Mimi's Japanese Steakhouse: Simpsonville, SC

I had been to MiMi's in Simpsonville once before, but it had been about a year. I had only good memories of it on that occasion, so when it was time for a girls night out and MiMi's came up as an option for dinner, I was all about it.

The girls and I went on a Friday night around 5:15 and we were able to walk right in a get seated at the next open station. Since I have been there last, they have expanded into the area next door, only with tables and not Hibachi stations. It can get busy, so this is a good option for those who want Hibachi style food (or sushi) without waiting for a personal chef. We waited only a few minutes and had another couple join our station and then our chef for the evening arrived.

If you have never done Hibachi, it is a fun experience. The chefs play to the crowd and make different creations with the food (onion volcano, flaming angel, etc) and even cook some shrimp up ahead of time and toss it to each person and see if they can catch it in their mouth. They get folks involved in the experience and that is what makes it so fun. I mean honestly, when a chef butterflies and cooks a shrimp and then bounces it around with a spatula while singing, "I like to move it, move it"...who can help but laugh???

With your meal you get a bowl of soup (basic broth), a salad with your choice of ginger, creamy or vinaigrette dressing, hibachi style vegetables, fried rice and then whatever meat you order (choices of chicken, steak, shrimp, scallops or a combination of 2 or 3).

I ordered a combo of steak and shrimp shown below). As you can see, my plate is completely stuffed full of delicious food. This was the first time I had ordered steak (a NY strip cut) and I can say that I won't do that again. It was decent, but quite fatty in my opinion. I will stick to shrimp or perhaps add scallops as I did previously. I have not tried the chicken but would like to do that on my next trip, just to see how it is.

The veggies are amazing...broccoli, onion, squash, zucchini, carrots, peas. The rice is nice as well. They toss, turn, spin and have fun with the eggs right in front of you during the creation of this delicious fried rice.

Although the food is good, most of Hibachi is about the experience. It is fun to interact with the chef and the others at your station. The more you are involved, the more fun it will be. If you like this sort of food and like to be social, I definitely recommend MiMi's. If you aren't so social, I still recommend it as they now have tables that aren't at Hibachi stations. And they have Sushi and other Asian fare to satisfy your tastes. The service is good, the food is good...it is a fun atmosphere. What more could you want???

Cantinflas Restaurant and Bar: Downtown Greenville, SC

As one of the more noticeable restaurants on Main Street in Downtown Greenville, we have often been curious about Cantinflas. We typically love Mexican and Tex-Mex style foods, so when a Groupon offer for this place came along, we snatched it up. All I can say...is I am glad I had the Groupon and I am only sorry that I wasted the $15 on that to pay for this meal.

The staff was friendly, I will give them that. And at first impression, I thought this was going to be a good experience. They accommodated our family with whatever table we wanted (we had a stroller) and were eager to help and serve us. They brought us a basket of chips and 2 bowls of salsa almost immediately. The chips were cool...whole tortillas and therefore big giant circles which the kids thought were awesome. Too bad they were not fresh and therefore what I would consider to be stale. The salsa was very liquid...and had the frappe type bubbles you can only get from having just removed the contents from the blender. Some folks like this, but I prefer a chunkier, more pico-de-gallo type of fresh salsa.

We ordered a bowl of the fresh guacamole because for one, we love it. And for two, they are supposed to have some good guac. I was utterly disappointed with it. To me, guac should be nothing but fresh avocado, tomato, cilantro, onion and jalepeno with lime juice and a bit of salt. This had the one thing I loathe about most store-bought and pre-packaged guacamole mixes. It had the taste, texture and look of having mayonnaise in it. I can't be sure because I didn't ask, but there was something extra beyond the main fresh ingredients that just didn't sit right with me. I almost couldn't eat it.

