I can honestly say that tonight was one of the best dining experiences I have had in the 8 years I have lived in Greenville, North Carolina. My husband and I have recently started a new tradition - Hump Day Fun Day! On Wednesday nights, to break up the work week, we pick a place to go out to eat to relax, de-stress and enjoy ourselves. I feel like we have gotten into a routine of going to the same places over and over again (Greenville isn't THAT big), so I searched online for restaurants in Greenville and came across Copper & Vine Kitchen and Wine Bar. I had heard of this restaurant before through a local wine and beer shop, Dolce Vita, and decided to do some further research.
I discovered that Copper & Vine had a facebook page, so I went through the photos and comments, trying to feel out what the establishment was like. I was very intrigued by the pictures of the inside of the restaurant. It seemed very unique, different from your typical popular chain restaurants you find around Greenville (Olive Garden, Carolina Ale House, Chili's). The pictures posted of the food, positive comments on the facebook wall, and the fact that they say they offered "an extensive wine and beer list" all caught my attention. I decided, we have to check this place out!
You walk into a very cozy front room filled with a wall full of wine bottles, a few tables, what looked to be a VERY comfortable leather couch and an open window to the kitchen. Caitlin, who ended up being our amazing waitress, greeted us, and told us to head upstairs and pick out a table. We went upstairs, and were surprised to have our pick of about a dozen tables (there was only one other couple in the restaurant). I say surprised, because after the absolutely amazing meal we had tonight I couldn't believe that the restaurant was not packed!
We picked a table overlooking the downstairs:
We ordered our drinks, Blaine with a tasty IPA, and I with a 2009 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa that was quite delicious - it was not only delicious up front, but there was an amazing flavor you got hit with a few seconds after your sip. Delicious! Next, we ordered dinner. Blaine got the crab cakes and I got the platter of cheeses, meats, fruit and bread:
Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the crab cakes, but this is a picture of my cheese/meat/fruit/bread plate. First of all, the crab cakes were indescribably delicious! It was obvious that the focus was more on the meat than the breading. We were both amazed at the amount of crab meat packed into these cakes. Pico de gallo was served on top of the crab cakes. I never thought to put the two together, but the outcome was amazing! These were by far the best crab cakes I have ever had! The juicy meat and combination of flavors was just out of this world!
I was SO excited about my cheese/meat/fruit/bread plate! It reminded me of my trip to Lake Como in Italy. Our group visited a vineyard and had an amazing experience full of wine, cheese, cured meats and bread. That was one of my fondest memories of that trip! This plate at Copper & Vine tonight reminded me exactly of that experience! There were 3 different cheeses, and forgive me if I can't remember exactly what each one was called. One cheese was soft white cheddar and mustard seeds that had an amazing strong flavor to it! The smoked Gouda was incredible (if you remember, there is one post I made a few months ago where I talked about how much I was in love with smoked Gouda). Then, the third cheese completely BLEW MY MIND! Unfortunately, I can't remember exactly what type of cheese it was, but it had blueberries in the cheese! Blueberries in the cheese! I'm sitting here on the couch just shaking my head because I can't believe how amazingly delicious this cheese was and I want more of it NOW!
There were two types of cured meat on the plate as well. I really wish I could remember the names of the cured meats, but they were Italian and the names have slipped my mind (if I heard the names, I'd recognize them). However, they were both incredible and full of flavor! The bread and fruit were also delicious, very nicely complimenting the meat and cheese, and the whole plate was sprinkled with some very tasty sunflower seeds.
As I mentioned earlier, our waitress was great! We also got a visit from the chef, Charles, which was really nice! I really enjoyed talking about the food with him. We learned that different events go on during the week (half priced wine, live music, beer groups) and the restaurant gets much more busy during those nights, but we happened to come in on a slower night. Again, I couldn't believe that the restaurant wasn't packed after the amazing food and experience we had tonight! The prices are very reasonable, in my opinion, especially when you consider how high of quality the food is. (Example: my husband's crab cakes were $10, but I'd say they were worth at the least $20!)
We ended the night with some homemade yellow cake with chocolate icing, a dollop of whipped cream, blueberries, and fresh mint:
The words "amazing" and "delicious" don't even come close to describing this dessert! Oh my goodness!
The whole experience was wonderful! I'm sure the fact that we were one of two couples in the restaurant made a difference in the special attention we received tonight, but the food and atmosphere was incredible! As I've described, the food was incredible, and it was a very cozy, relaxing, unique atmosphere (I loved the folksy music streaming throughout the restaurant)!
You can guarantee that we will be back very soon! Anyone in Greenville, NC needs to head to Copper & Vine Kitchen and Wine Bar the next chance you get!
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