GREER BBQ

Greer BBQ, 602 N Main St, Greer, SC 29601

17 years same location - Just off Hwy 29/Wade Hampton Blvd. Open from 7am - 3 pm serving breakfast and lunch. Although they list Saturday hours, I've found sometimes they are open on Saturday and sometimes not, so you might call ahead if you're going on Saturday. As with any good BBQ place, they're closed on Sunday.

Inside Greer BBQ - I've only been inside a couple of times, since we usually get sandwiches to bring home.

Non Working Drive-Thru at Greer BBQ - If you decide to use the drive-thru, then just drive around to the pick-up window and place your order. 

Above is the Chopped BBQ Sandwich from Greer BBQ, they put enouch meat on the sandwich that half of it will fall off while your'e eating it. This is a regular size, they also have a larger size. We get ours with slaw and mild sauce (which is vinegar based). This is some good BBQ (one of my top 5) and the people who run the place are super nice. 

The CHEESEBURGER HOUSE

The Cheeseburger House, 1622 Augusta Rd.
Greenville, SC

I've eaten at The Cheeseburger House three times and all three times have been great. They season their meat and even though the patty is fairly thin, it is still mighty tasty. I tried a double patty on one trip and it was almost too much for me. We've also had onion rings, fried pickles, cheese fries, and a milkshake. Everything was A-1. I should mention two things:  The Cheeseburger House is bigger on the inside than it looks from the road and the pimento cheese is spicy (since that's not noted on the menu). Is it as good as Ike's in Spartanburg? I don't think it's quite that good, but The Cheeseburger House is my number one go to spot in Greenville for a cheeseburger. Photos and menu below:

IKE'S KORNER GRILL

Ike's Korner Grill, 104 Archer Rd, Spartanburg, SC

We've eaten at Ike's Korner Grill many years back and have meant to go again, but with all the other restaurants we go to in Spartanburg, just hadn't got around to another visit.  This Saturday, we finally made it back.

Above is the classic cheeseburger with just mayo, lettuce and tomato. When people talk about a good burger, this is what most have in mind. 

Above is the Terrier burger (great homemade pimento cheese on a burger). This was another great burger, although I liked the classic cheeseburger a little better. 

The only thing we didn't really like were the fresh cut fries. We remembered them as being greasy under-cooked fries from our previous visit, but decided to give them another try. That was a mistake since they were exactly as we remembered them. However, there was one homemade potato chip in our basket and it was really good, so that might be the way to go. 

Ike's is a true dive, so if that puts you off, you might want to go somewhere else. Please Note: Ike's seems to have no problem closing whenever they decide with no warning. They just tack a sign on their door. My first visit they closed an hour early and on my second visit, they were closing 6 hours early (at 3:00 instead of 9:00) and when I arrived at 2:30 they said "sorry we're closed". Taking all of this into account, I will be reluctant to go again. They've got an excellent hamburger, I'm just not sure it's worth the hassle of trying to figure out when they're open.

Follow up: Decided to try Ike's again, just went with alternate plan, in case they were doing some weird hours again. Cheeseburger was great, homemade potato chips served with ranch dressing for dipping were also very good.  

UNCLE BERTO's BURRITOS

Uncle Berto's Burritos, 100 Batesville Rd,
Simpsonville, SC

Uncle Berto's is tucked into a side of a strip mall and on first glance appears to be a chain, but is actually a local restaurant run by very friendly folks. We visited two times and have pleased with everything we ordered with one exception.

On our first visit we both had quesadillas, my wife had chicken and I had chorizo. Both were very tasty. You are also served complimentary chips with bean dip, plus there's a salsa bar.

On our second trip, I had a California burrito with chorizo and my wife ordered a tostada with beef and a taco with pastor (seasoned pork). Although I preferred my previous order of chorizo quesadilla, everything this trip was also very good with one exception: the taco was soggy.  Overall, I can recommend Uncle Berto's for anyone looking for something other than your usual order by the number Mexican restaurant. As a side note, on both our visits a lot of Hispanics were eating here, so I guess that says something for the authenticity of Uncle Bertos'

B&B BAR-B-Q

B&B Bar-B-Q, 3020 Walhalla Highway, Six Mile, SC

UPDATE: B&B BAR-B-QUE is CLOSED

B&B Bar-B-Q is located 6 miles past the Pickens Flea Market going toward Walhalla. We've passed by the place many times and talked about the parking lot always being full. Figuring it must be good, we finally stopped and ate there last Wednesday. With all the cars in the dirt parking area, it looked like it would be really crowded inside, but it turned out, just like the TARDIS, to be bigger on the inside. 

They not only have BBQ, but also hamburgers, hot dogs and other diner type sandwiches. We both got BBQ plates, although I will have to say the neighboring table's cheeseburgers looked mighty good. You get two sides with your plates and we chose baked beans, potato salad, slaw, and Brunswick stew (only available on Wednesday and sometimes on Thursday, if they didn't sell it all on Wednesday). You choose your sauce and they sauce the BBQ in the kitchen. I'm not too fond of this method, since I want to taste the meat, not the sauce, but decided to go with the flow and we both chose the tangy mustard. Turned out the sandwich was pretty good served that way and the meat would definitely need sauce, since without any sauce, it didn't seem to have much smoke taste. The sides were all excellent, with in my opinion, the Brunswick stew being the standout. 

