Mobile Home Sales in Sardis, SC

Around Columbia, it seems like everyone has his or her own way of making pimento cheese. Some go the traditional cheese-pimento-mayo route, and others dress it up with additional spices or bacon. Sometimes it’s a dip, and sometimes it’s slathered atop a burger patty.

When it comes to one of the South’s most beloved food icons, we don’t discriminate. But we did want to taste test the wide variety of pimento cheese offerings around town. And boy, did we.

No Name Deli – Pimento cheese sandwich

No Name’s sandwich has a generous helping of pimento cheese stuffed between two slices of plain bread. The mayo-based cheese is gloopy and flavorful with a kick of spiciness. Overall it’s filling and messy. Eat with two hands, and keep napkins nearby.

▪ Get it: 2042 Marion St.

Di Prato’s – Pimento cheese with pita chips

Di Pratos has a reputation for having one of the best – if not the best – pimento cheese in town. Dianne Light’s restaurant and deli go through about 500 pounds of the stuff per week.

The pimento cheese is dense and chunky with a blend of five cheeses, but what really makes it are the pita chips it’s served with. Crunchy and salty on the outside and soft and buttery on the inside, they are the real MVP.

▪ Get it: 342 Pickens St.

Michael’s Café & Catering – B.Y.O. Grilled Cheese

Spring for the pimento cheese for an extra $1.50. The sandwich is lightly toasted on the outside but not super melted on the inside because the grated cheese is chunky. It’s basically a deluxe Southern upgrade on a normal grilled cheese. You’ll probably never go back to Kraft after trying this.

▪ Get it: 1620 Main St.

Oh yes. The enormous but totally manageable #pimentocheeseburger at #rockawayathleticclub in Columbia, SC. With a glorious amount of cheese. Ran into the guys from @bourbonscout too!

A post shared by George Motz (@motzburger) on Dec 29, 2015 at 11:59am PST

Rockaway Athletic Club – Pimento cheeseburger

It ain’t fancy, but it sure is good. Rockaway’s signature pimento cheeseburger is a slightly runny, cheesy mess that hits the spot every time.

▪ Get it: 2719 Rosewood Drive

Jake’s Bar & Grill – Smothered Chicken Biscuit

You can only get it on Sundays, but it’s worth the wait if you can eat pimento cheese for breakfast, right? The smothered chicken biscuit oozes pimento-cheese-infused sausage gravy, which can be sopped up by the fries on the side. The BAE biscuit with pimento cheese is another solid option.

▪ Get it: 2112 Devine St.

Bourbon – Creole pimento cheese

Bourbon’s pimento cheese schmear-y spread has a Tabasco-like heat that lingers after each bite.

▪ Get it: 1214 Main St.

Oak Table – Pimento cheese with crostini

Oak Table’s pimento cheese is super smooth and creamy. It’s served warm and is more like queso than your typical PC dip. The chives and char on top give it a smoky flavor. At $11, it’s a bit higher price point, but worth it.

▪ Get it: 1221 Main St.

Pawley’s Front Porch – Caw Caw Creek burger

Dig into the jalapeño pimento cheese, pickled green tomato, applewood-smoked bacon and grilled onions. Or, for a slightly different take, get the Isle of Palms burger that has regular pimento cheese with jalapeño bacon. Note: If you go during peak lunch and dinner hours, be prepared to wait.

▪ Get it: 827 Harden St.

Gourmet Shop – Make Your Own Sandwich

You gotta love the pimento cheese here. Order it off the “Make Your Own Sandwich” menu. We recommend toasted sourdough with lettuce and bacon. The pimento cheese texture is spot-on, with a homemade-esque grated cheese. You also can buy pimento cheese from the deli case by the pound.

▪ Get it: 724 Saluda Ave.

The Whig – Jalapeño pimento cheese fries

Absolutely smothered in cheese, with a slight kick from the jalapeño, these fries can be a full meal for two people. Great with a beer, or sopping up the beer already in your system.

▪ Get it: 1200 Main St.

Tallulah – Pimento cheese and crackers

The pimento cheese at Tallulah’s has a hint of smoky heat. Ask for extra toasted crackers to even out the cheese-to-bread ratio. Bonus: it’s half price during happy hour.

▪ Get it: 2400 Devine St.

Check out our other food crawls

Pizza

Barbecue

Fries

Mac and cheese

This story was originally published May 10, 2017, 9:11 AM.

It is asparagus season in South Carolina.

Unbeknownst to many, there happen to be two large asparagus farms within an hour’s drive of Columbia – in Ridge Spring and Monetta.

