Q: Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack Rallies to Support Ukraine

Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack (https://rockyshotchickenshack.com/) will be donating 10% of sales from all three of their locations on Wednesday, March 23 to Asheville City Center to help fund their rescue mission to remove orphans from the battle zones in Ukraine. Rocky’s South Asheville location (3749 Sweeten Creek Rd., Arden, NC 28704), West Asheville location (1455 Patton Ave., Asheville, NC 28806) and Greenville location (420 Laurens Rd., Greenville, SC 29607) will be open 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Guests can spread the word by sharing their meal or the attached flyer on social media, tagging @rockyshotchickenshack and using hashtag #StandWithUkraine.

Question 1

Tasting Rock Hill, SC

Accepted Answer

If you&#8217;ve never been, and have only one day in Old Town Rock Hill, SC to check out the food & drink scene, where do you go? Thankfully, we didn&#8217;t have to figure it out for ourselves. Visit York County SC set up an exceptional itinerary for our small group.
NOTE: Click gallery images for details in captions.
The Mercantile, 153 E White Street
COFFEE & BREAKFAST BITES
We began with coffee and snacks at The Mercantile&#8217;s Jackass Cafe.  There&#8217;s so much going on in this 10,000 sq ft space, it rated it&#8217;s own article.

Elk Ave Tavern, 125 Elk Avenue
LUNCH
After closing down Cibi! Cibi!, their much loved food truck, to open Elk Ave Tavern, owners Anthony Legatie and Hunter Newton have their next hit on their hands.
We didn&#8217;t order lunch. Lunch ordered us! Let me take this opportunity to profusely thank the folks at EAT (see what I did there?) for the amazing spread they sent to our tables. Our server was a super friendly beast, handling quantities of food he probably doesn&#8217;t handle for two tables.
Takeaways &#8211; granted, after only one visit:

EAT comes off as a neighborhood Tavern in every way. It&#8217;s warm, relaxed, and comfortable.
Their menu is a mix of delicious creative surprises, as well as dishes more like what you&#8217;d expect at a tavern.
Occupancy numbers aren&#8217;t huge, so if you want to go, be strategic so you get a table. If you have a group, I&#8217;d recommend calling ahead. There are about a dozen seats at the bar. That&#8217;s where I&#8217;d sit, unless I&#8217;m with more than one other person. In that case, a table or booth would be the way to go. I don&#8217;t think they take reservations?
Molly and I both really liked the Smoked Pork Belly Skewers. I also loved the presentation, flavors, and textures in the Golden Beet & Burrata Salad. Details are in Gallery image captions.
I was mortified at the potential waste of food. We couldn&#8217;t possibly eat all, or even close to all, of the food delivered to our tables. Luckily, one of the people at our table runs a non-profit and was encouraged by our server, so boxed up as much of the leftover food as possible to share with those in need.

Rock Hill Coffee Shop & Roasters, 139 E Main Street
DESSERT & SERIOUS COFFEE
Bryan Boan, owner of Rock Hill Coffee shop and roasters, is a force of nature &#8211; especially when talking about coffee and his business. He&#8217;s passionate about &#8220;coffee culture&#8221; and &#8220;community&#8221;. He talked about single origin, blends, and sourcing beans. While you&#8217;re at the shop, get your coffee of choice, pick up a pastry, or tea if you&#8217;re in the mood.
A few interesting Bryan Boan quotes:

&#8220;Think bigger. Not in numbers, but in impact.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t want a hundred stores. I want three stores.&#8221;
&#8220;I want to have a farm in Uganda where I&#8217;ll work with the people there, growing coffee, bringing health care, and education to the farm families&#8221;.

Sleeping Giant Distillery, 122 Southern Street
TOUR & RUM TASTING
One of the most delicious things I tasted on this Crawl was Sleeping Giant Distillery&#8217;s Lemongrass & Vanilla Rum Liqueur. Oh my gosh, it&#8217;s so smooth and tasty. My only regret is not bringing a bottle home with me. It&#8217;s only available at the distillery and surrounding ABC stores.
York County&#8217;s first legal distillery since the days of prohibition, I got all caught up in the name when I saw the very &#8220;compact&#8221; building they&#8217;re in. Giant&#8217;s in the name, but not in the building. But . . . with my predicted success, they&#8217;ll probably end up in a giant building. Brothers William and Patrick founded the micro-distillery, and named it after a game they always played.

Stop in for tastes at the front counter. The business end, distillery tanks, kegs, etc., are in the back. They&#8217;re hoping to have a couple small tables with chairs out front in nicer weather.