I inquired about whether the chocolate cake on the counter was homemade and it turned out one of the two waitresses had made it. I think everyone working there was somehow related. The cake was a great finish to the meal. 

Would I go to B&B Bar-B-Q again? Yes definitely, but I think I would just order the Brunswick stew and maybe some sides, since the BBQ itself was the least interesting item I ate there. Even if you don't want to eat, you can always play some Ms. Pac-Man on the well worn machine they have.

The FARMER'S TABLE

The Farmer's Table, 401 E. Kennedy St,
Spartanburg, SC 

The Farmer's Table is located in an office park, which in years past was an actual farmer's market. This is one of the strangest places I have ever found a restaurant, but boy, was it worth finding.  Over the past few weeks, we had already made our rounds of our favorite Spartanburg restaurants (Holmes Hot Dogs, Bubba's BBQ & Bash, and Wade's Restaurant), so we decided to seek out some place we hadn't eaten before in Sparkle City and ran across The Farmer's Table while doing some Google research. 

Above are views from our table looking outside and from our table toward the front of the restaurant. Before I get to the food, let me say a word about our waiter, Jason. Either we got lucky or all the waitstaff here is really good, something that will have to be decided on future visits. Regardless, Jason was top notch, knowing how to be personable, unobtrusive, and attentive all at the same time.  Now on to our meal.

My wife chose the Smooth Cajun – Boars Head Salsalito turkey, Split Creek Farms goat cheese, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, sriracha mayo & fried onion strings on Great Harvest Bread Company popeye loaf with a side of house made broccoli salad (a side equal in taste to the sandwich). Both items were so good and so tasty that I almost wish this is what I had ordered, until I tried my own meal.

I ordered Shrimp & Grits – house made chicken Andouille sausage, peppers, red onions, tomatoes, Farmer’s Table Signature spice blend & shrimp served over Charleston style cheese grits with a side of house made red skin potato salad. I rarely order shrimp and grits finding it to be sort of a blah dish, but seeing the ingredients in this version, I thought I would give it a try, and it turned out to be anything but blah. A perfect blending of flavors with the potato salad a perfect accompaniment, adding a cooling element to the spiciness of the Andouille.

The Farmer's Table has an extensive menu of lunch and breakfast items. I can only assume everything will be great, since our first two random selections were so good. We'll definitely be going back and adding The Farmer's Table to our rotation of Spartanburg restaurants. 

Updated visit on 4/23/2015. My wife once again ordered the Smooth Cajun with a side of broccoli salad, I tried the HBLT - Boars Head maple ham, 3 strips of apple wood smoked bacon, romaine lettuce, 2 fried green tomatoes and house made shallot aioli on grilled wheat bread. Another good sandwich, although not as good as my wife's Smooth Cajun or as good as the shrimp and grits I had last time; however, I'm already planning what to get on my next visit in a couple of weeks, that's how much I like The Farmer's Table. 

VELO FELLOW

The Velo Fellow, 1 Augusta St, Greenville, SC 

While I will have a couple of negative things to say about Velo Fellow in this review, I'm saying up top that I had a fun time going there and would definitely go back.

We arrived a a little after 2pm on a weekday, so the lunch crowd (I'm assuming there was a lunch crowd) had already cleared out and went back to work. Being mostly retired, we usually eat lunch later than most folks. The hipster (handlebar mustache was the dead giveaway) bartender asked us about beverages and when I asked him what type of ales they had on draft, he sorta sneered and said "lots". When he listed them there was a pale ale and I ordered that one (I must remember to include the word "pale" next time to avoid being looked down as some type of beer commoner...LOL). My wife, on the advice of the bartender, ordered the above Hefe Weissbier, which she liked so much, she's carrying a photo of it around on her phone. 

For our meal, we both ordered the fish and chips, which is supposedly their most famous menu item. For my taste, the fish was way over battered and over fried (might be authentic, but not for my taste); however, my wife thought it was great. The chips (sliced lightly fried potatoes), I really liked, although the wife said she would like them fried a little more.  She would order the dish again, I would order something different. A little pricey for lunch (42.00 pre tip, of course half of that was 4 beers).  My final verdict, I am looking forward to another visit to the Velo Fellow, and will write the word "pale" on my hand, so I will be able to remember to include it when ordering a beer, I just don't think I could stand being looked down on by a hipster twice in my life...LOL!

The CLOCK on CONGAREE

A year or so ago, the Wade Hampton Clock Restaurant was on the verge of closing due to a raise in rent. A panic went up among all their long term customers and the landlord made a deal with the owners instead of becoming one of the most hated men in Greenville. We went more frequently, since we realized how an institution we grew up with could become "Ain't Dere No Mo". During this renewal the older co- owner, George, decided to retire and he sold out to the younger co-owner, John. Unfortunately, this gradually caused a slip in the quality of the food - dry chili on the hot dogs, hard onion rings, under cooked french fries, and reports of super thin hamburgers. Regretfully, we just stopped going, even though John is a nice guy, the food was no longer up to what it used to be. 

