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Oct
30
Oops. Started the weekend early.
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It happens. You’ve done it. You go out on a Thursday, thinking you’ll chat with a few friends, have a drink and go home. A little teaser for the weekend to come, if you will. Just know that if Tom Hall is involved, you’ll be in FPO* faster than you can say “two oyster baskets, one Fat Tire and a glass of white wine, please.”
Tom Hall’s newest venture with Dan Huntley is a restaurant, music venue, playground or whatever else you want it to be. It’s just off of exit 24 in Blythewood, quite a drive from downtown. (Tom claims it’s only 20 minutes. Lies.) Drive or not, Smoke is worth it. Last night was the soft opening. Translation: An intimate gathering of the Halls’ inner circle. Second Translation: About a billion people. Or more. The music by Flatout Strangers was fab.
The line for food and drinks never disappeared, but it moved fast.
Speaking of food, yum. The screened-in kitchen stayed busy.
Roasted oysters with crispy bacon and cheese were a hit.
The plain ones were real good, too.
That little hush-puppy looking thing is a boudin ball, something you must taste to believe. Delish!
Tom Hall was everywhere**. Behind the bar…
…auctioning off food to the masses, like this crispy smoked chicken stuffed with cornbread craw fish stuffing…
Speaking of food, there was plenty.
Loved this plate of meat and three meat.
Still on a Smoke high***, the Shop Tart, her husband and her parents stopped by Tombo Grille to check out the new menu. Mr. Shop Tart was rocking one of his favorite shirts.
Mr. Shop Tart recommended the Muscadet. His wife insisted on sharing her oeno-therapist’s advice with the waiter and asked for “a dry white wine that’s minerally, not buttery.” He brought the Muscadet. Ha!
The trout cakes with lemon horseradish remoulade were divine.
This plate of spreads was fantastic. The edamame Feta basil mash was a favorite. The olive tapenade was superb and may or may not have had grapefruit in it. Whatever it was, it was good to the last bite.
If you haven’t tried the new menu at Tombo yet, Halloween is a great time to do it. Happy “Hour” on Saturday night is from 5 to 7 pm and again from 10 to midnight. Billy Sloan will be playing from 7 to 10 pm, when DJ Irv Thompson takes over on the wheels of steel (or the iPod of plastic, as the case may be). Irv will play all your favorite dance tunes until it’s time to go home. There will be a costume contest as well as a free glass of wine for anyone rocking a costume.
After Tombo, they…went home, of course. It was a school night, after all. The Shop Tart hopes to find time for a nap today. How else will she be at her best for Carpe Noctem and the Black and White Ball tonight? At Carpe Noctem, she’ll be volunteering as one of several judges for the costume contest. Do come out and strut your Halloween stuff a day early. She’d love to see you!
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
P.S. A couple of the above photos are courtesy of Aaron Marterer. His photos are identified on the Shop Tart’s Flickr page. Yes, that’s famed local blogger Craig Brandhorst at the bar.
* Full Party Overdrive. The Shop Tart doesn’t know where that phrase originated, but she first heard it from her friend Lee from Rock Hill. You need to hear it with the accent to fully appreciate its charms.
** Tom’s lovely wife Julie was everywhere, too, moving too fast to get her picture taken. The Shop Tart is sure Tom has the sense to worship the ground she walks on. Right, Tom?
*** Get it? Smoke? High? And, yes, it’s just a joke. The Shop Tart doesn’t smoke anything to get high. She is old, tired and forgetful enough without help.
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10 Responses to “Oops. Started the weekend early.”
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The Shop Tart Loves...
What are their hours and do they have a website?
[...] course, I was sort of surprised to see my bearded mug pop up over at the Anne Postic’s Shop Tart blog this morning– partly because I thought I was being more discreet last night, and partly [...]
Y’all caught the Tart’s advice in The State today for what to wear to the Black and White Ball, I hope. She’s perhaps indisposed to repeat it here.
Hi Penny!
They are open Tuesday through Friday next week from 11 to 230 for lunch. Their hours will change the week after that, not sure what they are yet.
They do have a FaceBook page and you should be able to find their hours there when they finalize them:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Blythewood-SC/SMOKE-Southern-Barbecue-Revival/184044993658?ref=ts
Kathryn -
So glad you saw the article! I am always tickled pink when Otis asks for my advice. For those of you who missed it, here it is:
http://www.thestate.com/entertain-index/story/1004718.html
Best,
Anne
I am officially freaking out.
Why? Because it would appear that there might be a place in (or rather near) Columbia to get a basket of roasted oysters that feels like the beach a little bit.
You know, like an inland Bowen’s Island.
Tom Hall, (and your beautiful wife Julie), if you can hear me, please keep the oysters on the menu. And if you’d leave off the bacon upon request, I know that me and my Hubbell will be there soon enough to support one heck of an awesome new local business!
When’s dinner? Yow!
Oh, and I had one of them boudin balls at the Cola Museum “Visions of Black Elk” event this summer.
THEY ARE INCREDIBLE! Imagine the delight of a dense, rich crab cake. But it’s not crab.
OK not to be comment-happy but DUDE, I just went to check out the (excellent) Fables blog.
Brandhorst just threw down the gauntlet! The big ol’ glove that says, “Gurl, we menfolk miss the DAILY DIGRESS!”
His words:
“For the record, I was at one time a fairly devoted reader of Mrs. Postic’s other blog, which kept me abreast of parenting trends and otherwise reminded me why I’m glad to be childless. When that blog finally flat-lined back in June, however, so did my interest. I think I speak for a lot of local men when I say I wish that other blog would come back.
But anyway, I digress.”
Clever…very clever.
C’mon; I agree! Throw the DD a bone once in a while. It was good stuff!
Yum. It was so good. I’m sad that I was too full to try the chicken wings and ribs. The roasted oysters, half shell oysters, boudin, and pig were worth the 16 min. drive from our house.
FPO? Lerv.
My god all that food looks so delicious! I’ve never had oysters in my life
I’m glad to see this place is having success. I go there every other week for lunch with my dad. Good place to chat and food is great. I only wish they had a little more veggies on the buffet and banana pudding. Nothing finishes a southern BBQ like Banana Pudding. In either case, excellent place to drop in for lunch.