It's been years since I first saw a sign for Karubees coming soon to downtown Charleston. After a brief stint in Dunbar, the restaurant has officially opened on Lee Street.



Karubees is a Jamaican restaurant that features menu items like jerk chicken & shrimp, curry chicken & shrimp, goat, oxtail, brown stew, red snapper, salmon, veggies and more. 



"Kerry G. Martin is the owner and founder of Karubees. Kerry's passion for cooking stemmed from his granny where he was basically the assistant in her kitchen. The first job he learned was how to properly clean meat. Since he was raised by his grandparents, he was taught to sew clothes, grow crops, clean, garden, mix cement, gravel, and cook. Ultimately, the goal was to provide the people in the area of Charleston, WV Jamaican food from his new restaurant in town. Kerry was born on the island of Jamaica on the 28th day of June in 1977. When Kerry was 10 years old he left Jamaica and landed in the Bronx, New York, where he grew up from ten until he was twenty-three years old. Kerry's first child was born in 2000 and he left New York in 2001 to move to Charleston, WV. where Kerry later attended West Virginia Junior College. After several years Kerry realized that Charleston, WV was not the city he wanted to live in with his family. Therefore, he decided to move to Columbus, Ohio in 2005. Later attended DeVry University in the Columbus Campus, where he later obtained his Bachelor of Science in Network and Communication Management with a 3.62/4.00. Kerry is a proud father of six wonderful children, whom he adores, and he works hard to take care of."



They offer a variety of combo plates, but I wasn't keen on the cooked cabbage or rice - I wanted to try the meat so I ordered three different sides: jerk shrimp, curry chicken and oxtails. It came out to about $40, which I think was a bit high for three small styrofoam containers. But let's get to the flavor. The jerk shrimp has some HEAT. I thought this would be my favorite, but the spice had my lips tingling. 



Instead, I loved the curry chicken way more than I anticipated. It didn't have the same kind of heat - just a little kick - and the chicken was so tender, it quite literally fell off the bone. Any fat or cartilaginous pieces just melded with the meat to make it moist and flavorful. There were also some veggies mixed in, with a tough of sweetness - so tasty.



Finally, the oxtails. These are the tails of cattle and can have a deep rich flavor - almost like short ribs. The flavorful sauce was my favorite part of my meal. There is a good bit of fat around the oxtails - when I got a bit of meat, it was delicious. Overall, all three of these dishes had some great flavor, and you should see which ones you like best.

Grade: B

There's a brand new pizzeria in Kanawha City, and I ordered from them as soon as I saw the "open" light on.



Vinny's Pizzeria, located in MacCorkle Avenue, has pizza, calzones, pasta, subs, salads, wings and burgers. So, they offer a bit more than many other pizza joints in town. I placed an order through GrubHub (they're also on Door Dash and PostMates) for a calzone and spaghetti and meatballs. 



The calzone was pretty decent. It had a lot of filling - including ricotta, which is my favorite topping that not all places have. And plenty of mushrooms. AND, I loved that the ends were just kind of folded over instead of being all wrapped up and twisted, which leads to a large bunch of dough without filling.



The pasta was just okay - I wasn't a fan of the meatballs. I was searching for that homemade herb and spice flavor, which I did not find. But the noodles, sauce and cheese were fine on their own. Straightforward and standard. There was also a few small pieces of garlic bread, which helped soak up some of the sauce.



Grade: B

There's a brand-new restaurant on the West Side that would be Leslie Knope's dream come true: The S'waffle Shack. You're thinking, "A whole restaurant dedicated to just waffles?" Yes, but also - craft sodas.

 
Located directly beside Dem 2 Brothers And a Grill, The S'waffle Shack is painted in the same light turqouise color as its neighbor. The interior has a large counter directly ahead, a menu on tv screens and a small space where they may add a table or two in the future. 



The menu is large - with the craft sodas actually taking up the majority of the space. I don't know if "craft soda" is a term, but it's what I've been dubbing it. The restaurant takes a base: Sprite, Cola, Tea, Mr. Pibb, Fanta Orange, Root Beer, Ginger Ale, Lemonaide, Mello Yello and more. But then there's a bajillion combinations of those with toppings like pineapple, peach, strawberries, ice cream, cotton candy, lavender, coconut, english toffee, raspberry puree, almond, passionfruit, mango puree, blue curacao, green apple - and so. much. more. I did not study up beforehand, so I randomly picked the "Myrtle Beach" based mostly on its name: Mello Yello with strawberry, pineapple and I added cherry. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect, but it was delicious. It's like a virgin cocktail. It's like a pop but with natural flavors added. It was good - but of course very sweet. 