Well, the grease is back, because George came out of retirement and opened another Clock on Congaree (just behind Haywood Mall). Finally, all the old favorites: hot dogs, chili cheeseburgers, 1/2 and 1/2 (onion rings and fries) are being served once again with the taste we remember.  How good was it.....well,as soon as I walked out the door, I was thinking about how soon I would be back! I guess the only drawback is the sweet tea is just barely sweet, but then that's the way The Clock has always served it. 

Just like the old Saturday Night Live skit...this Clock....like the Chicago restaurant spoofed in that skit, has "NO COKE, PEPSI!" 

MAD CUBAN CAFE

Mad Cuban Cafe
699 Fairview Rd # C, Simpsonville, SC 29680

Mad Cuban Cafe is tucked away in a strip mall just off Fairview Rd in Simpsonville.  We saw their roadside sign on our way back from Southern Catch. Since I'm always looking for a good empanada, we thought we would give them a try. 

We ordered two empanadas (a Cuban stuffed with ham, pork, Swiss cheese and a Carne), plus we split a Croquetta Preparada Cuban sandwich which had pork, ham, Swiss cheese, smashed croquettes (breaded deep fried minced ham balls), mustard and pickles. My wife really liked the Cuban empanada, and I really liked the Carne (ground beef), both were excellent. The sandwich, on the other hand, even with all those ingredients was pretty bland, if it hadn't been for the mustard and pickles, it would have been fairly tasteless. We also split an excellent tres leches for dessert. The staff were friendly, greeting everyone on arrival and thanking everyone on departure, which is always nice to see a restaurant appreciate their patrons. Would we return? Well, if we were already in Simpsonville and wanted empanadas (and some of that great tres leches), the answer would be be yes, but I wouldn't make a special trip to eat there.

FLAT ROCK WOOD ROOM

Flat Rock Wood Room
1501 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville, NC 28792

Flat Rock Wood Room is one of those places that we've driven by, but never gave much thought about visiting. A couple of weeks ago, on our way back from Asheville, we noticed how crowded the parking lot was for a late Sunday afternoon and decided it might be worth a try.....and was it ever.

My wife ordered an Under The Tuscan Sun Pizza (Fior di latte mozzarella, basil, fire roasted garlic and sliced tomatoes) and since my order was taking a little longer to arrive I was able to sample several slices. After the first bites, we both agreed that this was one of the best pizzas we've had and would definitely be coming back soon for another. Below is a photo of the pizza oven and without his hat,  we really thought the pizza chef looked like Rupert from the Hello Deli on the David Letterman show.

Even though I was happy noshing on my wife's pizza, they brought me a piece of cornbread, since my sandwich hadn't arrived. It comes with a smear of honey pecan butter. It was so good, almost half of it was gone before I realize I should take a photo.

I ordered the Barn Yard sandwich (Sliced beef brisket, maple pepper smoked bacon, fried egg, provolone cheese, cajun ranch, served on a bialy bread). This is in my top three sandwiches of all time. The other two being the Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade at Crabby Jack's in New Orleans and the Steak Sub at Zorba's here in Greenville, SC. 

The service was casual and the prices were a couple of dollars higher than might be expected for a pizza and a sandwich, but even with four beers, our total was only $40.00 before tip, and I felt it was worth every penny. Thankfully, it's only about a 45 minute drive from our house to Flat Rock and we'll be able to enjoy more great food with only a short ride, which we'll be doing very soon. 

SOUTHERN CATCH

Southern Catch, 1122, Fairview Rd, Simpsonville, SC

I can't remember where I first heard about Southern Catch, but wherever it was I want to thank them because this is one more fine seafood restaurant.

We happened to go while they were celebrating their one year anniversary, and they gave us a free order of fried pickles, an item we often order elsewhere, and we both agree these are the best we've ever had.

I ordered the catfish basket (3 catfish fillets, fries, hush puppies, coleslaw). These rank with some of the best catfish I've ever had, and maybe even rank as the best, might be because they were breaded with corn meal. We also requested our fries be made extra crispy and they arrived as ordered.

My wife ordered the small shrimp basket (6 shrimp, coleslaw, fries, hush puppies). I traded one catfish fillet for 2 shrimp and was blown away at how good the shrimp were. My wife concurred. She stopped eating shrimp for a few years because no place seemed able to cook them right. Her only regret today is that she traded away two of hers!

Not realizing that the baskets came with hush puppies, we ordered a side of hush puppies. These are some great tasting sweet hush puppies, which appeared to have pieces of pimento in them. Sadly, we had so much other food, we really couldn't make a dent in the extra hush puppies. We also were given a couple of pieces of cake in celebration of their anniversary. 

The restaurant is small (I counted 24 seats inside and there's a couple of picnic tables outside). Southern Catch is a pretty good drive from Taylors...but well worth that drive and We'll definitely be going back.