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No matter how many times Dr. Adkins tells me how wrong it is, there’s just something inside me that appreciates a little bread before dinner. And I can’t be the only one, because so many restaurants out there serve up rolls, bread, chips and salsa, and other carbo-licious offerings, either complimentary or off their appetizer menu. Here’s a look at some of the best the Upstate has to offer.
Yeast rolls:
Wade’s Family Restaurant—Wade’s has been serving up its famous yeast rolls to Upstate diners for 60 years. The restaurant’s logo was even designed to resemble the popular rolls. Owner Carole Miller says she believes the key to the rolls’ popularity is in the fact that they’re made by hand. She said they’ve tried using a dough hook to do the grunt work, but it just doesn’t provide the same consistency. So the 3,000 rolls served by Wade’s each day (that's not a typo!) are all kneaded and cut by the restaurant’s workers.
Mini rolls:
Fatz Café—For a tasty miniature version of the roll, it’s hard to beat Fatz Café. Their poppy seed rolls are about the size of hush puppies, and are deep fried, similar to a donut, then served piping hot, with sweet butter. My favorite way to eat one of these little guys is to dip it into the butter, then chomp it down in two bites.
Bread:
Macaroni Grill—Not only is the taste of the bread served here one-of-a-kind, the shape is unique, too. There’s something uniquely satisfying about tearing a hearty chunk from the round loaf of rosemary bread, then swirling it in their olive oil blend before enjoying the flavor.
Butter:
Saskatoon—You probably already knew Saskatoon’s offers a host of exciting menu options, but the adventure begins before your entrée arrives. Saskatoon’s oven-baked bread is served with three different types of butter—regular, blueberry and cinnamon. The regular is, well, regular, but both the blueberry and cinnamon butter have lots of fans.
Breadsticks:
Olive Garden—When it comes to breadsticks, there’s just no beating Olive Garden. So perfectly seasoned and wonderfully moist, it’s nothing at all to consume a whole basket before you even realize what you’ve done. They’re just about as close to irresistible as you can get.
Pita and hummus (for other hummus options, check out our hummus tour):
Pomegranate on Main—Pomegranate offers an array of hummus and other dips that can be eaten in conjunction with their warm toasted pita. Any three of their starters, which include yogurt and eggplant dips in addition to hummus, can be ordered as a trio. Plus, if you prefer, they will bring cucumbers or tomatoes in place of the pita bread.
Dipping blend:
Carrabba’s Italian Grill—Here, it’s all in the herbs. Carrabba’s has an absolutely fabulous way of blending the herbs and olive oil so that they taste heavenly when gracing the heart of a slice of sourdough bread. Rumor has it the recipe includes five different herbs in addition to other seasonings.
Trio—Trio has a bit of a different take on combining bread and cheese. Diners are served French bread along with a dipping blend of olive oil and Parmesan cheese. It’s a yummy combination that whets the palate well for later dishes.
Garlic bread:
Portofino’s Italian Restaurant—Folks who have been to Portofino’s generally rave about the never-ending salad and garlic bread served there. The garlic bread is basically a dinner roll served with garlic butter, but for many diners at Portofino’s they are the main attraction, even more so than the tasty Italian entrees.
Nachos:
Chicora Alley—OK, so it’s not exactly bread, but it’s important to know where to find some good nachos, too, and for a lot of folks in Greenville, that place is Chicora Alley. Here, nachos are served topped with queso, Colby jack cheese, guacamole and jalapeños, along with the array of funky homemade fruit salsas such as mango, peach and honeydew.
Croissants:
California Dreaming—When I was in school in Columbia, my friends and I gravitated to California Dreaming quite often, tempted by the croissants brought to the table upon our arrival. Hot and flaky, drizzled with delicious honey butter, these croissants add a sweet touch to your pre-dinner experience. I have a vague recollection of them being complimentary back in the day; regardless, now they are on the appetizer menu at $4 a plate.
International bread:
Handi Indian Cuisine—Well, it’s not exactly pre-meal, but the Naan bread available with your entrée at Handi is absolutely delicious. It’s a flatbread similar to pita, but leavened, so that it’s a little puffier, and it’s baked in a clay oven, or tandoori. It makes a great complement to almost any dish at Handi, but also tastes pretty good by itself.
Pretzels:
Mellow Mushroom—If you appreciate an interesting shape in addition to good flavor in bread, you’ll enjoy the pretzels available at Mellow Mushroom. The pretzels are technically pizza dough twisted into a pretzel shape, but they’re a popular choice among diners at the pizza joint. They’re available with salt, garlic and Parmesan, or honey and cinnamon. Order them when you first sit down, though, because they take 20 minutes to prepare.
Of course, this list isn't comprehensive, so if we've forgotten your favorite place to get your carb on, let us know in the comments section below.