The hubby ordered a bowl of the tortilla soup...which again was almost inedible due to the dry and stringy chicken. The broth was ok, but lacked spice and flavor. I got a simple chicken quesedilla which, as you can see, had no fixin's along with it. No lettuce, no sour cream, no pico...no nothing. Just chicken (the same dried out and stringy chicken as was in the tortilla soup) and cheese. Only this wasn't normal melted cheese. It was almost like a cheese paste...and with each bite it felt like the cheese was gooier and stuck to my mouth more and more. It was a texture and a feeling I could not stomach and therefore only ate about 5 bites. It was salty and gooey (in a bad way) and just not something I could eat. As for their sour cream (if my quesedilla had been served with some), I wouldn't have eaten it. We asked for some for our kids' quesedillas and we got small cups of what appeared to be thick milk. Gross!!!

Bottom line: I will not go back and as I said earlier...I am only sorry I paid $15 to Groupon for this horrendous meal. Even a very "American" Carolina Ale House can make better quesedillas.

Original Benjamin's Calabash: Myrtle Beach, SC

So we have been to Myrtle beach several times and it is hard not to notice the plethora of "calabash" seafood buffet joints. I'm not typically a buffet-lover, but this time around we had my brother and his family in town and my preferences went out the window. They decided on the Original Benjamin's because is it supposedly the original calabash joint and the best in the area.

We had 4 small children with us (6 and under) so we decided to head out early thinking we'd beat the crowds. We got there sometime around 4:30 p.m. and already we had to park in the overflow parking lot. I was slightly nervous that this may be an all-evening event. They have an old pirate at the door greeting people and they give little mardi gras type bead necklaces to all of the kids. Kind of a fun touch for the little ones. Inside as you wait in line, there is a huge replica of the Queen Elizabeth II which is somewhat interesting to check out. Once you make your way through the initial hallway they take your info and hand you a buzzer. Yes...we were already on a wait at 4:30 in the afternoon mid-week. But, they do have a bar just for those waiting and they also have a huge children's area downstairs where they can play and dress up like sailors and swab the deck of a small boat and do puzzles and read books about the ocean and fish and sailors, etc. It's a nice way to keep them occupied.

Our wait was only about 15 minutes, and I was shocked it was so short considering the amount of people in that joint. Then again, we did get a coupon signed by our hotel's concierge that not only saved us $2 per person (regular price is $30 each), but also gave us VIP seating. I believe the party behind us waited nearly 45 minutes and was probably not seated as close to the buffet as we were. The place is huge and there are multi-levels and numerous rooms...all of which feed into one large central buffet area. One huge problem...for the hundreds of people they service...there is only ONE bathroom. And the women's bathroom that I, as a mom, typically frequent several times throughout the course of a dinner, only had 5 stalls. There were a couple trips that I waited in line (out the door into the buffet area) for nearly 15 minutes. Crazy!!!

Anyway...on to the food. There were several areas in the buffet room, one line being the calabash line with your lightly breaded and fried items. There was a main entree line with a pasta bar, beef roast, soups and more. There were lines with side dishes and a salad bar and a dessert line also. The lines got really quite long at some point and there were things I wanted to check out or try but simply didn't bother because I didn't want to wait 15 minutes to get it. In fact, the only reason I got any crab legs was because my awesome husband grabbed me 2 extra claws while I was waiting in line with daughter #2 at the bathroom for 15 minutes. I never did make it through the calabash line. I had looked all over the salad bar for fruit for my kids as that is the one thing I know they will eat. All they had was a canned tropical mix which didn't go over well. Ironically when things were winding down for us and we went through the dessert line...I happened to spot the cantaloupe, grapes and watermelon. Nice. Not sure why those things are considered dessert, but I was completely disappointed I hadn't known they were there sooner.

For those who like buffets, this place is a dream come true. They have so many foods to offer it is almost overwhelming. It is not the place for those who dislike crowds, those who have bladder control issues (see comments about bathrooms) and also not for those who are dining with small, impatient children. Don't get me wrong...they try to please the little ones. But, from start to finish, I believe our calabash adventure was nearly 3 hours long. By the end of it...everyone was in meltdown-mode. The food was OK...but it was buffet food. By that I mean mass produced quickly without care for quality or detail. That kind of thing just doesn't do it for me. I will say the nice thing about it being such a busy place is that things are always hot and always being replenished which is more than I can say for other buffet joints.

