Over the years, it has become a tradition for my husband and I to do something special for my birthday. This was never at my request, but rather, my husband’s. He loves preparing surprises and treats for others. I think it’s his love language. Several times, we’ve spent my birthday in a foreign country. Since we are traveling around the Southeast now and there are still international germs out there, that wasn’t really practical this year. So, we did the next best thing; we spent my birthday in a (relatively) new city and ate at a unique international restaurant!
We’ve been to Greenville before, but never for my birthday. I knew in advance that we would be there for my birthday weekend, so I researched the restaurant options. I was immediately intrigued by a place called The Trappe Door, when I discovered that 1) it was Belgian and 2) it was underground in a basement.
We were staying at our go-to Greenville place: The Greenville Marriott. I asked Dale at the front desk if she’d heard of it. Her response:
“Oh My God! My favorite place in all of Greenville. You can’t beat the ambiance. You really can’t. Plus, they make the best Moscow Mule I’ve ever had.”
Needless to say, I was really happy to hear all of that because I had already started to get excited about it. I made a reservation right away.
We entered the restaurant on Friday night at street level and headed down the wide wooden stairs to the basement. To our right, the room opened up with heavy wooden tables, huge carved support columns, and a very long bar. It was early; only 6:00pm. There were quite a few patrons already there. Dale was right. This was the place to come for an after-work drink, apparently. We were seated way in the back corner table that had an L-shaped bench for half its seating. We sat next to each other (not something we do often) so that we could both take in the famed ambiance.
I should explain here that the reason the décor is so heavy and dark is two-fold. First, it is appropriate for a basement and it lends itself to the air of secrecy and intimacy. It is not depressing at all, if that’s what you’re thinking. Second, the restaurant is Belgian. They serve Belgian food and Belgian beer. Eating at The Trappe Door is like eating at a monastery in a secret enclave in the Belgian countryside. I was waiting for the monks to come silently past my table rolling a beer barrel. Belgium (and Belgian monks specifically) produces some of the highest quality beer in the entire world. (This is a tad ironic since I don’t drink beer, but I was looking forward to the food!) In 2015, I spent four days in Belgium, so my expectation bar was set quite high.
Our server, Alex, was outdoorsy and effusive, calling us “my friends” often throughout the evening. When we asked for recommendations, he said that one of his favorite things on the menu is the Wild Mushroom Vol au Vent appetizer. Again, I was giddy with anticipation because when I had perused the menu online that afternoon, that exact dish caught my eye. Bring me one of those quickly, Alex.
Several kinds of wild mushrooms were sauteed together and piled into a light pastry boat. The sauce was light and sweet. I suspect the sweetness (which was very mild and snuck up on me) came from a splash of beer in the mixture. We shared the appetizer in order to save room for our highly anticipated dinners, but I could imagine eating that appetizer by itself for lunch. But, maybe that’s just me trying to have too much of a good thing.
For my entrée, I decided on the Braised Short Ribs served with leek mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. The creamed spinach was a substitution for me because the menu called for brussel sprouts and brussel sprouts will never pass these lips. I’ve tried them a dozen “gourmet” ways. They are never good, no matter how fancy they are. My husband ordered the Carbonades Flamandes. This is a traditional Flemish beef stew served with frites and multiple dipping sauces for the frites. . . just like we had in Bruges. My husband declared it nearly as good as what we had at De Vlaamische Pot. In case you missed that adventure, you can read it here.
Exquisite. That’s really the best adjective I can offer. We know what Belgian food is supposed to taste like and this was it. The flavors were soft, subtle and definitely birthday-worthy. I decided to skip the alcohol on this particular night and so, our bill came to a slim $63 before gratuity. For fine dining, that’s not expensive. Besides, even the very frugal Mr. and Mrs. HomeFree need to splurge every once in a while.
I also want to mention the restrooms. Yes, I’m serious. The wallpaper in the ladies’ room featured reproductions of Belgian comic strips like Tin Tin. A quirk of Belgian culture is that they are wild about their comic strips. The Adventures of Tin Tin (about a boy and his dog) is one of the most famous ones. There is even a Comic/Cartoon Museum in Brussels. They are obsessed! Finding the bathroom walls covered in these strips along with framed comic book covers, just made me appreciate the attention-to-detail that the owners had taken in creating this place.
Lastly, I should mention that the restaurant is located in the center of downtown Greenville on Washington Street. We parked in a FREE parking garage two blocks away and walked. After dinner, we walked off our food by strolling down Main Street, which is Greenville’s famous pedestrian-friendly strip of shops and restaurants.
We stopped in at Luna Rosa Gelato for dessert. Sadly, this did not meet our gelato expectations at all. We’ve been to Italy twice and my husband even lived there for three months (for work) a few years ago. We’ve had gelato in America too. This wasn’t gelato. It was just ice cream and not even particularly special ice cream at that. My advice is to spend your calories at The Trappe Door instead. That will be worth it.
What’s your favorite restaurant with unbeatable ambiance? Share it with all of us in the comments!
Leave a Reply