Holiday cocktail bar popping up for Holly Jolly, Steakhouse coming to Bar 101 spot
- Steven Keith
- 12 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Two new seasonal pizzas available at Pies & Pints through January
This holiday scoop is bigger than Santa himself! An incredibly cool and cozy, fun and festive cocktail bar is popping up just steps away from downtown Charleston’s Holly Jolly Brawley celebration this weekend.
And just like the holidays, it will only be here for a short time.
Rock City Cake Company owner Morgan Morrison and friends have completely transformed the former Dem 2 Brothers restaurant at 189 Summers St., turning that recently vacated space into a cocktail bar bedazzled with thousands of lights, old Christmas movies playing on big screens and more holiday décor than you can imagine.
“I’m telling you,” Morrison told me, “it’s going to be a whole vibe.”
Inspired by the holiday cocktail popup trend popular on social media, the temporary Holly Jolly Hideaway will be open to serve specialty cocktails and apps this Friday and Saturday, and then likely off and on throughout the following week. After next weekend, the space may be available for rent throughout the month of December.
Morrison said it was that viral trend combined with the Dem 2 Brothers space being so close that made her want to pull the trigger on this fun, but exhausting, endeavor.
“I kept seeing all those videos on social media and then thought about this space that has a ton of potential basically right in the middle of Holly Jolly Brawley,” she said.
“But the idea didn’t come to me until Nov. 6, so we haven’t had much time to get ready.”
She said her folks have been there until the wee hours almost every night to string lights, decorate walls and plan the food and drink menus. She gave me a sneak peek of the space leading up to this Friday’s grand opening and, in a word, wow!
After enjoying the Christmas trees, entertainment, shops and restaurants downtown, guests can pop into Holly Jolly Hideaway to sip on signature seasonal cocktails in a super cozy setting.
“It’s a novelty that I think will be really cool,” Morrison said, “and I’ve assembled a dream team of bartenders that people are going to love.”
They’ll be mixing up specialty cocktails like The Naughty Bean, a peppermint-kissed espresso martini, and a Mistletoe Margarita featuring cranberry juice and rosemary.
There’s also the shimmery Tinsel & Tonic with gin, elderflower liqueur and edible glitter; the Yule Be Sorry with fireball, apple cider and ginger beer; the Reindeer Games with bourbon, pomegranate and orange; plus The Grinch, a green-hued concoction with Midori, vodka, lemon and Sprite with a tiny red fruit heart inside.
To go with those libations, “Chef Ashley” Wright from Dem 2 Brothers fame will offer a menu of curated themed apps:
Ho-Ho-Hot Chicken Sliders: three buttermilk-fried chicken sliders with spicy honey glaze and dill pickles on brioche buns
Slay-Ride Sliders: three mini brisket burgers with smoked gouda, crispy onions and pepper jelly
Naughty Nachos: chips topped with either brisket or chicken, plus white queso, pickled jalapeños and cranberry BBQ drizzle
The Grinch Dip: spinach-artichoke dip with a jalapeño kick served over colorful nacho chips
Morrison said proceeds from the popup bar will help support future Downtown Charleston Association events.
“This just seemed like a great opportunity to offer something really fun in Charleston while raising money for a good cause. I can’t wait for people to see it.”
IF YOU GO: Holly Jolly Hideaway at 189 Summers St. in Charleston will be open from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. this Friday and Saturday. For more details, including additional hours throughout the following week, check out the Downtown Charleston Association or Rock City Cake Company Facebook pages.
Pies & Pints debuts new seasonal pizzas
When you make your way down to Slack Plaza and City Center for Charleston’s big Holly Jolly Brawley festival this weekend, plenty of holiday food and drink specials await at downtown restaurants.
Among them is Pies & Pints, which has debuted two new seasonal pizzas that will be offered from now until late January at their popular spot at 222 Capitol St. tucked between Adelphia Sports Bar & Grill and Taylor Books.
“For the first time ever, we’re bringing in green peppers and black olives to go retro with a Supreme that brings back memories of the pizzas I always enjoyed growing up,” said Jess Godbey, the restaurant’s marketing director.
“It’s hard to believe we’ve never had a Supreme pizza on our menu, so this is pretty cool.”
The restaurant has also unveiled its first-ever dessert pizza, a Pineapple Upside Down Cake pie that’s topped with crumbled bits of cake, chunks of pineapple and cherry, plus a sweet caramel drizzle.
I recently sampled (and enjoyed) both, but it’s that retro Supreme pie that really won my heart. Both pizzas will be available at the downtown restaurant through January, so be sure to give them a try.
Just be prepared to wait for a table if you do. Even after almost 15 years in business on Capitol Street (a milestone Pies & Pints celebrates on Dec. 7) there’s often still a line out the door during peak lunch and dinner hours. I’m not mad about it, though. That’s a true testament to the consistent quality of food, service and ambiance you can expect when you walk in the restaurant’s lime green doors.
And if anyone’s still looking for a great holiday gift for someone special – like, you’re your favorite food writer – the restaurant is running a special from Black Friday through Christmas Eve where you’ll receive a $10 bonus when purchasing $50 in gift cards and a $25 bonus for buying $100.
Season’s Eatings!
IF YOU GO: Pies & Pints at 222 Capitol St. in downtown Charleston is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. For more information, call 304-342-7437 or check out the Pies & Pint Charleston Facebook page.
New steakhouse coming to Bar 101 space
The cat is now out of the bag. A new upscale steakhouse is going into the remodeled space that formerly housed Bar 101 at 101 Capitol St.
A large sign posted on the former bar’s storefront over the weekend announced that PRIME Signature Steakhouse is “coming soon” to the space.
Sure enough, I tracked down owners Dennis and Shea Harmison, who confirmed the news and offered to meet with me soon to share more details.
You’ll be the first to know when they do.
Significant cosmetic work, remodeling and deep cleaning are now in progress, but no opening date has been announced just yet.
Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest as “WV Food Guy.” He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.