Elsie&#8217;s at Kounter, 135 E main Street
COCKTAILS & TASTING
Elsie&#8217;s is a tucked away jewel of a speakeasy across a hallway from Kounter restaurant, both created by Chef Robert Masone. You have to say the current password, found on their social media, at a front counter. If you have it right, a button is pushed unlocking the door to the secret entrance.
There are plenty of creative, tasty dishes on the limited menu: snacks, charcuterie, and desserts. I&#8217;m guessing from the looks of the bar and watching the bartenders, I&#8217;m guessing they can whip up pretty much what ever you want in the way of a drink. They refer to what they do as &#8220;building&#8221; cocktails, as opposed to &#8220;making&#8221; them.
Bottom line, it&#8217;s a cozy, bougie, sexy, private-feeling space that has rules intended to maintain all that. Things like, put your phone on silent and no taking calls. Here&#8217;s an Elsie&#8217;s article I published back in December, 2024 that has more details.

Question 2

Rock Hill, SC Getaway - The Mercantile: Cafe, DIY, Shop

Accepted Answer

Rock Hill, SC might just be the next destination for a small group of us that go on three to four day getaways to not-too-far-away places. We go for food, drink, entertainment, and sightseeing and Rock Hill hits all that. It&#8217;s about 2 1/2 hours from Hendersonville, just south of Charlotte, NC.
I was invited to explore Rock Hill recently by Visit York County, SC. Molly Fowler, aka The Dining Diva, joined me. It was great comparing opinions with Molly, as she&#8217;s a talented Chef, gardener, world traveler, and not shy about sharing.
First stop on our &#8220;Crawl&#8221; was The Mercantile. It&#8217;s a General Store (&#8220;Modern General Store&#8221;) of sorts, but oh so much more! There&#8217;s A LOT going on in this 10k sq ft space that was previously home to a Coca-Cola factory. Warning &#8211; it&#8217;s very easy to go down the rabbit hole while exploring their website.

The Jackass Cafe &#8211; Cafe/Coffee Shop/Wine Bar
Multiple DIY Bars: Flowers, Soaps, Spices, &#8220;Trucker&#8221; Hats, Jewelry, and Candles
Murals by &#8220;world-renown Muralists&#8221;
Event Venue: Makers Markets are held in this 2nd floor space, or outside. The venue is also available to rent for your event.
The Rock Hill Community Fridge: a first in Rock Hill, created by and hosted at The Mercantile. &#8220;Free food for anyone who needs it. Powered by the community, for the community.&#8221;

Opened in 2018, The Mercantile is the oldest of businesses opened in the last few years during a renaissance of &#8220;new, small and locally owned&#8221; businesses within easy walking distance in Rock Hill&#8217;s charming downtown.
&#8220;City of Rock Hill leadership has done a great job on revitalization of the downtown. First, there were some opportunity zones and tax incentives in the past and now cater towards other areas surrounding downtown. Also, there has always been a lack of residents (people living downtown) which is slowly shifting. Two relatively new apartment complexes are in downtown…The Exchange and The Anderson which have added many young couples especially to the area. I’ll also add that the business owners are doing a really good job of working together to create a vibrant environment downtown. Definitely &#8220;a rising tide lifts all boats'&#8221; mentality.&#8221; &#8211; Andy Clinton, President/CEO Visit York County, SC
We had a great time exploring what felt like all ten thousand square feet! There&#8217;s so much going on here, it could easily become overwhelming if not for the thoughtful layout. Each area &#8211; merchandise, DIY bars, cafe, etc., is an independent vignette, separated from the others through thoughtful design.
Molly left with a package of Angel Hair Pasta to cook at home, and we both left with our Soap Bar creations.
Click on images for captions and to enlarge.

153 E White St.
Rock Hill, SC 29730
(803) 366-6372

Question 3

Kitchen Sync Announces New Eastside (Greer), SC Location

Accepted Answer

Using Restaurant Week as a backdrop, one of Greenville’s most popular and highly rated restaurants –– Kitchen Sync –– announced it is beginning construction on a second location. The announcement comes eight years after opening its first location on Laurens Road.
The second Kitchen Sync will be located at 2420 Hudson Road in the Brushy Creek Crossing shopping center in the space formerly occupied by Dragon Den.
Owner and longtime Greenvillian, Kevin Feeny, said, “People have been asking us for a long time to open a second location closer to Greer and when this space came available there was no doubt it was perfect for us.”
The location at the intersection of Hudson Road and Old Spartanburg Road has many surrounding neighborhoods but not an abundance of casual, neighborhood restaurants with high quality food and drinks. This was a similar situation to Kitchen Sync’s original Laurens Road location when it opened in June 2016. Today, the Laurens Road corridor, now referred to as “Midtown”, is fast becoming a Mecca for restaurants.
With on-site parking and a soulful neighborhood vibe, Kitchen Sync offers a downtown-quality casual dining experience without the hassle. Customers of Kitchen Sync’s second restaurant can expect the same great menu offerings, exceptional hospitality and a unique blended value business model that strives toward a greater good.
“By investing in our employees and the community we serve, everyone succeeds,” explains Feeny. “Indeed, the S-Y-N-C in our name speaks to our business model and the intertwining of our values of compassion, community and stewardship into our soulful neighborhood restaurants.”
Examples of Kitchen Sync’s greater good:

