Vault & Vator - Greenville, SC

It was kind of funny to me that both friends that I visited on the East Coast decided to take me to a speakeasy.  I had mentioned going to Captain Gregory's in Alexandria, Va.  When we went down to Greenville, SC and we went out for the evening, my friend suggested we go out to this place called Vault & Vator.  I am always up for a good speakeasy, so I agreed that we should start our evening there.  Located downtown, my friend had a general idea where it was located, but as with a good speakeasy, the entrance was not obvious.  It was located in the back of a building in the basement.  We had to walk downhill to a wrought iron door under a metal deck with mirrored glass behind it and a small sign behind it with the Rules.

Looking at the Rules, I found them very familiar.  No cellphones, appropriate attire, no reservations, no standing at the bar, be respectful, I thought it sounded very much like the rules in Chicago speakeasy, The Violet Hour.  Entering, and finding my self behind a large and heavy velvet curtain, I was reminded further of The Violet Hour.  It was dark with a bar in the center of the back of the room with seats on three sides, lounge furniture, and some booths off to one side.  The walls were black and most of the lighting came from behind the bar.  We sat at the bar and talked to the bartenders.  The space was the location of a Dr. Pepper factory with the original storage (Vault) and Elevator (Vator).  It was started by a bartender originally from Chicago who loved The Violet Hour, hence the Rules.

While they had a set of rules similar to those of The Violet Hour, they weren't quite so stringent on their adherence, so I was able to take a picture of our drinks (though a flash would not have been permitted).  The drinks are modern takes on classic cocktails and styles, using small batch liquors and their own tinctures and bitters.  They also serve a small menu of Small Plates, mostly consisting of meats, cheeses, and dips, and a selection of chocolates.  For my drink, I ordered Don't Fear the Reaper, which contained Blanco Tequila, House-made Carolina Reaper Tincture, Grapefruit Sherbet, Lime, Honey, and Simple Syrup.  It was sweet, a little tart, and had a pretty nice bite to it (though it wasn't overwhelming).  My friend ordered a Caribbean Mule, which was essentially a spin on a Dark and Stormy.  It started with House Infused Pineapple Rum, Ginger Syrup, Fresh Pineapple Juice, and Ginger Ale, and was served in a Copper Pineapple.  With the Rum, and Ginger, it just needed Lime to go the Dark and Stormy route.  With the Pineapple, it was definitely Caribbean.  The place was a lot of fun and the drinks were very good.  We actually returned a few days later and tried a few more drinks which were equally good.  I would happily return if I was in the Greenville, SC area.  

Sugar Shack/Capt. Gregory's - Alexandria, Va.

After a day of running around and then getting dinner at a pretty good tapas place (La Tasca in Alexandria), my friend mentioned that we had one more stop to make.  When asked where we might be going, he simply replied, "Doughnuts."  I like doughnuts, but generally, for me, it seems to be a morning thing.  It was a bit surprising, but I decided to go along with it thinking that these must be really good doughnuts.  We left and yes, we went to a donut shop, the Sugar Shack.  We walked in though, and stopped at the entrance.  There was a chalkboard wall in front of us and a wooden wall with a small red and blue flag hanging to one side.  I will come back to this in a minute, but first I want to talk about the doughnuts.  The place is small and looks like a pretty good donut/coffee shop.  Their donuts are mostly of the Yeast type (like Krispy Kreme) topped with a variety of glazes, but they also have a Fritter and some Old Fashioneds.  They all looked very good and creative, but while we were standing in a donut shop, we did not actually come for donuts.  We did stop for donuts a couple of days later and they were very good.  I would compare them to Stan's Donuts, but back to the wall.

 

As I said we were standing inside the entrance in front of a chalkboard wall and next to a wooden wall.  I said that there was a small red and blue flag hanging to the right side.  I will note that the flag is not pictured because I took the picture when we returned for donuts.  My friend grabbed the flag and pulled which rang a bell.  The wall, it seems, was a sliding door which someone from the inside opened shortly after her rang the bell.  My friend gave him his name and said we had a reservation and we walked through the door.

Inside was a small Speakeasy called Captain Gregory's.  It was a small space and very rustic space that probably seated 20 people.  The walls were all wood, the bar looked handmade and a lot of the lighting was from candles and small white Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling.  There were a lot of nautical artifacts including a dory hanging upside down from the ceiling and a long and humorous story on one wall near the entrance telling how Captain Gregory had invented the doughnut (He was at the wheel during a storm, his doughy dinner was brought to him, but he couldn't immediately eat it, so he speared it on one of the hand holds on the wheel.  His bread now had a hole in it and thus was the doughnut born.) They serve some creative small plates and cocktails in which they make everything from scratch, though since we had already eaten, we were just there for the very inventive drinks.

