MAN ABOUT TOWN

At a legendary bar in L.A., The Man learns a memorable lesson about remaining in the present.

THE MAN REMINISCES ABOUT LOST OPPORTUNITIES IN THE CITY OF ANGELS

by Steven Tingle

The first time I visited Hollywood was in the spring of 2014. Working as a freelance writer, I had traveled fairly extensively but had always been intimidated by Tinseltown. It was probably because I held the city to a romanticized ideal. In my mind, Hollywood was the land of Bogart, Gable, Harlow, and Mitchum. Stars who acted like stars, and dressed like stars, and drank and slept around like stars. Larger-than-life characters who embraced their fame. To me, the city also possessed an alluring seediness. It seemed to be a place where you inhabited either the gutter or the heavens, and sometimes both simultaneously. This was the Hollywood I wanted to see.

My bubble burst as soon as I stepped foot onto Hollywood Boulevard. In front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, a legendary movie house once owned in part by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, people dressed as Elmo and Batman and Minions posed for photos while trampling over the cement handprints of William Powell, Myrna Loy, Cary Grant, and Ava Gardner. The theater was flanked by a T-shirt shop and a CVS on one side and a Forever 21 and a vape store on the other. It seemed old Hollywood was not only lost, but forgotten, replaced by a West Coast Times Square.

Deflated and depressed, I started walking east. I was looking for Musso & Frank, the oldest restaurant in the city, and what I hoped would be a portal to the past. I’d read that only tourists enter Musso’s from the street, so I walked around the side of the building to the rear parking lot, where it’s rumored Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman ended their first date with a back-seat romp.

It was mid-afternoon on a weekday, and I was the only customer at the bar. The bartender, a senior citizen in a red tuxedo jacket and black bow tie, took my order for a martini. As I nursed my drink, I stared at the dark paneling and the nearly one-hundred-year-old pastoral wallpaper and thought of all of the heavyweights who’d sat at that very bar. Icons like Raymond Chandler, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Rita Hayworth, Gary Cooper, and Groucho Marx. I drank a second martini and dreamed of owning a time machine, while the bored bartender busied himself wiping bottles and organizing receipts.

A couple of years later, I searched the Internet for Musso & Frank for a magazine piece I was writing. One of the first results that popped up was an L.A. Times article about a man named Ruben Rueda who had recently passed away after tending bar at Musso’s for 52 years. I stared at the picture accompanying the article and saw the old man who’d served me two martinis. Apparently, Ruben had mixed drinks for everyone from Orson Wells to Sean Connery to Steve McQueen, who Ruben once kicked out for being drunk and rude. He was on a first-name basis with Rock Hudson and Bing Crosby and, believe it or not, Keith Richards, who once gave him a guitar. I finished the article and thought about my quiet afternoon at Musso’s, where I’d been so fixated on the past, I’d barely said more than a couple of words to the bartender. I’d gone to Hollywood in search of legends and had come face to face with one without even knowing it. Steven Tingle is the author of Graveyard Fields and is the monthly contributor to this column. Find more at steventingle.com.

by Stephanie Trotter photography by Paul Mehaffey

The earth is crying out for help. A razor-thin line separates the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. For a city that’s cemented its success deep within the attributes of the land, sustainability—and all that entails—is an area that can’t be ignored. Although sustainability within cityscapes has been mentioned for decades in planning circles, Greenville sits at a critical crossroads to create eco-friendly alternatives, as it addresses its green spaces, carbon footprint, new technology, natural waters, waste removal, and more.

Greenville Forward founder, Russell Stall, puts his experience to work to promote sustainability issues in his current role as a city councilman.

Growing up not far from the banks of the Reedy River, Russell Stall never focused on the environment beyond curiosity of what may come bobbing downstream. “We called it the ‘Rainbow Reedy,’” the 61-year-old city councilman shares. “It’s pretty amazing how the city has turned what was once a liability into a real asset. The river was an issue back in the ’60s and ’70s, and we had serious issues with air-quality attainment too. No one thought much about the impact on the environment and sustainability until the energy crisis. Gas rationing was a bit of a wake-up call.”

Over the years, Russell watched Max Heller redesign Main Street with curb appeal in mind and then saw Knox White pull back the asphalt curtain hiding the Reedy River Falls. When he moved back to Greenville after working in Atlanta for 16 years, Stall committed himself to bettering his hometown. First, he founded Greenville Forward, which facilitated Vision 2025 goals for all of Greenville County, and since 2017, has been totally engaged in sustainability issues as a city council member. He notes every nuance of change.