Let's face it...when in Myrtle Beach...calabash is something you need to try at least once. I wasn't necessarily unimpressed with Benjamin's (well, except for the fact that their handicapped parking spots outnumber the bathroom stalls) but I'm not much for buffets to begin with. They do a great job making people comfortable...even while they wait for a table. They have numerous options for food so everyone can find what they like. The staff are friendly and helpful. And they do their best to accommodate the mass amounts of people they feed as quickly as possible.

My recommendation: try it...at least once. Just be sure that when you go...you A) get a coupon from your hotel that specifies VIP seating and you B) are not in a hurry or an impatient mood! It will take some time and you will need to wait in lines. But hey...good things come to those who wait, right?

Bimini's Oyster Bar and Seafood Cafe: Greenville, SC

Shortly after hearing about one of Myrtle Beaches most loved oyster bars opening a second location in the Upstate, I knew that I had to try it out first hand. The family and I headed over on a Saturday afternoon to the new restaurant that apparently is just off 385 and Haywood Road. Well, it isn't. It is tucked way back into some residential/office condos area and is very difficult to locate if you are not from around here. The parking lot was empty when we arrived shortly after the noon hour and we weren't even sure if they were open, but we proceeded to find out and sure enough, they were with a staff of two on hand. It was such a beautiful day out that we opted to sit out on the very nice deck they offer. This is about where all of the wonderful/nice things end.

Having never been to the original location in Myrtle because we are loyal to the Noisy Oyster and Duffy's, I was almost as excited as I ever have been to try this place out being only 15 minutes from home. I love fresh oysters almost more than any other food, but I am very picky about my oysters (as one should be). After a quick glance at the menu, I knew I wanted to start off the meal with an oyster shooter. Being plastered all over the place as "World Famous" oyster shooters for only $1.50 I figured I would start with one. Upon ordering my "World Famous" shooter, I asked our server what makes them so "World Famous". His response, "People like them". Obviously if you read this blog ever, you know my take on when someone calls something "World Famous" or "The Best in the World" they usually are not in my opinion. No one ever has anything to back up the false advertising statement and they usually fall flat on their feet. That all being said, this thing sucked ass. It was served in warm beer with an oyster and a jalapeno slice with some hot sauce. Apparently what also makes Bimini's shooters so famous (besides people like them), the server shakes it up for you upon delivering it. Well, I hope my server washed his hands before he did so as he just placed his bare hand on top of the shot glass and smashed it on the table. To top things off, I found myself chewing and chewing and chewing on the oyster that was in the warm beer for what seemed to be a very long time. It was one of the worst oyster shooters I have ever had and also the first one I have ever had served in beer and not some sort of clear hard liquor. Unfortunately by this time, I had already placed my food order.

The photo above was my first course, as recommended by our server, Tuna Chili. According to our server, they go through gallons upon gallons of this stuff and everyone loves it. Well let me be the first one to say, "I hated every bite of it". Just the pure presentation of this bowl made me think thoughts that one should not think about right before they are about to eat something. It had a horrible texture and the flavor was so fishy that I could only bear to eat about 5 bites and I had all I could take of this dish.

My main course, also again recommended by our server, half dozen Oysters Rockefeller. As you can see, they do not go light on the spinach. Not always a bad thing, but again, not always a good thing either. If spinach is not properly cooked and seasoned or fresh, it is no good. Urban legend says that reheated cooked spinach can in some cases cause death. Well, I'm still alive and I'm almost positive that this was reheated spinach. The oysters were fairly large, but again were chewy. Also tucked under that melted cheese and bread crumbs was more bad spinach. $10 wasted on something that I considered to be completely inedible.

The wife kept is simple as she really wasn't feeling this place from the moment we walked in and went with your basic Caesar Salad and an order of Southwest Shrimp Egg Rolls with Avocado Ranch. Simple enough, but somehow they were nothing special. I think they forgot to order the frozen shrimp egg rolls and instead ordered the Southwest egg rolls from their food supplier. Not one single piece of shrimp was to be found. She was able to eat two pieces before she just gave up and I upon further inspection could not find any shrimp either.

