Honey Baked Ham has always been an afterthought for me. I don't think I have ever intentionally sought out this restaurant; I have only had it as part of a catering order or because it was the only option. But that all changed recently.



Maybe Gen Z is more hip to hidden gems, because several younger coworkers have proclaimed their enjoyment of said restaurant. So, I made an intentional decision to check out the Charleston location.

While it is a chain, there aren't many locations in West Virginia. They are best known for their full-size hams, which are ideal for holiday dinners. But they also serve sandwiches for lunch.



I ordered a ham salad sandwich with a side of the broccoli bliss salad and potato salad. The sandwich comes with lettuce and tomato on multigrain bread.



The sandwich was actually really tasty. The ham salad is sweet, but in a complementary, salty, porky way. The broccoli salad added some nice crunch, but, of course, was also sweet. And the potato salad was a nice salty, creamy addition.

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this meal. It is a bit on the pricier side for a chain, but it is something different, and I appreciate that.



Grade: A

Cambodia is a southeast Asian country that borders Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. If you're like me, you may not be familiar with Cambodian cuisine, so I took to Wikipedia for a briefing:



"The cuisine of Cambodia contains tropical fruits, soups and noodles. Key ingredients are kaffir lime, lemon grass, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, tamarind, ginger, oyster sauce, coconut milk and black pepper. Some delicacies are num banhchok, fish amok and aping. The country also boasts various distinct local street foods," the website reads.



While passing through Eureka, California, on a national parks road trip, my friends and I stopped at Annie's Cambodian Cuisine and were excited to try this new-to-us cuisine.



I started with a strawberry smoothie with tapioca boba. It was just like a strawberry milkshake and boba tea had a baby with all the best features of each. I also ordered Annie's Cheese Puffs, which are wonton wrappers filled with cream cheese and green onion, fried to a golden brown and served with housemade sweet and sour sauce. These were essentially like the crab rangoons that I order anywhere I can. And yes, the fried cream cheese is as delicious as ever.



I ordered pad thai with shrimp, which is rice noodles stir fried with egg, bean sprouts, lime and peanuts in a peanut sauce. This is one of my favorite dishes of all time, and this version is a great example. It was moist and flavorful and had some nice variation in texture.



Grade: A

"When Guy was growing up, his family would stop at Granzella’s Deli on road trips for the best muffuletta ever. Stop in and try one of their 30 different sandwiches," reads the restaurant description on foodnetwork.com.



In January 1976, Jim and Beverly Granzella opened Granzella's Deli. Through hard work seven days a week, years of increasing popularity, and the help of the Granzella children, Granzella's expanded into a full-service delicatessen and ultimately a restaurant, according to the website.



Today, Granzella's Deli offers a wide selection of prime lunch meats, domestic and imported cheeses, a wide selection of olives and specialty items, a massive selection of 150 brands of imported and micro- brewed beers, assorted coffee drinks, fresh-baked pies, and Italian gelato made with real Italian gelato base.



And for the restaurant portion: Granzella's breakfast specialties include items off the griddle, omelets, country fried steaks, and much more! Granzella's also has an extensive lunch and dinner menu, with items that will satisfy the hungriest at an affordable, family-friendly price. Items include a long list of appetizers, specialty soups and salads, sandwiches, pastas, charbroiled specialties, prime rub, pizza and more.



I started my meal with a bowl of minestrone, which was a huge portion, and I love the generosity with the pasta noodles. That's always my favorite part.



I had to try the New Orleans Muffuletta sandwich with genoa salami, mortadella, provolone cheese, and their famous muffuletta olive salad served on a sourdough roll.



This was really quite good, without the overwhelming size that the original muffaletta brings. It's the best part of an Italian sandwich with the punchiness of that additional olive salad.



I also finished with some gelato, which was sweet and satisfying. Creamy and indulgent.



Plus, there is a huge shop that includes some of the ingredients from the menu and much more.



Have you been?



Grade: A

Super Duper Burger is a San Francisco-based burger chain that is a step up from others: It boasts organic, locally sourced, humanely raised ingredients, including vegetarian-fed beef with an 80 to 20 protein to fat blend.



"From our famous (free) house-made pickles to the hand-painted signage, to our cheerful staff, we build our restaurants like we build our burgers—sustainably, locally, and with an unwavering commitment to quality. We work with local designers, sign painters, and artisans because it reduces our carbon footprint, and, frankly, because they’re some of the best in the world," reads the website.



The space definitely has a West Coast vibe, with some indoor-outdoor spaces and bright colors. The furniture is pretty modular and not exactly exactly cozy so you're not sticking around too long. There is a pickle jar, but I was a bit hesitant to test the communal waters.



I ordered the mini burger: One 1/4 lb daily ground, all-natural, vegetarian-fed Brandt Beef patty - cooked medium and served on a freshly baked bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and Super Sauce.