“I’ve created a map,” he confides. “We’ve lost 78 percent of the tree canopy in the city and most of that is development related. Verdae was all forest and we cut down 260 acres.” Statistics and ordinances spill from his lips in a running commentary of sustainability wins, losses, and draws. Trees? “The City is committed to planting 1,000 trees a year and not crappy little things. Let’s put real heritage trees back.” Carbon footprint? “We don’t have a carbonneutral year goal. I think that’s a problem. The City would love to be carbon neutral by 2035.” Development? “We are re-writing the land management ordinance, and there’s a big environmental piece of that. It’s major. It will dramatically change Greenville to be much more progressive, because right now, it’s stuck in the ’70s.”

Stall’s mind spins with density ratios and green-space optimization, with dreams of an “Emerald Necklace” of rec space weaving its way through the Textile Crescent. He admits his work is far from complete. “What we do today will impact the world my grandchildren live in,” he asserts. “The City moves slower than I would prefer, but we’re making great progress. Greenville has charm and authenticity that no other city has, and a lot of that is because of the green. We have places for people to enjoy and relax. Green is what got us here, and green is what is going to take us into the future.”

In a move to reduce its carbon footprint, Greenville is looking up. In 2021, crews installed

between Wade Hampton Boulevard and East North Street. The energy-efficient move is expected to save the high-use facility approximately $4,000 a year. While selecting the center, the Green Ribbon Advisory Committee identified additional city-owned sites that could support solar panels in the future.

When it comes to hitting the road, Greenville is taking its foot off the gas. From North

parking garages. While drivers pay the traditional garage fee to park, there is no additional fee to charge electric vehicles for up to four hours at a time.

The City is also racing under a green flag with its fleet of public buses. The Greenville Transit Authority received $5.3 million in FTA grant money to purchase 6 new Proterra Catalyst

Currently four of GTA’s 23, fixed-route vehicles are electric. The GTA has not agreed to go “all electric,” but moved toward placing a moratorium on heavyduty diesel vehicles in its 2021 Mission and Vision statement.

across 11 public-parking garages in Greenville

How serious is the City to preserve what it’s got? It’s appointed its first-ever sustainability coordinator, Michael Frixen. “There are a lot of eyes on Greenville looking to the city to be a leader and do the right thing for the environment,” he shares. “There’s pressure, certainly, but that’s a good thing. It means that this community is engaged, and cares, and wants to move the ball forward on sustainability.”

Over the years, each city department has developed its own practices and how they impact Greenville’s 67,000 residents and 104,000 commuters working inside the city limits. As his title suggests, Frixen is coordinating all these efforts to bring intentional alignment and positive results. “I think in practice and application, Greenville is ahead of the curve of most of the state and definitely the Upstate region,” he states. “In terms of adopting sustainability plans, formalizing initiatives, and committing them to paper? I think we have a little bit of catch-up to do there.”

The 34-year-old points to cities that have had plans in place for decades. Frixen is guiding Greenville’s milestone document called SustainableGVL. The composition includes input from a Green Ribbon Advisory Committee (GRAC) and the public, and will protect natural resources, improve watershed quality, and reduce the carbon footprint, while unifying all city departments on environmental and quality-of-life issues. “It will put accountability in place and formalize what we’re doing and what we want to do moving forward,” Frixen explains. “We’re really getting a sense of what it would take to move the needle forward. It’s a living, breathing framework.”

Championing wise use of the land has long been a priority for Frixen, who fell in love with the outdoors as a Boy Scout growing up in the Carolinas. “We had a very active camping and outdoors program,” he reveals. “We spent a lot of time on the trails, in the mountains and woods, white-water rafting. We did a bunch of trips to the Appalachian Mountains, and we did some of the Appalachian Trail here and there. I really got inspired.”

His task now is to inspire those he’s working alongside to complete SustainableGVL and present it to the city council by this summer for endorsement. The City has partnered with the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman University to help craft the initiative. “I was, personally, very impressed with how much the City does in terms of a green infrastructure, a robust storm-water program, and parks and natural spaces,” he admits. “Our public works department is making great efforts in terms of electric vehicles with free charging stations in all City garages. This plan does a good job capturing that. Our goal is to get the city council to adopt this and create a formal benchmark to move forward for sustainability,” Frixen says.