I know that everything in a good or bad restaurant experience when it comes to the food is all in what you order, but with Bimini's, I only ordered what was recommended and it wasn't good. Maybe it is my fault for trying a new restaurant out that no one really knows about on a Saturday afternoon, but really, I expected much more. I may have gone into this experience with too high of expectations, but they were quickly shattered. To top it all off, the service was very lacking. After our meal and sitting for about 20 minutes waiting for our bill I finally had to walk into the restaurant to track down our server and then when it came time to actually pay, I waited another 10 minutes for my credit card to be picked up that I again had to proceed to the bar area inside to finally pay.

Bottom Line: I hope that my visit was just an isolated instance as I truly would like to see them turn it around on the quality of the food they are serving. Apparently they know what they are doing if they have been in business since 1985 in Myrtle Beach. I think they just need to spend a little more time and attention to the finer details on the new location and properly train the staff (mainly the cooks) that are working the slow shifts. Focus on the quality and please do not serve day old, reheated tuna chili anymore.

The Cazbah: Greenville, SC

The hubby and I left the kids with Grandma for a night and headed to downtown Greenville. We had heard great things about the Cazbah and we love to try lots of new things and share and compare, so the tapas bar theme was right up our alley. Just around the corner from Main Street, this little joint is only slightly off the beaten path, but nevertheless just that half-a-block makes it that much more difficult to spot. It is a tiny building and not very boldly marked which doesn't help either. The entry is very narrow with a host stand right in front of you. It does open up a bit but there are still only about 6 tables and the bar in the main area with a small private room in the corner. There is an upstairs, but there was a private party going on the day we were there, so we didn't get to check it out.

For being touted as one of the classier joints in the Greenville area, I have to say the appearance of the staff was anything but. Grizzly Adams-like facial hair, untucked shirts with beer bellies hanging out, basic black t-shirts you'd find at the Gap...not what I would have expected to find and an upscale restaurant. Not to mention the staff that evening (cooks, servers, bartenders) were all young 20-something males who were more concerned with carrying on their own conversation about girls and parties and sports than taking care of their customers. There was only one server...the only female in the place...that acted, spoke and was dressed to the standard of what I expect at a place like that and she happened to be helping the party upstairs. My husband and I kept wondering why on earth she would work there and put up with the belching brotherhood. Some things I will never understand...

As for the food...I have mixed reviews. Above you see the Lobster Cigars (lobster, cream cheese, and spices) which are served with a teriyaki glaze. The price is $6.95 for TWO. Yes...only TWO. We added an additional two for $2.95 a piece. They were decent...but honestly there was hardly a recognizable size chunk of lobster to be tasted. For about $3 a piece...that thing better be filled with lobster! Instead we realized we'd spent nearly $13 on four "glorified" cream cheese wontons.Very disappointed.

Above is pictured the Maine Taters which are apparently "back by popular demand." Not sure who the "populars" are that "demanded" these back on the menu, but I wasn't impressed. Yukon Gold smashed potatoes topped with Maine Lobster and Asiago cheese. Sound like it should be good, right? What I tasted: dry potatoes with little to no flavor and only one Lobster claw to share with maybe 3-4 shreds of cheese on top. That one only runs you $4.95 so is one of the more economical choices, but again...the flavor just wasn't there.

Next up we tried the Lobster Ravioli. I was nervous as the Lobster so far in every dish we tried was nearly nonexistent. The menu describes this as Pasta stuffed with succulent lobster, cream cheese and pecans. Served with a parmesan cream sauce. The sauce was decent but there were only 3 raviolis in this dish, all of which were essentially empty, deflated sacks. No lobster present and hardly any cream cheese. For $7.50...I can go to Olive Garden and get more and better tasting ravioli!!

