Got Chocolate?
Ask Elizabeth McDaniel what’s different about the new location of her shop, LaRue at The Commons, and she answers in one word: “Everything.” While the original LaRue (in the Poe West complex in the Village of West Greenville) is quiet, dark, and cozy, the new spot, which opened in mid-July in the second phase of The Commons food hall, is bright and bustling. The first location shakes up a mean cocktail, while this one just serves beer and wine. What it does have in common with the original shop is McDaniel’s luscious handmade chocolates, along with a selection of sweets—in this case, cookies and cookie ice cream sandwiches, both made on-site. Oh, and did we mention vanilla and chocolate soft serve? If you just crave a little bite of something cool and creamy, the mini soft-serve cones (go for the vanilla-chocolate swirl) are irresistibly adorable. “LaRue is about making people happy,” McDaniel says, “and here we’re spreading the love through ice cream sandwiches and cookies.”
LaRue Fine Chocolate, The Commons, 147 Welborn St., Greenville, laruefinechocolate.com
All the Buzz
Customers asked and the folks at Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery listened. In July, they refitted the former bike shop across the parking lot from the Grocery as the Swamp Rabbit Coffee Bar. Now you no longer have to wait in long grocery lines just to get a cup of coffee and a morning pastry. Instead, mouthwatering sweets, from chocolate croissants and seasonal fruit scones to cookies and brownies, entice you from the display case to pair with your choice of hot and cold coffee drinks or a selection of teas from Asheville Tea Co. Later in the day, drop by for a beer and a bargain: from Monday to Friday during Happy Hour (4–6pm), draft beer and wine by the glass are half-price.
205 Cedar Lane Rd., Greenville, open same hours as the Grocery (7:30am–8pm), 864.255.3385, swamprabbitcafe.com
euphoria
Get ‘em while they’re hot! Tickets to this year’s euphoria food, wine, and music festival are going fast, and many of the individual events are now sold out. But don’t despair—you can still find tickets to some of the big fêtes, such as Aged to Perfection, the Thursday night opening party at Judson Mill; Party in the Park on Friday evening at Fluor Field; and Feast by the Field, where you can sample bites and sips from chefs, brewers, winemakers, and distillers on Saturday and Sunday. And check out the schedule for available guest chef dinners and cocktail and beer classes so you can raise a glass to 19 years of euphoria.
Various locations in Greenville, Sept. 19–22, Thurs.–Sun., times and prices vary, euphoriagreenville.com