60 acres for exploration. Across construction of the $61 million project, sustainability has been front and center on blueprints. By introducing sand to the soil mix, engineers have created a state-of-the-art drainage system that will reduce floodwaters by allowing water to filter back into the original water table. Above

tree canopy. Administrators say they would like to see the green infrastructure introduced at Unity Park replicated citywide to reduce erosion, improve water quality, and refill the water table.

trees planted

trees given away

canopy since 2001. The Green Infrastructure Center recently studied the area and determined only 36 percent of Greenville is under a tree canopy. That loss delivers economic, public health, and environmental setbacks since trees improve air and water quality, while delivering shade that keeps ground-level temperatures cooler. A tree canopy also prevents ground-level ozone from forming, which helps the region stay in attainment of National Air Quality Standards.

Previously criticized for a “weak” landscape ordinance, the City in 2021 passed a new tree ordinance and created a budget line item dedicated strictly to trees. The ordinance strives to protect heritage trees on private property.

planted. The City plans to host more tree giveaways in 2022.

In crafting the SustainableGVL initiative, the City’s sustainability coordinator, Michael Frixen (opposite left), relies on the expertise of Laura Bain (opposite right), the associate director of sustainability for the Shi Institute at Furman.

Every day, ensconced within the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities, Laura Bain is surrounded with reminders of the earth and humanity’s fragility. Her office sits in a net-zero, LEED-certified, sustainable home at the heart of Furman University’s campus. “We should’ve started addressing these issues years ago,” she declares when asked about SustainableGVL. “We’ve all been talking about sustainability in different words for a long time. But putting it all together and connecting Greenville is incredibly critical, especially now that the city is growing so much faster.”

The 41-year-old grew up just down the road in Pickens County. From the top of Table Rock to the ends of the Swamp Rabbit Trail, she’s lost track of all the nooks and crannies she’s explored with her big brother and pack of cousins. “I’m a big hiker and biker. The outdoors has been and will always be where I find my joy,” she reveals. “I worked for Upstate Forever for nine years. It made me aware of the urgency with which we need to be protecting these places.”

As the associate director of sustainability assessment, Bain has worked closely with the City to help mold SustainableGVL. The plan is broken into six sections, covering a wide range of topics, including recycling, transportation, and energy. After detailing where the city is now, it provides planning efforts for the future. One example is pinpointing where the city should replace technology to go paperless and reduce waste. “It’s early in the conversation and we’re connecting all of the dots,” she explains. “We have a long way to go, but we’re primed for it and a lot of the pieces are already in place.”

Since coming to the Shi Institute, Bain’s vision of sustainability has expanded to include things like affordable housing and equity. “When we used to talk about sustainability, it was always environmental and what can we do to recycle better,” she says. “But it’s such a more encompassing topic. It’s unrealistic to ask people who don’t have access to basic needs to have a conversation about LED lightbulbs and better ways to commute.”

As the Shi Institute guides Greenville, and promotes sustainable communities elsewhere through its research, leadership, and education programs, Bain keeps putting one foot in front of the other. “I think the most important thing I can do to contribute is help people understand where they fit in the conversation,” she adds. “It’s important we think about what we’re leaving our kids. I have a five-year-old daughter, and it helps me see the importance of what I’m leaving her—what we can fix now, and what she’ll need to fix later. That’s how I can contribute.”

Specials such as grilled broccoli with aioli and lemon complement Spaghetti Westurn’s mouthwatering menu of house-made pastas. CITY DISH p. 70 ON THE BURNER p. 72 KITCHEN AID p. 74

CHEF JASON SAUNDERS IS BACK IN THE SADDLE AT SPAGHETTI WESTURN

by m. linda lee • photography by Paul Mehaffey

Pesce Devil

It’s not unusual to find fresh pasta in Greenville restaurants, but it is unusual to find it christened with names like White Lightning and The Gitty Up. Such monikers illustrate the cowboy theme that Chef Jason Saunders has adopted for Spaghetti Westurn, the neighborhood restaurant he opened last August.