Blended value business model that values people, planet and profit.
Investing in quality of life for employees with offerings like five-day work weeks, health benefits, and flexible scheduling.
#1 independently-owned Green-certified restaurant in the U.S. for eight years running.
Nurturing strong relationships with community social enterprises, such as Jasmine Kitchen and Soteria CDC.
Kitchen Sync founded and funds the KISS FOUNDATION (Kitchen Sync Stewardship) that invests and participates in select community stewardship initiatives.

Once complete, the 3,500 sq. ft., facility will seat approximately 100 guests indoors and 25 to 30 outdoors. In addition to building an outdoor patio for dining, Kitchen Sync is adding 500 sq. ft. to the interior. A cozy new bar will seat approximately 15, and a comfortable blend of tables and booths will be available inside the dining room.
Anyone interested in sampling the Kitchen Sync experience at the 1609 Laurens Road location will have a unique opportunity during Restaurant Week, August 15-24, 2024. The Restaurant Week offering may be found on the Kitchen Sync website at kitchensyncgreenville.com. Full menus and additional restaurant information is available on the Kitchen Sync website.
Local companies LMG Architects and Cely Construction have been retained for design and construction of the new restaurant.
About Kitchen Sync
Established in 2016 in Greenville, SC, Kitchen Sync is a locally owned, soulful neighborhood restaurant offering farm-fresh, scratch-made fare served with extraordinary hospitality. The ‘sync’ comes from a business climate and culture with the values of community responsibility, ecological integrity, and compassion ‘baked’ into the company DNA. Evidence is realized in a work culture that respects and nurtures individuality and authenticity; support of local social enterprises such as Soteria CDC and Jasmine Kitchen; and being ranked the nation’s #1 Independently Owned Green Certified Restaurant since 2016. For more information, visit kitchensyncgreenville.com.
Kitchen Sync
2420 Hudson Road (In the Brushy Creek Crossing shopping center)
Greer, SC 29650

Question 4

The Hare and Hound Pub - hunt for good times and food over!

Accepted Answer

Every now and then we make the half hour run &#8220;down the mountain&#8221; from Hendersonville to O&#8217;Darby&#8217;s Liquor Barn in Landrum, SC. This last time we stopped at The Hare & Hound Pub for lunch before heading over to O&#8217;Darby&#8217;s. Opened in 2002, the restaurant&#8217;s a Landrum icon that feels like it&#8217;s been there forever. I&#8217;m guessing the building was probably built in the late 1800&#8217;s to early 1900&#8217;s.
Hare & Hound&#8217;s location at 101 E Rutherford St. anchors both sides of the corner at one end of downtown Landrum&#8217;s two-block stretch of shops, gallerys, and eateries. Landrum&#8217;s historically an &#8220;equestrian&#8221; town. I used to frequent a second-hand shop at the other end of the two blocks. It carried the most beautiful top quality clothes, many sporting equestrian motifs, but sadly it&#8217;s gone now.
Can&#8217;t swear to this without much more research (wink), but The Hare & Hound feels like a community hub. Lunch or dinner hours, there&#8217;s a cozy, family-friendly vibe inside and out. They even have extra high highchairs for high-tops if that&#8217;s your choice for seating. It&#8217;s got that semi-darkish pub feel inside, with plenty of interesting decor. Not so dark you can&#8217;t see your food, though. You&#8217;ll recognize all the dishes on the menu and know how to pronounce all the ingredients. And those dishes lean towards hearty.
Servers are friendly and efficient. They&#8217;ve got a solid cocktail program, as well as wine & beer. Outdoor seating is shaded and lovely in nice weather. Do NOT leave without having Dessert!

The Hare & Hound Pub
101 East Rutherford Street
Landrum, SC 29356

Question 5

Big Buck Racing - International Champs come to SC!

