Known primarily for its live music and longstanding place in Charleston’s entertainment scene, The Empty Glass gave me another reason to stop by: brunch. Located at 410 Elizabeth Street in Charleston’s East End, The Empty Glass has been a fixture in the city’s music community for decades. The venue has built its reputation on intimate performances, a steady rotation of local and touring musicians, and an atmosphere that favors authenticity over polish. Its history includes performances by musicians who went on to achieve national recognition, including Tyler Childers and Sierra Ferrell. For generations of Charleston residents, the bar has served as both a neighborhood gathering place and an important stop in West Virginia’s live music circuit. "“8 Bit Brunch” Bacon/eggs, biscuits/gravy, hashbrown casserole, all you can eat buffet! Plus today's Sunday Soup Special - beef & mushroom, and house smoked pulled pork is now on menu full time and included in brunch! $5 Bloody Marys & Mimosas on special. 5,000+ 80s & 90s arcade games on the big screen, and NFL football on the tubes!" It definitely felt homemade, but suffers a bit from drying out - like any buffet. But it's also a good reminder that they offer wings, pizza and a number of other fried appetizers. Mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, mac & cheese bites, mini corndogs, mac & cheese bites, pork egg rolls, shroom caps, pickle chips and cajun fries. Have you been? Grade: B

I recently headed out to Gritt's Farm to check out their tulip festival. It was so lovely to see fields of tulips and pick out a bouquet to take home.



But, there are also tons of food options here, too.



I'll start off by saying I visited most of the food options on this visit, but I did not get to try the food truck, Sugar Shack, Snack Stand or Box Truck BBQ. Adding those to my list for next time.



First up in the food barn is Teagan's Treats, a sweets shop.



They were featuring "The Farmer Float," which is a mug layered with creamy vanilla soft-serve ice cream and strawberry cider slush and topped with a strawberry cake donut.



Next up is Creta Dough Co., which has pepperoni rolls, salad and pizza.



How they are able to get a crust like this on the pizza - I have no idea. But I want more.



Flying Goat Grill has chicken tenders, pulled pork sandwiches and kids' meals.



This pulled pork sandwich is unique - it has a mustard based sauce and hunks of pork.



Last but not least - Nellie's Kitchen, which has baked goods.



I've been to this shop before, and it's always tasty.



On this day, I took a package of cake donuts - both strawberry and blueberry - home with me.



Have you been?



EDITED TO ADD: 3 additional food stops!

Sugar Shack Snack Shack Box Truck BBQ

The Kenova Pumpkin House is one of West Virginia's most recognizable Halloween attractions, but it's really become much more than a decorated house. During October, the entire area turns into a little fall festival, complete with food trucks, vendors, crowds and entertainment ScragglePop Kettle Corn Lemon Shake-Ups Famous Fannie's Funnel Cakes C-N-C Concessions Carter's BBQ Lil' Orbits Mini Donuts Crazy Rod's Mexican Canteen Austin's Homemade Ice Cream Baked by Grace Ann -- I got a pepperoni roll here. It was interesting in that it was like a dinner roll that had pepperoni in it. Different! Bubs on Wheels 304 -- These guys were the main reason I came out to the Pumpkin House. Their main items are burgers and hibachi bowls. I ordered a BYO burger with American cheese, tomato, onion & Bub's sauce, which is a honey garlic. Not bad.

Appalachian Cup is an iced coffee truck that sets up around the Kanawha Valley. They offer lattes, coffee, lemonade, matcha and apple nachos. I went with a peach-mango lemonade. This is one of my favorite flavor combinations. So sweet, so fruity, Grade: A

Sushi Onw Shrimp shumai WV ROLL shrimp tempura udon Sushi One is a Japanese restaurant at 236 7th Avenue in South Charleston, in the former Taste of Asia building. It serves sushi, specialty rolls, hibachi-style meals and other Japanese-American favorites. There were so many items on the menu that I wanted to try that sounded absolutely delicious. So -- naturally -- I had to try a little bit of everything. Takoyaki - six fried, batter-based balls filled with tender pieces of octopus, drizzled with eel sauce. Crab Rangoon - these triangular shaped crab rangoons were piping hot, which made them perfectly crisp, and there was an orange chili sauce to go with it. WV Roll - tempura shrimp, cream cheese and avocado wrapped in sushi rice, topped with masago, tempura crab, sweet eel sauce, mayonnaise and spicy mayo. Shumai - usually filled with ground pork or shrimp, wrapped in a thin dough and steamed until tender. A sweet garlic dipping suace takes it over the top for me. Finally, shrimp udon - a hot soup that is super comforting. All in all, delicious food that is quickly rising in my local rankings. Grade: A