Riverfront Revival

As a Realtor, it pains me to see empty buildings around town.  One in particular has been the former New Orleans restaurant.  This building occupies one of the most prime locations and views of the city than anywhere else in town.  Sadly, since January 2010 the building has sat empty and lonely. Until now.

Stone River has recently (like 3 weeks or so) opened.  They are touting themselves as Columbia's premiere wedding and event hall. Extensive renovations/changes have been made to include new stacked stone accents inside and out, new big beam timbers framing the entrance and what appears to be an outdoor covered space, walls have come down to open up the building and the decor is sharp & modern (lots of wood, black & white.) And, they also serve lunch. 

I headed over there today with my mom and dad to try out the lunch menu and to check the place out.  I really like the upfitting that's been done to the building. It's very attractive.  While at first glance, the new openness may seem too open, when you consider what they've designed the place to be (events) it really makes sense. The dining areas have all been pushed out toward the windows, overlooking the Saluda river and downtown Columbia.  And of course, there is dining on the porch. Where previously there had been rows of tables in the center of the room, there is now open space for dancing, cocktail mingling and bouquet throwing.  The tables are dressed with white tablecloths under black, simple black chairs and I know you may think I'm nuts to say this, but I even like the water glasses.  They are a highball size rather than a giant milkshake sized glass.  I rarely drink a whole glass of water during any meal and I really hate it when this huge vessel of water ends up just flooding my table with condensation.  (Does anybody remember the simple little "bev-nap"?)  Valuable little square of paper, in my opinion but today, you have to request them if, like me, you hate a drippy, wet table. With this shorter glass, I don't feel like my table is so cluttered nor is there as much surface area to sweat all over my placesetting!

So, how about if we talk about the food?  Yes, let's.

My mom ordered the club sandwich with baked potato salad. Like a lot of clubs, it is huge.  Nice, homemade looking bread loaded with turkey, ham and bacon, pretty red tomato and a little mayo.  Mom really liked the potato salad, which is noteworthy because usually potato salad (of any kind) is the last side dish she orders.  But she opted for this rather than fries and was pleasantly surprised.  The salad was warm and had gooey melty cheddar in it.  I tried a bite and it really had that baked potato flavor.  I'd order that myself.

I love the way they stand the sandwich up! Side of baked potato salad.

My dad chose the three salad plate (chicken, tuna and shrimp.)  In a nutshell, he said his tuna and chicken salads were very nice, but the shrimp salad, and this is a direct quote, "is a total disaster."  I knew the answer, but I asked it anyway.  Pre-cooked and/or frozen shrimp.  You know the kind.  They end up looking translucent, feel slick & rubbery in your mouth and have zero flavor.  I tried a bite.  No bueno.  Here's my thing about this.  We live in a coastal state.  The shrimp is only a couple hours away.  Hell, you can find a fisherman in Charleston who would meet you halfway on I-26 every morning with fresh shrimp, crab and fish. So what in the world is any restaurant in Columbia doing buying sub-par shrimp from a freezer?  If the Stone River guys take this piece of advice, throw out that junk and serve SC shrimp, this dish will improve exponentially. 

Chicken, tuna and shrimp salads with homemade pita chips.

I ordered the Cobb salad.  I always joke about installing a salad bar in my house right after I win the Powerball.  I am a salad junkie.  I love them, I crave them.  Cobb salads are one of my favorites because I am also addicted to bacon and blue cheese.  This is one righteous salad, friends.  It was served with a very generous amount of fresh blue cheese crumbled on top, pinwheels of smoked turkey and ham, fresh bacon pieces, avocado chunks and bright red, tasty tomatoes.  Traditionally, a Cobb is served with hard-boiled egg, which I loathe.  So, I always request no egg.  However, unless I really missed it big time, the menu didn't list egg, so I said nothing.  Yep, egg was on the plate.  However, since the salad was laid out in rows as a Cobb should be, it was a piece of cake for me to just eat around the egg. No big deal.

Cobb salad-isn't that pretty?

As for the people, everyone we encountered was very pleasant.  We were welcomed by the owner, Chris and later greeted by the GM, Jay.  Our waiter was Cameron and he was very personable, knew the specials and was attentive to us. It's so exciting to see something happening in this space after sitting vacant for so long.  As far as using it for an event hall, I can see loads of potential there.  You overlook the river and the riverwalk, have an awesome view of the ornate Gervais Street bridge and enjoy a great view of Columbia's skyline.  How could you not be happy sipping champagne at your cousin's wedding or enjoying lunch with friends while a couple of kayaks glide by? 

It's such a prime spot for a restaurant and an event space.  I wish Stone River well.  I think they've put together a great multi-purpose venue and they serve a nice lunch as well.  

Let Down

This is somebody's photo they posted on Google

My work took me to Camden a lot in the last couple of weeks.  

I sold an adorable house in the historic district and this past Tuesday was "inspection day."  For me this means I go, I meet the inspectors, I open the door, I sit around and wait.  So, I took my best buddy, The Vivver, with me.  What better companion to accompany me than the Wunderkind?

 During the time we waited for the inspections to be done, we perused www.Urbanspoon.com for places that both of us might enjoy, because after all was done, we were both hungry. We decided on a place called Carolina Cafe because its "I Like It" percentage was 91%.  It only had one review, but I wasn't overly concerned about that, especially since it was a positive review.  We ventured downtown, found a parking place right in front of the building, only to learn that it wasn't there.  As we walked along Broad Street looking for an alternative, we spotted it.  Across the street, different address, but same name, so I naturally concluded that they'd simply relocated.  We crossed the street.

