Kaminsky’s Dessert and Café is participating in South Carolina’s Restaurant Week for the fourth year in a row. The restaurant is a popular spot for USC students and Columbia residents to go grab dessert, offering many items on the menu and a comfortable atmosphere that draws customers in.
Many students like fourth-year exercise science student Katie Cooper say they enjoy the desserts and specialty drinks at Kaminksy's, mentioning how much they love the low key atmosphere that is relaxing but also can be fancy.
“This is my second time here this week, but it was because I was celebrating a birthday and then celebrating friendship today," she said. “It’s very much a treat yo self thing.”
Fourth-year marine science student Lauren Kunselman added, “We’re always looking for reasons to come to Kaminsky’s.”
Kaminsky's signature five desserts are available all the time: red velvet cake, mountain of chocolate cake, tollhouse pie, bourbon pecan pie and New York cheesecake. The full menu includes other baked goods as well as milkshakes and mixed drinks, and a Restaurant Week special offers buy one get one half off any signature dessert.
“Also, they have sundae fun day here at some point during the year, it’s only $5 sundaes," Cooper said. "So we’ll come here for lunch and that’ll be it.”
Kaminsky’s deals on main dishes help spread the word about the restaurant and saving money appeals to everyone.
General manager and part-owner Jesse Baumgarner said that the signature five are the most popular and right behind those are key lime pie and carrot cake. Kaminsky’s was also the first restaurant in Columbia to have draft wine. This hasn’t caught on yet, Baumgarner said, so the restaurant has been doing deals to get the word out.
The original Kaminsky’s on N. Market Street in Charleston has been around for 26 years. What makes the Kaminsky’s in Columbia special is the atmosphere and the quality of the food, according to Baumgarner.
“What we’re really proud of is that we like to say we wake and bake every day, a little pun," Baumgarner said. "But yeah, we do everything in house, all of our desserts are made in house.”
Kaminsky’s is fairly large and connected to Pearlz Oyster Bar, which has an "Upstairz Lounge," so there is lots of space for customers to explore. Baumgarner describes the design as “modern chic," which was achieved with decorations. The back wall is a chalkboard design and white brick and clean lines were implemented. Kaminsky's also has a statue of Dionysus, the god of wine.
Makayla Dumas, a fourth-year marketing and management student, works at Kaminsky’s and heard about it through her friends that work at Pearlz.
“I know there’s Nonnah’s, but you really don’t see that many dessert bars connected to an oyster bar, and then upstairs there’s a lounge with alcohol and live music.” Dumas said.
Dumas will sometimes come before her shift to do her homework because she likes the people and the atmosphere.
At 6:30 p.m., there are typically a few tables of customers chatting and enjoying desserts, but staff says the restaurant doesn’t get too busy until around 7 p.m. The soft music and dimmed lights set the mood for a relaxed environment. The after-dinner experience keeps customers coming back, along with the quality and freshness of the food.