Restaurant Spotlight: Soby’s (Wine Spectator)

Photo by: Soby's

Soby's wine cellar–renovation in 2013 introduced a private dining room and better storage for the restaurant's 5,700 bottles.

Soby's opened in Greenville, S.C., in 1997, ahead of the development of the city's hip dining scene. While the restaurant has held a Wine Spectator Restaurant Award since 1998, this local gem is far from dated. Recent renovations improved cellar storage and upgraded the dining room’s rustic charm. In the kitchen, chef Shaun Garcia takes a modern, globally influenced approach to Southern cuisine, serving roasted bone marrow with shiitake mushrooms and chimichurri, and spiking mashed potatoes with horseradish for the braised beef short rib. The wine program, managed by wine director Joe Crossan, has kept up with the times as well. The Best of Award of Excellence–winning 800 selections cover regions around the world, with an emphasis on California but also excelling in France, Italy and Oregon. The list has something for all palates and budgets, with options ranging from bottles under $100 in nearly every region to splurge-worthy verticals from producers such as Screaming Eagle and Château Mouton-Rothschild. For another great dining destination in Greenville, check out Soby's owner Carl Sobocinski’s other local Restaurant Award winner, the Lazy Goat.