One of the things we love about our full-time RV lifestyle is the opportunity to seek out local, unique restaurants wherever our journeys take us. Being major foodies, we tend to shy away from the major chain eateries one can find anywhere and drift more towards the smaller places that focus on the regional cuisines. Aside from providing us with really great food, this has proven a great way to developing a deeper understanding of the many areas of the country we have visited.
Yesterday was the third anniversary of our lives together, so Deb and I decided to splurge on a good meal at the Plaid Pelican located at 1316 Stallings Road in Greenville, SC. It is literally four miles from where we are staying and a place we have passed by numerous times. We kept saying to each other "We really need to try that place sometime." Now that we have, we are kicking ourselves for not going there earlier! From the quality of the food to the perfection of the service, this place left us in agreement that it is right at the top of the best restaurants we have ever experienced anywhere.
From the outside, the Plaid Pelican offers little clue as to the superb gastronomic experience that awaits inside. It is in a small, non-descript strip mall with a sign that advertises itself as offering "Coastalina Cuisine". But once you step through the door, you are surrounded by an inviting atmosphere that features an open kitchen and relaxing decor. Instead of being escorted to a table by the smiling hostess, she kindly asked us which table we would prefer and settled us in for an evening of truly unexpected pleasures.
The menu offers a wide variety of appetizers, soups, salads and entrees that include seafood, steak and chicken dishes. We had read many on-line reviews of the place before going and were amazed that every single offering had received the highest of compliments. Since the place promotes on its web page that they do "the freshest seafood better than any restaurant", we were focused on a good fish dish, but still had a hard time deciding upon which one. Everything from the shrimp and grits to the stuffed flounder with lobster cream sauce to the crab cakes to the shrimp etouffee looked inviting. While we pondered over our final selections we ordered the appetizer of the day; a selection of cheeses served with two glasses of Bluefish Riesling wine.
As soon as the appetizer arrived we knew we were in for a unique dining experience. It was presented on a quarter-inch slab of chilled slate stone with each offering labeled in chalk. The plate was a perfect arrangement of sliced Manchego and Comte cheeses, thin smoked prosciutto (Speck), olive-oil grilled bruscetta and a garnish of dried cranberries. The wine perfectly accented the cheeses and proved to be our drink of choice throughout the entire meal.
While we were savoring the cheeses, the young Sous-chef came to our table and asked if we were enjoying ourselves. He spent about five minutes talking with us about his culinary experiences that ranged from starting out in a small restaurant in Palm Beach, FL to working under one of the premier chefs in New Orleans before Katrina wiped out the place to ending up here in Greenville. It was a nice touch that made us feel even more comfortable.
We followed up the appetizer with cups of seafood bisque that brought immediate smiles to both our faces. It was creamy,with an intense lobster flavor and notes of saltiness that reminded us of the sea. With Deb being from Boston and with me living in S. Florida for ten years, we have both had great seafood bisque over the years. But we agree, hands down, that this was the best we have ever had!
Another nice touch was that while savoring the bisque the Head Chef/Owner Paul came to our table and asked if everything was to our liking. At this point we still had not decided on our entree selection, so we asked him what he would recommend. He strongly suggested the catch-of-the-day, which was golden tile fish, and the seared scallops. Thank God we listened to him. I ordered the tile fish, blackened, with pilaf rice and Deb ordered the scallops, blackened, also with the rice.
Every entree is served with a salad that is a beautiful explosion of color onto itself. As opposed to a plate consisting of mainly lettuce, these salads were a perfectly-sized arrangement of the freshest greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, bacon and croutons. To make it even better, every dressing is homemade. Deb had the Ranch and I had the Thousand Island. Both were beyond great.
The entrees proved to be almost orgasmic. Each plate was presented with young grilled asparagus spears in the middle, rice to one side with the seafood on the other. The tile fish was two-inches thick, fork-tender with a mild flavor and a texture like dry-aged steak. The scallops were juicy and perfectly cooked; which anyone who has tried cooking them know is not easy to achieve. The asparagus exploded with fresh flavors and the rice was "air-fluffed" steamed with lots of sauteed onions and tri-colored peppers . There was not a single flaw with anything on the plate.
If you live in or are visiting the greater Greenville, SC area do not pass up a visit to this establishment. The price-range for the entrees is $16.00-$25.00 per plate, but worth every cent. From the food to the service to the relaxed atmosphere you will not be disappointed. This place deserves to have every table occupied constantly with a line of hungry people waiting outside of the door. Out of five stars, we give this one a ten!
Oh, how we love unexpected pleasures.
copyright 2009-2010 Lane A Geyer
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