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

Fife Street Brewing is a new brewery in downtown Charleston that has helped revitalized the Brawley Walkway area. I've always thought this walkway is cute, with lights hanging above, so it's nice to see some more traffic here.



The brewery is like half indoor-half outdoor with lots of smaller tables set up along windows on both sides. It makes for a really cool environment. 



And the menu fits the vibe. Beers are made in classic styles, with West Virginia twists. There's a solid variety that caters to everyone. I hate when I go to a brewery that just wants to see how hoppy they can make IPAs, and that's all they offer. 



My favorite was the Summers Street Wheat - a weissbier that is super drinkable and perfect along with some of their snacks.



They offer a number of elevated grilled cheeses, though I had a hard time picking which one I wanted. I ultimately went with the "Black Friday," which has roasted turkey, spinach, muenster cheese, on multigrain. Served with cranberry-mayo dipper, and I also asked for some of the homemade french onion dip for the chips (HINT: get the french onion dip and dip literally anything into it. So good). 



The sandwich was pretty good - I'm always a sucker for the turkey/cranberry combo. Though I would love just as much an equal portion of the mayo. I ended up using the french onion dip, though, for everything I could. That fattiness pulls it all together. Tasty beer, good grub, great atmosphere - what more could you want?



Grade: A

Held at the Charleston Convention Center, the Capital City Art & Craft Show is sponsored by the Kanawha City Lions Club.



Fun fact: I was the president of the Leo Club in middle school. They do great work. 

This show has a number of food vendors that I thought would be cool to check out. 

Pastor Jack's Homemade Fudge 

I ordered some caramel praline and tiger here - and it was sinfully good.









Mrs. Mel's French Macarons

I tried some of the hot cocoa, apple and more - all so tasty! 



Nana's Kitchen



Dark Hollow Foods



Sugar Bottom Farm



Sassy Gal's Gourmet Treats



Uncle Bunk's



Tipsy Roo's



Hannahbug's Chocolates



The Jerky Hut



Ronk Family Farm



Goldilocks Grazing Boxes



RiCa's


What was your favorite?

Jonsey's D&D is a pop-up in the Charleston-Huntington area that specializes in pierogies. You'll have to keep updated on his Facebook to see where he's going to be next; I was excited when I finally caught him in Huntington last weekend.



Let's start with the basics: What is a pierogi? It is a filled dumpling "made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savoury or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving. Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe." 



Being that I'm from the Northern Panhandle, I was familiar with pierogies because of my proximity to Pittsburgh. The city has a large Polish/Ukranian population; they even have the pierogi races at home Pittsburgh Pirates games. You might be familiar with the frozen Mrs. T's pierogies at your grocery store. 



To know pierogies is to love them. Think of a dense dumpling dough stuffed with potato or onion or cheddar or garlic or all of the above. In Huntington, Jonsey had potato & cheddar, as well as mushroom & potato. I just tried the former this trip, which were three delightfully plump dumplings filled with a tasty, unctuous filling. A nice little crisp on the exterior gives way to a pillowy center. And, sour cream makes everything better. My only regret is not trying the other flavor. Maybe sampler options will be on the way in the future.

Grade: A

There have been a few events going on lately that I wanted to capture here on the blog. 

Red Shoe Masquerade
Held as a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern West Virginia, the Red Shoe Masquerade was four floors of fun - and each with different snacks, entertainment and themes. We had a great time - all for a good cause.







Mac & Cheese Cook-Off
This event is a fundraiser for the Childhood Language Center and invites local cooks to bring their tastiest mac & cheese. I'm heartbroken I wasn't asked to judge this year, but I did get to try Capital Insurance's sweet mac, which is one of my all-time favorites! 












Kenova Pumpkin House
The pumpkin house is a whole festival, with vendors up and down the street. There was one that had fried EVERYTHING - cheeseburgers, pineapple, green beans. I went for a tried & true favorite: mushrooms.




Fazio's "Blackened Filet"
While this isn't an event, it's a thing of legend. I've often been told Fazio's has the best filet in town. That may be a bold claim, but I did enjoy it.