Champagne and fried chicken, plus fresh-baked delights: Weekly Dish

Few things are better for a weekend hangover than indulging in fried food and bubbles traditionally served in a Saturday or Sunday brunch.

A Greenville mainstay and brunch hotspot, Soby’s New South Cuisine, now offers four pieces of fried chicken accompanied by the guest’s choice of sparkling wine.

What’s the secret behind the local favorite’s fried chicken? The Table 301 original serves an airline chicken breast brined in a bath of bay leaves, hot sauce, water, sugar and salt before being placed in a wet dredge of buttermilk, egg and milk. It is finished with roasted black pepper honey.

Now, let’s talk pairings. Fried chicken and champagne or sparkling white wine may seem an unusual combination, but the high and lowbrow coupling is hardly esoteric. If a consumer holds champagne in their mouth, they’ll notice that it nearly absorbs any viscosity, relinquishing only its bubbles, taste and minerality. The same principal applies to the fried chicken.

Put simply, it cuts through the fat and complements the dredge with its toasty flavor profile for a clean and spirited sip that, for a brief moment, pushes away the Sunday scaries.

Soby’s New South Cuisine is located at 207 S. Main St. in Greenville.

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Mountain House near Caesars Head closed July 2, citing on social media circumstances beyond their control as reason for closure.

The business, the most recent eatery in that location, was open for roughly 18 months. The building at 8101 Geer Highway, Cleveland, has been standing for more than a century. Stay tuned – there’s more to come on this. For now, the roadside cafe will be missed.

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City Scape Winery, located along Dunklin Bridge Road southeast of Woodville, unveiled the option for wine flights on social media.

Visitors of the winery will now be able to choose four of its 25 wines as two-ounce pours in take-home stemless glasses. Reservations are not required.

City Scape Winery is open Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m., Thursday from noon to 4 p.m., Friday from noon to 9 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m.

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Village of West Greenville favorite El Cafe Empanadas y Pastries updated its menu adding pan de bono and waffle bono.

Pan de bono is a yuca-based cheese bread originating in Colombia. Given its basis in yuca or cassava, the option is gluten-free. The restaurant takes its pan de bono recipe and fashions it into a waffle, offering four options for toppings: blackberry, dulce de leche, condensed milk and ham and cheese.

If you haven’t tried it yet, give dulce de leche a try. It is best described as similar to caramel but creamier and less sweet, giving way to a rich, nutty flavor profile. In some Latin American countries, it may be referred to as “manjar blanco.”

As an aside, the restaurant’s empanadas are masa-based, which also makes them gluten-free and gives the pastry a little crunch.

Empanadas y Pasties is located at 1225 Pendleton St. in the West Greenville Plaza. It is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Speaking of Colombian waffles, Poe West coffee shop Unlocked Coffee Roasters unveiled Colombian cheese bread waffles using the same recipe as its popular pan de bono option.

Unlocked invites guests to choose their topping. The dish is served with guava sauce and maple syrup. Gluten-free options are available.