Honeysmoke

What a great night.  My beautiful wife and I went down to Palmetto Brewing for the evening to enjoy a glass (or 2) of great craft beer and the band Honeysmoke.  The brewery is beautiful with a great atmosphere and their outdoor stage is perfect for the venue.  I've been wanting to hear Honeysmoke since they started because I love their sound.  I highly recommend the brewery and the band and since I don't have the musical understanding and lingo to describe their sound I am attaching a video here.  Not only did we get good beer and music we also were at the right spot at the right time.  We were able to get a tour of the facility and get a history of brewing beer, we learned Palmetto Brewing is the oldest brewery in South Carolina and received quite a history on prohibition.  I'm a little of a history nerd so this was right up my alley.

"With their soulful, relatable lyrics and down-home sound, there’s no denying these guys evoke the spirit of the Lowcountry."  

     - Azalea Magazine

By the way I know some of these guys live in Summerville....just another reason why Summerville is so great!

Summerville Celebrity pizza

2 pizza posts back to back is not my norm but I just read that the Food Network was in town in January to remake Valentino's Trattoria on Trolley Road. With $10,000.00 and 2 days to work they renovated the restaurant and the pizza/food to boost business and revenue.  The show airs tonight at 10:00 on Food Network so tune in for some local celebrity time.  The latest Yelp review of this place, by Red B., says "As my go to for a  quick slice lunch place, Robert Irvine and his design team did an outstanding job on the makeover.. Food has always been solid along with  friendly management and staff." 

 I think I have a new place to try out and review.  Also, stay tuned for my Flowertown Festival review!

Scotto Italian Grill and Pizzeria

This past weekend my family and I decided to try a new place and we were not disappointed. We went to dinner at the Italian Grill located 402 North Cedar Street, next to Piggly Wiggly.  I think it used to be a bakery but boy I'm glad it's Italian now because it was good.  Our waitress was super friendly and honest about the menu.  I ordered the "Three Lil Pigs Stromboli" and my brother got a cheese-steak hoagie and we swapped after we ate 1/2.  I'll be honest - my Stromboli was better than his hoagie and I was a bit disgruntled I had to give 1/2 away.  My 5 year old nieces got chicken strips and spaghetti and obviously they were good because the plates were licked clean.  The one that ate the spaghetti had 1/2 on her face.

It's worth the visit and I'm pretty sure you'll go back for seconds. 

Here's a little about the place that I snagged from their website:

The 2 Scotto brothers, Tony and Jerry, have served Napolitan Casino Style for more than 25 years. You can expect the very best in a contemporary Italian food, from Casino Sochi's seafood dishes to pasta chicken veal, from gourmet pizzas and gourmet sandwich homemade, to an amazing finish with our fresh deserts at Scotto Italian Grill .

Italian grill artwork

Good, Bad and Ugly

If you live here in Summerville you are noticing Spring!  I call it the season of The good, the Bad and the Ugly.  You ask, how could anything in Summerville be ugly?

The Good - Spring is here and the Azaleas and trees are beautiful 

The Bad - Pollen is in abundance and my silver Subaru is more of a yellowish/green snot color

The Ugly - This is how many people feel right now

Hang in there everyone as relief will be here eventually!  When I was a counselor it always made people feel better to know they were not alone in their suffering.  Maybe this video will help you! 

-Jason

The dolphin show

Being a Realtor in Charleston is got to be one of the best, and often toughest jobs.  Did you know that we have over 4,000 agents in this area all vying to sell your home for you.  I'm grateful to be a part of Keller Williams where the culture is of support and encouragement, not competition.  As I said though I love my job because it allows the opportunity to meet great people and build relationships which is a priority for me.  I was built to be social and it's true that I can't have enough friends.  I enjoy my clients because by the time the deal is over we are friends and our relationship goes to a different level.  One of the other reasons I love being a Realtor is it provides a good income and the more I work the better I do.  All that work though can be exhausting and sometimes I need to have a little fun.  Some days I'll skip out of my office early and I can do so without a sense of guilt because the only person it affects is me (well, and the wife).  Usually if I skip out early I do so to enjoy the company of my lovely wife, Natalie.  Just the other day my wife and I took off from Summerville to Charleston for a few hours. We had lunch at the Tattooed Moose (If you have not eaten there then you need to b/c I give it a 5/5) and then took off downtown for a walk and a coffee.  We ended up at the Waterfront park where we watched a mama and baby dolphin eating, or as the one tourist said, "They are giving us a show."  I did not want to break the news that they were all carnivores and eating all the little fish.  When we lived in Pittsburgh we were dodging rain, snow or worse and now just by living here we can wear shorts in march and watch dolphins give us a free show.  I love living here!  Here is a pic I took with my cell phone (sorry for the quality) that day but all you see is the mama.  Enjoy this 80 degree day and watch out for that pollen!

The Town of Summerville Facebook page posted "43 Things Most People Don't Know About South Carolina" and I am going to post my favorites.

Angel Oak Tree
 (Source: Flickr User Charleston’s TheDigitel

1. The Angel Oak tree on John's Island may be the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi.  I've seen this beast of a tree and it's worth the drive down there to see it.  
2. We produce more peaches than Georgia, the Peach State.  I wonder if Georgia has more palm trees that we do.  
3. Supposedly our state is the home of Barbecue. Summerville is also known as the Birthplace of Sweet Tea!  At least we are known for some great-tasting stuff.
4. Frogmore Stew is not a stew and has no frogs.  I've driven through Frogmore, SC and I think it's less than a block long but they are geniuses for coming up with the concoction of shrimp, corn, sausage, onions, and whatever else gets thrown into the glorious bucket.  
5. Charleston can claim that we had the first game of golf here. Did you know that the movie Legends of Bagger Vance was filmed here?  It's a great golf movie with Will Smith and Matt Damon. 
6. The following town names are in SC: Coward, Due West, South of the Border, Ninety-Six, and Welcome.  Have you ever seen the Bill Cosby clip where he's talking the nice elderly lady from Due West, South Carolina - Hilarious!
7. It's illegal to fish with a yo-yo.  Enough said!
8. It's also illegal to buy or sell electric eels.  That's disappointing!
9. Did you know we have a "Monkey Island" with 3,500 monkeys living on it.  I'm in the mood for a road trip - who doesn't like a good monkey?
10. Charleston is the first home in the country to a public college, the first museum,  and the first playhouse.  With the pace of life around here it's amazing they got around to starting these.  
11. We have a place called "Hell Hole Swamp."  Once again, anyone up for a road trip?

That finishes some of my favorite things in our beloved Palmetto State.  I just gave you 11 reasons to move here so email me and I'll get you the right house.  

Frogmore Stew
  (Source: Flickr User John Murden (john.murden)

-Jason

Jason.Gregg@kw.com