Accepted Answer

Big Buck Racing (https://bigbuckracing.com/) isn&#8217;t something I&#8217;d normally cover on Carolina Epicurean, but the event was so impressive, it was held on a dear friends South Carolina farm property, and hey, there were some awesome food trucks on site.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND
My interest in bikes (motorcycles) goes back as far as I can remember. For a time my much older brother raced dirt bikes professionally. For practice he&#8217;d sometimes put me on the back of his bike for added weight (and fun) while he rode up and down hills and around obstacles in our yard. Then he chose a bike, based on it&#8217;s center of gravity and weight, for my post college great cross-country adventure. It was perfect, and my only transportation for a couple years while I lived in CA.
BIG BUCK, THE FARM
Our friend&#8217;s Union, SC multi-hundred acre farm has been in his family since the 1970&#8217;s. The name came about after years of he and his son hunting on the property. The ultimate goal being bringing home the &#8220;big buck&#8221;.
The &#8220;farm&#8221; property has lots of fields &#8211; and lots of woods &#8211; that the bikes ride through at high speed on mostly narrow trails. People come from all over, including other countries, to participate and watch the official GNCC (Grand National Cross Country) races. Rows and rows of huge RV&#8217;s, vans, and tents fill fields.
One of the problems with events like this is that they&#8217;re often in rural locations and lack Wi-Fi coverage. Big Buck solved the problem with WOW &#8211; Wide Open Wi-Fi. It worked great for me everywhere I went on the property.
Plans are in the works for opening up the property to other types of events, including music festivals. The property includes a natural amphitheater, which would be perfect!
THE FOOD
So much great food! Where to start? More importantly, when to STOP! All the trucks/vendors were new to me, so that was fun. Fifi&#8217;s Hibachi Burrito, Tilley&#8217;s Tennessee BBQ, Down South Water Ice, and others. As always, be sure to click gallery images for descriptive captions.

THE HILL CLIMB!
Probably the most popular spot on the course for watching riders is at the steep hill climb. Lots of people walk out to watch the action from great viewing spots. Some riders make it to the top. Some don&#8217;t. Some skip it altogether! If riders make the climb, they take some time off their circuit.
THE RACES, PROS, GEAR & MERCH
The next GNCC race at Big Buck is just days away, on April 1st. Just like the event I went to, this race will include ATV&#8217;s and Motorcycles. There are multiple categories of racers &#8211; Pro, Amateur, Youth, and more. And there are different rules for some of the groups, pro vs amateur for instance.
Racers line up at the start according to engine size (2 stroke, 4 stroke, cc&#8217;s), pro vs amateur, and rank. Each category/row begins from a &#8220;dead start&#8221;, meaning engines off until flagged to start.
There were quite a few Pro Riders and their support teams at this race. The support teams were serious with com head sets, white boards to hold up with info for their rider, backpacks full of emergency gear, water, etc. Most of them rode trail/mountain bikes to whatever key spots of the thirteen mile course they needed to be at for their rider. The Pros do the 13 mile circuit five times, making it a three hour race for them!
This particular race was the 2023 season opener. Quite a few pros were there, including the number one team from Japan! Honestly, I had no idea that some Pro cross country racers can make six figures a year. It&#8217;s a big deal.
Also a surprise to me were the rows of semi&#8217;s that opened up the sides of their trucks, exposing shops selling parts, tires, all kinds of gear, and merchandise. There was even one selling e-bikes.

If you&#8217;ve never seen an event like this, you&#8217;ll be amazed. It&#8217;s very family friendly. Even if you&#8217;re not into cross country racing, it&#8217;s a great way to spend time outside, checking out something that might be completely outside your wheel house. Get tickets for the April 1st, 2023 race HERE.