We both started with Gin-based cocktails.  I had Master of None which included Citradelle Gin, Housemade Five Flower Tonic, Lemon, Cucumber, and Kuhler Absinthe served in a Collins Glass.  My friend had Abandoned Apartment in Paris which also started with Citradelle Gin, and added Housemade Rose Liqueur, Lemon and Egg White and was served in a small goblet.  Both drinks had floral and botanical flavors, but mine, with the cucumber, had a vegetal flavor and a slight licorice finish (from the absinthe).  I will note, at this point, that the bar also had an absinthe fountain from which absinthe was served from at the turn of the 20th century.  The other cocktail, while also floral and botanical, had a bit of a tart finish and a fluffy feel from the egg white.  They were both very good and we enjoyed both.

For our next drinks, I decided to continue exploring the menu, while my friend decided to go for a classic.  Unfortunately, the classic that he ordered was not the classic that he was actually looking for.  I ordered what was called 1000 Swords and my friend ordered a Manhattan.  1000 Swords was made with Holy Basil Infused White Rum, Smoked Pineapple, Garam Masala Tincture, Fennel, Cardamom, and Chili.  Reading the ingredient list, I thought that I was going to get a Tiki drink and with the rum and pineapple hitting first, that's what it tasted like at first, albeit a very interestingly spiced Tiki drink with the Smoke, Basil, Garam Masala, Fennel, and Cardamom.  Then the Chili Pepper hit.  It was very spicy with a pretty intense burn, so I had to take a break after every drink.  It was drink, break, drink, break, drink, break, but I did really enjoy it, despite having to slowly sip it.  My friends Manhattan was the standard Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, and Bitters, and it was very smooth and well made, however when you're aiming for an Old Fashioned (Whiskey, Angostura Bitters muddled with Sugar, and Water, garnished with a citrus peel), it would be a bit more bitter and boozy than you were aiming for.

At this point, we were done drinking so our bill was brought to us.  This also played with the nautical theme, being a message in a bottle.  The entire experience was a lot of fun.  It has been said that speakeasies are becoming passe', but if they are done as well as Captain Gregory's, I would highly recommend the experience.   

Untitled

It may seem counter-intuitive to give a restaurant a rather ambiguous name and to not label the entrance with anything other than the address number but for the restaurant Untitled, it seems to be working.  Located in the basement below 111 W. Kinzie Ave. in Chicago's, River North neighborhood, Untitled is modeled after an old-time speakeasy.  While you don't need a password to get in, because there is no real sign, it helps to know where you're going.  Once you gain entrance though, it is fairly obvious that you are at the right place.  The front door opens to a landing above a very wide set of stairs leading to the basement.  There is also a haberdasher advertising window inside the building, opposite the front door.  The handrails for the stairs are wrought steel and are rather ornate.  Once you reach the floor, you see that the proprietors are pretty serious about presenting the illusion of a speakeasy.  The floor is painted (and sealed) cement and the walls are mostly curtain covered. In the areas where the walls are not curtain covered, the walls can be seen to be old brick and in several rooms, there are many large Art Deco style paintings. The ceiling is mostly unfinished with hanging lights and chandeliers.  The first room that you enter after reaching the main floor is essentially the entry hall with the captain's station (where you check in for seating), mandatory coat check, and lounge chairs.  There are several rooms off of this room.  One room is essentially a waiting area bar (although you can dine there if you choose) with a bar and several hi-top tables.  The room opposite that is the main dining area which is done in white and has several chandeliers.  The remaining room is a combination bar, lounge, dining area with a very long bar, several 4-top tables and a couple of long communal tables.  This room also has live entertainment on the weekends.  I started in the waiting bar and moved to the room with the live entertainment when my party was complete.  I came to Untitled for Restaurant Week and while most restaurants were doing three and four course meals, they were doing what essentially what worked out to be a tour through the menu with six and eleven course menus.  I figured that in order to get a good idea of what they are like, it would make sense to go for the larger menu.  I also figured that if they were serving more courses, they would cut down on the serving size.  I may have been wrong on that point.  If they didn't cut down on serving size, then their normal serving sizes are enormous.  For the most part, after I ordered, the courses came out rapid fire and there were times where I would have two or three courses in front of me at once.  For my first course, I had the Oyster Rockefeller.  As I was brought only one oyster, it did follow for me that the serving sizes might be smaller than normal.  In most situations, if you order Oysters Rockefeller, you will receive two or three oysters.  The fact that I only received one though did not bother me as I was going to have a lot of food to eat.  The oyster was served in the shell (as would be expected) with Spinach Artichoke Fondue, Bacon Bread Crumbs, and topped with Parmesan Cheese.  While I did receive a fork to eat this with, as it was in the shell, I picked it up and slurped it so I could get all of the juices.  It was a very good oyster and the spinach and cheese just added to it.

