Capital City Eatz

Tour Sustainable Family Farms on Very First Midlands Farm Tour
Meet Columbia-area farmers and tour their scenic and sustainable farms

What?: The first-ever Midlands Farm Tour, sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and Whole Foods Market

When?: Saturday and Sunday, April 6-7, 2013 from 1:00-5:00 PM both days

Where?: 10 scenic and sustainable working farms in Richland, Lexington, and Kershaw counties

Who?: Great fun for families, foodies and folks looking to spend a day out in the country learning where their food comes from

Cost?: Tour tickets, good for both days, are $25 per vehicle in advance. Tickets are available for purchase during the tour for $30 or you can also choose to pay $10 per farm (available for purchase at all of the farms during the tour). Groups of cycles count as one vehicle.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.carolinafarmstewards.org/mft/ or at Whole Foods Market or City Roots Farm in Columbia.

More information?: Complete information about the tour and the farms, with interactive maps and driving directions to each farm, plus tour tickets are available at www.carolinafarmstewards.org/mft/. 

The tour, sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and Whole Foods Market, features 10 farms.See lots of cute baby farm animals, including baby chicks, pigs and goats.  Learn how they grow vegetables, fruits, flowers, mushrooms and more without harmful pesticides.  And, teach your children where their food comes from, play fun farm games, and more!

The tour is self-guided. Choose the farms you want to visit on the interactive map or downloadable brochure athttp://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/mft/ to plan your tour. Visit any farm in any order. No pets allowed. The tour is rain or shine.

And, don’t forget to take a cooler so that you can bring home some of the farm fresh products for sale at many farms!

Proceeds from the tour support the work of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.

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Thank you to Whole Foods Market for sponsoring this tour.

EXPERIENCE THE CULINARY CULTURE OF THE SOUTH!

Tickets are now on sale for Lake Carolina’s 10th Annual Wine & Food Festival on Saturday, October 13 from 2pm – 5pm. The festival kicks off at 8:00am with the Wine Glass 10K sponsored by Velocity Distance Project and continues with wine & food tastings in the afternoon.

Lake Carolina’s 10th Annual Wine & Food Festival pairs Columbia’s best culinary chefs with the area’s finest wineries for a mouthwatering afternoon on the Village Green. Festivities include live entertainment, chef demonstrations a Silent Auction and more. Savor the flavors on Saturday, October 13, 2012 from 2-5pm.

Proceeds from the 2012 Wine & Food Festival benefit Children’s Charities of the Midlands, a non-profit corporation formed specifically to raise funds and contributions primarily for the betterment and improvement of the health, welfare and education of children and youth in the South Carolina community.

Visit the website for tickets and information.

BUY TICKETS NOW

THE DETAILS: $30 per ticket, must be 21yrs. of age or older. Includes parking, event entrance, wine tastings and food samplings. $15 per child 12 years and under.
THE WHERE: Lake Carolina Village Green, 100 Lake Carolina Boulevard, Columbia, SC 29229
THE WHEN: Saturday, October 13, 2012 2pm – 5pm
THE HOW: Buy Tickets at www.LakeCarolinaWineandFood.com or at the Lake Carolina Sales Center. To register for the Wine Glass 10K, click here.

Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for Event Promotions, Giveaways and Festival Highlights.

This is a sponsored post.

By: The Hungry Lady

Way back at the end of May, L’s boyfriend came into town for a visit. They had all kinds of fun things planned, but on the Sunday he was here, it was all about food and Game of Thrones.  I’m sure you’ve picked up by now exactly how nerdy my friends and I are, so you should not be surprised that a day long GoT marathon was in order.  But first, we needed sustenance. And L’s boy had to meet the parents. So the friends tagged along to ease the tension.  Where better to go than Motor Supply Co. Bistro.

L has been telling me for years that I needed to go to Motor Supply, but I somehow never made it there.  On this occasion, I was glad I did.  It was an utterly gorgeous day in May, and we were sitting on the patio.  There were 7 of us, so we took up a pretty big table.  We started with a basket of pastries, a round of coffee, and mimosas and bloody marys.

You can read the rest of the Hungry Lady’s post about her experience at Motor Supply Co. here.

By: Rockstar Dad

I knew it was going to be a busy Friday. The day was going to be filled with meetings, article deadlines and The Dark Knight Rises. It may be a busy day, but I knew it was going to be fun. I was taking the Groupie Wife and little Roadies across the dam into Lexington to visit Jamestown Coffee.

One of the great things about being a foodie is getting to eat for free. James, owner of Jamestown Coffee, invited me out to try his homemade pimento cheese bagel. How could I say no?