Question 6

Savor Charlotte, NC in Greenville, SC - Nov 10th

Accepted Answer

An Epicurean Adventure: ‘Savor Charlotte’ Comes to Greenville, SC on Nov 10th
A creative haven for foodies in the Southeast, the Queen City encourages zealous pursuit of new flavors in Southern cooking and beyond. In celebration of Charlotte’s ever-evolving food and beverage landscape, eight of the city’s most buzzed-about chefs and mixologists will come together for a one-night-only culinary experience in Greenville, South Carolina on November 10, 2022.
In partnership with euphoria Greenville food festival and The Local Palate, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) is bringing the Savor Charlotte event to four local Greenville restaurants: CAMP, Jianna, The Lazy Goat and Oak Hill Café & Farm. The exclusively curated menus will showcase why Charlotte is a must-visit destination for foodies and cocktail enthusiasts alike.
“Charlotte&#8217;s culinary community represents an incredibly diverse and dynamic group of passionate individuals,” said Tom Murray, Chief Executive Officer at the CRVA. “In Charlotte, food service makes up more than 70% of all leisure & hospitality jobs and 25% of visitor spending is attributed to food & beverage. We are excited to showcase the talented chefs and mixologists bringing Charlotte’s unique flavors to Greenville, giving us a platform to inspire a trip to the Queen City and experience our culinary community firsthand.”
The pairing of four of Greenville’s top restaurants with Charlotte chefs and mixologists offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for diners to get a taste of the culinary artistry of both destinations through a unique epicurean experience.
The chef, mixologist and restaurant collaborations include:
CAMP – Chef Alex Verica of PARA and mixologist Justin Hazelton of Leah & Louise
Jianna – Chef Bruce Moffett of Moffett Restaurant Group and mixologist Russ Johnson of The Public House
The Lazy Goat – Chef Shai Fargian of YAFO Kitchen and mixologist Colleen Hughes of Supperland
Oak Hill Café & Farm – Chef Christa Csoka of The Artisan’s Palate and mixologist Yoshi Mejia of Super Yosh Cocktails
The ‘Savor Charlotte’ Greenville adventure is easy to experience. Those interested in a taste of Charlotte can reserve a table directly at one of the four participating restaurants. Advance reservations are strongly encouraged, as space is limited.
As part of the exclusive event in Greenville, restaurant patrons who dine at one of the four restaurants on November 10, 2022 will have the opportunity to enter for the chance to win a Charlotte Westin hotel stay and a pair of Charlotte Brew Badge passes.
Charlotte is a city of culinary opportunity with many young, innovative chefs graduating from local culinary school Johnson & Wales University. From James Beard Award nominees and creative mixologists to well-established restauranters and international chefs, the city’s success in food & beverage is a testament to the creativity and passion of all who make up the collaborative community.
For more information about the participating chefs and mixologists, and to make reservations for November 10, 2022, click here.
About the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) works to deliver experiences that uniquely enrich the lives of our visitors and residents. Through leadership in destination development, marketing and venue management expertise, the CRVA leads efforts to maximize the region’s economic potential through visitor spending, creating jobs and opportunities for the community. Brands supported by the CRVA include the Charlotte Convention Center, Spectrum Center, Bojangles’ Entertainment Complex, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte Regional Film Commission and Visit Charlotte in conjunction with the region’s destination marketing brand. For more information, visit charlottesgotalot.com.