Plus a side of garlic fries: Fresh Garlic & 6 Month Aged Cheddar



Add in 3 dips: Homemade Super Sauce, Mayo & Chipotle Aioli.



The fresh strawberry shake is not skimping on the fresh strawberry - which had a heaping helping on the top.



The burger not only tasted great, but it also was presented in a lovely way. Certainly a step up from other burger joints. just a bit fresher, cleaner, and more succinct flavors. I think all fries should be garlic and/or truffle fries, so this also receives top marks from me. The shake was great. All in all, an elevated burger experience that is still quick but without cutting corners.



Grade: A

"Make your own edible cookie dough bowl."



Has there ever been a more beautiful string of words assembled? Probably, but this one's pretty close.



Scoopwell's Dough Bar takes the well-known concept of assembling your own dish, but with a new medium: cookie dough. They do also offer ice cream, baked cookies and other treats.



Before I get too far into this, let's first start off by noting that, yes, the raw cookie dough is edible, as per their website.

Q: Is the dough safe to eat without baking?
A: Yes, it’s specifically made to be eaten straight from the mixing bowl. We utilize heat treated flour and pasteurized eggs to take the worry away.

Q: But I thought you couldn’t eat raw eggs?
A: Much like the heat treating process of the flour, the pasteurization process for eggs eliminates any potentially harmful bacteria so all the doughs are safe to enjoy without baking.



Once inside the playful & colorgul space, I went up to the bar to make my decisions on creating the perfect cookie dough bowl.



First step is deciding how many scoops of cookie dough you would like. then, decide on which flavors you would like to include: brownie batter, cookies and cream, chocolate chip, just dough, snickerdoodle, cake batter, peanut butter explosion, oatmeal chip, s'more, banana cream pie, Irish mint or white chocolate macadamia.

Finally, add toppings like: Rainbow Sprinkles, Chocolate Sprinkles, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Mini Reese's Pieces, Mini M&Ms; Chocolate Chips, Oreo, Kit Kat, White Chocolate Chips, Peanut Butter Chips, and Butterscotch Chips.



I mixed and matched without much strategy in mind. That may have been a mistake, because it ended up very sweet. But, I very much enjoy the concept and getting to try something a little bit different. I like cookie dough much better than actual chocolate chip cookies, so this was quite a delight.



Grade: A

I'm back with another culinary love letter to Hawaii. It may have taken me traveling to Arizona to discover this love, but it is going strong. I discovered Golden Hawaiian BBQ on a delivery app, and wasted no time placing an order.



I bought an entire smorgasbord: crab puffs, egg roll, manapua and a chicken katsu combo with steamed rice, macaroni salad, and cabbage.



The eggroll and crab puffs were standard – fried to a golden brown with a tasty filling. But the manapua was a soft bun filled with barbecued pork, and it was amazing. I love the toothsome, pillowy texture of the bun with that rich, meaty interior. The combo entrée was the real star. There's not a better way to cook chicken, and when there's a rich sauce to bring everything together, it is just *chef's kiss*. And the mac salad is key; the fattiness helps break through the fried flavors



Grade: A

My favorite Bloody Marys are full meals. Not simply a brunch beverage. There are so many garnishes that the drink itself is secondary. That is my kind of Bloody Mary. So, when I learned about a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar, I was in.



Hash Kitchen in Chandler, Arizona, specializes in brunch and claims to have the original build-your-own Bloody Mary bar. From hashes and scrambled to benedicts and waffles - there are endless options here that all sound amazing.



I ordered the herb fried chicken benedict with two buttermilk biscuits, fried leeks, warm, maple reduction, hollandaise, two poached eggs, and served with hash potatoes. My favorite part of this dish was the fried leeks that gave it a little bit of a pungent flavor on top of what is otherwise a pretty standard flavor combo. I enjoyed the touch of sweetness, but this is a pretty heavy dish, so I put most aside in favor of the main event.



At the Bloody Mary bar, you start with a celery salt or bacon salt rim. Then, you get to choose what type of vodka: cucumber, jalapeño, celery, cilantro lime, dirty vodka or bacon. Next, it's the spice level of the mix: classic, tomatillo, chili, pepper or habanero. Finally, you can choose to upgrade from the house vodka and then it's on to the toppings.



There are over 50 craft toppings to create the ultimate Bloody Mary: Calabrian chilis, pickled red pepper, pickled jalapeno, cocktail onions, spicy pineapple, artichokes, pickled fennel, pickled green beans, celery, bacon, raviolis, meatballs, oysters, spicy mango, pickled eggs, blue cheese-stuffed olives, cheese cubes, beef jerky, pickles and more.



I tried to fit as many different toppings onto various skewers as I could. It was like an amusement park full of pickled and spicy goodies. I almost used the Bloody Mary itself as a dipping sauce for all of these fun, savory toppings. Plus, some were pretty creative. I love a fun, delicious, new way to enjoy a meal. This checked all those boxes.



Grade: A