If you’ve never been to Jamestown Coffee Company, and you want to go, you will be in for a treat. The atmosphere brims with gourmet quality, complimented with southern charm.

The roadies made themselves at home, receiving the highest compliment that a parent can receive… having a stranger tell you on how well behaved your kids are. (Hello, Vicodin.) They enjoyed their cake pops while the Groupie Wife and I enjoyed some coffee.

I had Jamestown’s signature drink, The Palmetto Pecan Latte and Groupie Wife had their mocha. Now, I do have to tell you that she LOVES Starbucks mocha. It took a little convincing to get her to understand that this was going to be better. A lot better. She was convinced upon first sip. (HA HA! Take that SB!)

While I sipped on my latte (topped with whipped cream, caramel and pecans…to give it a crunch), James was busy making the pimento cheese. You heard that right. This is homemade. Fo real, yo. It was so worth the wait.

The sharp pimento cheese mixed with the crisp saltiness of the bacon on a bagel is pure…I would say orgasmic, but this is a family blog. (You get the idea.) This did not come off a truck, prepackaged and frozen. (The next time you go into your favorite coffee shop, take a look around and see if there’s a kitchen. If you don’t see one…where do you think their food comes from?).

Read the rest of the post at iloverockstardad.com

By: The Foraging Foodie

Today’s review is about as easy as it gets. Pawley’s Front Porch needs little introduction to most locals. Food Network’s Diner’s, Drive-In’s, and Dives somewhat immortalized the Five Points location two years ago as Columbia’s go-to place for foodies venturing into the midlands, though whether or not they were quite ready to handle such a load is another question. Soon after their rise to stardom, however, they launched their mobile eats food truck, spreading their SC island burgers across the city. In many ways, I think the truck may be the best way to get a bite of Pawleys; though the main restaurants sweet potato fries and larger list of burgers and tacos are tempting, the truck itself has been known to crank out their very best burgers fast and quick, delivering the amazing bites that were promised from their television appearance, consistently hot and loaded the way they were meant to be.

Read the rest of the Foraging Foodie’s post here!

Interested in contributing to our site? Contact Us

As we have moved to Charlotte, we will not be able to enjoy the Columbia, SC culinary scene on a regular basis. However, we still wish to keep our site active and will be sharing restaurant reviews written by a few of Columbia’s experienced food bloggers, as well as an occasional restaurant exposé of our own. Hell, maybe you are completely new to this and just want a piece of your own work published in a public forum. Send it to us!

We hope you enjoy a new perspective on restaurants in Columbia, SC!

If you are interested in contributing, contact us!

Although we have already visited Momo’s Bistro, a few changes to the culinary team and restaurant attracted us back to 2930 Devine Street for another taste. This revisit was sparked by a serendipitous meeting outside of the local health foods store, where Carlos Brown and Carlos Cuevas (Celebrity Chef and General Manager, respectively) were raving about the new changes that were happening to Momo’s. I lent them a half-interested ear until I heard the words “Kangaroo” and “Ostrich.” Ok. Thats something you don’t have a chance to dine on every day. So with curiosity piqued, Capital City Eatz decided to head back to Momo’s Bistro to see what the fuss was all about.

What an outrageously appetizing spread. No, this isn’t available on the menu. Just a sampling of each of the new dishes all arranged on one platter. My favorite part about this picture? The meat to vegetable ratio. (Upper left to upper right) Slices of tender pork topped with the sweetness of a sauteed apple and potato hash, “Chili Rosemary Kangaroo”, pan seared ostrich topped with buttered pecans, and venison topped with a mustard glaze.

The “Baja Fish Tacos” and “Seafood Cakes” topped with fried shrimp. Both were delicious, but the tacos are only available on the lunch menu, and the cakes…the dinner menu. Now to delve further into description….The “Baja Fish Tacos”: Ceviche marinated fish, scallop, with mango salsa, black beans, and wrapped up in a soft flour tortilla. The “Seafood Cakes” are a combination of lobster, crab, and shrimp, with Cajun Remoulade Sauce, and Manchego Smash.

Here we have the “Seafood Belmar.” The most expensive item on the menu, but stuffed with enough succulent seafood for two. Fight over the lobster tail, or go straight for the filet of choice fish. There are clams, scallops, shrimp, and mussels aplenty.

Get down to Momo’s Bistro to give a warm South Carolina welcome to a home-grown celebrity chef, a chef who has cooked for the likes of Arnold Palmer, Lil’ Wayne, Donald Trump, and Jim Carey. When you taste his food, you will understand why.

Are you a maturing collegiate looking for like-minded fellows to share an enlightened conversation with? Maybe you enjoy the notion of a game of shuffleboard without the lingering fear of a freshman spilling a poorly managed night of indulgence on you? Perhaps you are a young professional looking for some casual networking opportunities over a refreshing pint?