There are also a good bit of combinations when it comes to the waffles. First of all, you can get one, two, or three. I wasn't sure how big they were, so I went with two. Heed my warning: They are big. I ordered a "Berry Cheesecake S'waffle," which has cheesecake filling, whipped cream and choice of berry - I went with raspberry. 



These are large, homemade waffles that are nice and crisp. Of course, once you enclose them in a takeout box or drench them in tons of delicious whipped cream (which is also homemade!), the clock is ticking down to sog town. So, be mindful. AKA, eat them immediately for best satisfaction (duh). Mine was indulgent and delicious. Lots and lots of sweetness with just a hint of the tart berry. And my waffle held up just fine for a while that added a nice textural base. I would love to see them add some savory waffles - maybe a scallion and potato or topped with pulled pork. But otherwise, I love the creativity, the massive amount of combinations and just the fun novelty of this unique place.

Grade: A

My first bite of D.P. Dough was while attending undergrad at WVU. This calzone company has locations in college towns across the country and are open late into the night. 

While I wouldn't categorize Charleston as a college town, I was nonetheless happy to see some more late-night options in the capital city. That's one luxury I miss about college town life. And - there are only a couple locations in the state, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to shed some light on them if folks are unfamiliar. Dan (the founder) and Penny (his mom) named their new restaurant D.P. Dough after their initials.



Recently, I places an order for D.P. Dough on GrubHub for a Speed Zone + mushrooms. This has: Breaded Chicken, Spinach, Garlic, Mozzarella, Ricotta. I love this combo of flavors. I could've even done without the chicken, but good overall.



We also ordered Roni Rolls - pepperoni and mozzarella rolled in D.P. Dough, cut into 8 pieces, and topped with garlic parmesan. These are kinda like crispy pepperoni rolls. Tasty.



And finally, they also serve milkshakes. I don't remember them having this before - but I was more than happy to enjoy a strawberry milkshake.

Charleston's favorite donut shop is back open - in a brand new brick-and-mortar location.



Vandalia Donut Co., which had a food truck two years ago in the area, can now be found on Tennessee Avenue in the trendy Elk City neighborhood dishing out delicious donuts under a slightly different name - The Vandalia Co. 



Right now, they're still in a soft opening phase where there is no dine-in and they're open Thursday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Expanded hours and a new menu is coming this summer. 



When I visited, there were three donut flavors: The Number 42 - Scratch-made buttermilk donut rolled in cinnamon sugar. Why the name? It took 42 tries to get it right. 



Hummingbird Cake Donut - The Number 42 with pineapple, whipped cream cheese, toasted pecan, and coconut drizzled with salted caramel banana cream sauce.



Nutella Crunch - The Number 42 topped with whipped Nutella cream, drizzled with Nutella ganache and sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts. 

I think you can tell from the photos alone that these were dee-lish-ous. But the 42 is just a classic and it's the basis for all their specialty ones. The hummingbird just screamed spring to me. And the Nutella? *chef's kiss* - so good. I already can't wait for the next specialty flavors - and to just hang out here.



Grade: A

'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?

I've mentioned before how exciting it is that during this time of quarantine when more folks are spending time at home, we are seeing a surge in home bakeries and other sort of cottage kitchens. That's how I found A Guy And A Girl Catering. 



This local catering company offers a ton of options - from catering events to seasonal offerings to just a few options. The latter is what appealed to me. I didn't have a huge event to cater, but I did have a hungry tummy and a curiosity to check this place out. 



They have a number of sweets, but they also had two of my favorites: macaroni & cheese and pepperoni rolls. Let's start with the pepperoni rolls - these are definitely some of the better pepperoni rolls I've had. It has a healthy topping of garlic and parmesan that gives it a ton of flavor. Plus a nice marinara dipping sauce. 



Do I need a giant pan of macaroni and cheese? No. Do I want one? Yes. This is probably a pretty good crowd-pleaser since it's pretty straightforward. I doctored mine up a bit with some more melty cheese, a pinch or two of sugar and some cream. *chef's kiss*

"If you don't want to go out and buy cookies, worry no more! You can have high quality cookies shipped or delivered to your door. Classics and new creations that are as sweet as their name."



That is Cookie Crush Creations' motto. The Charleston-based business has some fun cookie flavors you can order - plus you can even do a subscription box full of cookies! 