Last Friday, I drove out to the Monetta Asparagus Farm, run by the Andrew Fallaw family, to purchase some fresh-from-the-field asparagus. Andrew, himself, met me at the farm’s storage cooler/farm store and after purchasing a box of fresh cut asparagus (10 pounds for $38), was kind enough to show me around the fields.

Now I must admit that I had never seen asparagus actually growing. I mean, you just see the spears in the stores so I wasn’t really sure what it looked like in the dirt.

Seems I passed a semi-harvested field on the way in without realizing it. Asparagus, in fields that have mature plants (I’ll get back to this in a minute), just erupt from the Earth as single spears that can grow in height up to a foot a day. Fallaw said that this is what makes harvesting the veggie so labor intensive; it must be done every day during the growing season so that the stalks hitting the stores are still tender and not woody.

His farm grows both a thin-spear variety and a thicker one. He said it’s a misunderstanding that the thinner the spear, the more tasty it will be. (I will try convincing my sister of this!)

It takes three years for asparagus to mature enough to be harvested. In the meantime, younger plants are allowed to grow and “fern out,” as Fallaw puts it. The asparagus ferns may form seeds that will drop and create volunteers, which are plowed under after the season is over.

To prepare fresh asparagus, you do not necessarily have to peel it, just trim off the bottom of the stalks. The fastest, easiest way to cook asparagus is to get about a 10- to 12-inch saucepan and put about a half inch of water in the pan and bring it to a boil. Lay the asparagus in the pan and cook for about five-eight minutes (depending on the thickness of the asparagus spears) until the spears turn bright green.

Pick out a spear to check for doneness, it should be like pasta, al dente, with a bit of a bite. Remove the asparagus from heat and plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. There’s nothing worse than overcooked, mushy veggies (unless you plan on making soup or puree).

Asparagus is one of those vegetables that loves to be served with a bit of fat: butter or cream sauces (the French traditionally use aioli (a garlic mayonnaise) for dipping asparagus or other spring vegetables such as steamed carrots, beans and new potatoes) ... or bacon or ham.

I have sauteed asparagus in a pan after frying bacon and then served it with the crispy bacon bits.

For the spring asparagus salad included here, I used butter to saute the vegetables and then added a little more butter to the pan after the asparagus was done and sauteed lemon slices to create a lemony butter sauce to use as a dressing.

Chef Brandon Veile, of Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring, likes to dip asparagus spears in a light tempura batter before frying. And I have had prosciutto-wrapped and grilled asparagus at book club “brunches.”

Any way you prepare it, asparagus is a great versatile vegetable, a great taste of springtime on the plate.

Cut the asparagus into 1-inch lengths, saving eight tips for garnish. Simmer the shallot with the asparagus in the stock, covered, for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, steam the reserved tips until just tender and keep warm on the side.

Process the stock with the cooked shallots and asparagus in a blender or food processor until smooth, and pass through a strainer if necessary, if there are stringy bits left in the puree. Heat through and season to taste.

Work the butter and flour together into a paste, divide into smaller bits and, off the heat, whisk the small bits into the puree. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until thickened and well blended. Serve hot or chilled. Swirl the cream into each portion as you serve and garnish with asparagus tips.

Rosamond Richardson, “Food From Green Places: Vegetarian Recipes from Garden and Countryside” (Abbeville Press)

Zest the lemon and then slice lemon into 6-8 thin slices and set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter. Saute onions and tomatoes in the butter until onions are translucent and tomatoes are blistered. Remove onions and tomatoes from pan and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and saute asparagus until tender but not overcooked, about 5-8 minutes (asparagus should be al dente). Remove asparagus from the pan and place on large plate or serving platter.

To the warm saute pan, add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the lemon slices. Saute the lemon slices until just brown, try to keep the round shape of the slices, and gently scrape the bottom of the pan to de-glaze. Remove lemon slices and reserve lemon butter sauce.

Arrange the salad: arrange lemon slices on top of the asparagus and spoon onions and tomatoes over lemons. Pour lemon butter sauce over salad, season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with lemon zest. Serve.

Prepare the aioli: Place crushed garlic, egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard and salt in a deep mixing bowl. Blend slowly with a mixer. Slowly add the olive oil, drop by drop, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise. Refrigerate before using.

Wash and trim the asparagus. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add some salt. Place asparagus in the water and boil, covered for about 5 minutes. Uncover and boil for another 3-5 minutes, asparagus tips should be tender while the stalks remain firm. Remove asparagus from water and place in ice water bath to stop cooking process.