For my next course, I had a Little Gem Caesar Salad with Smoked Chicken, Brioche Crostini, and Gordal Olives.  I am generally not a big salad eater but I will eat it and I do like Caesars.  This was very good with small and crisp lettuce leaves, a good amount of Parmesan cheese, and enough dressing to lightly coat everything.  The crostini had a nice crunch, and there was enough chicken to provide texture and taste but not enough to make it a chicken dish with lettuce.  The dish provided a nice tang and got me ready for my next plate.

I will admit when the next dish arrived, I was a little overwhelmed.  I like charcuterie and cheese both but the size of the plate for a single person expecting many more dishes was a little overwhelming.  On the plate were samples of three types of charcuterie including a ham and a salami, three types of cheese, a cheddar, a blue, and a goat cheese, gherkins, fig jam, apple jam, and crostini to eat the meat and cheese with.  It was good and it was interesting to try everything by itself and in combinations but it did take a little work to get through.

After the oyster, salad, and charcuterie and cheese, we more or less followed the standard dinner progression with seafood or fish and then meat.  In this case, it was seafood and meat on the same plate.  I was served a Diver Scallop and Short Rib, with Herbed Bread Pudding, over a Kabocha Squash Puree.  While I thought all of the elements sounded good, when it was presented to me, I have to admit that I didn't see how it was going to work together.  After trying it, I saw that the binding part was the squash puree.  The scallop was slightly sweet and had a nice sear, the short rib was extremely tender and had a sweet glaze on it, and the herbed bread pudding had a nice crunch on the outside with a soft interior and an herbaceous flavor.  The squash puree was very creamy and provided the sweetness that tied everything together.

The next course was probably my favorite.  It was the dish that they served at the First Bites Bash and while it sounds kind of simple, there is something about it that just awakens my taste buds.  It was a couple of Grit Cakes topped with Tomato Jam.  The cake was deep fried and crunchy on the outside and very soft on the inside.  The tomato jam provided both a sweetness and brightness to the dish and somewhere, in the jam or the cake, there was a little spiciness.  It was a really good dish and I was glad to see it on this menu as well.

The next course, while also pretty good, went pretty quickly.  The serving size was on the small side which was fine because after all of this food, I was starting to feel a little full.  It was a couple of Slagel Farms Meatballs with Stewed Peppers and Black Garlic Gremolata.  The meatballs were tender and the stewed peppers and gremolata were so flavorful that while they did add to the meatballs, they were good by themselves.

The next dish was Shrimp and Grits and I am sure that it was very good.  I would guess this because all of the dishes up to this point were very good.  I will admit though that it wasn't my favorite dish partially because I was getting full and partially that I have had some really good shrimp and grits elsewhere.  The shrimp was tender and the grits were creamy although the gravy wasn't as dark as I normally like it.  The grits were pretty buttery though so there was that.

The next dish was Cornbread with Maple Bourbon Butter and Bacon.  The cornbread itself was sweet and soft although with a typical cornbread texture.  The bourbon butter provided some moisture and a slightly smoky flavor and everything is better with bacon.  I would really like to say that I enjoyed this but as this was the 9th of an eventual 11 courses.  It tasted good but I was so full that I really couldn't enjoy it and was actually looking forward to the end.

My final savory course was a Slagel Farms Chicken with a Bourbon-Soy Glaze and Braised Tuscan Kale.  The braised kale reminded me of spinach.  The chicken was probably some of the best chicken I have tasted.  It was amazingly tender and flavorful even without the glaze but I was served half a chicken and there was no way I was going to be able to eat half a chicken after all I had previously eaten.

While service up to this point was amazingly good, they found a bar stool for me to sit at the bar in the room with the live entertainment, the flow of the dishes was very good, and the wait staff was very attentive.  However, there was a hiccup in service after my final savory dish and I had to alert one of the bartenders that I had not received my dessert.  I ended up waiting about 15 minutes after my dishes were cleared for my dessert to arrive (delivered by the bartender that I had alerted).  I am not sure if the wait was a good or a bad thing.  I was very full but I had paid for my dessert so I wanted my dessert.  Dessert was a thing of beauty.  It was a Chocolate Mousse with chunks of White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, and Candied Cashews.  It was sweet, and creamy with a lot of textural and flavor variety.  I really enjoyed it even if I was pretty miserable when I finished it.

The service and design of Untitled are very cool and the food was good even if I was served way too much.  I would recommend the restaurant to others and will return though I will definitely try not to eat so much.