Danny’s BBQ Stand is a barbecue restaurant at 1019 Quarrier Street in downtown Charleston, founded by former Charleston Mayor Danny Jones. The restaurant has a history tied to Jones’ decades of experience in the restaurant industry, dating back to the 1960s. The restaurant specializes in traditional barbecue, including ribs, pulled pork sandwiches and chicken, prepared with Jones’ signature barbecue sauce. Other menu favorites have included smoked chicken salad, homemade chili, baked beans, coleslaw and smoked potato salad. The dining room features newspaper clippings, photographs and memorabilia documenting Jones’ years in Charleston, giving the restaurant a personal connection to the city's history. My pulled pork was drippy, which is not my favorite adjective to describe this type of sandwich. I didn't mind the savory & slightly sweet flavor, though the texture left something to be desired.

Grade: B

Kel’s Tavern is an American restaurant in Charleston’s Elk City district on the West Side. It opened in September 2025 at 222 West Washington Street, taking over the former Sergio’s Italian restaurant space, which had previously housed Books & Brews. The restaurant is connected to another Kel’s Tavern in Ashland, Kentucky, and focuses on elevated tavern food at relatively approachable prices. Its menu combines familiar American comfort food with some more creative appetizers and entrees. The dining room retains much of the layout from its previous occupants, with high ceilings, an open seating area and a prominent turquoise accent wall. A stage was also added to accommodate live music. The menu includes items like ribeye, bourbon-glazed salmon, fried chicken, fish and chips, pork chops and traditional sides such as broccoli casserole and baked macaroni and cheese. The Big Bang Shrimp ($13) featured Captain Morgan-battered fried shrimp tossed in a sweet, warm, tangy sauce and topped with fresh scallions. The shrimp had a golden fried coating beneath the generous layer of creamy orange sauce, combining sweetness and tanginess with the crunch of the batter. The Buffalo Chicken Empanadas ($13) were filled with spicy Buffalo chicken, fried until golden brown and drizzled with Kel’s house ranch dressing. The crispy pastry pockets combined the heat of Buffalo chicken with the cool, creamy ranch sauce. Pimento Cheese Fries: A generous serving of french fries topped with creamy pimento cheese. The Southern-inspired appetizer combines crispy, salty fries with rich, tangy cheese and the mild sweetness of pimentos. Meatloaf: A hearty serving of homestyle meatloaf accompanied by sides of Kel’s Corn and broccoli casserole. The meatloaf had an OK flavor, but I wish it was more moist. Kel's corn is whole-kernel corn served in a seasoned sauce, which was different. And the broccoli casserole was less ooey-gooey casserole-like than it was a mushier broccoli with crunchies on top. Points for effort, another visit to determine execution. Grade: B

Apparently the Charleston area has decided we need to be VERY hydrated. 7 Brew is opening in South Charleston at Park Place, with another location also in the works in Cross Lanes. If coffee isn’t enough, the menu also has energy drinks, teas, lemonades, smoothies, shakes and all sorts of wildly customizable concoctions. I enjoyed a strawberry lemonade. Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar has officially landed in Kanawha City, joining its Hurricane/Teays Valley and Huntington locations. Think smoothies, fresh juices, açaí bowls, wraps, salads and wellness shots. I enjoyed a "Raspberry Harmony" smoothie and an Asian chicken wrap. Have you been to either yet?