These are the flavors available:
Classic:
Chocolate Chip
Peanut Butter
Sugar
Oatmeal ( chocolate chip, white chocolate chip, raisin)
White Chocolate Macadamia
Snickerdoodle
No bake Chocolate Peanut Butter
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Specialty:
Chocolate Fudgy Peanut Butter
M&M Peanut Butter
Toffee Cookies
Kit Kat Cookies
Malt Ball Cookies
White Chocolate Citrus Oatmeal
Lemon Zest Sugar
Orange Creamsicle Delight
Butterfinger
S’more
Fruity Pebble
Reese Cup Cookies

I ordered a dozen with: Smores, fruity pebbles, reese, butterfinger, KitKat, and toffee. The toffee is my favorite - and they all come with this drizzle on top. Have you tried them yet?

Crepizza is an amalgamation of a couple restaurants rolled up in one. You may be familiar with the previous Creperie Cafe locations in Kanawha City and in South Charleston. OR maybe Pizza Barbarosa in South Ridge. The owners of those previous locations have combined those concepts into one new restaurant: Crepizza (get it?).



Crepizza features both crepes and pizza. Plus pastas, calzones, sandwiches and desserts. I wanted to try something from both aspects of the restaurant, so I went with two orders: a calzone and a crepe. 



The calzone was stuffed with carbonara flavors: ham, bacon, mushrooms and alfredo sauce. I was in love with this. Everyone knows I love a good carbonara pasta, and having it all wrapped up in a calzone was a new take on the dish that I enjoyed. You get the creamy, the smokey, the salty - all delicious.



Then, for dessert, I went with a strawberry and nutella crepe. With to-go orders, you definitely get that sort of sog factor that may not have been there otherwise, but that didn't affect the flavors of sweet, rich nutella with the fresh berries. Classic and delicious.



Grade: A

General Steak & Seafood, located on Quarrier Street, is like an expanded version of Joe's Fish Market.



The once-fish market now has a meat counter, as well, and the famous Yugoslavian Fish Stew is still a staple.



So, walking in, you have a fresh seafood counter to the right. A meat counter - all sourced from Buzz - to the left. And a few cooler items straight ahead. 

Folks here are super attentive and willing to help. I had no idea what I wanted to get, really, so I looked up and down the coolers a bit. I have to give a shoutout to Becca for being the absolute best. She immediately welcomed me as soon as I walked in (so I wasn't standing there awkwardly trying to figure things out), she let me have some time to browse, she was right there when I had questions and helped me pick out the best filets. Plus, I think there's something to be said for seeing another woman there - it's comforting when I was the only other woman there.



I ultimately went with the filet mignon (how can you say no when seeing these beauties??), plus some crab cakes, then crab dip and tartar sauce. Becca gave me a tip for the crab dip - while you CAN enjoy it cold, try it warmed up with some hot bubbly cheese on top. Yum. Everything was delish.



Grade: A

An off-the-beaten-path burger joint with a wrestling theme: It's what's for dinner.



Squared Circle Burgers is a new wrestling-themed burger restaurant on Campbell's Creek Drive. The space itself is what you might expect - some basic tables and chairs with wrestling belts and memorabilia on the walls. 



The menu focuses, of course, on burgers: 

The Lariat – $8.00
(1/3 pound beef, cheese, BBQ sauce, ranch, onion rings, and bacon on Texas toast)

The Bruiser – $8.75
(1/2 pound beef, cheese, burger slaw, pickles, and ketchup between two grilled cheese sandwiches)

American Dream – $9.00
(1/3 pound beef, cheese, bacon, fries, and a fried egg on Texas toast)

Latino Heat – $8.25
(1/3 pound beef, cheese, Jalapeno slices, and burger slaw)

F.B.I. – $8.00
(1/3 pound beef, provolone cheese, three mozzarella sticks, marinara, and tomato on Texas toast)

The Macho Man – $8.50
(1/3 pound beef, muenster cheese, honey mustard, crispy onions, lettuce, and tomato)

The Samartino – $8.00
(1/3 pound beef, provolone cheese, fried pepperoni, marinara, and parmesan cheese)



I ended up going for "The Bruiser," because it's a burger between two grilled cheese sandwiches! It comes with 1/2 lb. beef, cheese, burger slaw, pickles and ketchup. 



Dawn and I got our sandwiches to go and ate outside the restaurant to enjoy our meals. And, I enjoyed this far more than just a "shtick" - these flavors really worked together. This big, messy, cheesy burger was balanced with a cool, tangy slaw and that light, buttery toasted bread pulled it all together. I'm here for it.



Grade: A