A Night Out in Greenville SC

My sister in-law’s birthday was yesterday but last Wednesday we took her out to celebrate with some friends. I actually wasn’t aware this was happening until after I had gotten to my brother’s and he teased her about reservations. I was like what? He then told me the next day what all was planned. 

Every year he does something for her and does his best to surprise her. I will say this is the same man that will buy her a new car for Valentine’s Day or take her and their friends to Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse in Atlanta. It is an expensive all you can eat meat restaurant that is like three hours away from where they live. He knows how to celebrate her. 

Before Leaving Anderson

So, we are getting ready to go. My brother is off because we are leaving for Nashville in the morning. That means we are going out tonight and then having to get home and leave early. Did I mention that the last reservation we have isn’t until 10:00 pm because they thought my sister in-law had to work until 7:00? 

Turns out she got off at 4:00 and we have time to do other things. That is when my brother decides that he needs to stop and get himself some Hey Dude shoes to walk around Nashville in. So, we get ready and then head to the store to get shoes before heading to Greenville. We all end up getting a new pair of shoes. I sat down to wait on them and my brother said I looked sad and needed a pair of shoes as well. Don’t ask! He’s like that sometimes. 

Parking in Downtown Greenville

The drive to downtown Greenville SC was uneventful. It’s about a forty minute drive from Anderson to Greenville. We get downtown and parking can be a bit of a nightmare. We want to get close to the restaurant we are starting at but at the same time not spend an arm and a leg. There are parking garages that can be used. However, there are private lots that have paid parking after certain times as well. 

I noticed one that was $10 that was pretty empty and we decide to go around the block to come back to it. On the way, we see the restaurant we are going to. That helped a lot because as we round the block we find a $5 parking lot within a much shorter walking distance. 

I will say it pays to maybe drive around a little first before deciding where to park. All of the signs are very visible about parking. Also downtown gets very busy so having a plan is the best way to go. 

Ink N Ivy

They decided that we would eat at a place called Ink N Ivy because they have a rooftop area. After getting there and finding out that the rooftop menu was different as it was pretty much appetizers only (bar food) it was decided we would eat on the main level. 

Let me go ahead and say, we could have eaten on the rooftop. The appetizers they served are full portion sizes. We got three as there was six of us and we couldn’t eat them all plus the food we ordered.  They make a Street Corn Dip that was so good I wanted to lick the plate.

This place is amazing and the food is to die for! I had the Shrimp Linguine and was blown away. I tasted the salmon and honestly should have gotten that. Although, as I said my food was just as good. I don’t think I tried a single thing that tasted bad.

They also do a brunch that I want to try the next time we are in Greenville. We also really want to eat on the rooftop. Even if there are like a million stairs going up to it. I can always just rest about halfway. 

Walking Around Downtown

After dinner we took our leftovers to the car and then decided to walk around a bit. Our reservation for the next place (which was the big surprise) wasn’t until 10 like I said. We walked over and our friends took a picture with the big dog. Then we headed down towards their car (they used a parking garage) to put their leftovers.

About halfway I thought I needed to rest and went to sit on one of the benches but there was a backpack all by itself. Now, college kids are all over and maybe it belonged to someone. However, I just saw that ending badly so I walked away. 

We did end up going inside the cleanest CVS I have every seen. My sister in-law needed to use the restroom and the public ones were up near where we had started. She didn’t think she could make it back.

After about an hour or two of just looking at what all downtown had to offer we headed back the way we came. My brother said the place we were heading was around the corner from the restaurant. No, it was not! It was around the corner, down the block, and turn another corner. 

Better Than Sex – a Dessert Restaurant

The big surprise was Better Than Sex – a Dessert Restaurant that my sister in-law and Jason (one of our friends) had never been too. Actually, none of us had ever been. When I looked it up I thought “Are they taking me to some bdsm themed place?”  

This place only does desserts and drinks. It also only seat parties of either 2 or 4.  Since we had a party of six they were going to divide us up with one group of four and then one of two. However, my nephew (who is fourteen) didn’t want to go in at all. So my brother and him went to do something else. Also they brought our car closer so I wouldn’t have to walk as far back. My nephew could have gone in the restaurant as their website says they only shy away from young children. 

It was more of he didn’t want to go into a place like this with his parents. We are seated and the place is dark. I mean they used a flash light to take us to our seats and then to showcase the menu which is a tablet. However, it is not so dark that you can’t see anything. 

The server asked if she could describe things their way which is overly sexual but so much fun. Everyone but me got shots. Then my sister in-law got a beer and I got a ginger ale. I can’t have alcohol at the moment. The fun part is my drink came in a champagne flute and was rimmed. A lot of the drinks are. The server said we had a bit of a competition to see who could lick it off first and best. My sister in-law won. When she told me that , my response was “You’ve had more practice.”

While waiting for our desserts to come they have some inappropriate questions that you can ask one another. We had no problem asking those. One was what fruit or vegetable you would be and why. My fruit was a nectarine but I will not be sharing my response for why. Another was what you thought of the other person when you first met them. My sister in-law and I both told our friend Chad that we thought he was trying to sleep with my brother.  We love him to pieces! He is simply the best.

Desserts came out and “Oh my god!” These things looked so good. I got the Caress My Carrot while Jason got the Popcorn Pimp Cheesecake (in picture) and the Blueberry Birthday Suit. That was one of the best carrot cakes I have ever had. From all the noises Jason was making he enjoyed his desserts too! Everything was so rich and just decadent. It was present in a way that made you want to eat it.

We brought my brother Cookie Nookie Pie which is a chocolate chip cookie with a pecan pie on top. It looked as good as everything else. This was one of the best experience I have ever had at a restaurant in my life. This is the perfect place for a date night or even a girls night out. There are several locations across the country.

If you follow me over at Storied Conversation then you know that Ian Taggert is my favorite Dom. Let me tell you this is the type of restaurant that I would imagine he would open if he was going to have one. Don’t get me wrong his brother’s restaurant sounds amazing but this would be right up his alley especially if they added a lemon dessert to the menu. 

The Best Night

All in all I have to say this was one of the best nights I have had in a while. We had great food, even better company, and went home feeling fabulous. We stayed up way later than we needed to and left later the next morning. However, none of that matters. If you ever have a chance to visit downtown Greenville, I highly recommend you check out the places we ate. There is so much to do and see there. We are planning to do more there soon.