When patron saint of Appalachia Dolly Parton recently passed away, the nation collectively decided that 9/25 would be the perfect day to celebrate her legacy. The City of Charleston in partnership with the Office of Public Art, Arts Amplified, FestivALL and Folklore Music Exchange created Dolly Day 9.25: A Tribute To Dolly Parton at City Center at Slack Plaza, featuring Crawford & Ashby, Holly Forbes, Brittany, Brenna & Justin, Unmanned and Emmy Davis. There was a Dolly Parton lookalike contest. Fife Street Brewing served their “Brawley Parton” Belgian Blonde Ale. FestivALL sponsored a free screening at Park Place Cinemas of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. And, a portion of proceeds benefitted Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of West Virginia. But I was most excited about The Hideaway, which is an ever-changing pop-up restaurant and bar operated by MMDI — Morgan’s Million Dollar Ideas — the event production company founded by Morgan Morrison. The space rotates through immersive themes, with décor, food and drinks changing along with each concept. Over the course of just a couple days, the space went from green paint & pickles to sparkly pink walls & butterflies to launch The 9-to-5 Lounge. On Friday and Saturday, the lounge featured karaoke and Dolly-inspired drinks and Southern bites: PIMENTO PARTON -
Homestyle Pimento Cheese Dip & Crackers SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHEESESTICKS -
Deep Fried Mozz Cheesesticks TENNESSEE TATOR FRIES -
Bacon Cheese Fries BETTER GET TO CHICKIN -
Fried Chicken Bites & Fries The 9 to 5 Mocktail -
Pineapple, Lime, Sprite & Grenadine The Dolly celebration continued Sunday at The Hideaway for a special singalong brunch, which featured recipes from Dolly herself. Dolly’s Favorite Chess Pie — A classic Southern custard pie made with sugar, butter, eggs, milk, cornmeal, flour, vanilla and a little vinegar. It bakes into a rich, very sweet filling with a lightly browned top and tender, almost gooey center. Dolly has publicly named chess pie as her favorite pie. Dollywood Broccoli Supreme — A creamy broccoli casserole combining broccoli with cream of chicken soup, sour cream, grated carrot and onion, then topped with buttery herb-seasoned stuffing. It’s a very traditional Southern potluck-style side dish with a creamy interior and crisp topping. Dollywood’s Famous Cinnamon Bread — The signature treat associated with Dollywood’s Grist Mill: soft yeast bread coated with butter and corn syrup, packed with cinnamon sugar and finished with a sweet glaze. The deep cuts in the loaf allow the cinnamon mixture to work its way inside, creating the bread’s characteristic pull-apart sections. Dolly’s Miracle Madness Salad — A decidedly retro salad of crisp iceberg lettuce and fresh tomato tossed in a creamy dressing made from Miracle Whip, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. The sugar gives the tangy dressing a noticeable sweetness. Dollywood Macaroni Salad — A creamy cold pasta salad with macaroni, cucumber, green bell pepper, onion, sweet pickle relish and chopped hard-boiled eggs. The dressing uses equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream with a little milk, making it especially rich and creamy; it’s best chilled overnight. Dolly’s Southern Corn Pudding — A soft, buttery corn casserole made with Dolly Parton’s sweet cornbread mix, whole-kernel corn, creamed corn, eggs, sour cream and melted butter. It lands somewhere between cornbread and spoonbread, with a tender center and lightly caramelized edges. Dolly’s 5-Ingredient Chicken Casserole — A straightforward comfort-food casserole of shredded chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream and cheddar cheese topped with crushed buttery crackers. It bakes until creamy and bubbling underneath with a crisp, golden cracker topping. Dolly & Rachel’s Mac & Cheese — A particularly rich baked macaroni and cheese from Dolly Parton and her sister Rachel Parton George. It combines cheddar, Monterey Jack and Velveeta with eggs, whole milk and sour cream rather than making a traditional stovetop cheese sauce, resulting in a thick, creamy baked casserole. Dolly Parton’s Banana Pudding — A classic Southern banana pudding made by layering sliced bananas and vanilla wafers with a rich, homemade vanilla custard. It’s topped with fluffy meringue and baked briefly until golden. This version was published in Cooking with Country Music Stars in 1988 and was served at Aunt Granny’s restaurant at Dollywood. Dolly’s Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread — A sweet-and-savory cornbread made with Dolly Parton’s sweet cornbread mix, plenty of shredded cheddar and finely chopped fresh jalapeño. Butter and milk keep it rich and tender, while the jalapeño adds a little heat to balance the sweetness. Dolly Parton’s Stampede Soup — A copycat of the creamy soup served as the first course at Dolly Parton’s Stampede dinner attraction. It’s a velvety cream-of-vegetable soup made with chicken broth, finely chopped mixed vegetables and half-and-half, lightly seasoned with onion, garlic and white pepper. Dolly’s Cowboy Pork & Beans — A heartier take on baked beans that combines pork and beans with ground beef, onion and bell pepper. Ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard create a sweet, tangy sauce, turning the traditional side dish into something closer to a cowboy-style supper.

St. Mary and ArchAngel Gabriel Coptic Orthodox Church located at 309 Beauregard St. in Charleston. The parish was founded in 2015. It is part of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Pennsylvania and its affiliated regions, which includes the Charleston parish among its churches. “Coptic” refers to the ancient Christian tradition of Egypt. The Coptic Orthodox Church traces its history in Egypt back to St. Mark the Evangelist, and its liturgy, iconography, music and traditions are distinct from both Roman Catholicism and the various Eastern Orthodox churches. The Egyptian Festival is essentially their big annual open-house/cultural celebration of Egyptian heritage, with food being a major draw. The Egyptian Macarona Béchamel is essentially a baked pasta casserole. It was a ziti pasta layered with seasoned ground beef and a thick, creamy béchamel sauce, then baked until the top is golden. The béchamel makes it creamy and rich, while the beef gives it a savory layer; the browned top was the best part. Egyptian kofta is seasoned ground meat that’s formed around a skewer or into an elongated kebab and grilled. They're made with ground beef, onion, parsley and spices. It was browned, slightly charred edges and had a juicy, highly seasoned interior. The final meat entree is grilled chicken. Simple, moist and a delightfully savory seasoning.

Koshari is the vegetarian entree - rice, lentils, pasta and chickpeas topped with crispy fried onions. This is probably the quintessential Egyptian street-food dish.

Sides included a simple salad and wara’ enab, which are Egyptian stuffed grape leaves. They’re grape leaves wrapped around a filling of rice seasoned with herbs, onion, tomato and spices. They’re similar to dolma at Greek or Middle Eastern restaurants, but the Egyptian version was less sour and had its own seasoning and preparation. Dessert included: Basbusa is a traditional Egyptian semolina cake made with sugar and butter, baked until golden and then soaked in a sweet syrup that gives it a moist, dense texture. The piece I tried was tender and slightly grainy from the semolina, with a buttery flavor and a sweetness that lingered without the flaky texture of baklava, while a nut on top added a little crunch. The other option was listed as baklava, but I received a sort of date roll, which was tasty.