Lowest-Greenville has changed a lot in the years since we lived a block and a half away on Oram. The bar scene first shifted, then largely disappeared. Restaurants came and went. And a few--like Nora, Blind Butcher, and Truckyard--showed they were there to stay. But, over the past few years, old-guard holdouts--such as Daddy Jacks and Crown and Harp--finally gave up and moved out. In their place, a new breed of exciting concepts are popping up. I visited two of these this past weekend, with mixed results. Laurel Tavern I decided to visit Laurel Tavern for a late brunch on Sunday. The drink and food menu looked good, and the build-out looked pretty appealing. I started out with a spic

Even though it's been a week since we heard the news of Chef Anthony Bourdain's death, we're still really sad about the entire ordeal. The news permeated our entire weekend, along with the consciousness of many of our friends. Not wanting to sit and mope, we decided we'd dedicate our culinary weekend to the Chef known by many simply as "Tony." But what would Tony Bourdain really want to eat if he were still with us? While he always sung the praises of foie-gras, most of the time his tastes were a bit simpler. A runny egg. A great burger. Pho cooked just the right way. A nice glass of liquor after dinner. Good wine that never needed to be first-growth quality to satisfy. Yes, the sim

Few are left untouched by some facet of Chef Anthony Bourdain’s life. Tens of millions religiously watched his shows over the years—on Food Network, the Travel Channel, and now CNN. Millions read his funny and often irreverent books. The beautiful culinary world he visualized for us in our homes—rhapsodized in his CNN show’s theme song by Queens of the Stone Age—is, perhaps, more responsible than any other single influence for today’s “foodie” culture. He made it cool for an entire generation of America’s youth to become a chef. He democratized food and food journalism, and gave the masses the voice that had been suppressed for so long by the “official” food media. He made it OK to buc