Place 6-8 asparagus spears on each plate. Slice the hard boiled eggs in four, lengthwise, and arrange on the plate next to or on top of the asparagus. Pour aioli sauce over the center of the asparagus on each plate. Serve at room temperature.

Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila-Latourrette, “In Celebration of the Seasons: Recipes from a Monastery Kitchen” (Ligouri/Triumph)

This story was originally published May 6, 2015, 10:40 AM.

The road to Whispering Pines farm and stables is just outside of downtown Mauldin.

“The farm was here,” said Debbie Webster, “and the neighborhoods and businesses kinda grew around it.”

Whispering Pines has been around since 1980, starting out as a horse farm and stable where Webster – also known as The Horse Lady – operated Upstate Equestrian Ministries and a therapeutic program for special needs children and a vocational program for high school students.

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The sheep and goats arrived about 18 years ago, when the farm began live Nativity events. Shetland sheep and pygmy goats were raised as pets and for the wool. Debbie and her husband, Alan, head up the only 4H Dairy Sheep and Goat Club in the United States. They schedule volunteer opportunities for folks to come out and learn about the animals and life on the farm.

Debbie Webster’s life hasn’t always been easy. Injuries from an automobile accident in 2001 sidelined Webster’s horseback riding career. Then, about 13 years ago, Webster’s daughter began having digestive issues. The family looked to milking the goats and sheep as a substitute for cow’s milk in her diet. After a few seasons, and with so many animals, the Websters had to make a decision: either sell off the herds or license the farm.

Webster did her research. She learned how to make cheese from the sheep’s milk, attended cheese-making workshops, consulted papers from the University of Wisconsin and Clemson, and in the process, she found a new passion.

“You have to step up your game every year,” Webster said. “I want a standard of excellence, taking care of the animals, the milk and the cheese. Making a quality product.”

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On a recent day, walking into one of the fenced areas that holds younger animals, Webster said “the sheep are meek, a bit pitiful, and ... they’re uncoordinated. But ... they’re adorable. And they need a shepherd.”

A group of about a dozen 3-month-old sheep crowd around Webster, nudging her, waiting their turn for her to pet them and talk to them.

“People ask me all the time, ‘sheep’s milk, is that ‘a thing?’’ It is, but the sheep have a very short lactation cycle. Only 200 days,” Webster said. “And rarely do you get sheep to produce more than a half-gallon per day.” In comparison, goats and cows can produce milk continuously over a span of years – goats produce an average of three quarts a day, cows, six to seven quarts of milk each day.

“That’s why the milk is so expensive,” she said. “More labor, less milk. It’s basic economics,” why you’re paying $14/gallon for goat’s milk and upwards of $30/gallon for sheep’s milk.

And here’s the “thing” about sheep’s milk. It has twice the protein and fat of cow and goat’s milk, more carbs, vitamins C and B12, calcium and magnesium, and is the creamiest of the three. One gallon of goat milk will produce one pound of soft cheese. One gallon of sheep’s milk produces three pounds of soft cheese. And, like goat’s milk, sheep’s milk is naturally homogenized.

“We keep only the best of the best,” Webster said of her flock. “We have four generational lines” of Tunis sheep on the farm. “I can tell you who you got the milk from and when you got it.”

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“We’re trying to get to the point where we would have 20 ‘super-milking’ ewes so we can take better care of less animals.” Whispering Pines was USDA approved three seasons ago and the animals and the cheese-making process are regularly inspected.

This is the first year that Whispering Pines has been on the Upstate Farm Tour and – along with the goats, horses, chickens, rabbits, black Angus cattle and sheep – will be featuring tastings of their cheeses (soft, hard, whey, yogurt and kefir). The cheeses, yogurts, milk and farm fresh meats, eggs and wool products will be for sale during the tour.

Oh, and #sheepsmilkisathing.

This story was originally published June 14, 2016, 3:34 PM.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City’s agreement with state and tribal entities to draw water from Sardis Lake is all settled – almost. While approving an update to an agreement resolving a decades-long legal battle, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt highlighted the proceedings as an example of how litigants can still be friends.

“I know a lot of people have worked years on this,” said Holt at Tuesday’s Oklahoma City Council meeting, held by teleconference, of the revised agreement. “I think it’s a great example of how you can have what is from a legal perspective an adversarial position but still be great partners and friends, in this case with the Choctaw Nation and the Chickasaw Nation. Really there are no better friends to Oklahoma City than those nations, and we’ve been very grateful to work with them on numerous fronts. I’m glad we could come to a conclusion in this matter as well that was beneficial to all parties.”

