Already a “go to” restaurant in the Delta
By Jack Criss
Husband and wife, Karyn and Bill Burrus, are co-owners of The Vine Bistro in Greenwood which just opened in November (“Crazy to open during a pandemic, huh?!” laughs Karyn). But in a short time, only the restaurants success has been “crazy,” attracting Deltans from all over to try the new dining experience that The Vine Bistro offers.
“One of our specialities is a build-your-own patty melt, which has become very popular,” says Karyn. “We have a lot of different and unique toppings that can be put on the sandwich which people obviously enjoy. Of course, we also offer other sandwiches, salads, soups, entrees like shrimp and grits and, for after the main course, we’ve also become well known for our white chocolate bread pudding. And at night, we offer certain specials of the day for our customers.”
Karyn has been a caterer for twenty-seven years and says that she and Bill made the decision to open a restaurant to “see how it goes.” The results have been positive thus far for the restaurant located downtown on Howard Street.
Why in the world open during a pandemic? “My catering business had been located behind my parents house,” Karyn explains, “and after my mother passed and my father went into assisted living we decided to sell the house. So, I needed a new place. We were approached by the owner of the building here and we did the deal in twenty-four hours, believe it or not. Of course, Bill and I were concerned about the pandemic and it was tough at first; but now things are getting so much better. I do the majority of the cooking, with Bill doing some and also our son, Thomas, who comes in to cook and help out.”
“We aren’t open every weekend, because of my catering business, but when we are we have a fantastic brunch,” continues Karyn, “and we also have a full bar here on the premises. I still operate my catering business, The Grapevine, but am spending the majority of my time here at The Vine Bistro. I should add that we can and do offer curbside pick-up and some delivery as well for those customers who request it. We’ve gotten connected with the app WaitR for delivery service.”
The Vine Bistro seats around sixty-five people, says Karyn, including ten seats at the bar and an upstairs room for banquets and private parties.
“We offer a wide variety of seafood and meats and have also become known for Bill’s signature beef tenderloins that we offer at night,” says Karyn. “It’s pretty much whatever we’re in the mood to cook, we’ll serve,” she laughs. “We have some of my mother’s dishes here on the menu and we’re not a place for the ladies to have social brunch—we want the men to come in, too!” she laughs.