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

Rainelle Deli & Marketplace is a family-owned deli and specialty food market at 707 Main St. in Rainelle. It opened in April 2023 with a focus on making local food more accessible to the community. The business grew out of owner Beth Smailes’ work selling beef and produce from her family’s farm. Her goal was to give people in Rainelle more consistent access to local food, while keeping more food spending in the community. The market also sells beef and pork from the family farm. It’s part sandwich shop, part small grocery, and part market for regional and specialty products. Made-to-order sandwiches: The deli offers custom sandwiches, including options such as the Loaded Italian, Farmhouse Club and Frontier. A 2024 newspaper profile reported that the shop was making around 100 hoagies a day. Breakfast and hot foods: Breakfast sandwiches, paninis, pizza, soups, salads and rotating lunch specials give you options beyond cold deli sandwiches. The daily specials change, so check their current menu before visiting. Local and specialty groceries: Shop for local meats, cheeses, raw and pasteurized milk, Amish-style jams and jellies, honey, pickled goods, bulk candy, baked goods and pantry items. Like "Knead the Living Bread." Sweets and baked goods: The market also carries cakes, pies, pastries and other treats, along with coffee. The selection can rotate depending on what's available. The very generous Farmhouse Club includes: Sliced Honey Ham, Colby Jack Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Bacon, Mayo and Mustard on 3 pieces of toasted Sourdough bread. It's huge, fresh and very satisfying. Grade: A

Oakleys Bistro is a chef-owned restaurant on the northwest side of Indianapolis known for inventive American cuisine, seasonal ingredients and creative interpretations of familiar dishes.

Inside, the dining room has a polished but approachable atmosphere, with warm lighting and a relatively intimate setting. Chef-owner Steven Oakley opened the restaurant in 2002, establishing a neighborhood dining destination that combines fine-dining techniques with a relatively casual atmosphere.

Oakley is a four-time James Beard Award semifinalist, receiving recognition in 2008, 2011, 2018 and 2019. He also competed on Food Network's Beat Bobby Flay in 2017 and won with his signature shrimp corn dog, which remains one of the restaurant's most recognizable dishes. It's a playful, upscale interpretation of a classic fairground corn dog, replacing the traditional hot dog with shrimp. The shrimp is served in a petite, golden-fried corn dog with a crisp exterior and tender seafood center. It comes with the restaurant's bistro honey mustard, which adds sweetness and tanginess to complement the savory shrimp and cornmeal coating. Unlike a full-sized carnival corn dog, it's a small bite sold individually. Oakleys Bistro's Wild Boar Sloppy Joe puts an upscale twist on the classic sandwich with rich, savory wild boar, creamy Brie, sweet caramelized onions and crunchy sesame red cabbage slaw. Served with house-made potato chips, it balances sweet, tangy and savory flavors with an Asian-inspired touch. Grade: A

The Pine Club is one of Dayton, Ohio's most famous restaurants, a traditional American steakhouse that has operated since 1947. Known for its aged steaks, dark wood-paneled dining room and unwavering commitment to tradition, it has received national recognition as one of the country's great steakhouses. The restaurant began in 1947 when Jim Sullivan purchased Lonnie's Bar on Brown Street. After installing pine paneling throughout the interior, he renamed the establishment The Pine Club. Lloyd Meinzer purchased the restaurant in 1954, expanding the dining room and bar. David Hulme took ownership in 1979 and helped preserve the restaurant's historic character. Although ownership changed again in 2018, its longstanding traditions have largely remained intact. The restaurant has a distinctly old-fashioned supper-club atmosphere, with dark pine-paneled walls, subdued lighting, closely arranged tables and a bar that has remained largely unchanged. The Pine Club has earned several notable distinctions:

- Food Network: Named America's No. 2 steakhouse in 2015.
- The New York Times' T Magazine: Included among 10 of the world's greatest old dining institutions in 2013.
- Gourmet magazine: Recognized its fried potatoes among the country's best in 2006.
- The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Featured in 2019 when chef Jonathon Sawyer selected it as a favorite dining experience Salad with French Dressing: The meal began with a simple house salad featuring crisp lettuce and a few fresh vegetables, topped with French dressing. The dressing added a slightly sweet and tangy flavor to an otherwise straightforward salad. Bread and Butter: A basket of bread and butter accompanied the meal, offering another simple element of the traditional steakhouse experience. Signature 20 Oz. Bone-In Ribeye: The steak is dry-aged for 28 days, broiled and finished with butter, giving it a rich beef flavor and a nicely browned exterior. It was served with a generous portion of thin, crispy fried onion straws, which added a salty crunch to the tender, juicy steak.

The Pine Club also has its own signature steakhouse sauce, a longtime Dayton favorite that is popular enough to be bottled and sold separately. The sauce adds a tangy, savory complement to the restaurant’s steaks. Necessary? No. But a sauce makes everything better. Stewed Tomatoes: One of the more distinctive accompaniments was the serving of stewed tomatoes, an old-fashioned side dish that has become part of The Pine Club’s identity. The soft, cooked tomatoes offered a slightly sweet and acidic contrast to the richness of the beef, making for a combination rarely encountered at modern steakhouses. Baked Potato: The baked potato rounded out the meal with another familiar steakhouse staple. Fluffy interior, hearty texture, and I absolutely drowned it in butter. The Pine Club has a longstanding tradition of offering guests a complimentary piece of chocolate at the end of their meal, a small sweet finish in place of a traditional dessert menu. Grade: A

Budd Dairy Food Hall is a multi-level dining and entertainment destination in Columbus, Ohio, housed inside a former milk-processing facility dating to 1916. The historic Budd Dairy Company building once served as one of Columbus's major milk-processing operations.

