Charleston Restaurant Week is one of my favorite times of year. Twenty-one restaurants this year served 3 courses ranging from $25 to $62. I couldn't help myself from trying a new place every night, so here are my adventures from the week. Where did you go? BRICKS & BARRELS
$45 | 1214 Smith St. | 681-265-9222 First Course
Lasagna noodle soup with a creamy marinara base, lasagna noodles, ground beef, Italian herbs, ricotta and mozzarella Main Course
CAB Prime filet medallions topped with cowboy butter and served with creamy four-cheese mashed potatoes and broccolini Dessert
Butter pecan cake featuring rich vanilla butter cake with toasted pecans, layered with silky buttercream frosting and finished with a rich caramel drip

Other options included: Appetizer - Jumbo jerk shrimp served with our housemade signature sauce; Entree - Chicken carbonara with Parmesan-encrusted chicken over angel hair pasta tossed in a house-made Parmesan cream sauce, finished with bacon crumbles; Dessert - Classic New York-style cheesecake topped with your choice of chocolate, caramel or strawberry drizzle PAULIE'S FINE ITALIAN
$40 | 915 Bridge Rd. | 681-205-2210 First Course
Meatballs with polenta and tomato gravy Main Course
Sunday Ribbons with beef gravy, pappardelle pasta and Parmesan Dessert
Cannoli chips and dip with sweet ricotta and chocolate chips

Other options included: Appetizer - Paulie’s Caesar with parmesan, tomato and pangrattato; Entree - Lobster and bowties pasta with sherry cream, tarragon and breadcrumbs; Dessert - Tiramisu cheesecake with espresso, mascarpone and ladyfingers FAZIO'S
$45 | 1008 Bullitt St. | 304-344-3071 First Course
Lasagna bites featuring signature lasagna, breaded and deep-fried and served with homemade marinara Main Course
Combination of baked manicotti and cannelloni topped with fresh meat sauce and mozzarella cheese, served with Italian house salad Dessert
Traditional Italian tiramisu topped with housemade berry compote

Other options included: Appetizer - Italian sausage-stuffed banana peppers smothered in fresh meat sauce and mozzarella cheese; Entree - Cheese-stuffed tortellini with choice of meat sauce, marinara or cream sauce, served with Italian house salad; Dessert - Cannolis made fresh in house with traditional Italian ingredients THE BUCKET AT EAGLE VIEW
$30 | 530 Silver Maple Ridge | 304-935-5717 First Course
Classic WV-style pepperoni roll, halved and served warm with marinara for dipping Main Course
The Bucket Burger, featuring a juicy house-ground beef patty topped with your choice of fixings, served with chips Dessert
Sweet Bucket Balls, featuring deep-fried dough balls coated in powdered sugar

Other options included: Appetizer - Burning couch bites, featuring stuffed, crispy, fiery bite-sized stuffed jalapenos; Entree - 12 crispy wings tossed in your choice of sauce; Dessert - Sweet Gauley Fries, featuring crispy sweet potato fries dusted with cinnamon sugar and served with a side of warm caramel dipping sauce RISTORANTE ABRUZZI
$45 | 601 Morris St. | 681-265-3756 First Course
Braised short rib raviolo with Hernshaw Farms mushroom demi-glace and salt-cured egg yolk Main Course
Veal Milanese with olive oil potatoes, broccolini and San Marzano tomatoes Dessert
Blood orange panna cotta with almond and candied blood orange

Other options included: Appetizer - Cesare Sulla Neve with kale, Caesar dressing, Pecorino Romano and pangrattato; Entree - Rainbow trout with lemon dill linguine and asparagus; Dessert - Chocolate olive oil cake with espresso and Chantilly SOHO'S AT CAPITOL MARKET
$49 | 800 Smith St. | 304-720-7646 First Course
Gnocchi stuffed with creamy truffle Main Course
Airline chicken breast stuffed with spinach, sundried tomatoes and Boursin cheese, topped with a chicken demi and served with green beans, tomatoes and whipped potatoes Dessert
Limoncello Tartufo, a frozen dessert with a heart of limoncello covered with lemon meringue cream