“We take traditional Italian dishes, put our own twist on them, and package them in a playful and fun way,” says the Asheville-born chef of his “casual honky tonk,” whose name is a reference to the Western films made in Italy in the 1960s and ’70s. Those same classic movies run silently on flat screens over the bar, while Conway Twitty and Waylon Jennings croon in the background.

Saunders is no tenderfoot in the kitchen. His culinary résumé includes several years working with Jacob Sessoms at Table in Asheville, as well as helping Michael Kramer open Jianna—the job that brought him to Greenville five years ago. “From Jacob, I learned food and tying in the history and the cultures of food. Kramer

At Spaghetti Westurn, Chef Jason Saunders (right), formerly of Table in Asheville and Greenville’s Jianna, creates inspired Italian fare with whimsical cowboy-themed names.

Chef Jason Saunders

Fogata Ricotta

taught me a whole new set of skills—the business side of running a restaurant.”

At Spaghetti Westurn, pasta is made from scratch (except the gluten-free version). Ditto for the sauces, many of which are prepared à la minute. “We make it right then and there in the pan,” Saunders says. “I try to bring comfort and passion into any dish that we do.”

The chef hopes that during the time you’re in his restaurant you’re focused on what—and who—is in front of you. At its heart, Spaghetti Westurn is all about family and familiar comfort food. Spaghetti Westurn, 2728 Wade Hampton Blvd. (864) 2428277, spaghettiwesturngvl.com. Open Tues–Sat, 4–9pm.

Prairie Dog

Do you even gnocchi? “You might want a spoon with our ricotta gnocchi—one of our most popular dishes—because it’s a brothy one. The gnocchi is crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, with nice smoked brisket, tomatoes, zucchini, and a wonderful sauce that makes people tip the bowl up.”

pesce devil “My favorite pastas are very saucy, to give you something to dip your bread in. This one comes with shrimp and chunks of salmon, garlic, and squid-ink lumache. It’s in a chile broth so it’s got a little kick, and it’s hearty without being full of cream and butter. I enjoy the contrast of red and black on the plate.” Fogata ricotta Incorporating a mix of flavors and textures—fluffy whipped ricotta, honey, pickled grapes, grilled bread, balsamic vinegar—fogata or “campfire” ricotta is intended to engage all the senses. “I love that it’s very comfortable and communal,” says the chef.

prairie dog “I love the color and the crunch from the breadcrumbs, and the radiatore pasta really collects that sauce. ‘Kilt’ greens [a mix of Tuscan kale, ruby red chard, and spinach, depending on what’s available] are flash-fired in a hot pan. I prefer kale because it holds up in the dish and just kind of wilts into it.”

DRINK

Based partly on feedback from customers who can’t or don’t drink coffee, Methodical Coffee recently debuted an in-house tea program. Working with several importing partners, the Methodical team tasted dozens of teas from China and India. They boiled their selection down to 11 loose-leaf offerings, two of which are custom blends: Golden Hour, a Ceylon black tea redolent of apples, spices, and rose petals; and Meadows Blend, an organic fusion of chamomile, ginger, lemon verbena, lemongrass, rosehips, blue cornflower, and licorice root.—M. Linda Lee

methodicalcoffee.com

Methodical Coffee debuts a line of loose-leaf tea.

PLACE

Opened in late January, Green Laundry Lounge in Greer is the brainchild of mechanical engineer Jay Desai. The environmentally focused laundromat offers top-of-the-line, energyefficient Electrolux washers and dryers, a “wet method” of dry cleaning (without harmful chemicals and solvents), and eco-friendly detergents made by local company Nood Clean. The best part? While you’re doing your laundry, you can sip a coffee from Due South Coffee Roasters and sample a tasty menu of pastries and Indian-inspired fare—a chicken tikka panini, a basmati rice bowl with dal and curry, and seasonal salads, to name a few selections—prepared by Chef David Porras from Oak Hill Café.—MLL Green Laundry Lounge, Palms at Brushy Creek, 10 Moorlyn Ln, Ste G, Greer. (864) 7779455, greenlaundrylounge.com FOOD

It took Teryi Youngblood Musolf getting out of the kitchen to realize that’s where she wanted to be. Former executive chef at Passerelle Bistro, Teryi left the restaurant world five years ago to spend more time being a mom. Now she’s back behind the stove, heading up culinary operations at Camilla Kitchen. M. Judson Booksellers’ kitchen may be small, but the chef’s plans are big. She’s adding savory offerings to the breakfast menu and launching lunch service, including a tuna melt on housemade focaccia with dill Havarti that harks back to her first culinary gig at long-gone Bistro Europa. “I love being back in the kitchen,” Teryi says. “I get to stay inspired every single day.”—MLL

