Last week, my husband was out of town and had a great meal, and I asked him to guest blog. So, without further ado, here's "The Husband Who Ate Houston" and his review of American Grocery in Greenville, SC. Enjoy!
Once I found out I had to be in SC for work, a co-worker told me that American Grocery was the best food he had eaten in a while. So, after a short (and quite pleasant) walk down Main Street in Greenville, I arrived outside AGR. The outside was fairly non-descript but inside the setting was classy and quite cozy. My waiter was quite helpful and friendly in a way that apparently most people in Greenville are -- which is to say they seem to genuinely enjoy talking with you.
I started off with a Pig on the Porch. This delightful little cocktail consists of bacon-infused bourbon and ginger ale. I had to say this was one of the best cocktails I have had in some time. The bacon flavor in the bourbon made it finish off quite smoothly and with just a hint of bacon on the palate.
For starters, I had the crispy pork belly. I had seen pork belly cooked on Top Chef before but had never had the opportunity to actually taste it. I must say this was the highlight of the meal and one of the best foods I have ever eaten. It was crisp without being tough (I could, and did, cut it with my fork). The pork belly tasted like the most flavorful bacon I could imagine and yet was so tender it was almost like eating a steak. The dish also came with crisp apples, grits, and pecan-bourbon maple syrup. The grits were perfectly cooked -- and I'm not even a huge grits fan -- and the syrup was absolutely amazing. (You might note that AGR loves three things: (1) local meats, vegetables, and beer, (2) bacon, and (3) bourbon. I can get on board with all of these things.)
Next, I had the Split Creek Farms Goat Cheese salad with a mustard vinaigrette. Now, I think mustard is a fine condiment but I wasn't crazy about it being on my salad. It wasn't bad -- but not great either. The pecans in the salad were very well done but, in the end, it was just a salad.
Finally, for the main course, I had a Confit of Local Rabbit with baby carrots and hunters sauce. The rabbit was tender, tasty, and the outer skin just a little crispy. Overall a very good dish. My only complaint on this dish was the farro verde -- which I thought distracted from the simplicity and tastiness of the rabbit more than it added.
If you are ever in Greenville, SC and you want an excellent meal from start to finish, definitely make your way down to AGR -- you won't leave disappointed.
