When he was putting together the menu for the new fast casual Southern-influenced eatery Village Kitchen, Chef Tanner Marino kept it simple.
There are no hard-to-pronounce words, no flowery language to describe menu items. Instead, diners will instead find familiar favorites — a buffalo fried chicken sandwich, an Angus burger, flat bread pizzas, loaded tater tots, salads and more.
“I don’t like to have my menu be too wordy and for people to say, ‘I don’t even know what any of this stuff means.’ No, I want things to be approachable,” Marino said.
But that simplicity belies the careful attention to technique that Marino, formerly chef de cuisine at the acclaimed Devereaux’s, has brought front and center.
“The goal was to take well-known, approachable items and perform a really great version of that, to elevate them in unique ways,” Marino said. “Simple ingredients but with flawless technique.”
Situated inside Hartness, the 44-acre urban village founded by the Hartness family on Greenville’s Eastside, the restaurant is open to both Hartness residents and the general public.
Village Kitchen features a separate breakfast menu of Marino’s takes on familiar breakfast items, such as avocado toast, Southern breakfast plates, parfaits and build-your-own breakfast sandwiches. Coffee will be sourced from Methodical Coffee. A wide selection of fresh pastries — muffins, scones, croissants, cookies and eclairs — are also available.
“We wanted to capture the people in the area who are going to work, grabbing something quick or some nice fresh coffee, but also become a really well-known breakfast spot,” Marino said.
The all-day menu, with Southern-influenced comfort food, will feature familiar sandwiches, salads and shareables, along with multiple flatbread pizzas made in the kitchen’s massive fire oven. A wide selection of wines and beers are also available.
Jonathan Brashier, general manager of Village Kitchen and the forthcoming Hotel Hartness, said the approachability of the concept was meant to cater to all walks of life at all times of the day.
“Whether you are stopping by to grab a coffee and pastry to go, meet over a casual business lunch, have family dinner or spend an evening on our patio with a glass of wine, we are a destination [for that],” he said.
The restaurant will be the first helmed by Marino, with a fine dining restaurant Patterson set to open at Hotel Hartness next year.
Must try dishes
Chicken and waffles with crispy fried chicken, a cornmeal waffle and Red Clay hot honey, all gluten free
Avocado toast with nine-grain bread, in-house avocado spread, Red Clay everything spice, Roma tomato and scallion
“Fig and Pig” flatbread with goat cheese, prosciutto, brown turkey figs, red wine reduction and arugala
