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Saturday we had planned to go to Spartanburg's Spring Fling, but when we got up the weather looked like it could rain at any moment. After hitting a few yard/church sales we decided to take a chance on Spartanburg.
One of our main reasons for going to Spartanburg was that I saw David Ezell was playing at 11:30. We used to see David a lot at the old Handlebar when it was located on Mills Avenue. That's back when The Handlebar was a true "listening room" instead of what it has become today (definitely NOT a "listening room"). We saw David open for a lot of acts back then and even do a show once on his own. We were always big fans and over the years just never have caught back up with him. He's still the great singer songwriter that we remember, plus he does lots of cool covers (Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Hank Williams Sr, Harland Howard, Dusty Springfield are some of the artists he covered when we saw him Saturday). Check David out if you ever get a chance, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
We also got to walk through the Redwood Log House as seen above. A fully furnished three room house handcarved inside a 1900 year old giant California redwood tree. This was pretty unique and was a surprise attraction on our visit. Click on the link above to read more about it.
Since the food at the Spring Fling was your typical street fair offerings, we were torn on where to eat because several of our favorite restaurants are in Spartanburg. We settled on Wade's Restaurant, the best meat and three I've ever eaten at (for those not from the South, meat and three = blue plate special) and I've eaten at a LOT of meat and three's. I've never had a bad meal at Wade's, plus the service except on a few rare occasions has been top notch.
After bringing your drinks, they bring you yeast rolls and/or cornbread. The cornbread is pretty standard, so we usually go for all hot yeast rolls. My goodness are they good.
I had the chicken fried steak with milk gravy, baked macaroni and cheese, and sweet potato casserole.
My wife had a vegetable plate: crowder peas, baked macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole and creamed corn.
Everything was just as good as it looks in the photos. I've never had anything that I didn't like at Wade's, so I would recommend just ordering whatever appeals to you off that day's menu. I will add that even though I rarely have room for dessert, I have tried several of Wade's and never found the desserts to be as good as the regular meal. That's why I usually go for the sweet potato casserole, since it's sweet enough to be a dessert. On top of the great food, it's really a bargain price in today's restaurant world. We paid just a shade over $14.00 including beverages, pre tip for the above meals. These type of meals usually cost us $17.00 to $19.00 anywhere else. You can also count on Wade's having a pretty decent crowd no matter what time of day you go and if you go during peak dining hours be prepared to wait in a short fast moving line.
A Couple of weeks back, my wife had read an article about Southern Barbecue, just off I-85 at the Highway 221 exit (Chesnee Highway). The article mentioned that they had trained in Lexington NC and that they cooked Lexington Style BBQ and put red slaw on the sandwich. All of these factors put it on our "must try" list.
Since the Gaston NC County Library was having a sale today, we decided to go to there and this would give us a chance to eat at Southern Barbecue on the way back. In case you ever decide to check out the Gaston Sale, here's a few hints: They only take cash (and no large bills) and you have to bring your own bags or boxes (they don't provide any). Probably one of the strangest sales we go to, but it's a short ride and we usually get to eat somewhere different.
The somewhere this time, of course, was Southern Barbecue. The restaurant lived up to the article. This was definitely Lexington Style BBQ. Smoked and served with red BBQ slaw (a mix of finely chopped slaw with sauce mixed into it).
I had a chopped pork sandwich (if it ain't pork, it ain't bbq) with a side of hush puppies. The sandwich was great and the hush puppies were good but could have been improved with the addition of onion.
My wife also had a chopped sandwich with a cup of Brunswick Stew. I normally don't like Brunswick Stew, but I probably ate half of her order, that's how good it was.
We had hoped to try their homemade banana pudding, but with the amount of meat on the sandwiches and the two sides, we were stuffed. With a couple of beverages our total order before tip was only $12.00. Great bargain in my opinion.