Other options included: Appetizer - Cucumber salad in an edible bowl made of sliced cucumbers served with fresh tender greens, toasted almonds, watermelon, goat cheese and tomatoes; Entree - Seared rack of lamb served with mushroom risotto, green beans and tomatoes; Dessert - Chocolate mousse cake on top of a buttery Oreo cookie crumb crust SAM'S UPTOWN CAFE
$45 | 28 Capitol St. | 304-346-6222 First Course
- Crab salad nachos with pineapple-papaya pico, avocado crema, frisee slaw and smoked butter snow
- Duck sausage on bone marrow crostini with brie, caramelized onion and balsamic glaze Main Course
- Chicken thigh and corn cake with shitake spinach beurre blanc, whipped rutabega, honey-glazed baby carrots and corn brittle
- Surf and turf with a proprietary blend of elk meatball, Kobe beef and Berkshire pork cheek served with a potato cake, fried oyster and eggplant croutons, all on a bed of rich vodka sauce
Dessert
- Maple crème brulee with stewed apples, candied pecan granola and cinnamon Chantilly
- Milk chocolate terrine with Grand Marnier sauce, buttercream, shortbread crumble and toasted coconut flakes

Early Roots (1800s–1900s):
Leftover turkey sandwiches show up in American cookbooks as early as the late 19th century. Home cooks commonly reused holiday meats in sandwiches, croquettes, and hashes, so turkey-between-bread became a natural post-feast staple.

Mid-20th Century - The “Leftovers” Sandwich Becomes Tradition:
As Thanksgiving became more standardized in the 1940s–1960s (thanks to post-war prosperity, magazine food features, and the rise of the Butterball turkey), so did the cultural expectation of leftover turkey. Families began stacking turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce into sandwiches the next day, and the idea spread through newspapers and women’s magazines.

1980s–2000s - Restaurant Versions Emerge:
Restaurants and delis started creating formalized versions, often called The Pilgrim, The Gobbler, or The Harvest. These featured turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish, and gravy on specialty breads. New England—especially Massachusetts—became a hotspot for deli-style Thanksgiving subs.

The Modern Thanksgiving Sub:
By the 2000s, national chains, grocery stores, and gas-station delis began offering seasonal Thanksgiving sandwiches. Today, the combo of turkey + stuffing + cranberry sauce is a recognized seasonal flavor profile, and many places treat the Thanksgiving sub as a limited-time fall tradition. SUBWAY

The Festive Feast collection puts a fresh twist on Thanksgiving favorites and showcases its all-new sweet and tart cranberry sauce and savory turkey stuffing featuring a blend of parsley, rosemary, sage, breadcrumbs and broth. Whether you're looking for a delicious meal to bring to Friendsgiving, your turkey caught fire (or stayed frozen), or you simply want to feast without any fuss, Subway's Festive Feast collection is the perfect solution for any holiday gathering or kitchen mishap. All three subs come piled high with Monterey Cheddar cheese, spinach, red onions, mayo and Subway's new stuffing and cranberry sauce:

- TurHamKen: Sink into Subway's spin on the Turducken, combining oven-roasted turkey, tender Black Forest ham and rotisserie-style chicken

-Festive Turkey: Featuring Subway's signature and best-selling oven-roasted turkey

- Festive Chicken: With juicy rotisserie-style chicken, precision-cooked using a sous vide

My take: I tried the Festive Turkey to stay close to the traditional Thanksgiving sub. Aside from a few too many raw red onions, this sub was delicious. I liked the tangy cranberry and mayo mix, as well as the stuffing. FIREHOUSE SUBS

Carved slices of tender turkey breast, savory Thanksgiving stuffing, sweet and tart cranberry sauce, and mayo, served hot on a freshly toasted sub roll. NEW Gravy – A rich, savory gravy with notes of garlic, roasted turkey and vegetable stock – perfect for dunking your Thanksgiving Turkey Sub.

My take: They were out of the carved turkey breast they typically use, so they replaced mine with deli turkey. But, it was still very tasty. I am not sold on the gravy. BOGEY'S AT CAPITOL MARKET

Smoked Turkey sandwich with homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce.

My take: The ingredients on the sandwich are higher quality than the others on this list. Not a sub. ARBY'S

Deep-fried Turkey Gobbler Sandwich Quarter pound of thick-sliced Deep Fried Turkey piled high with crispy onion straws, Big Eye Swiss cheese, stuffing, cranberry spread & mayo on a toasted sub bun.

