“Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.”
Benjamin
Franklin
Being
today was my birthday, my lovely daughter, Jeannine said to pick out where I
would like to have lunch as her treat. We live in Augusta, Georgia
but she said just pick a place. So I did my research and discovered
this restaurant that I thought sounded nice. My requirements were:
a view, good food, and a unique atmosphere. Well, we got all
three here. So after driving about an hour away, (surprise
Jeannine – road trip!) we arrived at our destination.
As
the name describes, this restaurant is in the Old Mill that is
located on the Twelve Mile Creek and what is left of the Forty Acre
Lake. The Mill was built in 1892 and was known as the Lexington
Manufacturing Company. It was designed to draw power from the
flowing waters that at one time powered over 200 looms and 7,000
spindles used to manufacture cotton goods. During the Mills heyday,
it was open round the clock and exported items all over the country.
It provided over forty years of jobs to the locals and quality
cotton goods. They ceased the cotton production in the 1960’s and
for awhile this building served as a warehouse/boat manufacturing
site. It wasn’t until 1984 when some developers got together and
decided to put restaurants and shops in the Mill.
There
was an earthen dam that was created to make Lexington Mill Pond which
backed up to the Old Mill. In October of 2015 during extreme
flooding in the area, the dam was breached and the mill was flooded.
Many have rebuilt and now the mill is thriving with many shops,
businesses, theater, and restaurants. The pond has since been
drained and they are awaiting to rebuild the dam possibly in 2019.
The mill was built of blue granite.
When
we entered the restaurant, walked down a long hallway lined with
beautiful stained glass lighting fixtures and beautiful wooden benches. We were lead to our table where we got seated next to the
tall windows overlooking the creek. It was still pretty even with
not much water. We enjoyed the view and could imagine what it would
be like with a full pond. While sitting in the restaurant, we
noticed more beautiful stained glass lighting fixtures throughout the
dining room. This historic mill has a wonderful atmosphere with the
exposed brick and all the extras that make it so special.
John
and Kelly Clinger, the owners have worked very hard to make this a
lovely restaurant. They wanted to make this a friendly neighborhood
restaurant that has wonderful food and appetizers. They succeeded.
We ordered the Crab Pretzel for an appetizer that was delicious with
crab meat and shaved Parmesan cheese on top. It was heavenly. All
the food we ordered was very good. Jeannine’s smoked Gouda grilled
cheese was the best. Mary, my grandchild was thrilled with her burger sliders.
Now
this is a brew pub, but neither of us had a beer. I will have to
bring Joe back to taste test these brews to see what he thinks of
them. They brew in small batches onsite where you can see the
process behind glass. Matt is the brew master and uses hops for his
process and that he grows on his own farm. Jennifer is the chef and
does a great job making one of a kind meals from shrimp and grits,
steaks, burgers to salads and delicious appetizers.
The
owners came by to see if everything was fine and check if we were
satisfied. We were. It was a lovely birthday lunch that was shared
with my girls. If you are looking for a historic restaurant with
great food this is the place. See them at: www.oldmillbrewpub.net.
The
bar area was set up nice with great features to look at while
enjoying a cold one. Check out the unique wall and the taps on
display.
After
our meal, we took a walk through the mill and it was just wonderful.
How lovely that they made this old mill new again. Come see for
yourself. Bye for now.
#GreatPlacesToEatSouthCarolina #UniqueRestaurantsNearColumbiaS #OldMillLexingtonSC
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