Rick Erwin's Nantucket Seafood Grill

I've been dying to try Nantucket Seafood ever since it opened.  My wife and I finally had a chance to try it out recently. It was amazing. And by amazing, I don't mean amazing the way some say people use amazing about everything they find slightly better than average, I mean it really was actually amazing.  (I generally despise hyperbole and exaggeration so much I want to tear my hair out, so rest assured that every part of the following review is meant quite literally.)


Our waiter, David, wasn't amazing but he was very good. If he had serenaded us and comped our meal, then I would elevate him to the level of amazing as well, but since he did not I'll simply say he was awesome.  


I entered the restaurant definitely in the mood for seafood, but David mentioned how good the pork loin was. He was right. It was outstanding. Moist, succulent...amazing. A few days later I replicated the dish at home complete with bourbon reduction. Mine was so-so. My wife was complimentary and mentioned that it was a good effort. 


My wife ordered the Mahi Mahi special. She also reported that it was amazing. Actually I think she said it was fantastic. Even the salad that was topped with some sort of bacon vinaigrette was amazing. Epic even. 


In all seriousness, one thing I really enjoyed about the experience, is that the restaurant is very quiet even when all the tables were full. That isn't true with several other of our local upscale restaurants (and no I'm not talking about Sobys, The Lazy Goat or Nose Dive - yes I am). 


Distance from downtown Greenville: 0 miles.

Owings, SC

Recently my friend Tim and I stopped in at the tiny town of Owings, SC looking for interesting things to photograph. It's been at least 15 years since I've driven through the town.  It's as close to a ghost town as one might find nearby. And by ghost town, I don't mean dead town. It's actually being restored by a group called the Gray Court-Owings Historical Society. 

After perusing their website, I realized we missed some other interesting sites such as those found here.

Distance from downtown Greenville: 25 miles

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Halfway to Habana Cigar and Martini Bar (The Cigar Boxx)

UPDATE #2 (1/8/2012):  Good news! H2H has re-opened although under a different name, The Cigar Boxx. Currently the establishment is primarily a cigar shop and lounge with a small beer and wine menu, but the owner tells me that they are expanding to the space next door to open a full bar with an extensive scotch and bourbon menu. He says this new section will be open in the next month or so.


The new location is 23 College St. in downtown Greenville.



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UPDATE: (2/13/11) While walking the dog last night I came across a disturbing discovery. Halfway to Habana is closed down! A note on the door said that "due to restrictive smoking policies [or something like that] that we had to close our doors," although the note does say they will be opening elsewhere in the downtown area.  A couple times when I was there, the bartenders told me that the business upstairs from them often complained of the smoke. 

Original Post from  2/13/10

A few months ago one of Greenville's finest cigar shops moved a few blocks down Main street to fill the space previously occupied by Latitude Restaurant. Their new space is much larger, contains a full bar and restaurant, and of course a smoking lounge.  Cigarettes are not allowed in the establishment due to the city's anti-smoking ban, but cigars and pipes are welcome in this one bar as the result of a state proviso. The bar has a small, although excellent, beer list, an excellent wine list, 70 different brands of scotch, and of course a number of martini specials. A beer and a stogie is not a bad way to kill an hour or two on a snowy afternoon. 

Paris Mountain Trail Service

Want to give back? Here's a chance.
Greenville REI — Winter Trails Day Service Project

• Date: 1/7/2012
• Event Location: Paris Mountain State Park
• Event Fee: Free

• Time: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (EST)
• Partner Organization: FPMSP and Upstate SORBA

Description: Join REI and our partners at Upstate SORBA and Friends of Paris Mountain State Park for this Winter Trails Day Servcie Project. We will meet in the main parking area, across the street from the park office and make our way to the trail. Food and a giveaway will be provided to volunteers. Please bring water, sturdy shoes, long pants, work gloves and a warm jacket. Tools will be provided by the park. PLEASE PRE-REGISTER so we can make sure to have enough food for everyone.

Distance from downtown Greenville: 11 miles