Hello, Velo

Well, it's official.  I have a new favorite restaurant in Greenville.  It takes a lot to win me over when I'm trying a restaurant for the first time.  I'm quite critical, I do admit.  The ambiance, menu selections, service, drink menu, and prices all have to be right to really get me excited about a new place.  The Velo Fellow in the West End District exceeded my expectations in all of these categories.
The Ambiance
This cozy yet quirky space is adorned with bare Edison-style light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, mis-matched chairs, worn church pews, and a giant "grand-bi" hanging on the exposed brick wall.  (A grand-bi is one of those funny looking old bikes with the giant front wheel and the little bitty back one)
The Menu
From the classic publick house creations like chicken pot pie, shepherd's pie, and fish and chips to the  more innovative culinary creations like the Falafel Po' Boy and and Tofu Marsala, everything the Velo Fellow offers is the epitome of comfort food.  They even offer a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich for 3 bucks.  Nothing says comfort food like a good 'ole PB and J. 

My Falafel Po' Boy

The Service
Our waiter was awesome.  Super friendly and his persona and attire matched and even added to the vibe of the restaurant.   His worn Levi's, plaid shirt, trucker hat, vintage square-rimmed glasses and mustache just oozed hipster.  
The Drink Menu 
They've got a great selection of wines by the glass and bottle and microbrews on draught.  The beer selections switch up every week.
This week on draught:
Highland's St. Terese's, Murphy's Irish Stout, Warsteiner Konig Ludwig Weiss, Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner,  Ommegang Rare Vos, and Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu
The Prices
$2 Session's all day, every day.  Need I say more?

 

If you're interested in giving the Velo Fellow a try, they're located at 1 Augusta St. Suite 126, below the Mellow Mushroom.  Open Monday-Wednesday 11am-10pm, Thursday 11am-12pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-2am, and Sunday 11am-9pm.

Greenville Welcomes Groucho's Deli

Born and raised in Columbia, SC, nothing tickles my taste buds like one of Groucho's signature sandwiches. Founded in 1941 by Harold "Groucho" Miller, Groucho's Deli offers great deli-style sandwiches adorned with high quality meats and cheeses and their famous Formula 45 Sauce. Groucho's Deli originated in Five Points just minutes away from the University of South Carolina's campus in Columbia, SC.  Seventy years later Groucho's now has 25 locations in three states.  Their newest venture is the location in Greenville, SC.  Located at 20 E. Coffee St. (the previous location of Hoops and Hops). Greenville's new deli is just paces away from the well-known Main Street area.
On Sunday Mr. T and I decided to give it a shot, and boy was it tasty!  I had the classic STP (I opted for the all turkey version) and Mr. T had his favorite, the Pink Moose.  Most sandwiches come with their Formula 45 sauce, a spiced and tangy variation of Russian dressing.  The sandwiches come with a bag of chips and kosher dill spear, which are all great dipped in the 45 sauce. 

 

And, as if it wasn't good enough, I washed it all down with one of their Dr. Brown's diet cream sodas.

Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm.

Recipe: Creamy Tomato Soup

I'm not a big fan of cold weather, and I'm dreading it as the summer is coming to an end.  Although I don't like those few chilly months that we have in South Carolina, there is one thing that I do like about them: soup.  I love making it and I love eating it.  I made my first soup of the season this week and it's one of my absolute favorites, Creamy Tomato Soup.  Once you try it you'll never go back to Campbell's. Its simple to make, pretty inexpensive, and it tastes phenomenal.

Creamy Tomato Soup

1 small onion, diced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 (28-oz.) cans chopped tomatoes

1 (14-oz.) can chicken broth

1 (5-oz.) package Brie without rind, cut into pieces

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. fresly ground pepper

Chopped fresh basil (optional)

Saute diced onion in 2 Tbsp. hot oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium low heat 8 minutes or until tender; add minced garlic, and saute 1 minute.  Increase heat to medium high; stir in chopped tomatoes and chicken broth, and bring mixture to a boil.  Simmer, stirring often, 10 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.  Allow tomato mixture to cool 10 minutes; stir in Brie pieces until melted.

Process soup with immersion blender until smooth.

Cook soup over medium low heat until thoroughly heated.  Stir in salt, pepper, and if desired, garnish with a fresh basil chiffonade. I made grilled cheeses with bacon to go along with our soup.  Perfect for dipping.

Do you have any soup recipes you'd like to share?  I'd love to add more recipes to my collection!

Recipe: Sparkling Lemon Elderflower and Cranberry Cocktail

I just made the best end of summer drink and wanted to share the recipe with you.  It's so simple:

1 part St. Germain
1 part lemoncello
1 part Ocean Spray Diet Sparkling Cranberry Juice

Mix all three ingredients with ice in a martini shaker and enjoy!  It would also be great with a sugared rim or sprig of mint to garnish.  Hope y'all have a great holiday weekend!