Hungry? Here’s what not-to-miss during Restaurant Week Columbia
Restaurant Week begins Thursday, Oct. 12, and runs through Oct. 22 – just in time to give you some tastier options to Fair food!
Looking through the menus from participaring restaurants – posted at www.restaurantweeksouthcarolina.com – there are some great options available for those who want to dine out without breaking the bank. Many of the restaurants are offering three- or four-course meals for a set price (most around $30/person) and diners get to select from three or four items on each course.
Here are some of the not-to-miss dishes on the list:
Alodia’s Cucina Italiana, 2736 N. Lake Drive, alodias.com. The dinner deal: $60/couple + $10 off a bottle of wine. Each person gets their own entree, but you’ll have to share a single appetizer and dessert. Go for the portabella pork ribeye or Tuscany chicken, share the calamari to start and finish with creme bruleé.
Cellar on Greene, 2001-D Greene Street, cellarongreene.com. Cellar has updated its regular three-course meal dinner deal for fall and, really, it’s hard to pick and choose just one item. For $27/person ... you can’t go wrong with the lobster-tomato bisque or duck confit quesadilla to start. Follow with pan-seared crab cakes or – for a vegetarian option – roasted butternut squash risotto with blue cheese-sage pesto. If you can manage dessert, choose the seared poundcake or the rich chocolate-toffee bread pudding. Not in the mood for a sweet ending? Go with the cheese tray instead.
Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse, 1508 Main St., www.cowboybraziliansteakhouse.com. Um...UNLIMITED PORTIONS for $29/person, at lunch or dinner? Yes! That includes the 25 item salad bar, 6 Brazilian-flavored dishes and 16 choices of USDA Prime Cuts of beef, lamb, pork and chicken served tableside. Bring the family because kids aged 6-12 can eat for $12 and kids under 5 eat free.
Tallulah, 2400 Devine Street, www.tallulahsc.com. Three courses at dinner, $35/person. If you haven’t yet been to Tallulah, now is your chance to try Chef Russell Jones’ take on modern Southern dishes. For the first course, try the fried oysters with Pernod sauce and City Roots microgreens. Move on to either bouillabaisse with PEI mussels, clams, tilefish and shrimp or the Brasstown short rib beef bolognese with house-made pappardelle pasta. For dessert, trust us, branch out and try the chocolate bone marrow ice cream with candied hazlenuts and aerated chocolate.
The Oak Table, 1221 Main Street, theoaktablesc.com. This is your splurge. $40/person for three courses, during lunch and dinner. From this list, this would be our dinner: First course: braised pork cheeks (THE BEST cut of pork, meatier and more tender and flavorful than pork belly); Second course: chimichurri marinated pub steak (a little spicy but not over the top heat); Third course: this is tricky, but for once I’m casting aside chocolate for the butterscotch bread pudding with bourbon-poached apples, smoked cinnamon ice cream and salted caramel corn.
Villa Tronco, 1213 Blanding Street, www.villatronco.com. The dinner deal here is four courses for $34/person. Start with baked mozzarella then your choice of soup or salad. For the main, try the lamb and polenta dish or eggplant rolletini (eggplant that is baked and fried then rolled with a ricotta, mozzarella and spinach filling before being placed atop a plate of linguine and finished with marinara sauce). End with cheesecake, or panna cotta with fresh berries.
For complete listings, go to www.restaurantweeksouthcarolina.com as some menus are still forthcoming and pricing might change.
Other participating restaurants include:
Blue Fin, Village at Sandhill 461-4 Town Center Place, bluefinrestaurantandbar.com, seafood; dinner
Blue Marlin, 1200 Lincoln St., www.bluemarlincolumbia.com, seafood; dinner
Bourbon, 1214 Main St., www.bourboncolumbia.com, Cajun-Creole restaurant and whiskey bar; dinner
Carolina Ale House, Vista and Irmo locations, www.carolinaalehouse.com, family-friendly sports bar; dinner
Carolina Strip Club, 902 Gervais St., www.carolinastripclub.com, hand-cut steaks; dinner
Gervais & Vine, 620 Gervais St., gervine.com, small plates & tapas; dinner
Grill Marks, 711 Gervais St., www.grillmarks.com/columbia-sc, Certified Angus Beef burgers and yummy milkshakes; lunch & dinner
Harbor Inn Seafood, 7375 Two Notch Rd., www.harborinnseafoodcolumbia.com, seafood; dinner
Il Giorgionne Pizzeria & Wine Bar, 2406 Devine St., www.ilgiorgione.com, italian; dinner
Kaminsky’s Dessert Cafe, 930 Gervais St., www.kaminskys.com/home, desserts, coffees and more; lunch
Liberty Tap Room and Grill, Vista location, www.libertytaproom.com, burgers, steaks and pizzas; lunch & dinner
Lizard’s Thicket locations, www.lizardsthicket.com, classic meat-and-three; lunch & dinner
M Vista, 701 Lady St., miyos.com/location-mvista/, sushi and Japanese dishes; dinner
Main Stree Public House, 1556 Main St., mainstreetpublichouse.com, upscale pub food; dinner
Michaels Cafe & Catering, 1620 Main St., michaelscafecatering.com, healthy sandwiches and salads and breakfast items; lunch & dinner
Miyo’s locations in Forest Acres, Harbison and Sandhill, miyos.com/location-mvista/, sushi and Japanese dishes; dinner
Mr. Friendly’s New Southern Cafe, 2001-A Greene St., mrfriendlys.com, new Southern classics; dinner
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, 802 Gervais St.,, oldchicago.com/locations/columbia, pizza and beer and wings; lunch & dinner
Original Pancake House, Trenholm Plaza 4840 Forest Dr., www.originalpancakehouse.com, pancakes, breakfast items, salads and sandwiches; lunch & dinner
Pearlz Oyster Bar, 936 Gervais St., www.pearlzoysterbar.com/home, oysters & seafood; lunch
Persona Wood Fired Pizza, 1202 Main St., personapizzeria.com, build-your-own pizza; lunch & dinner
Publico Kitchen & Tap, 2013 Greene St., www.publicokitchenandtap.com, fusion taco & ramen, menu for dogs; lunch & dinner
Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse, 410 Columbiana Dr., www.rioz.com, steakhouse; dinner
Ristorante Divino, 803 Gervais St., www.ristorantedivino.com, Northern Italian; dinner
SakiTumi Sushi Grill and Bar, 807 Gervais St., www.sakifresh.com, sushi and sashimi; dinner
Solstice Kitchen & Wine Bar, 841 Sparkleberry Lane, solsticekitchen.com, new Southern classics; dinner
The Melting Pot, 1410 Colonial Life Blvd., www.meltingpot.com/columbia-sc/, fondue; dinner
The Terrace @ Embassy Suites Hotel, 200 Stoneridge Dr., American classics; dinner
Tin Lizzy’s, 700 Gervais St., www.tinlizzyscantina.com/menu.html, Tex-Mex tacos and salads; dinner
Tombo Grille, 4517 Forest Dr., tombogrille.com, creative comfort food; dinner
Yesterday’s Restaurant, 2030 Devine St., www.yesterdayssc.com, family-friendly made-from-scratch regional dishes; lunch & dinner
This story was originally published October 12, 2017 at 12:30 PM.