Joyland: Quality Comfort Food - "A fun new concept by Chef Sean Brock designed to spread JOY" A new project by Chef Sean Brock bringing JOY to East Nashville, TN through delicious food.



There doesn't need to be much more said to convince me to try out this Nasvhille, Tennessee, restaurant. I love Sean Brock, and there's a weird, high-end twist on fast food? I'm here for it.



It's a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it's pretty cool. Red, blue and yellow stripes decorate the place, and the menu features burgers, fried chicken, biscuits, shakes and fries. 



I ordered a few things: A crustburger, which is a super-duper thin crust as a bun and a smash burger inside with onion, American cheese and a side of fancy sauce. I mean. My mouth is watering just typing that. 



I also ordered one JoyBurger Deluxe, which is Bear Creek Private Label Beef with Joy Sauce, pickles, onions and American cheese. More of a classic burger with quality ingredients - made fast. 



I couldn't NOT get a chocolate milkshake to wash it all down with.



Delicious? Yes. Fun? Yes. Quirky? Yes. 



Grade: A

I was in Clendenin not too long ago for an event, and I decided to check out some of the local grub while here.



Paddlers Bar & Grill is a local bar/grill with a kayaking or rafting or canoeing theme. It's a bit of a local dive, with everyone knowing each other but still welcoming out-of-towners (like me). 



I dissected the menu to determine whether I was in a burger or wings mood. I went with the "wa'a" burger, which means "canoe" in Hawaiian. It features white American cheese, pineapple, ham, red onion and Hawaiian sauce. 



If you're into sweet and sour, this is a good burger for you. It was a bit on the greasy side, and I would've loved more of the sauce to replace some of that grease. But the flavor combo was dynamite. 

Grade: B

Short Story Brewing is a Rivesville-based brewery that recently opened a second location in downtown Charleston. I love their original location and was excited to see their brews a little closer to home. 



Their addition creates this little craft beer corner with them, Fife Street and Black Sheep. Then, skip on over to the Charleston Nano-Brewery to complete a local beer crawl.



The Short Story space is lovely - large, open, dark green accents, floral touches and greenery. It was beyond busy the first night open; downtown was bustling; holiday lights were twinkling; and people were having a joyous - and very loud - time. I enjoyed a "Neon Gardens Sour," with passionfruit, blood orange and raspberry. If growlers were allowed, I would have taken one home with me. It was just a little tart, pleasantly so, and a hint sweet and just well-balanced for a perfectly delicious beer. 



Have you been? What's your favorite?

Grade: A

Yoyogi Market in Hurricane is an Asian market that has a little bit of everything!



It’s interesting to see the variety - with everything from quail eggs to pineapple-stuffed rambutan.



There are plenty of pantry goods, frozen foods, and even some fresh sushi from a local restaurant.



There are even some notable brands like Momofuku and Cafe Du Monde.



I bought some banana ketchup and other snacks. 



Have you been? 

Guess what? As of the time of this writing, I have officially visited all of the Gino’s locations in the state. I just have a few more to share here. 



On this day, I visited one of the Beckley locations, and I’ve really grown to enjoy their pizza. So I got one with just mushrooms, and it was a little extra-done. I liked it; it gave some more crispy texture and lots of stretchy cheese. Solid pie.