Finally, A Restaurant that Keeps Improving

[Click any of these photos for a full-sized view.]

We’ve all had the experience. A new restaurant opens nearby. We drop in for a meal. It’s Terrific! Nothing like it around. A welcome addition to the neighborhood. Great food; great service. Dining areas, parking lot, and even the restrooms all perfect. A new “great find.”

Months pass. Sometimes six. Sometimes as few as two. This “latest and greatest find” now isn’t quite what it used to be. Usually, the condition of the facility is the first to go. Not as neat and clean as it used to be. Then the service takes a hit. Finally, the once-legendary kitchen no longer produces those terrific dishes. Few survive.

Well, here’s one restaurant that’s only gotten better since the Allens, Carol, Kelly, and their dedicated crew, opened the doors in April 2008. Every month, it seems, brings a change. A new must-try dish on the menu; new blends of tea, perfectly brewed; a whole new look for the downstairs Café or upstairs Tea Room. That’s over seven years of improvement!

My wife and I have been enjoying lunch, tea, and even high tea, here since early 2009. We drive up from Columbia every chance we get, and we’ve yet to be disappointed.

After visiting for more than three years I mustered the courage to ask Carol Allen to sit for a CarolinaConsidered interview. She finally agreed. Click here for a listen and more photos. Carol explains the origins of the Tea Room and gives a few hints of her plans for its future.

Laura’s Tea Room has a new website. If you haven’t visited for a while go on over to www.LaurasTeaRoom.com for a look around. Julie Buffington has done a great job. Maybe I can persuade her to redo the CarolinaConsidered website one of these days.

Oh, and next time you visit the Tea Room be sure to add your e-mail to Carol’s list. Her posts are a great way to start your day. And, she provides up-to-the-minute news about Tea Room happenings. Including sales! There must be some way to sign up electronically, but I couldn’t find it.

So, there you have it. Finally, a restaurant that actually improves over time. In Ridgeway, South Carolina! 

Walking back up Palmer Street to the truck during our last visit I snapped the photo above. That’s in front of Emma and Lillie’s Cottage Goods. One of Ridgeway’s newest businesses. What a place! You’ll have to stop. 

Mountain Laurel at Keowee Toxaway State Park in SC

This afternoon I took a walk along the Natural Bridge Trail here at Keowee-Toxaway State Park. To see the blooming mountain laurel. What a sight!

Here's a short video:

https://youtu.be/5soZzfBK_So

High Tea at Laura’s Tea Room, Ridgeway SC

Last week we had High Tea at Laura’s Tea Room in Ridgeway, South Carolina. Yes, “high tea” at Laura’s Tea Room deserves capital letters. It’s a remarkable experience. We visit Laura’s Tea Room in Ridgeway fairly often. But usually time permits only soup and a sandwich at the downstairs cafe. While that’s well worth a drive to Ridgeway, High Tea upstairs is nothing short of spectacular.

So, schedules cleared and reservations secured, up the stairs we went to the impressive second floor tea room proper. My wife selected a hat and sat down to chat with a special tearoom guest while we waited for our table. We’ve met her here before, but have been asked not to mention names …..
On Wednesday Carol Allen and her crackerjack staff provided a special menu. You can see it here on the right. Chuck full of goodies. Click the small image to open it into a more readable size.
Can you imagine? “Cherry green iced tea”? I couldn’t. Fortunately my wife -- she of more eclectic taste -- gave it a try and encouraged me. Well! It was good. More than good, really. A perfect beginning for this special meal.
Now, if “Spring Cherry Green Iced Tea” hasn’t surprised you, check the “Pot of Mango Chili Tea” just below it. Mango Chili? Oh my. I had a cup. But Junko finished the rest. Even said she enjoyed it.
Now, I’m no fanatical consumer of salads. They’re fine. Usually. I’ll eat them when served. But mostly to be polite. All the while looking forward to more substantial offerings. Most sit-down-type restaurants start you off with some sort of salad. Ho hum.
Well, if you share my indifference to any dish that requires a “salad” label, click on the photo above. take a close look at the salad Laura’s Tea Room serves with High Tea. This was really good. The lettuce was fresh. Seriously fresh. As was everything else! So, when you go for High Tea, don’t ignore, or just pick at, the salad. It’s part of the experience.