If I was awarding prizes, Henry's Smokehouse on Wade Hampton would win hands down. They, without a doubt in my mind, have the best smoked meat around. However, ranking my personal favorites, my list goes: Southern Barbecue, Henry's Smokehouse, and Bucky's BBQ on Roper Mountain Road. I would eat at ANY of these ANYTIME, but my preference would be in the order listed.
Going to New Orleans on a regular basis has gotten me used to places that look like dives, but serve great food. You can read about those restaurants on my other blog IF I LIVED HERE, I'D BE DEAD BY NOW.
But here in Upstate South Carolina, we have a restaurant that could hold its own in New Orleans. The looks of the restaurant are definitely deceiving. One side is a bar and you can eat on that side, but be warned smoking is allowed in the bar. The other side is small, it might hold 60 people, so count on some wait time, if you go during peak hours. And keep in mind that there isn't a list or anything to sign, everyone just mills right inside the door or outside the door until a table is available. Believe me, it's worth the wait.
I have eaten or been able to sample off dining companions' plates just about everything on the menu and I don't hesitate to state that you could just blindly point at the menu and be pleased with whatever your finger landed on.
The restaurant's most famous dish is probably ribs and killer shrimp. My recommendation is to get the ribs dry rubbed and the sauces on the side. The shrimp are wrapped in bacon and grilled and smothered in BBQ sauce. The photo above shows part of a 1/2 rack (some had already been shared) and cheese/bacon fries.
My wife had the Carolina Medallions. Steak medallions topped with a combination of shrimp, mushrooms, onions, and jack cheese and sauteed in white wine garlic butter. The plate also has the baked sweet potato with brown sugar butter.
On my last visit, I had the Charleston Grouper. You can get the grouper fried, grilled, or broiled. I had fried. It's topped with shrimp and served with a crab cake in a cajun cream sauce. I also had the very creamy cheese grits. You get a choice of two sides with each meal. Our other sides were house salads. They're huge with cheese, eggs, and bacon.
Two meals with beverages only run around 26.00 before tip. Not only is this some of the best food you will eat here in Upstate South Carolina, but also a steal of a deal.
If you ever find yourself in Walhalla SC, you owe it to yourself to check out The Steak House Cafeteria on Main Street.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the name is somewhat of a misnomer. The only steak you might find on the cafeteria line is country style steak. I have heard that they serve steak once a year on New Year's Eve, but I can't confirm that fact.
What you really want, especially if it is your first time at The Steak House Cafeteria, is the "Arabian Rooster" fried Chicken. This is what the cafeteria is famous for. The restaurant has been on Main Street since 1944, but the current owner, Abed Yassen, took ownership in 1973. Abed studied what made other people's chicken good and took a little from different recipes to come up with his own fried chicken.
Inside you will find your standard cafeteria line staffed by friendly people on the line and at the register. The photo below shows part of the restaurant from the exit door looking back toward the serving line. Don't worry, if the restaurant looks crowded, they have 3 rooms of tables.
On our last visit we both got almost the same things. I ordered chicken with baked macaroni and cheese pie and my wife got the chicken with black eye peas. I've never had any vegetable off the line that wasn't really good. These breasts look a little smaller than what they normally serve, but neither one of us could completely finish our chicken. And the tasty crust is equal to the juicy flavorful meat itself.
For dessert, I had the sugar free apple pie and my wife had the apple dumpling. The apple dumpling is her all time favorite, but they only serve it occasionally in the fall/winter months. If you're lucky it might be on the menu when you go. However, besides these two desserts, I find most of the other desserts just ok and usually put most of my eating effort into the chicken and the vegetables.
The Steak House Cafeteria is a little more pricey than most cafeterias. The above meals with a couple of beverages ran us around $18.00, but everything is such high quality and done right that I never feel that I overspent for what I got.
Please check out The Steak House Cafeteria next time you find yourself around the Wahalla, Seneca, Clemson area of South Carolina. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
We also got to walk through the Redwood Log House as seen above. A fully furnished three room house handcarved inside a 1900 year old giant California redwood tree. This was pretty unique and was a surprise attraction on our visit. Click on the link above to read more about it.