Question 7

Promising Greatness: Eagle Mountain Vineyards and Winery

Accepted Answer

Eagle Mountain Vineyards & Winery (https://eaglemountainwinery.com/) opened less than one year ago in Upstate SC at 2330 SC-11. It doesn&#8217;t feel like it, but their address puts them in Travelers Rest. Eagle Mountain currently consists of one building, serving as tasting room and event space, as well as some outdoor seating. This winery holds promise of greatness, though, with a renowned winemaker/co-owner and major plans for the property.
They&#8217;re off to a great start. Wine data analytics show that in their first six months they out sold 7,000 other winery&#8217;s full year numbers.
Owners
George Bursick, Director of Winemaking
One of the most accomplished winemakers in California, Bursick began his career there as founding winemaker at Ferrari-Carano Winery. Out of 11,000 wineries in the US, he took it to number 25. While at Ferrari-Carano, Wine Spectator magazine twice said that he made the number one Chardonnay in the world, once featuring only that wine on their cover. And Wine Enthusiast magazine named his Pinot Noir best in the US. For more on Bursick, read about him on his website.
Russ Gardiner, President
If Bursick is &#8220;behind the scenes&#8221; as winemaker, Gardiner is &#8220;out front&#8221; as the face of the winery. After decades working in advertising for the California wine industry, he semi-retired to Greenville. The idea for an Upstate winery grew from local viticulture history. The Upstate had been a successful wine grape growing region in the 1880s and 1890s, but that ended with Prohibition.
Wines
For now, they are using a variety of California grapes/juice to make their wine on site until their grape vines mature.
&#8220;We will plant our own estate vineyards with cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc vines, but also source the best grapes from prestigious vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake and Monterey wine regions and then ship the crushed juice to our winery in South Carolina. Here our winemakers, in our newly designed state-of-the-art winery, will blend and age the wine to craft world-class wines . . . &#8221;
&#8211; EagleMountainWinery.com
Three of us met up at Eagle Mountain for a little catching up. Flights were the only way to go for the two of three of us that hadn&#8217;t before. Even though she&#8217;d been before, the third also choose a flight. We all chose the upgraded flight.
A standard flight is the first five wines in the list below (not including their Cabernet Sauvignon) and a 5oz pour of your choice from the flight for $18. The upgraded flight consists of all six wines listed below, and a 5oz pour of your choice from that tasting for $26. Know that the Cabernet Sauvignon is considered their cornerstone wine and is $16 a glass when you choose which flight you want.
Reservations are NOT required for tastings, purchases by the glass or bottle, but reservations ARE required if you&#8217;d like a tasty Charcuterie Box by local three-sister owned Charcuterthree. Make reservations on Eagle Mountain&#8217;s Home page.
SAUVIGNON BLANC – 2020 Sonoma Alexander Valley
Bright white wine with herbal and honeydew melon notes on the nose and palate. It has a supple mouthful with a medium-plus finish that should leave you wanting more.
Glass $7
Bottle $20
CHARDONNAY – 2019 Central Coast Cienega Valley
Elegant aromas of ripe melon, baked apple and honeysuckle complemented by toasty “crème brûlée” aromas and ﬂavors derived from 100% barrel fermentation in new French oak barrels…extremely long ﬁnish…a classic “World Class” Chardonnay.
Glass $9
Bottle $25
ROSE – 2020 Temecula Valley
A traditional style red rose produced primarily from Sangiovese grapes which exhibits aromas of rose petals, violets and raspberries. These desirable characters continue into a long, semi-sweet mouthful with bright acidity beckoning one refreshing glass after another.
Glass $7
Bottle $18
PINOT NOIR – 2020 Sonoma Coast
Bright, vibrant raspberry/strawberry aromas which extend into the ﬂavors which ends in a long luxuriant ﬁnish with silky tannins. A true expression of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir growing region.
Glass $10
Bottle $28
ZINFANDEL – 2019 Lodi Mokelumne River
Our Zin defines the Lodi area and the rich history of making wine from this grape. The notes of dark cherry, blackberry, cranberry, and raspberry coat the mouth. The dark color and long finish should be a welcome change for the red wine drinker.
Glass $8
Bottle $22
CABERNET SAUVIGNON – 2015 Napa Valley
Our cornerstone wine and leader of our brand is our 2015 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is everything you want in a California red – stunning spice, vanilla, and dark chocolate from oak aging lead the way with earth and black currant rounding out it’s bold profile. This is a wine with a huge character, lots of body and plenty of complexity. This is one serious wine to enjoy now or lay down in your wine cellar.
Glass $16
Bottle $48
My personal favorite, hands down, was the Cabernet Sauvignon. Really liked the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Loved the Cabernet Sauvignon! Funny story, we were told that folks in the area stop by for a bottle of Cabernet before heading into Greenville for dinner. They have a glass on site, put the cork in the bottle, head into town for dinner and have a second off the menu glass of wine with dinner.
When asked where Eagle Mountain is positioning itself in the world of Vineyards and Wineries, Russ Gardiner said something to the effect of &#8220;high end&#8221;. Wine quality and pricing will reflect that, but as Gardiner pointed out, a Cabernet Sauvignon the quality of theirs, priced at $48, would sell for $75 to $85 in Nappa Valley, California.
Five levels of Wine Clubs do offer a variety of options and pricing.
&#8220;Eagle Mountain Winery has developed an amazing all-inclusive wine club program. Our wine club levels allow you to decide what wine / food / art / music experiences are important to you.&#8221; &#8211; EagleMountainWinery.com
They&#8217;re taking a unique approach, especially for this area of the country, so fair warning:
&#8220;ONCE OUR WINE CLUB MEMBERSHIPS REACH THE MAXIMUM NUMBER WE WILL TRANSITION THE WINERY TO A MODIFIED “MEMBER’S ONLY WINERY” WITH ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF PUBLIC VISITORS ON A “RESERVATION ONLY” BASIS.&#8221; &#8211; EagleMountainWinery.com
Promising Greatness
We enjoyed meeting Gardiner and learning about the vision and the extensive plans they have for the property.
Another 5,000 square foot building with a 2nd floor mezzanine is going to be built near the existing parking lot. It will include a restaurant, art gallery, a second tasting room, and back patio that will accommodate about 150 people. That building will overlook a stream and waterfall. They&#8217;ll be building a stage over that stream and a new 1,000 seat amphitheater for concert viewing during the summer. Everything on the property will be fully landscaped, of course.
At the top of the mountain behind the existing buildng, the middle 20 of 100 acres owned by the winery are going to be turned into a non-profit Arts Foundation sculpture park that will feature SC and NC sculptors. Trails will lead to and throughout the garden. Sculptures and picnic tables will be placed along the stream for the public to enjoy. The park is free and open from noon to 6:00 PM daily (except Thanksgiving and Christmas). Bikes and pets are not permitted in the park.

Eagle Mountain Vineyards & Winery
2330 SC-11
Travelers Rest, SC 29690
(864) 663-7875

Question 8

Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack Rallies to Support Ukraine

Accepted Answer

Rocky&#8217;s Hot Chicken Shack (https://rockyshotchickenshack.com/) will be donating 10% of sales from all three of their locations on Wednesday, March 23 to Asheville City Center to help fund their rescue mission to remove orphans from the battle zones in Ukraine.
Rocky&#8217;s South Asheville location (3749 Sweeten Creek Rd., Arden, NC 28704), West Asheville location (1455 Patton Ave., Asheville, NC 28806) and Greenville location (420 Laurens Rd., Greenville, SC 29607) will be open 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Guests can spread the word by sharing their meal or the attached flyer on social media, tagging @rockyshotchickenshack and using hashtag #StandWithUkraine.

