Luigi’s is a family-friendly Italian restaurant in Milton, known for classic Italian fare at reasonable prices. It’s a casual dine-in or takeout spot where locals go for hearty pastas, pizzas, subs and more. This is the first Luigi's location I have visited, though there are now 2 additional ones in Huntington. There was a simple, but clean, dining area. I was just passing through, so I chose to place a takeout order. I started with a small house salad with French dressing - my favorite. it had a healthy base of lettuce, and was topped with green pepper, banana pepper, red onion, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, tons of mozzarella cheese and croutons. it was a really solid start to the meal. For my entrée, I chose stuffed shells with marinara sauce. This dish was good - it was baked so there was a layer of melted mozzarella cheese over everything. The stuffed shells did get a bit dried out, but they were swimming in a pool of sauce, which helped balance it a bit. Some more seasoning in the filling would've taken this over the top. Grade: B

Mi Pueblito in Milton is an orange building with a red roof that sticks out a bit on the main drag.



I've spent more time in Milton recently, as my favorite local baker operates there. 



Inside the restaurant, it's bright and colorful with depictions of scenery on booths and tables. 



I placed a call to pick up an order that included chips & salsa, camaron con arroz, and burrito superior.



The chips & salsa were pretty straight forward - standard Mexican restaurant fare. The camaron con arroz - shrimp, rice and cheese - was tasty, but a bit on the dry side. I wouldve loved some more fresh cheese dip to drizzle and mix in to freshen it all up. The burrito - which was more of the same but with chicken instead of shrimp - fared better with some fresh cheese dip and sour cream to perk it up.

Grade: B

Leah Gore is one of the coolest people I know. Somewhere between the boundaries of art and food, Leah straddles that line with absolutely stunning and incredibly delicious edible art.



A few years ago, a mutual friend introduced us just before Leah was preparing to embark on a journey to the other side of the world. She had landed an internship at Noma 2.0, a two-star Michelin restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark. It has been ranked as one of - if not the - best restaurant in the world.



Since then, I've kept up with her journey. She's a hustler. An inspiration. An Appalachian witch - a good one. And the most recent chapter in her story is the opening of "Jack," a cottage bakery in Milton. Named after her grandfather who had a bakery that burnt down, Jack is an homage. There are a number of sweets and breads that can be ordered and picked up over the weekend. I did just that - ordered one sweet and one bread and picked the first available time I could! 



After a quick trip to Milton, chatting with Leah and an impatient drive home, I dropped off my goodies on the countertop. This is the first time I've actually had the pleasure of enjoying Leah's food, so I couldn't wait. Above, you can see the gorgeous local fruit tart. I literally gasped aloud when I opened the box. It is absolutely stunning. And, it's uniquely custom: This one has pate sucree, almond frangipane, mutsu apple, caramelized apple butter and spruce fir glaze. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever eaten. And it is absolutely delicious. The pate sucree is a slightly crisp, slightly crumbly crust that is sweet and serves as a perfect base for this bounty of paper-thin apple slices with just an ever-so-faint hint of herbal flavor. And the apple butter - goodness. A perfectly thick and sweet and refreshing glue to pull it all together.



And then there's the bread. The rosemary and onion focaccia is one of the best breads I've ever had. I had every intention of picking up a spread and enjoying this over the next couple days. Instead, picture me, taking a small taste. Then a handful. Then two handfuls. And just devouring most of this, standing over my kitchen counter. 



The focaccia had this beautiful sprinkling of crisp onions and rosemary. A beautifully open crumb with soft air pockets, drizzles of olive oil and flaky salt. Delicious flavor - a faint hint of sweetness from the onions and beautifully balanced. All throughout. My only regret is that I didn't order another. But, I plan to put another order in soon.



Grade: A

Tudor's in Milton was damaged in 2019 after a fire. So, when I was doing my Tudor's tour, they weren't on the list. But they recently rebuilt in the same area and reopened their drive thru. 



So, of course I needed to check them off my list - we can just leave one location out there that I haven't visited. While in the area, I went through the drive-thru.



It's clear this location is bright and shiny and new. The drive thru space is a little odd - you can't get to it from the parking lot; you have to turn on the side to get to it. It wasn't exactly intuitive for me - but navigation never is. 



My latest kick, as you probably know, is the Politician - bologna, egg and cheese on a biscuit. This was a solid version, too. It was huge, the proportions were good and the cheese was the perfect state where it was lightly melting all over everything. It was tasty.