Same with the soup. Perfect flavor. I can’t imagine that any part of that cup of soup ever saw the inside of a can. It sure didn’t taste like what I was raised on.
All of this leads up to the Main Event: Savories and Sweets. They’re listed on the menu above. Too many to summarize here. All sorts of things.

You have to see it – and taste it – to believe it. Nothing there from a box. All prepared right in the Tea Room kitchen downstairs the night and morning before.
So, there you have it. If a confirmed meat-and-potatoes fellow like me can look forward to High Tea at Laura’s Tea Room it will suit anybody.
Sometimes it’s possible to get in for High Tea without a reservation, but not usually. Call ahead and let the staff know how many will be in your party.
Reservations are at 803-337-8594. And visit the Tea Room Facebook page by clicking here. Carol keeps it up to date.
Enjoy!

Hagood Mill Historic Site, Pickens, South Carolina

Driving around Pickens County yesterday, gathering background material for the third novel in the Ray Raether and Samantha RV Travel Mystery series, I came across the Hagood Mill Historic Site, just three miles north of the Town of Pickens. Don't know why I haven't been here before.

Prominent Pickens citizen James E. Hagood bought this property in 1825, and rebuilt this mill twenty years later. The wheel you see here is all wood, and operational. In fact, the Pickens Historical Society still grinds corn here one day a month.

There's much more here to see than the mill. The Historical Society volunteers provide all sorts of demonstrations. Even music! Click the link below for their Facebook page. More photos and news of upcoming events.

 https://m.facebook.com/HagoodMill?_rdr

And here for their newly designed website.

Pickens County Historical Society

When you visit be sure to take time to see this collection of millstones. Remarkable.

Sadlers Creek State Natural Area Day 2

Sadlers Creek State Natural Area yesterday was at its peak. The combination of autumn leaf color, beautifully maintained grounds and trails, and weather in the sunny low 70s, was irresistible. I had to spend most of the day roaming the Park. Watch your speed here. The roads are fine. But the deer are plentiful. They cross the roads when the mood strikes them.

Park Office and Recreation Area

Be sure not to miss the Park office and recreation area. Something here for everyone, plus a grand view of the Lake. This building is one of the best venues in the whole Park system for anything from a family reunion to a corporate strategy meeting. Folks even hold weddings here.

Take a closer look at that photo. Yup, a wood paneled restroom! And that's the real thing, not big-box-store paneling. Only at Sadlers Creek! Bath houses and restrooms throughout this Park, by the way, are spotless. Don't know how they do it.

Back to the campsite for a late lunch after hours of wandering through this beautiful lakeside Park. Be sure to bring plenty of food when you visit since you won't want to take time out to go to the store.

The sun goes down early at this time of year. Good time to walk down to the lake shore.

A Visit to Healing Springs in Blackville, SC

Healing Springs north of Blackville, South Carolina, just east of Route 3, is a remarkable place. In several respects. Don’t know about you, but this is the first piece of real estate I’ve come across that has been deeded to God.
Second, Healing Springs offers its remarkably pure water to any and all free of charge. Just drive up with a few empty gallon jugs. I don’t know who maintains the site. But there wasn’t a shred of trash when I visited. And the parking lot was busy! Car after car. Good to see.
Third, whoever’s responsible for the site has avoided the temptation to tart the place up. It remains simple and functional. Visitors have the sense they’re getting water from a spring in the woods. That’s nice. Well worth the visit.
Here’s a short video introduction. Enjoy.

Should your browser fail to play the video, click here to go directly to YouTube.

Cabin "Camping" at Barnwell State Park South Carolina

Barnwell State Park, SC, Cabin No. 4

http://youtu.be/mhXq2uGNphY

Efforts to repair a twisted ankle have kept me close to home and local medical folks for the past few weeks. No camping! (No blog posts either. Sorry about that.)

Well, how long can that go on before camping - - even easy RV camping - - is one of those activities with only a past? Something had to be done.

The solution was cabin "camping." That is, renting one of the Park System's fancy cabins rather than bringing along the Aliner. Lots easier on the ankle.

Barnwell State Park has some of the nicest cabins in the system, so I made a reservation. A new experience!

I've included a short video describing the cabin. Hope it posts properly.

All going well. The cabin has everything needed to sustain life other than food and toiletries. Even filters for the coffee maker! And it is spic and span, or was when I arrived anyway.

Great place to slog through manuscript copy editing. I'm nearly done with the second book in the South Carolina RV Travel Mystery series. This one, "Death Long Long Ago," is shorter and hopefully better than the first. Stay tuned.

