La Roca recently opened in Sissonville, and my friend Erin and I went to check it out. I've been to their sister restaurants in Charleston and Nitro in the past, so I was happy to round out the collection.
The place was poppin' on Friday night. It's one of the few sit-down restaurants in town, so there was a line out the door. Plenty of kids. Moderately noisy.
Upon being seated, we were served chips and salsa and their signature white mayo-ranch style dip, which is pretty divisive. It's a bit sweet and tangy, but I enjoy it as a nice counterpoint to the salsa.
For my entrée, I ordered the huarache, which is a wheat tortilla topped with beans and a combination of salsas, pico de gallo, steak & cheese. This was kinda like an open-faced burrito, but the flavors were pretty punchy. The salsas had some heat, but I enjoyed that depth of flavor. I opted for something not smothered in cheese, so it was fresh and flavorful.
I also enjoyed a jumbo frozen mango. Margarita, which may have been the best I've ever had. Sweet and a bit tart, the drink was delicious.
Have you been? What's your favorite?
Grade: A
I made a nice little trip out to Sissonville to try the Husson's location there.
No, I don't think there is all the much different from one location to another. But do I love checking off a list? Yes. And, considering Husson's Pizza is a local pizza franchise in the Metro Valley area, it's a small list, and they're all relatively close.
I did, however, change it up from pizza or cheese sticks and went with a meatball sub this time. It's one of my favorite comfort foods, and I wanted to see how Husson's stacked up.
I was pleasantly surprised! If you're a weirdo like me who doesn't really want your bread toasted - just warmed - the key here is to ask for "lite bake," which gets it just how I want it. Warm, melty cheese - but not a crunchy bread. The meatballs are decent, and the sauce is decent. I think I may add even more cheese next time, but it's a solid meal to satisfy that meatball sub craving.
Grade: B
Pineapple-on-pizza haters: You might want to stop reading now.
Recently, I went to Gino's in Sissonville and wanted to try something a little different on the menu. I've had the pizza and the wings and the sandwiches. So, this time, I went for a flatbread.
Sure, it's similar to pizza. But, it is a different offering from them. Much thinner, crisper and that makes the toppings pop even more. And I did it: I went with a Hawaiian flatbread. And, it was good! I am on board with the combo of sweet and salty. And this is maybe one of my new favorites at Gino's.
Grade: B
Located in Sissonville, Backwoods Bar & Grill is a restaurant that has been struggling a bit during the quarantine, so I made a visit to check them out.
After placing an order over the phone, I arrived, gave them a call, and they brought out my food. First up is a monte cristo. It's not an open that you see often in restaurants locally, so it's a different option. The deep-fried ham and cheese has crusted powdered sugar and a very thick breading - a bit too much.
It came with fries, but those were a bit soggy by the time I got home. Not their fault, but maybe poking a few holes in the styrofoam would help.
Next up on the deep-fried menu was deviled eggs. I've never seen them prepared like this before, so that was neat. I like mine a good bit tangier though.
And my absolute favorite part was their take on a buffalo chicken dip. Just a little bit of heat - but creamy and cheesy and really great.
Grade: B
There's not much getting out of the house these days, but I do try to build in something one a week that makes me happy. One this particular week, I made a little jaunt up to a Tudor's location that I hadn't been to yet - Sissonville.
Once I was was in the drive-thru, I already knew what I wanted to order. I have a list of biscuits that I'm making my way through. And, today, it was the Golden Eagle. I'm guessing that this is named in honor of the University of Charleston's mascot. This biscuit has Canadian bacon, egg, potato, and cheese.
So, it's a Mickey, add potato. However, on mine, if there was any potato - it was very, very minimal. But I do like this biscuit. I like Canadian bacon, so this one is a winner for me.
Grade: B
Just outside of Charleston is a BBQ joint that is well-loved amongst the locals.
Bowles Boyz BBQ in Sissonville serves up pulled pork, beef brisket, sausage links and more.
The menu features a lot of other goodies, too - tons of sides, family feasts and desserts.
I went with a pulled pork BBQ sandwich with slaw.
And two different sides - one is mac & cheese with penne pasta.
Another is cheesy hash browns. Clearly I can't get enough cheese.
And, they even have ice cream.
Check out these flavors.
I went for a milkshake with cookiez n' cream.
There's a coffee shop slash thrift shop in Sissonville called Bargains & Brews.
The entire shop is dedicated to clothes and other goods.
Except the front counter, which makes coffee drinks.
I went for a frozen caramel coffee - because it's me - and took a look around.
Have you been here before?
From the outside, it looks questionable. A little rundown and nondescript. Inside, it could use a nice deep cleaning. A bit dusty, and I'm pretty sure the mustard at our table had been there for at least 15 years.
I went with my typical benchmark dish - General Tso's Chicken - so as to measure up against all other American Chinese restaurants. And, also, I like it. Sorry not sorry.
First were these little crispy noodles. These are ehhh, but OK.
Next up was the eggroll, which was pretty standard. Good crisp, decent filling.
And the main performance! The chicken was good quality - white pieces of chicken. Yes. I just wish the sauce had a bit more punch. It fell just a little flat. I say this because I've had a lot of general tsos, so I know the sauce can get pretty tangy. Here? Not as much.
Grade: B
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