Grade: A

The Milton Flea Market is an interesting place. You'll find everything from primitive decor and medical scrubs to vape supplies and antiques.



They also have their share of food-related products - like baked goods, jerky and even some fresh produce.



However, there are two places that are more like restaurants or food stands that I wanted to check it out.



First, let's stop at Rocky's World of Ice Cream. They have a permanent set up in a small walk-up space at the market.



On this particular day, they were serving lemonade, shaved ice and other treats to beat the heat.



I went with a lemonade, which was perfect to sip while walking around. Plus, I knew there was more ice cream in our future.



Next up was Fatima's Thai Rolled Ice Cream. This is a really cool find in a flea shop. Rolled ice cream kinda became trendy, but I don't know if there are currently any places serving it in Charleston. So, this was a pleasant surprise.



In addition to ice cream, they have snacks like hot dogs, fries, nachos, pulled pork bbq, etc. 



But when in Rome... so I decided to go with an ice cream. I started with a strawberry base, and then we added maraschino cherries. Side note: Why don't we have more cherries in the store? I want cherries year-round. 



They did their thing by rolling it out on the cold stone, then chopping and rolling up and then topping it with these Pirouline cookie rolls. It was good! 



Have you been?

We're back in Milton for dinner time! But, this isn't country, homecooking. Instead, it's a bit higher end cuisine at The Venetian Restaurant. 



The Venetian Restaurant is one part of The Venetian Estate, which also includes an event venue and pub. I've previously been to the pub, which is nice but more casual.



When Dawn and I came to check it out, there was a bit of confusion on whether we would be able to join or not because we didn't have a reservation. So we waited for a bit and then were guided to a table in a room off to the left near a wine cabinet. 



The space here really is lovely. It's like a classic home with lots of lovely touches. The service didn't necessarily match the ambiance, though. It was a little hectic and unorganized, but once we finally had a server it was smooth sailing. We started off with some rolls and butter. A little chilly so it was tough to spread, but tasty nonetheless.



Dawn ordered a few appetizers as her main meal, which she was generous to let me sample. First, soft pretzels and beer cheese. I really enjoyed the flavor, though the cheese texture was a bit grainy and began to separate. 



The meatballs were different ... the ground beef had a little funk to it - not necessarily in a bad way. But almost gamey. And the sauce was sweet with a twang. I appreciate that this was a little different, but not necessarily to my tastes.



But for my appetizer, I went with these little beef wellingtons. I've never had beef wellington before, so I was excited for this. They were like mini, savory, tender pieces of beef enrobed in puff pastry with a thick gravy for dipping. It was very savory, and I would've loved like a sour cream or something light and creamy as a relief from the savory.



My entree was scallops and grits. It looked  a little sparse, but still had some great flavors. The scallops were a bit smaller than the giant ones you may see elsewhere, but they had a very light sear and slight sweetness.



Finally, dinner was a bourbon butter cake. It was a pretty dense, almost cornbread like slice topped with ice cream and berries. It wasn't very sweet - most of that came from the berries and ice cream. But I enjoyed it.

Grade: B

Milton is home to a few small, country restaurants, including the Skillet. They serve up dishes like meatloaf, pork chops, burgers, beans & cornbread, and more. 



In a departure from my regular go-tos, I ordered a hot bologna sandwich. Hot, in this case, refers to the temperature and not the spice level. I got it with lettuce, tomato and mayo. It came with fries and a fried pickle.



This is a pretty standard sandwich - but each of these simple components makes up something tasty all together. The sandwich had a fairly thick slab of bologna, and the toppings were fine. I would've loved to see a special sauce or something that puts their own spin on it. I did enjoy the side of fried pickle - you don't see that every day. Plus, it was nice and crunchy. 

Grade: B

'Tis the season for pumpkin farms, hot chocolate and colorful leaves. 



I could live in fall forever. Though, I know I can't. So, I'm trying to make the most of it while it's here.



That included a recent trip to Stoll Farm, located in Milton. I love a U-pick farm - whether it's blueberries, lavender or pumpkins.



Stoll Farm is fairly new, so they didn't have a huge stock. And, in fact, they were actually all out of pumpkins in the pumpkin patch by the time we visited. So, no hay ride for us.



However, the store was open with plenty of goodies, like snacks and more pumpkins. 



I ended up getting this beautiful bunch of pink flowers, and then I also scored some banana bread, pepperoni rolls and slice of pumpkin roll from Lisa's Jars of Love on site. 



It turned out to be a lovely - and yummy - visit.