Question 9

Find Your Way to Secluded Victoria Valley Vineyards!

Accepted Answer

Victoria Valley Vineyards (https://victoriavalleyvineyards.com/), owned by Victoria and Wes Payne, has somehow kept their existance on the down-low for a long time. As we talked to Brittany Jayne and her boyfriend John (an advanced Sommelier), we were both shocked to learn the vineyard began planting vines 24 years ago and started soft opening events 22 years ago!
“If you don’t go to very difficult roads, you will only reach places where everyone reaches!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan
The roads leading to Victoria Valley aren&#8217;t &#8220;very difficult&#8221; at all &#8211; just small, curvy, back roads in the hills of Update South Carolina. But ildan&#8217;s quote holds true as far as it being a place that not everyone will reach. It&#8217;s just a short forty five minute drive southwest of Hendersonville, NC. Your GPS will get you there. Just watch for the light-colored stucco and brick French Chateau on the high side of South Saluda Road.
Barrie and her husband discovered this gem last October and went again in November. She and I (my first visit) went this past Friday, March 18. Surprisingly, there were still lots of plants & flowers in bloom then, as well as trees in the distance showing off gorgeous Fall colors. You&#8217;ll notice in the gallery there are some pictures from Barrie&#8217;s November visit and some from our time there on Friday, so you can compare seasonal views. Even though all those blooms and changing leaves weren&#8217;t there on Friday, the scenery was still terrific!
They&#8217;ve put together a nice Lunch Menu (scroll down on their web page). Everything we had was very good. They even cook the corned beef for their Reuben sandwiches themselves in the full kitchen downstairs.
As far as their wine goes, you&#8217;re going to love it! One of us preferred the 2019 Signature Merlot ($21.99 a bottle and $7.25 a glass) and the other liked the 2018 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon ($24.95 a bottle and $8.29 a glass). Shhh. Don&#8217;t tell anyone, but note those prices!
Don&#8217;t miss the additional Epicurean Notes below the gallery.
Epicurean Notes:

Pretty much anything made of wood &#8211; except chairs &#8211; but including the building, was built by owner Wes Jayne.
Vines were planted, some in 1999, but mostly in 2000 by the Jayne family of six.
Try to be at the vineyard for sunset in the Summer and Fall. We&#8217;ve heard it&#8217;s spectacular!
Unable to produce enough wine from their forty seven acres to meet increasing demand, they have plans to add wines from other countries: France, Italy, and others.
VVV has a full kitchen in which they cook their own house brined & braised corned beef. Definitely try their Reuben!
Plans going forward include events, a new large firepit, live music, and Friday-Saturday dinner service that will be expanded if all goes well.

Victoria Valley Vineyards
1360 S Saluda Rd
Cleveland, SC 29635
(864) 878-5307

Question 10

Upcountry Provisions - Travelers Rest Sweet Spot

Accepted Answer

Upcountry Provisions is one of those places you happen upon when you get off the main streets of a small mountain town. A place you want to tell everyone about, but hesitate because too many people might ruin it. But here I am telling you about this sweet bakery & bistro that&#8217;s local family owned in Travelers Rest, SC.
Upcountry opens early so you can pick up freshly baked breads, a scone, muffin, or croissant to go with your morning coffee. For heartier appetites, there are breakfast sandwiches, frittatas, and entrees. They stay open long enough that you can get something for an early dinner.
A word of caution &#8211; if you order eggs, go with one step less done than you want because they continue cooking as they&#8217;re served in a hot skillet.
If you fancy a pick-me-up while you&#8217;re walking, running, or biking the Swamp Rabbit Trail, they&#8217;re right off the trail.
Upcountry owners, the Kraus family, hold events in The Grove, a lot next door. Many of their events are geered toward building community.
Upcountry Provisions Bakery & Bistro
6809 State Park Rd
Travelers Rest, SC 29690
864-834-8433