Finally we tried the Fusion Tuna Tartar described as Sashimi grade yellowfin tuna diced in a blend of avocado, coconut milk, toasted sesame seeds, fresh ginger, cilantro, chilies, lime juice and seasoned with soy sauce. Served on top crostini bread. Freakin’ delicious! All I can say is: Freakin' NOT!!! Again, only 3 on the plate, burnt crostini and a ceviche mix made with over-ripe avocado, maybe 1oz. of tuna total and the juice of about 50 limes for that added bit of pucker (sense the sarcasm). That disappointment set us back nearly $9.

To each their own...some people would really like this place. The ingredients were fresh so I give them that. But I still found the flavors to be really off-balance and the supposed key ingredients to be lacking on all of the dishes we tried. And I found everything to be extremely overpriced based on what we actually got. If the dish was served as the menu led me to believe it would be, I would have been happy. But when you tout succulent Lobster and Sashimi Grade tuna...you better deliver. And in my opinion...they just didn't. I won't be returning and I am grateful that on that particular visit, we had a Groupon. Makes the disappointment that much more bearable.

P. Simpson's Hometown Grille: Simpsonville, SC

P. Simpson's Hometown Grille, where to begin. I have been putting off this write-up for over a month in order for me to drop in again and get a better feel and overall more complete understanding on what this place is. First impressions are a high-end dining establishment located in a strip-mall in downtown Simpsonville. Southern comfort food presented with fresh quality ingredients with a little bit of an identity issue with a small plate offering that really is just a way for them to refer to the appetizer/salad menu (it is no Tapas bar).

I went ahead and made reservations via Opentable.com since they were one of the 1,000 dining rewards restaurants, BIG mistake. I didn't even realize that my opentable account and strugglinghomebrewer.com are linked together thus making a reservation at 5:30 on a weeknight and being the only people in the restaurant. Needless to say, service was excellent, maybe too excellent to the point where we were uncomfortable. Our main server did a fine job all on his own making sure we were taken care of and all, but then they threw in a second server to check on us in-between of our regular server. Then we also had the owner trying to take care of us as well. It was almost to the point where we interacted more with the staff and owner of the restaurant more than I was able to enjoy my family and my meal. Needless to say, this is why I needed to go back and experience things at a different time and setting before I could write this.

All of that aside, let’s talk about the food. After several trips to P. Simpson's, I have learned one thing (and this is just my opinion) on this fine local restaurant who I believe is a huge contributor to the wonderful community of Simpsonville, stick with the small plates! What you see above is probably one of the single most desirable appetizers I have ever had. Stuffed Hot Banana Peppers, Italian Sausage, Roasted Tomato Sauce, Parmesan Cheese...8. You get two whole banana peppers each stuffed with an Italian sausage that the owner has shipped in fresh from his hometown in Ohio somewhere. The tomato sauce, not sure if it is homemade or not, but it has such wonderful sweet flavor and compliments the pepper and sausage well. This dish is absolutely to die for and one that I constantly rave about to others. Sit at the bar, have a cocktail, and order this dish.

On our first, uncomfortable visit with the entire family, we each ordered entrees. I went with Ava Jane’s Shrimp and Grits, Country Ham Crème Sauce, Blackened Shrimp, Fresh Tomato and Spinach Grits…17. The wife went with “3 Generations” Angus Sirloin, Hand Cut Aged “Certified Angus, Fresh Vegetables, Roasted Red Potatoes, and Sautéed Mushrooms…16. I see a ton of reviews about how overpriced this place is etc... But I'll be honest; it really isn't overpriced at all. I can see it both ways just from firsthand experience, but if they were putting out the quality of food they say they are, then this place is a bargain and you would pay, in some cases, twice as much downtown for the exact same meal. My shrimp and grits had plenty of room for improvement, mostly in the shrimp, but overall the dish was wonderful.

Here is where the value could possibly be critiqued a little, the shrimp used were maybe a 35-40 count in size and were way overcooked by the time it arrived to the table. Now instead of putting a dozen or so tiny shrimp where you lose all control over quality in the preparation, I would have preferred to see 4 or so much larger shrimp where you can control the cooking quality much easier and present a much higher quality dish, but again, this is just personal preference. The wife's steak wasn't anything special, but it wasn't bad either. The presentation was a little sloppy at best, but overall a quality cut sirloin that was seasoned properly and cooked perfect to the wife's Medium well.