 Click for video  

A New Disc Golf Course at Chester State Park, South Carolina

Yes, I know. Yet another article about Chester State Park. Well, it can’t be helped. This remarkable State Park, only an hour’s drive from Columbia, SC, just opened the South Carolina State Park System’s first disc golf course. Click the photo above for a larger view of the picture of the course taken from the new brochure.

 Click here if your browser doesn’t play nicely with the video embedded above.

Last year Park Manager John Wells told me he planned to build this course. I was polite, but skeptical. The area he’d selected for the course was beautiful. Right next to the lake. But it was dense forest. Difficult to hike through, let alone play disc golf. Further, golf courses, disc or otherwise, require a lot of funding and person-hours to build. Both funds and personnel are quite limited at Chester State Park. They’ve got enough to do already, and little enough to do it with.

Well, it’s happened. Trees, brush, brambles, and vines have been cleared. Fairways have been smoothed; concrete pads installed at each tee. And most important, disc golf targets erected. True to the design of Innova’s champion course designer, Russell Schwarz.

If you don’t see the video, click here for the YouTube iteration.

Have a look at the video above if you’re new to disc golf. Park Manager Wells introduces the game.

Chester State Park  now actually has two courses. One a professional-level eighteen-hole course; the other a nine-hole beginner’s course. So aspiring players of any skill level or age can play comfortably.

If you don’t see the video, click here for the YouTube iteration.

Little in the way of equipment or clothing is required. Just pay the $2.00 Park entrance fee (cheaper for seniors!), rent three discs at the office for $5.00, and you’re in business. You can play all day! No tee times to worry about. No fancy equipment or clothing.

Again, if your browser has difficulty with the embedded video above, click here for direct access to the YouTube site.

In this final video Park Manager Wells describes the new course and its relationship to Chester State Park in more detail. This is some accomplishment. Congratulations John and Brandon.

You’ll find more information about disc golf at the website of the Professional Disc Golf Association here. And at the Innova Disc Golf corporate website here.

www.CarolinaConsidered.com

Sakura: Genuine Sushi in Columbia, South Carolina

Any U.S. resident readers longing for real sushi, the kind you ate while living in Japan, can visit Columbia, South Carolina for a plate or two of the real thing. Yes, that’s “Columbia, South Carolina”!
 
Our family found a few such restaurants when we lived in Washington, D.C. But the good ones were enormously expensive, and usually packed to the eaves with the expense account crowd. So, most of our sushi eating was done during frequent trips to Japan.

When we moved to Columbia in 1986 we didn’t even think about finding a sushi restaurant. Who could imagine going to Columbia, South Carolina for real sushi? I mean!

Well, we were wrong. Not long after our arrival, a USC colleague invited me to a newly opened Japanese restaurant he said was the real thing. He was right. Sakura served sushi every bit as good as that served by the best restaurants in Washington, D.C., or in Tokyo, for that matter. And at a fraction of the price. What a deal! Tokyo sushi at Columbia, South Carolina prices. Now, you can’t beat that with a stick.

Sakura is centrally located, right across from the Forest Acres shopping center, with its Starbucks, Fresh Market, Chipotle, and so on. But not so easy to find since it’s back behind the First Citizens Bank and Coplon’s. Here’s a short video that may help.

And here’s a link to the YouTube iteration if the embedded video above doesn’t display properly in your browser. Click here.

Once inside, you’ll find a relatively small and inviting restaurant. In fact, here’s a “maneki neko,” or beckoning cat, welcoming you from the counter.

Seating is either at the counter or at one of the dozen or so tables.

The quality of sushi at any Japanese restaurant depends on the skill and dedication of the master chef. Genuine sushi chefs, traditionally trained, are increasingly scarce even in Japan, let alone in the United States. So we’re fortunate here in Columbia to have Mr. Norio Saito. Here’s a short video that introduces him.

Again, click here if your browser doesn’t properly display the embedded video.

As he explains in the video, Mr. Saito has unusual training. He began making sushi at a “kaiten zushi” restaurant in the early 1980s. “Kaiten” here means literally “conveyor belt.” And that’s how sushi is served in such restaurants. Servings are prepared quickly, put on individual plates, and sent to customers along a constantly moving conveyor belt. Customers select what they want and pay according to the number of plates stacked beside them at the end of their meal. You can imagine the pressure to produce acceptable servings quickly.

