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Several national trends in the food and beverage industry have been establishing a presence in Greenville recently, from cupcake cafes to food trucks. With the opening of Table 301 Restaurant Group’s newest offering in downtown Greenville, gastropubs are coming onto the scene.
Nose Dive opened its doors Feb. 7, in the spot formerly occupied by Restaurant O, and aims to provide customers with comfort pub food made with high-quality ingredients and done by high-quality chefs, according to general manager Justin Garner.
“It’s a place where it doesn’t matter where you’re from, we’ve got some kind of comfort food for you,” Garner said.
The menu also reflects the influence of traditional British pubs and their fare, along with other European flavors. Previously unfamiliar items to Southern palates, such as pierogis and the Scotch egg—a hard-boiled egg cased in homemade sausage and a crispy mix of Panko bread crumbs, celery remoulade and roasted red peppers—have become quick fan favorites, according to Joey Pearson, Nose Dive’s chef de cuisine.
“That has been welcomed with open arms here,” Pearson said of the Scotch egg.
The menu items run the gamut from light to rich, with plenty of options for vegans, vegetarians and those on gluten-free diets. In fact, according to Executive Chef Rodeny Freidank, some of those items—like the edamame bruschetta—are just as popular among meat-eaters as vegetarians.
“We put our own flair, our own flavor into those dishes to make them more exciting,” Friedank said. “Those folks don’t have to feel outcast, they can feel like someone’s welcoming them in.”
Other popular choices include the burger, which can be served with regular or sweet potato fries, or even a salad, all at the same price, and the Banh Mi Sandwich, a Vietnamese dish with slow-marinated pork topped with Vietnamese-style pickled vegetables.
“It’s getting more and more popular,” Friedank said. “It’s really packed full of flavor, and yet it’s still very healthy. It’s a little spicy, a little sweet, and has all those great Asian flavors.”
And that’s just the food.
Nose Dive places no less emphasis on providing quality beverages—from craft beers and rotating taps to great wines to unique cocktails—than it does on its food.
“We knew, based on both national trends and also trends we were seeing in our other restaurants, that there are a lot of people that are getting into craft beer and local beer, and we really wanted to tap into that,” Garner said.
There are half a dozen beers on tap, in an ever-changing rotation. The wine list is extensive without being overwhelming, and, in a change from the other Table 301 restaurants, is categorized by price on the menu instead of by varietal. There is also a wine club—the Sniffer Society—designed to help expose members to great new wines at great deals, Garner said.
Nose Dive’s cocktail list was created with the help of Dallas mixologist Sly Cosmopoulos, and includes some unique offerings such as cocktails where beer is an ingredient.
Enjoy the drinks with your meal at the table, or in the upstairs lounge, which overlooks the restaurant and bar below. Garner said a couple things still in the works for Nose Dive include a late night menu and a Saturday brunch, both of which should make their appearance around mid-March.
For more, check out our photo tour of Nose Dive.
