The best $25 I have spent on dinner in York County was on a Sunday evening at a wine bar in the Stonecrest shopping center.
Velvet Coupe Wine Bar at 1177 Stonecrest Blvd. in Tega Cay runs a Sunday Supper Club from 5 to 7 p.m. that puts five plates in front of every guest for a flat $25. Three of those are full courses. The other two, an amuse bouche to open and a dessert to close, are smaller but not throwaways. Suggested wine pairings are offered for an additional charge and are worth taking.
I went on July 26 and left convinced this is the most interesting thing happening in Tega Cay on a Sunday evening.
The chef works the room
What separates this from a prix fixe menu printed on cardstock is that the chef comes out before every course. She introduces the dish, walks through what is on the plate, explains why a particular technique or ingredient is there, and then hands off to the wine. It turns a meal into something closer to a class, except nobody is quizzing you afterward.
That format also does something practical. Several dishes on the July 26 menu used ingredients most home cooks do not keep in the pantry, and hearing the reasoning before the first bite changes how you taste it.
Course by course
The meal started with an amuse-bouche of cucumber and papaya tartare with mango mint crema and a vanilla gastrique. It was light, fresh, and refreshing – the perfect way to wake up your palate before the rest of the meal.
The first course was Hatch chile shrimp and pork belly, served Christmas style with both red and green chile over roasted corn and scallions with a tomato poblano coulis. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, the pork belly added richness without feeling too heavy, and the sweetness of the corn balanced the heat from the chiles really well.
It was paired with a Veira do Mar Albariño from Rías Baixas, Spain. The crisp, bright wine was a great match and complemented the spice without overpowering the dish.
The second course was tagliatelle with truffle pea sauce, confit Calabrese, speck, tomato ragù, and pecan dust. This may have been my favorite plate of the night. The pasta had a great texture, the truffle pea sauce was rich without being overwhelming, and the pecan dust added a unique, nutty finish that tied everything together. It was paired with a Bodegas Breca Rosé from Aragón, Spain, which was light and refreshing alongside the pasta.
Before the main course, we were served a blood orange and peach granita with toasted sesame seeds. It was cool, refreshing, and did exactly what it was meant to do – cleanse the palate before the next dish.
The entrée was a braised short rib served over a trio of root vegetable purées with gremolata. The short rib was incredibly tender, and each of the purées brought something a little different to the plate. Paired with a Château Blouin Bordeaux, it made for a rich, satisfying course that never felt too heavy.
Dessert was a banana pudding with tahini roasted banana, served in a glass and topped with a vanilla wafer. It was familiar enough to remind you of classic banana pudding but elevated with just enough creativity to make it memorable without losing what makes the dessert so comforting.
Overall, it was an outstanding experience. Every course felt thoughtful, the wine pairings complemented the food beautifully, and it’s easy to see why these dinners are selling out.
The room and the price
Velvet Coupe opened in Tega Cay in February in the Stonecrest center. The dining room is low lit, with leather banquettes and long wooden tables, and it stays quiet enough for conversation even when full.
Five plates, three glasses of wine chosen to fit them, and a chef who explains the whole thing. At $25 for the food, the math is not close.
Sunday Supper Club runs from 5 to 7 p.m. Seating is limited and reservations are required. Tickets are available at www.ticketsignup.io/TicketEvent/SupperClub.
Sign up for our Sunday Spectator. Delivered to your inbox every Sunday, with all the news from the week.
Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