Question 11

New Seafood restaurant preps for Grand Opening in downtown Greenville

Accepted Answer

Greenville &#8211; Seafood is the theme with a focus on Asian-Cajun flavors and spices at Wu’s Cajun Sea Food, a new restaurant in downtown Greenville. The restaurants grand opening is scheduled for Wednesday, January 10th at 11 AM and will be located at 116 N. Main Street.
The eatery, owned by Britton McCorkle of Bottle Cap Group will have influences from Executive Chef Troy Gagliardo, and Director of Beverage Creativity, Andrew Izrael.
Chef Troy is a self-taught chef that has parlayed his years of kitchen experience into many other culinary ventures. Including a proprietary spice line, cookbooks, commercials, and live appearances each week on Charlotte’s morning show WCCB “Troy’s Everyday Eats”.
Andrew Izrael works with the creation, implementation, quality control and training for all 16 of Bottle Cap Groups bar programs with prior experience with Charlotte’s largest bar programs such as Chef Rocco Whalen’s Fahrenheit and Bottle Cap’s Ink N Ivy. His plan is to use the framework of classic cocktail culture, mixed with his childlike creativity to help overhaul the older concepts, structuralize the new ones and bring the company as a whole into the new future of beverage.
Owner Britton McCorkle looks forward to officially opening his restaurant’s historic doors. “It’s taken a lot of hard work to get this place cooking, and we’re excited to share this edgy restaurant and unique cuisine with the Greenville community,” he said. All three team members will be on hand for the grand opening this week.
Wu’s Cajun Sea Food will feature lunch, brunch, dinner including a full service bar and cocktail list. The restaurants hours are Sunday-Thursday 11 AM to 10 PM and Friday & Saturday from 11 AM to 11 PM.
Guests can enjoy a $35 menu option during the upcoming South Carolina Restaurant Week January 11th-January 21.
This is the second location under the Charlotte based restaurant management group, the Bottle Cap Group. The first Wu’s Cajun Sea Food opened in Charlotte in July of 2017.

Question 12

New Greenville, SC Tours, Classes, and Book Announced

Accepted Answer

Greenville, SC &#8211; Exciting 10th Anniversary Announcements from John Nolan, owner of Greenville History Tours

New Tours
1. The Greenville Breakfast Tour | $39 pp; Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:30-9:15 am. Guests will enjoy unique food and drinks at Famous Toastery, Biscuit Head, and LeGrand Bakery. This driving tour will be offered year-round.
2. The International Coffee Discovery Class | $45 pp, Saturdays 2:30-4:15 pm Guests will learn all about coffee from the places it’s grown to characteristics of bean varieties. You will see the roasting process first-hand and how to fashion your favorite cup. You’ll also taste a variety of world coffees from two brewing methods: Italian moka pot and French press.
Guests will take home freshly roasted beans of their choice. This course will be offered year-round.
3. Downtown Public Art & Architecture Tour | $20 pp; year-round, by appointment
This driving tour will take you to most of the 71 public works of art scattered throughout down town. You’ll learn about the artists, insights into the commision and meaning of each work, and see lots of interesting pictures of details, other works by these artists, and the artists themselves. You’ll even discover works that you didn’t even know about!
New Greenville Book
Lost Restaurants of Greenville | GHT owner John Nolan published A Guide to Historic
Greenville SC (History Press, 2008) and is now working on a book (Arcadia Press, fall, 2018) that captures the great nostalgic eateries of Greenville’s past, ranging from earlier times like Boston Lunch and Ye Olde Fireplace to more recent ones such as Bistro Europa and American Grocery.
New service
Shuttle Service | $100/hr., year round by appointment
Enjoy the convenience of a comfortable 15-passenger Ford Transit van with high roof, aisle seating, and a computer screen for optional viewing of historic Greenville photos.
For more information, contact:
John M. Nolan, Owner
Greenville History Tours
864.567.3940
greenvillehistorytours@gmail.com www.greenvillehistorytours.com @gvilletours
Complete list of services
West End historic walking tour | $12
South Main historic walking tour | $12
At the Chef’s Table culinary tour | $49
Greenville BBQ Trail tour | $39
Greenville Breakfast tour | $39
World Coffee Course | $45
Historic Neighborhood & Architecture tour: Northwest | $20
Downtown Driving Tour | $15 Shuttle Service | $100/hr.
Thematic Powerpoint lectures about Greenville | $100/hr
Customized culinary/history tours with various restaurants throughout Greenville
*All prices are per person unless otherwise stated; prices do not include tax or gratuity
Restaurant partners for customized tours
Roost • Kilwin’s Ice Cream • Dark Corner Distillery • Sip • Tupelo Honey Café • Southern Pressed Juicery • Luna Rosa Gelato • Poppington’s Popcorn • The Nose Dive • Soby’s New South Cuisine • Soby’s on the Side • Grill Marks • The Lazy Goat • Papi’s Tacos • Passerelle Bistro • Smoke on the Water • Mac’s Speed Shop • Stax Original • Pickwick Pharmacy & Soda Fountain • Mike & Jeff’s BBQ • Henry’s Smokehouse • Bucky’s BBQ • Ink n’ Ivy • 101 Espresso Bar • The Local Cue • Rick Erwin’s West End Grille • Nantucket Seafood Grille • Rick’s Deli, Le Petit Croissant
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Category: SC Upstate

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