If  you enjoy pairing your nights revelries with intoxicating conversation with other interesting contemporaries, you need to check this place out. Jakes Bar & Grill seems to cater to a crowd of twenty and thirty-something’s. Its the kind of bar that won’t leave you feeling uncomfortable at the sight of obviously under-aged kids.

Now we enjoy a resfreshing pint or two (or three) as much as the next fellow, but we were really checking out Jake’s Bar & Grill for the food. Specifically, the pizza.

The Eggplant Diva. Fried eggplant and other complementary toppings. Time for your close-up, Eggplant Diva.

Mmmm, pizza close-up. Fried eggplant, caramelized onions, green peppers, and a light sprinkling of oregano to top it off.  Some highlights: nice cheese- to-sauce ratio and crispy-enough-crust make this a pleasing pie.

We also ordered some free-range, cruelty-free lemon-pepper wings, but their lack of photogenic-ness (or our lack of photography skills) lost them a spot in this post. They were quite good, but we’ll go for something saucier next time.

Food was satisfying, let’s look at some other perks of Jake’s Bar & Grill:

• Live Music
• Large outdoor deck area. Complete with fountain, bar, bathroom, and stage
• Menu featuring local produce
• Over 30 beers on tap
• Shuffleboard, pool tables, arcade games

We didn’t go to Peru to eat, but it’s much more pleasant to recall memories of food than manual labor. Here are a few samples of the Peruvian fare that we were lucky enough to feast on.

Rice with lentils and chicken. Most dishes were accompanied by plantains.

Ceviche, or, as the Peruvians liked to say “cebiche.” One of the dishes that our alien digestive systems couldn’t stomach. Luckily, we were forewarned of the tribulations that faced any daring American. Anything that isn’t cooked it off-limits. Nobody felt like testing this benchmark.

Fried fish and papa frites.

Fried fish and arroz.

Fried Shrimp, or “langostinos.”

Hawaii meets Peru: Fried Langostinos with various fresh fruits.

Cebiche

A little peruvian ingenuity. Somebody thought beef jerky and sautéed onions was a good idea for breakfast. Turns out, the only thing wrong with this dish is the texture inequality between the soft onions and the tough strips of stringy beef. Nice try.

Mezza Lebanese Bistro and Hookah Bar. Ever find yourself hankering for some hookah? Maybe you just need a drink to take the edge off. Regardless of what your vice is, feel better about these “unhealthy” habits and pair a little intoxication with some Lebanese cuisine.  Apparently mediterranean food is good for you, so it all cancels out, right?

Warm pitas with a mixture of dried thyme, roasted sesame seeds and olive oil for dipping. You might think that pitas and spiced olive oil make a poor substitute for good ol’ bread and butter, but give it a chance. The thyme truly tickles your tastebuds as the subtle taste of olive coats your mouth. Delicious. This tasty starter is complimentary to folks joining Mezza for dinner.

Vegetarian grape leaves. Hand-rolled grape leaves stuffed with rice, tomato, onions and parsley. Served with pickled beet (I think) and lemon slices. Are you one of the those people who stops listening after “vegetarian?” Well, you are missing out on a lot of delicious dishes. This one right here? It’s good.

Tabbouli. Parsley, cracked wheat, tomatoes, onions, and mint mixed with olive oil and lemon juice. Very resfreshing. Also ordered a side of Mezza potato cilantro: fried, diced potato garnished with cilantro, garlic, olive oil. Only after re-examining the menu did we realize our mistake. Ever heard of “Kibbeh Balls?” No? Well listen up. Two cone shaped croquettes of Angus brown beef mixed with cracked wheat and stuffed with seasoned Angus ground beef, ground lamb, onions and nuts (Deep fried). Wow. Thats a meal fit to be served at the South Carolina State Fair.

Manakish Cheese, a mediterranean style pizza. Quite different from its Italian cousin, but excellent all the same.  Oven-baked and topped with a mix of mozzarella cheese, Akawi cheese, spices and a hint of pesto.

Manakish Zaatar. Oven-baked dough topped with dried thyme, roasted sesame seeds and olive oil. Much like the appetizer featured above, but with the price tag of an entree. The dried thyme, sesame seed, and olive oil is a flavor combination that you may have not explored, but after a taste, it’s something you will want to try again.

Mezza is delicious, no doubt, but it is slightly on the expensive side for the amount of food. There is a ton of flavor packed into each dish, but for a foodie with an appetite, the $/food ratio may not be the best. Located in the Vista. Check out there menu here. Decent service, cool interior, great fresh food. Definitely worthy of a taste.