Our latest field trip took us to downtown Greer, SC. A whole 30 minutes from my front door that I never knew was so, so good!! How have I lived in Spartanburg 25 years and I’ve never been to Greer?? Its embarrassing really. Shameful, to say the least that we’ve never discovered the goodness that is in Greer until now. Let’s dive in!
We didn’t arrive until around lunch time because we are real people who have to get other things done, so the morning was spent at the dump. That is a field trip I will not write about. You’re welcome. So, back to our arrival. We were charmed with the downtown area as soon as we pulled up. We quickly found a great parking spot and set out to find a great lunch spot. It didn’t take us long! We decided to try Select and we were not disappointed!! They have a charming little outdoor eating area on the sidewalk, but alas, those tables were full. We were seated inside and found it to be just as cute as the outside. Exposed brick walls, historical tin ceilings, and brightly colored artwork filled the space that is flooded with natural light. We had dinner reservations at 5:30 (we are officially getting old) so we didn’t want to eat too much at lunch. We decided to split a couple of things. Of course we started with drinks. Nothing fancy, just a craft beer and a glass of Rose’. They offer what they call Crafted dinners which is basically like a more sophisticated version of the classic southern meat and two. Since we knew these early birds would be eating dinner in a few hours, we decided to try that on our next trip. We decided to split the Petite Orthodox Salad and the French Dip. The salad was a delicious blend of fresh greens, sliced English cucumbers, diced Roma tomatoes, kalamata olives, pepperoncinis, sliced red onions, and imported feta cheese. The dressing was the perfect compliment to the salad as well. Next we move on to the French Dip. It features freshly shaved Certified Black Angus prime rib covered with Provolone cheese on a delicious NY sub roll. Of course, no French dip would be complete without Au Jus for dipping. We chose the cottage fries which are more like a super thin little waffle chip. We definitely had plenty of food. If you’re a breakfast lover, they even serve all day breakfast that looks great too.
With our bellies sufficiently full we set out to explore the downtown area. Our first stop was Carolina Treasures Antiques and Vintage Goods. Man! If you are a picker, this place is for you. They literally have everything you can imagine from furniture to pyrex. You know that pyrex your mama and your nana had? The good stuff! I wanted it all. Gimme all the pyrex. Oh wait, my oven is broken. Ok, I passed on the pyrex but it was good stuff. An old incubator, old medicine bottles, crocks, quilts, glassware, dozens and dozens of chairs are hung on the walls. Truly a fun place to revisit the past. I highly recommend stopping in!!
Our next stop was Smith and James Fine Mens Clothing. Beautiful men’s clothing with a nostalgic shopping experience. The historical building has been beautifully maintained and the personal service experience is such a nice nod to the past. You don’t get that at the mall. Am I right?? It is a family business and it is obvious that they pride themselves on quality items and service! My husband got a couple of things to “step up his game”.
Just on the other side of Smith and James is Chelsea’s Ladies Apparel. Beautiful choices for any age can be found here. Perfect for a little mother daughter day out. All of their pieces made me long for some warm spring days. I will definitely be back to try a few things on!
Back to the streets. Just across the street we found The Shoppes on Trade. I loved the variety that we found here! We were even greeted by Big Mama, who is awesome, with candy to sample. There are different vendors featuring hand made jewelry, artwork, home decor and more. There are also some great retail pieces to choose from and hand made candy! A great place to go for that perfect gift!
As you can imagine, after all this exploring it was time for a drink. We knew we wanted to head to The Blue Ridge Brewing Company for some liquid refreshment. There is a lot of sidewalk renovation going on downtown but don’t let that stop you. You can still get to everything you need. My husband loves a good craft beer so he had to check out what they had on tap. He wasn’t disappointed.
Guess what time it is?? Time for old people to dine. Yep, we are approaching 5:30 so we head to L’Incanto for our reservations. Y’all, its like stepping back in time. The building is incredible. The tin ceiling tiles are original to the building and they are incredibly gorgeous. The atmosphere is upscale but still keeping in touch with the history of the building. The exposed brick walls are painted white for a contemporary feeling. Very elegant. Our waiter was engaging from the minute we were seated and gave us some excellent suggestions from the menu. There were at least 5 or 6 specials from the chef that night as well. So many choices and everything sounded out of this world. His first recommendation was the escargot and we were on board! Um, I can’t even explain to you how delicious it was. Perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. They were not swimming in butter, but instead, the most delicious sauce I have ever put in my mouth!! I thought the chef would never beat that. Guess what? He knocked it out of the park. The whole meal was award winning in my opinion. I chose one of the specials which was Sea Bass with roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, peas, prosciutto, fresh figs, pecans, shallots and a sherry wine cream sauce. Shut it down!! It was amazing. I mean, really amazing and not a wimpy portion either. My husband chose the Gamberetto. Yeah, I didn’t know what that was either. Pancetta wrapped Ecuadorian prawns over butter braised leeks, green peppercorns and emulsified porcini mushroom, sherry and shallot sauce with melted Fontina. Holy Moses!! So, so incredibly delicious. The depth of flavor here is like I haven’t experienced many times in my life. Of course we were completely full but how could I turn down one of my favorite desserts. I just had to try the Tiramisu. Bam! They did it again. Light and fluffy and completely perfect ending to a fabulous meal!
Our last stop (remember we ate at 5:30) was La Bouteille to check out the selection of wine and beer. It is vast and good people!! You want it, they’ve got it. What a treat for downtown Greer to have such a huge selection in one place and they have daily tastings! We enjoyed visiting with Steve and Maria who were keeping shop that evening and felt like family by the time we left! What a little gem for downtown!
That’s it folks. Bottom line: get yourself to Greer. Enjoy the charming downtown area for shopping and the excellent food offerings from casual to elegant. Greer really does have it all! Southern Field Trips will definitely be back for another tour of the town.