Camilla Kitchen at M. Judson Booksellers, 130 S Main St, Greenville. (864) 603-2412, mjudsonbooks.com

Teryi Youngblood Musolf

EVENT

Don’t question the pairing, just snag your tickets to this sparkling evening at LaRue Fine Chocolates in the Village of West Greenville . . . because, well, why not? David McCarus and Lauren Baisley of McCarus Beverage will curate the Champagne, which will be paired with crispy fried chicken from a local restaurant. Expect other tasty treats too, including the quintessential Champagne accompaniment: LaRue chocolate truffles.—MLL

LaRue Fine Chocolates, 556 Perry St, B115, Greenville. Mon, Mar 14 at 6pm. $40. (864) 263-7083, laruefinechocolates.com

ROASTED RAINBOW CARROTS SING WHEN PAIRED WITH THICK, SPICED YOGURT AND CRUNCHY PISTACHIOS

by kathryn davé • photography by jivan davé

Everyone—even the most serious eaters— has a food they don’t like. There’s no shame in this. But once you’ve identified yours, the best course of action is to put it and yourself into the hands of a talented chef. Essentially, it’s like base jumping for your tastebuds. You will either emerge converted or confirmed in your steadfast dislike. This is my personal philosophy, anyway, and it’s how I found myself ordering carrots for dinner at a dream restaurant in New York City.

We were seated at the perfectly dim bar of Via Carota, the vegetable-forward Italian restaurant helmed by James Beard Awardwinning chefs Jody Williams and Rita Sodi. The carrots came out first, just as the simple menu described: roasted carrots with spiced yogurt and pistachios. I took a bite, dragging my fork through the uber-thick yogurt. The yogurt was chilled, of course, but surprisingly (and delightfully), so were the carrots. Their texture was perfect, tender but not mushy, and although they were cold, somehow, they retained the warmth of whatever spices they had been roasted with. Most importantly, the earthy sweetness I had always disliked most about carrots had been corralled, redirected, channeled into this luminous, balanced dance of flavors. Call me a convert.

Selfishly, I ate most of the plate I was supposed to be sharing with my husband. Gratefully, I flew home newly inspired to cook with carrots, beginning with my own homage to their dish in the recipe that follows. Smugly, I was pleased that my philosophy had proved true once again: If you don’t like an ingredient, take off your apron and take yourself to a restaurant where you can order it. A good chef will know what to do.

Tender roasted carrots meet creamy, tangy yogurt just in time for the first spring dinners.

Serves 4–6

For the carrots 3 lbs. small–medium carrots, any color ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup maple syrup ¼ cup water Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste ½ cup pistachios, roughly chopped

For the yogurt 1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice ½ tsp. ground ginger ½ tsp. kosher salt ¼ tsp. black pepper ¼ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. ground coriander ¼ tsp. allspice

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or 9x13 casserole dish thoroughly with aluminum foil, making sure there are no gaps in the foil (otherwise, caramelized maple syrup will harden on the pan, making it difficult to clean).

2. Scrub the carrots and trim any greens/stems off. Peel the carrots and spread them out on the foillined baking sheet. Pour ¼ cup olive oil over the carrots and stir around to coat. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Drizzle half of the maple syrup (2 Tbs.) evenly over the carrots, and then pour the water into the sheet pan. Cover tightly with more foil and bake undisturbed for 30 minutes.

3. Take the pan out of the oven, remove foil cover, gently turn carrots, and drizzle the remaining 2 Tbs. of maple syrup over the carrots. Return pan to oven and bake for another 30–45 minutes, depending on carrot size, until carrots are tender and the maple syrup has begun to caramelize.

4. Meanwhile, combine Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and all spices in a medium bowl, stirring well. Keep chilled.

5. When ready to serve, swirl big spoonfuls of the spiced yogurt across a large platter and carefully nestle the roasted carrots on top. Finish by scattering the chopped pistachios over the carrots and yogurt. Carrots can be served warm from the oven, room temperature, or even chilled if you prepare them ahead. They are delicious every way.

FOR MORE RECIPES: TOWNCAROLINA.COM