My take: Not bad. I wish there waa more stuffing flavor in this sub. SHEETZ

Holidaze sub & Flatzgiving pizza flat - turkey, cheddar cheese, gravy, stuffing and cranberry relish.

Awful. The bread was hard and crushed when bit into. Dry, no cranberry. The flatbread was decent.

'Tis the season for all things ramps. The garlicky, wild onion makes an appearance in early spring and fades out in May. Local restaurants often take advantage of the wild leek by incorporating it into dishes.



Ridge View BBQ has made a name for itself with its ramp burger. But there is another burger nearby making waves: The Mountain Mama. This special from The Burger Carte in Smithers features a steakhosue burger with ramp aioli, smoked gouda, bacon, fried green tomato, lettuce and onion. Unfortunately, they were out of fried green tomatoes when I ordered mine, but it was still quite tasty. The ramp aioli is pretty mild, but the raw onion helps drive that flavor home. All in all, some great flavors here. 



And, I can't forget the ramperoni rolls from Books and Brews. I made a pilgrimage to Buckhannon to get some ramperoni rolls from The Donut Shop - especially ones with hot pepper cheese. But this pepperoni roll from Books and Brews brings the flavor locally. They infuse a ramp aioli - not raw ramps - into their famous pepperoni rolls, and even add it on the side as a dipping sauce. Definitely punches it up a bit!

Have you had either?

Here's my latest Appalachian Mercantile Box from JQ Dickinson, complete with delicious and lovely goods from Appalachia! Have you tried any of these yet?

 

Just a quick ode to everything ramps. I love when local places make dishes with ramps during this time of year. And, I scooped up this ramp bagel at Starlings Coffee & Provisions last week. Yum.

I was finally able to dig some of my own ramps!



This is something I've wanted to do for years, but folks tend to guard their ramp patches. Luckily, a friend shared hers with me. So I dug just a few, cleaned them up and added them to some of my meals. They're great for anything that may call for scallions or garlic.



Like a green bean and sweet pepper stir fry.



And a creamy, cheesy corn dip with bacon.



And a lemon gnocchi with basil, radishes, artichokes and goat cheese.

It's my favorite time of month - Appalachian Mercantile Box day!

This month includes Route 11 potato chips: Route 11 Potato Chips came knocking because they needed just the right salt for their newest flavored chip. Our salt was the perfect answer and a partnership was made. You won't want to eat any other potato chip after tasting this salty and spicy combo. Only 4 ingredients: potatoes, sunflower oil, JQD salt and cracked black pepper.

In a Jam Heirloom Tomato Jam: Andrea Duke, of Parkersburg, WV makes these delicious jams and jellies from local fruits and vegetables. The heirlom tomato jam is excellent on a hamburger or grilled salmon. Try the salted watermelon jelly on a cheese board with your favorite blue cheese. Paw paws are a local Appalachian fruit that taste like a combination of mango and banana, which makes this fruit butter perfect for toast. The wild ramp jelly is delicious on sandwiches, or poured over cream cheese as an appetizer. The mission fig jam is a great accompaniment to hard cheese such as Manchego and aged Gouda.

J.Q. Dickinson Spicy Dark Chocolate Caramel Sauce: J.Q. Dickinson's organic caramel sauces are a necessity in the pantry for a quick, delicious dessert. Heat gently in the microwave then pour over ice cream, pie, pound cake, or fresh fruit. Made with organic sugar, cream and butter. The bourbon caramel has the addition of Black Draft Distillery bourbon. The dark chocolate and spicy dark chocolate are made with Appalachian Chocolate Company's organic bean to bar dark Peruvian chocolate. The spicy dark chocolate caramel has the addition of a hint of ghost pepper.

Snake Oil Hot Sauce: Once you taste this hot sauce, made by Woodberry Pantry in Baltimore, it will become the only hot sauce you will use. Made from heirloom fish peppers, cider vinegar and JQD salt, it has the perfect heat level and rich flavor to compliment and enhance almost any dish.

Stone House Lavender Lip Balm: Stone House Lavender started growing lavender in central WV in 2017. This lip balm is soothing and refreshing. Great to always have on hand.

Durham Woodworking Cutting Board: This cutting board is made from WV oak and walnut. It is great in the kitchen for smaller projects or use to serve cheeses. 9" x 6". A great gift or addition to your own kitchen. Rub with mineral oil or beeswax to keep it seasoned.