 As for a family friendly establishment, I was a little nervous going into this place as my perception of the Upstate and higher-end restaurants it offers are not as kid friendly as you would find in other parts of the country. P. Simpson's is not one of those. They are about as kid friendly as Chuck E. Cheese's and that is the honest truth. They bring the kids markers and let them color all over the walls, in every little nook and cranny and the kids just loved every part of it. Overall, it also gives the restaurant a nice feel and very comfortable setting and not the stuck-up environment I was expecting. Lesson learned, don't judge a book by its cover and try out local restaurants even if what you find online scares you away (for example this site, just one man and family's opinion).

Bottom-line, my family and I will be making P. Simpson's a regular stop on our family favorites list of local family owned places, but we will be sticking to the small plates (appetizer) menu. The bar area is as unique in character as the restaurant itself and offers two complete different dining experiences in one restaurant. Take the wife out for Tapas and cocktails and sit in the bar, or take the whole family and friends out for dinner and get a little bit of everything on the small plates menu to share. I know my kids are begging to go back and I will have to cave in again someday, but for now, this place is a favorite for just the wife and I to enjoy some quality time away from the kids.

On a separate note, in an effort in try to increase traffic to our little blog more (we currently average about 7,500-10,000 visitors a month and want to see that double in size next year so we stay motivated to continue doing what we are doing), we created a Facebook page for our readers. In the months ahead, we will be giving away a gift certificate to one of our lucky fans on our Facebook page to this very restaurant. More details to follow, but don't wait and like us on Facebook now!

Your Pie: Greenville, SC - $1 Pizza Birthday Event

I have not been to this particular restaurant before, but I must say that I am extremely excited to try the pie out for myself at this event next week with my family as we celebrate my oldest daughters birthday. Extra bonus, they also serve craft beer (this is what really got my attention). 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

YOUR PIE GREENVILLE CELEBRATES ITS FIRST BIRTHDAY ON 7/12

$1 Pizzas, Dough Throw Competition, & Chance to Win FREE Pizza for a Year

Greenville, South Carolina – July 2nd, 2012 – Your Pie Greenville is excited to celebrate its one-year anniversary on Thursday, July 12th, 2012.    This family-friendly celebration will feature $1 Your Pie pizzas, a dough throw competition and the fresh, high quality ingredients and family atmosphere that the South Carolina Upstate has come to know and love.   The $1 Pizza Anniversary celebration event will take place at 1461 Woodruff Road, Suite E, in Greenville and will begin at 11am and end at 9pm.

In addition to celebrating their one year anniversary by serving up the Greenville area $1 pies, Your Pie will be giving away a year’s worth of free pizza to one lucky Upstate resident. To register for the contest, simply visit facebook.com/YourPieGreenville. If the store reaches 1,000 fans by their one year anniversary, they will randomly select one of their fans to receive FREE Your Pie for a year.

Your Pie Greenville was founded in July 2011 and since that time has become a favorite among families, young professionals and foodies. Over the past year, the restaurant has embraced the Upstate community and has been active supporters of community organizations including the J.L. Mann baseball team and drama club.  One way Your Pie Greenville contributes to the community is through hosting percentage nights. These events are evenings when the store partners with a non-profit and a percentage of sales of people who come in and mention the partner non-profit are donated to the organization.  Your Pie Greenville’s General Manager, Chase Amason and his team have enjoyed helping Greenville Express Their Inner Pizza over the past year and look forward to working with the community and serving up delicious, personalized brick oven pies for years to come.

The Greenville location is open every day from 11am-9pm Sunday through Wednesday and 11am-10pm Thursday through Saturday.  Prices generally range from $6.50-$8.50.  Catering for special events and celebrations are also available.  For more Your Pie Greenville news, updates, and specials visit https://www.facebook.com/yourpiegreenville.