A sense of place. That’s the secret sauce to a memorable and beloved restaurant. Can you imagine our town without such luminaries as Soby’s, Pita House, OJ’s Diner or Henry’s Smokehouse? Our town just wouldn’t be the same and the absence of any of those four luminaries would leave a hole in the heart of many.
Stephanie Burnette agrees, and we recently sat down at OJ’s for — what else? — fried chicken, and to discuss her new book, “100 Things To Do in Greenville, SC Before You Die.” Her book only lists a couple dozen restaurants and, naturally, OJ’s is one of them.
“I got a phone call from Reedy Press in St. Louis, and they asked me if I’d like to write a book for them. After discussing it with the editors I realized this could be my love letter to Greenville, an opportunity to write about all the places I love,” Burnette said. “Keep in mind that I may have different tastes from you, or someone else that buys this book.”
It’s one woman’s take on her favorite meals, drinks, activities and personalities of Greenville. That woman just so happens to be our town’s most prolific food and travel writer, and she’s written for this newspaper, Eater, Southern Living, and a host of other media outlets in and around the South. When I invited her to OJ’s, she immediately responded: “Fried chicken at OJ’s? Yes!”
Heck, we practically ordered the same thing: fried chicken with macaroni and cheese. We differed on fried okra and collard greens. I got the okra.
“You know what I love about OJ’s?” she asked. “They treat everyone like they’re special.”
That they do. For $15, you can get a great meal with a level of hospitality that lots of white-tablecloth restaurants cannot manage.
Back to her book. Burnette has a few Easter eggs in the book, and good advice on parking.
“I put the Easter eggs in there for our Greenville folks,” she said. “And the parking tips … don’t you want to know where to park whenever you go out to eat? Especially in a new town.”
While chatting, we were offered more tea and some hot sauce for the chicken. Since we both have a New Orleans connection, we opted for Tabasco. I asked her if she was on the other side of the country and was served a particular meal from a Greenville kitchen, would she recognize it?
“Sure,” she said. “This chicken, the beef tartare and chocolate cake from Scoundrel, shrimp and grits from Soby’s. What about you?”
I agreed with those and some dishes from Comal 864, the barbecue sandwich from Henry’s, and most anything Conner Hinderks has made. I then asked her what makes our town so wonderful.
“We are more adorable and hospitable than cutting edge,” Burnette said, “and that’s OK because Greenville is so downright lovely.”
I had to agree.
“City Juice” is a colloquial term for a glass of tap water served at a diner. John Malik is a restaurant and hospitality consultant. He can be reached at chefjohnmalik@gmail.com.