The council on Tuesday was presented with a new version of the agreement signed in February 2019 between the city, the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust, the state of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the Choctaw Nation and the Chickasaw Nation.

The agreement acknowledges the water rights of the tribes and includes lake level release restrictions designed to protect the lake and its recreational value from harmful environmental impacts while allowing the city access to the water.

Oklahoma City had in 2010 paid off the state of Oklahoma’s unpaid multimillion-dollar bill with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for construction of Sardis Lake in the 1970s. In return, the city was to gain the ability to draw water from the lake in southeast Oklahoma. But in 2011, the Chickasaws and Choctaws filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma against then-Gov. Mary Fallin, members of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and the city of Oklahoma City over rights to Sardis Lake, which is actually a reservoir that was constructed in land under tribal jurisdiction according to original treaties.

“Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations will have a role in the evaluation of significant future water rights proposals,” reads Oklahoma City’s staff report on the agreement presented to the council dated May 2020. “The deal formalizes protections for the current and future water needs of the tribes and their surrounding communities, ensuring adequate water for southcentral and southeastern Oklahoma through the creation of a stream system as well as a set aside of 20,000 acre-feet of water from Sardis Lake for use within the ten-county area surrounding Sardis Lake.”

No substantive changes were made in the new version of the agreement regarding the rights and responsibilities of the city, Assistant City Attorney Craig Keith told members of the council. The original agreement required federal legislation with the president’s signature, which occurred in 2016. But the federal government has been working on the language in the years since, said Keith.

“The federal government went through another round of reviews,” said Keith. “They did make some changes as to language relating to the limited waiver of sovereignty of the nations and also some references in the document exhibits.”

“The federal review of the Settlement Act and the Settlement Agreement has now been completed and additional revisions were made to conform the Settlement to the Settlement Act,” reads the city staff report. “In addition, exhibits have been updated to conform with subsequent events and actions.”

After a couple of years, Sardis Lake was finished, constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers.

But Oklahoma never paid the bill.

Decades came and went, but state policymakers really didn’t worry too much about the Sardis bill. In fact, most of it went unpaid, until the Frank Keating administration when the state made two payments on the lake.

Since then, those past-due notices have continued to pile up.

Then, last fall, a federal court ordered the stay to pony up more than $25 million to the federal government; it seemed the bill for Sardis had finally come due.

And it couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

Deep in a recession, Oklahoma lawmakers faced a $1.2 billion budget hole and there was no room for that extra $25 million they were going to have to come up with to pay the Sardis bill.

Enter Plan B.

Acting on behalf of Gov. Brad Henry, state Treasurer Scott Meacham began negotiating with the city of Oklahoma City to sell Sardis’ water storage rights to the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust. With several area cities and towns all purchasing water from Oklahoma City, the need to increase the available supply was a pressing one.

And Sardis looked like a bargain; the contract lists about $43 million for the lake; Meacham said that cost would be even higher because of interest and future use payments.

But Oklahoma City officials, the governor and the state treasurer didn’t count on the response from representatives of several of the state’s Indian tribes. The Choctaw, the Chickasaw and the Caddo tribes all sent letters that politely told state officials to stop what they were doing and talk to the Native Americans.

After those letters, the Army tersely reminded state officials that it, too, had an interest in the Sardis sale and had final say about whether or not a sale could go through.

That brings us to present day, where it looks like negotiations have slowed, but the fact remains that come July 1, the state of Oklahoma owes the federal government $5.2 million.

Struggling for answers, the state is looking to Oklahoma City, which is looking at the cities and towns around the area; the federal government is looking at the state to make good on its debt and the tribes are looking at everyone else wondering what exactly is going on.

Perhaps it’s time to get all the players at the table.

Sure, some officials will tell you the tribes “have been invited for some time but declined,” but what many policy leaders fail to realize is that our Native American neighbors don’t necessarily do business the same way as those of us who claim Anglo-Saxon blood.

Instead of pointing fingers, forcing a quick sale and causing a long and costly legal battle, Henry should convene a summit on the deal and bring all the players together. Once he has everyone in the room, the governor should bring in a few gallons of coffee and several boxes of donuts, then lock the door and announce that no one is leaving until they have all agreed on a deal.

Yeah, it may be ugly for a while. And yeah, it may take some time.

But the fact remains that it’s time to be smart about Sardis. It’s time to bring everyone to the table and talk – because Oklahoma can’t afford to do anything else.