The 2018 euphoria Food, Wine, and Music Festival that runs through Sunday, Sept. 23, kicked off Thursday morning, Sept. 20, with five different events, all showcasing different areas of Greenville’s culinary scene.
First up was the only day-time event — Cycling with Hincapie, a 30-mile ride that ended with lunch for the cyclists prepared by chef Nick Graves at Restaurant 17. The evening events included the music-centric Songwriter’s Recipe at 6:30 at Revel, and two private dinners — That’s Italian at Jianna with chef Michael Kramer and chef Michael Toscano or Charleston’s Le Farfalle, and the All that Jazz pairing of Graves and Commander’s Palace chef Tory McPhail at Restaurant 17.
Kramer, Graves, and McPhail were all seen out downtown after their dinners, celebrating the success of each one.
The largest event of the night, however, was The Greenville Kick-Off Party at the Old Cigar Warehouse, which drew hundreds of guests, including The Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore, and showcased only chefs whose cuisine can be found in Greenville.
The dishes they prepared ran the gamut of styles, including Italian, Mexican, Asian, and German. Some standout dishes, based on a very unofficial polling of guests, were the Bierocks from Bacon Bros. Public House, Crispy Chicken Thigh from Husk, Braised Dry-Aged Wagyu Short Rib from Halls Chophouse, Quail Tinga from Cantina 76, Agave Sriracha Applewood-Smoked Jackfruit from Farm Fresh Fast, Fig & Prosciutto pizza from Coastal Crust, and Crispy Pork Belly Taco from White Duck Taco.
And in case you’re wondering what a Bierock is, it’s a traditional Octoberfest hand-held pastry. This one from Bacon Bros. chef Anthony Gray, who says he was specifically celebrating the start of Octoberfest with this dish, was filled with corned beef heart, beer jam, mont sassafras, and pickled cabbage.
[gj_gallery]The other dishes were more familiar and there wasn’t a bad bite all night.
The cocktails from Liquid Catering and Jolie Folle rosé were pouring while the Erika Berg Collective got the crowd moving to top 40 covers from every era.