The facility operated until 1967, and its brick exterior, industrial architecture and original details have been preserved as part of its transformation into a modern food hall. Unlike a traditional food court, Budd Dairy operates as a chef incubator, providing independent restaurateurs with space to develop their concepts, establish customers and potentially expand into standalone restaurants. BEEP!BEEP! NOODS, RICE AND STREET FOOD "Dubbed as Ohio’s best Filipino restaurant by Food & Wine Magazine, the team behind the success of Bonifacio: Modern Filipino is exploring the diverse and complex Asian influences of Filipino cuisine through our new street food concept – beep! beep!

Inspired by the bustling streets of Manila, where the honking of jeepneys and the sizzle of street food stalls fill the air, it captures the energy of a bustling urban food scene. From Chinese-inspired dumplings to Japanese-influenced noodles, beep! beep! celebrates the merging of flavors that make Filipino food uniquely delicious. With bold, comforting dishes served in a vibrant setting, it recreates the lively experience of an Asian night market, where every bite tells a story of tradition and innovation."

CREAMY SESAME UDON W/ PORK - Medium spiced, made with sesame brown butter, with creamy tahini, served with kale, egg, ground pork, and BACON. THE CHEESECAKE GIRL "Our goal is to keep dessert nostalgic, make everything from scratch, and keep it as local as possible. We operated as a pop-up bakery, pairing up with local breweries and selling tickets to cheesecake and beer pairings. Then we moved onto farmer’s markets and weddings from there. Eventually getting to our Hilliard location in 2020 and our Dublin location in 2021!" The Cheesecake Girl’s Skyline Chili mini cheesecake is a playful dessert inspired by Cincinnati’s iconic chili dish. Rather than incorporating actual chili, the miniature cheesecake is decorated to resemble a serving of Skyline Chili, turning a familiar savory dish into a sweet treat. HATCH – THE JERK SPOT "The Jerk Spot is characterized by the aromatic bold flavors and unique blends of spices and fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Signature items such as Jerk Chicken and Oxtail are seasoned and infused with flavor using their signature Jerk Rub and Jerky Paste.

Owner, Troy, has a deep-rooted love for Jamaican and Caribbean food which has inspired him to share this passion with their customers and give them that island experience that is rare in the city. The Jerk Spot team pride themselves on consistency and presentation, and their meals are a statement of the heart."

RASTA PASTA - Made With Pepper Cream Sauce, Sweet Peppers, And Broccoli Florets. MODERN SOUTHERN TABLE "The journey for Modern Southern Table began in the food court of the Colony Square Mall in Zanesville, Ohio, after Daisy Lewis competed in and won the Food Network’s “Food Court Wars” in March 2014. When her lease in the mall ended, Lewis refocused her efforts on relocating, hoping to open a restaurant in the Columbus area." "No stranger to the highs and lows that come with working in the restaurant industry, Lewis cites the wealth of knowledge she’s learned from Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR) as a turning point in her entrepreneurial career. Other highlights include winning local accolades such as the Big Pitch and Best Fried Chicken awards and national recognitions such as winning the “Food Court Wars.”" GEECHEE RED RICE - A classic Gullah Geechee Dish!! Red Rice is the long-lost Granddaughter of Jollof. But she’s also the grandmother of Jambalaya! The rice is cooked in tomato sauce with onions, peppers, bacon & and andouille smoked sausage.

SOUTHERN MAC AND CHEESE - Wouldn’t be a true southern restaurant without Mac and cheese, Right! BAKED mac and cheese, that is! We gotcha covered, it might not be your momma’s mac, but it sure is good.

BLACKEYE PEA SALAD A cold salad of blackeye peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh herbs in a homemade vinegarette. TACOS RUDOS "The term Rudos comes from Mexican wrestling or lucha libre, where the Rudos, the antiheroes, fight the tecnicos. Relatives of the Rudos Team trained and became wrestlers in Mexico City around the 1970’s, they were Rudos. Ever since then, lucha libre has been one of our traditions, great food being the other."

FISH (RED SNAPPER) - “BEST FISH TACO IN OH” Beer-battered Red Snapper, cabbage, pico de gallo, serrano cream on a flour tortilla. ZAKI MEDITERRANEAN GRILL "From grape leaves marinated in lemon, to falafel balls seasoned with cumin and spices, there are so many tempting choices at Zaki Mediterranean Grill. Don’t miss the chicken shawarma with turmeric, paprika, and garlic sauce, the gyro packed with slow-roasted lamb and beef, or the chicken sandwich with grilled chicken and garlic sauce."

HUMMUS BOWL WITH FALAFEL - Ground chickpeas, parsley, green onion, cumin, served with basmati rice, salad, tzatziki sauce, fresh hummus and pita. Other restaurant concepts include CLUCK NORRIS, ELEVATED PIZZA KITCHEN, MARLOW’S CHEESESTEAKS and MCGINNIS’ GRILL.

Grade: A