February, when the temperatures are bound to be chilly even in South Carolina, is the time to seek out comfort food. It’s a month when you welcome the dark, cozy atmosphere of a neighborhood pub, along with a satisfying plate of sausage and a pint of hand-pulled ale.
You’ll find this warming ambience and hearty cuisine at Perch, the new gastropub opened by Birds Fly South Ale Project owners Lindsay and Shawn Johnson last fall. A trip to Belgium inspired the pub’s cuisine. “We fell in love with the culture, that meeting-house neighborhood vibe,” says Shawn. “For Perch, we borrowed from our European experience of amazing food and great beverages.”
It all relates to the couple’s brewery roots. “Perch is a brewery disguised as a restaurant,” Shawn claims. The row of beer tanks at the end of the bar reinforces the point. Unlike at BFS, with its saisons and sours, at Perch, they brew European-style lagers, dortmunders, and Bohemian pilsners—the type of beers that pair well with Chef Ron Rawhoof’s menu of European pub fare.
Rawhoof, a former tattoo artist from Chicago, worked at Topsoil and Cook’s Station before signing on with the Johnsons. His menu is essentially European street food, but elevated. “He likes to bring colors to the plate, and that makes it exciting and fun,” notes Shawn.
High Flyers from Perch
Haluski – To make Perch’s signature dish, Chef Ron tosses together fried cabbage, crispy bacon, and egg noodles. He adds goat cheese for a creamy bite and cuts through the richness with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Doner – Reminiscent of a Greek gyro, German doner is a mix of seasoned ground beef and lamb. It’s baked, frozen, then sliced thin and piled in a pita with tomato salad and homemade tzatziki sauce.
Pierogi – Perch interprets this classic fried Polish dumpling with a filling of potato and cheese. Sour cream provides a creamy complement.
A weekly soup special and Wednesday pub night featuring smashburgers and Chicago-style hotdogs augment the affordable menu. A plate of pierogi makes a comforting starter to Polish haluski, made with fried cabbage and noodles. Other options include poutine, a French-Canadian specialty of French fries blanketed with brown gravy and cheese curds; Belgian pretzels with house-made beer cheese; and hearty pork bratwurst. For the vegetable-inclined, the VLT sandwich is a vegan version of a BLT, layered with fried green tomato, crispy fried eggplant, green tomato chutney, and vegan garlic aioli. Sausages are sourced from local Revival Butchery, while Rise Bakery provides much of the bread. Behind the bar, Ty Cummings uses fresh juices and crafts all the syrups and tonics.
All that comfort food is served in a welcoming warren, decked out in dark woods and forest green. Over the banquette along the back wall, an arched alcove suggests a library. Its shelves are stocked with books, beer steins, and other bric-a-brac gathered from antique shops and the couple’s travels. On the far wall hangs an array of items, from an old German clock and a painting by Lindsay’s grandmother to a framed ad for Lime Cola, the beverage once bottled in the building. The overall effect is a snug 60-seat space infused with personality.
Perch aims to be that neighborhood pub that garners a crowd of regulars. “We want people to walk to their car and say, ‘We can’t wait to go back,’” Lindsay shares. “We want to take that brewery concept that BSF has been able to create, and harness that platform at Perch,” adds Shawn. “We deliver a big experience inside of a pocket-size space.”
Perch, 1501-101 E. North St., 864.419.3380, facebook.com/perchgvl
Photography by Andrew Huang.