Frankly, I wish we hadn't.

As we entered, we were "greeted" by a sign asking us to wait to be seated.  We waited.  We waited.  We waited. My 7-minute limit was reached.  A waitress entered the room, served some food, saw us, and promptly turned around and went away.  Later this same girl reappeared and picked up some menus and called to us from the other end of the restaurant, "Two for lunch?"  No duh, Einstein.  She didn't move from her position, which was approximately 50 feet from us, but merely waved to us to come to  her and just take a table right next to where she stood.  I immediately was warmed by this greeting...warmed by my blood pressure rising.  I was about to tell Viv we were going to split, but I realized this would be a big disappointment to a child and probably not worth the trauma. I gritted my teeth and decided to relax and give it a chance.

We ordered a club sandwich to split which came with chips and I got a side of the pasta salad.  The waitress said it was "ranch and Italian dressing-based."  I couldn't resist.  I have never heard of this flavor combo before.  The club came out looking like most clubs.  However, as I was removing the tomatoes from Viv's I realized the bacon was burnt and reduced to chunks of burned-ness rather than strips of bacon.  Dammit!  Why didn't I just go with my gut and leave?  Y'all know how I love my bacon.  To burn it is blasphemous...to serve it that way, criminal.  I must admit that the pasta salad was interesting, although nothing to write home about.  As we ate, I noticed that my most pleasant (not) waitress was really cool and friendly...to the locals that she knew.  Ohhh, so that's how it works here.  If you're new to town, visiting or don't frequent this joint often enough, they don't give a rat's _ _ _ if you have a good experience.  To take this to the extreme, when I walked up to the register to pay, I had to stand there for about 45 seconds as the lady who appeared to be in charge had some completely non-professional conversion with some dude. When she finally looked at me, with her hand extended for the bill, she didn't even bother with a "hi" or "how are you", "how was your burned bacon sandwich" or "think you'll ever come back here again?"

 


I hate to give negative reviews of restaurants, especially ones that I know are locally owned. I want locally owned businesses to succeed.  But, I also want them to be good.  Goodness usually translates into success.  This place was sloppy, unfriendly, mediocre and lackadaisical, at best.  I won't be back, I won't ever recommend it and I won't ever forget the crummy experience.  


I voted on Urbanspoon.  They are now at 90%.  I think that's high.  The wait staff must be voting often. 

Village Gourmet: Salads and much more

I'm not sure how long the Village Gourmet has been open.  It's been awhile though.  For the last 12 years, my office has been within walking distance.  Needless to say, I've had most things on the menu and have watched the place evolve from a gourmet sandwich shop to today's daily menu of specials that range from a calamari salad to Kobe burgers to house-smoked pulled pork.

Utopia has grown!

Utopia had very humble beginnings.  Very. It was first located in the tiniest building in Columbia (I bet).  But Kathy Siokos had a dream and a vision and she packed it into that tiny little building.  Here we are several years later and she's relocated down the road into a larger, more comfortable and more useable space for her dream and vision.  We first met Kathy years ago when she worked for the Rockaway's folks. Before I had my baby, we went to either Rockaway's or Pizza Man so often that one day in the bank drive-thru I heard a familiar voice say to me, "so what do you want for dinner?"  There was Kathy in the car next to me.  I went home that day and told Neil "we are eating out way too often!"

Kathy and me

Tonight we finally had the opportunity to check out the new location. 

Holy Bellini!

In today's world, creative marketing is a must for selling one's wares.  With the economy in the state it's in, now more than ever anyone in sales needs to do different things.  It's time for new, fresh ideas that get the us consumers excited. That's what gets us to come back.  Everyone's money is particularly precious, so if you want us to spend it, it better be worth it.

As you may already know, I am a fan of the Thirsty Fellow.  The Vivver and I went there today with my parents for lunch.  Since I'm addicted to the Philly, I don't have to spend much time reading the menu.  This is good you see, because I am otherwise engaged with the wunderkind when we're in a restaurant (what do you want to order?  are you sure?  put your feet down.  sit on your fanny.  no playing with the knives.)  So, today, I missed the fine print that my mom so deftly picked up on...$5 bellinis.  

Sounds pretty reasonable, right?  It is.  But, it's even better than that.  The fine print that I missed spelled out that this $5 bellini also includes a REFILL.  What?  A grown-up drink with a refill?  This is like the 1970's Golden Age of Happy Hours; two for one drinks.  Or, you can look at this way...it's really a $2.50 bellini with a two-drink minimum!  Either way, I've never seen a restaurant or bar use this tactic.  I think it's fantastic!  It's new.  It's fresh.  It's different.  And this consumer finds that exciting. Even if I weren't addicted to that incredibly delicious sandwich, I'd be going back happily.  This creative marketing is successful.  And what's another name for unsuccessful marketing?  Spitting in the wind.


Cheers to you Thirsty Fellow...whoever you are.

My new favorite club

Just kidding!

Sometimes nothin' beats a good, tall, mayo-y, meaty club sandwich, right?  I've learned over the years that the best club is always made by someone else.  It's an interesting phenomenon really.  Try it. Make a club  at home for yourself.  It'll be ok, but it won't be great.  But, have your husband or your mom or someone make one for you and it's a whole new ballgame.