After several years’ training at “kaiten zushi,” Mr. Saito moved to New York to study under a traditional master sushi chef for two years. There he learned to make what he calls “more serious” sushi before coming to Columbia in 1986.

The YouTube link if you need it.

The benefit of this intensive training and more than thirty years’ experience is what we get when we order sushi today at Sakura. It’s incredible!

During the interview I asked Mr. Saito how many kinds of fish he offers as sushi. He thought a moment, said it all depends on the season and freshness, and then replied that there are so many he couldn’t tell. Keep in mind, each kind of fish has its own selection criteria and preparation method. No wonder it takes so long to become a real sushi chef!

So there you have it. The Sakura Restaurant in Columbia, South Carolina. Open every day of the week but Sunday for lunch and dinner. You can’t do better than this without traveling to Japan!

The 2013 South Carolina State Fair: Part 2

Back at the South Carolina State Fair. Click here for Part 1 of this visit to the Fair if you missed it first time around.

I’m using a new program to create short YouTube videos from video clips and photos. Sound too! PhotoStage Slideshow Pro. These shareware programs get better every year. However, they also become more complex. So it takes some time to become proficient. Bear with me, please …. The clips this program produces will play full-screen on your desktop if you view them on the YouTube website.

There was so much to see this year at the State Fair I had to go back for a second day. And then only got to see a fraction of the exhibits.

Farmer Bob came by, driving “Johnny,” his beloved 1949 John Deere Model MT tractor. At least one faithful reader of this blog collects antique tractors. So, click here for everything you ever wanted to know about this ‘49 John Deere.

Farmer Bob and Johnny

Video doesn’t display properly? Click here.

The Cantey Building, not far from the rear entrance on the right, houses many of the exhibits related to agriculture. It’s another must-see. Air conditioned too! Here’s a link to the Fair’s on-line history that describes the importance of agriculture in developing state and county fairs. Wouldn’t have happened without agriculture! At least, not in this form.

The Cantey Building

Video doesn’t display properly? Click here.

The Ellison Building, just across the way from Cantey, has air conditioning too. Here you’ll find many of the more spectacular exhibits of flowers. And an enormous sand sculpture. These folks take their flowers seriously. I’ve never seen such an impressive display of orchids. Kids will find plenty to amuse them here as well. Have a look.

The Ellison Building Displays

Video doesn’t display properly? Click here.

So there you have it. Or a glimpse of it, anyway. The 2013 South Carolina State Fair. Something for everyone to enjoy. I recommend it for folks of all ages.

Stay tuned to this channel because next time we’ll visit a Japanese restaurant that’s become an institution here in Columbia, South Carolina.

The 2013 South Carolina State Fair: Part 1

Last week for the first time in years I was able to attend the South Carolina State Fair. For two days, in fact. What a treat! Somehow, the organizers manage to provide a comfortable environment for all ages, from little ones in strollers to old geezers like me. Below are some photos and videos from the visit.

Arrival in the Free Parking Area

Click here to view the video on YouTube if your browser doesn’t display it properly

There were so many photo and video opportunities I’ve had to combine them into YouTube videos. Click on the arrow in the photo above to watch and listen. You can play the video full-screen by clicking the icon in the lower right-hand corner, just to the right of the YouTube logo. Seniors get in for $7.00. Not a bad price for a day’s entertainment.

But this Fair isn’t all about seniors. Kids of all ages seemed to be having the most fun. Here are a few of the rides intended for the stroller set and a bit older.

Rides for the Stroller Set and a bit older

Video doesn’t display properly? Click here.

Rides of the spinning slingshot variety, intended for older children and young adults, were in another section altogether. I didn’t make it over there.

If you don’t have time to see anything else, be sure to visit the barns where cattle and smaller animals are displayed. 4H and FFA are active in high schools throughout the State. Great training for young people. Here are some scenes.

Some animals exhibited at the South Carolina State Fair

Video doesn’t display properly? Click here.

Stay tuned for some more scenes from the South Carolina State Fair. I enjoyed the visits. Great way to procrastinate from writing the second novel in the Dr. Ray Raether and Samantha RV travel mystery series. Better get back at it!

Click here for the second post on the 2013 South Carolina State Fair.

"Death, Lonely and Peculiar," 

A Dr. Ray Raether South Carolina Travel Mystery.

http://www.carolinaconsidered.com/books.html