We started with dinner on Friday night at Passerelle Bistro.
We shared two appetizers, the Charcuterie (salami, proscuitto, duck pate, pickled shallots, mustard, truffle honey and grilled bread) and the Mussels Pernod (with mushrooms, prosciutto, garlic, shallots, and parsley). We also requested that they throw a few cornichons, those little french pickles, on our Charcuterie plate, too.
Both appetizers were awesome. Honestly, we could have probably stopped eating there. For appetizers, the portions were pretty large.
But we didn't stop there. We then split an entree, the Seasonal Cassoulet which consisted of white beans, aromatic vegetables, lamb neck, andouille sausage, braised veal osso bucco, and wilted chard. The chef was kind enough to split our two smaller portions onto separate plates. The Cassoulet was awesome; so much flavor packed into one little dish.
For lunch the next day we went to one of my favorite places, Mekong Vietnamese Restaurant. It's a complete hole in the wall, but mom and I both love a diamond in the rough. The owner and chef is a native of Vietnam and has lived in Greenville for over two decades. He cooks his mother's recipes and grows most of his own herbs out in the back of the restaurant.
We started with a Pork Meatball Banh Mi. All of their sandwiches have this wonderful crusty french bread and they are topped with cucumbers, cilantro, and pickled daikon and carrots. Each of these sandwiches are under $4.00 so it's quite a deal.
Next we ordered a Steamed Duck Bun. I think the picture below says enough. YUM. And at $2.99 we should have ordered two.
This was mom's first Vietnamese meal, so we had to try a bowl of pho as well. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup commonly served with beef or chicken. At our waiter's recommendation we ordered the London Broil and Brisket Pho.
The pho also comes with a large plate of lime wedges, jalapeno slices, Thai basil, and lots of bean sprouts to add into your bowl. In an effort to get the full pho experience, I loaded my bowl with bean sprouts. These bean sprouts are a little different than the ones I've had in the past. They are thicker, and are called mung bean sprouts. While they were very tasty, my body didn't quite agree with them. A couple hours later I found myself at the doctor getting a shot of epinephrine and Benadryl to stop my allergic reaction. No more bean sprouts for me!
Sunday morning came and we were ready for another restaurant. For brunch we headed to Southern Culture, one of my favorite brunch spots.
We ordered the Poutine and the Fried Green Tomato Stack. The Poutine was definitely the winner of the meal. Something about the combination of home fries, a fried egg, goat cheese, bacon, and gravy just did it for me.
We both gave Fried Green Tomato Stack a "B" on our grading scale. The grits were good, nice and creamy and the tomatoes were perfectly seasoned, breaded, and fried. The one thing that we weren't too keen on was the combination of hot tomatoes and grits with cold slices of mozzarella in between. I just can't do cold and hot at the same time.
All in all we had an awesome time eating our way around Greenville. Can't wait for her to come up again soon, I'm already making my list for the next places we need to try together.
Sooo..now you've made me hungry! Those mussels are right up my alley and the pho and brunch looks delish too! So crazy to have had an allergic reaction--looks like you were ship shape by morning though!
ReplyDeleteI also am loving your fur sweater and that vest!!
What a fun weekend! So glad you got to spend time with your mom. :)
ReplyDeleteThis post just reminded me it's lunchtime!!
ReplyDeletelove that you had a weekend with your mom!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun weekend with your mom! All of that food looks heavenly, yum!
ReplyDeleteWeekends with moms are the best! Looks like y'all had a great one!
ReplyDeleteThis is making me so hungry! It all looks delish. I've never had pho, so I'd love to try it one day!
ReplyDeleteomgggg I am so hungry now! Everything looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteThat food looks AMAZING!! And I love love love when my mom comes to visit!
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