The 1588 Washington St. E. corner location on the East End of Charleston has struggled with restaurants over the last several years. Most recently, East End Eatery & Catering occupied this space. They were previouslt in a different location, so it's a bit of a mysical chairs game. I haven't seen them open lately, so they may have already joined the list of bygone restaurants. I visited with my friend Angelica. The space is lovely - updated, clean, and simple. But, they no longer sold the first item I ordered, and then they were out of the second item I ordered. So upon my third look over the menu, I settled on a philly steak, which was OK. I would have preferred it without the veggies and with some sort of sauce and onion to give it that unctuous flavor I was hoping for. Grade: C

Kanawha Valley's newest bakery is causing quite a "stirr." Get it? In a good way! Batter & Bliss Baking Co., located in Campbells Creek, is a small, homegrown shop that is churning out as many sweet treats as they possibly can to hordes of hungry customers. They specialize in a variety of donuts, cookies, made-to-order custom cakes and other sweet treats. Their "mad dog" is especially sought after, which is a long donut stuffed with cream. Founder Rylee Vealey began baking at age 14— starting with a lemon-curd cupcake for her stepdad—and eventually turned her passion into a bakery business. She pursued her dream seriously in 2024, launching the storefront to local fans and customers. There's a reason people wait in line - in the rain - for the shop to open. Every item is so tasty that they can sell out quickly. If you have your heart set on a mad dog, you'll want to be at the front of that line. In fact, they even put a limit on them - thankfully, because on the day I went, the couple in front of me was fully prepared to clean out the case. I was fortunate they enforced the limit so I was able to try it. The donuts are incredibly fresh with a perfect balance of cream and soft, chewy texture - easily one of the best around. Their rotating cupcakes, like Wedding Cake and Red Velvet Oreo, are moist, flavorful, and topped with rich, creative frostings. The honey bun slice offers a comforting swirl of subtle sweetness, making it a satisfying treat without being too heavy. Have you been? Grade: A

West Virginia’s 2nd Annual Juneteenth Farm to Table Dinner was a powerful celebration of freedom, heritage, and Appalachian pride. It featured:

Exclusive gift bags featuring products from West Virginia Black-owned businesses

Table games and community fellowship

Meet the farmers and makers, including:
Donnie Hairston
Dural Miller with KYFC
Linesha Frith
Micah Colbert with Shroom Traders
James Jones with The Saucepot
Chamear Triggs Davis with Mear Mae Meadows
Browntown Farms
Jackie Snowden with My Greens are Bomb

Live performance by West Virginia’s First Lady of Soul, Doris “Lady D” Fields

Cash bar provided by The Wine Shop Menu:
1st course
Fried Chicken Sandwich
Plantain Focaccia * Lions Mane Chicken Fried Mushroom * Jerk Slaw * House Pickles
served family style West Virginia Lavender Lemonade 2nd course
Melon Salad
Watermelon * Cucumber * Feta Crumble * Cherry Tomatoes* Pistachios * Mixed Greens * Lime Mint Vinaigrette 3rd course
Suya Grilled Lamb *Sweet Potato Mash * Stewed Collard Greens * Pepper Sauce 4th course Peach Cobbler Ice Cream Biscoff Cookie Crumble * Bourbon Infused Peaches * Toasted Pecans * Toasted Coconut Plus a little gift to go from The Stockpot, which makes hot sauces and seasonings.

Chef Paul Smith, West Virginia's first James Beard Award winner, has opened his newest restaurant in Charleston: Paulie's Fine Italian. Located just across from his restaurant 1010 Bridge, Paulie's Fine Italian focuses on authentic Italian cusine with an Appalachian flare. Smith draws inspiration from his childhood memories spent in the kitchen with his grandfather, and the dishes at Paulie's each tell a story. I was super fortunate to check out the soft opening of the restaurant; I expected a few kinks considering it's brand new. But, I was blown away and want to share some of the incredibly tasty dishes we were able to try. I went with friends Evan & Heather Osborn, Erin & Eric Conner, and Jamie Ferrell. With such a big party, we were able to order a little bit of everything and share. Even doing that, we only ended up sampling a portion of the menu - but everything was amazing. First up was a round of oyster shooters. This was the first time I've ever had an oyster shooter. My question was: do you chew? I think the answer is no. But, I kinda wanted to savor the flavor of it? I chewed it a bit, enjoying the slimy, briny oyster with a touch of sweet acid from the limoncello mignonette. Next up was the appetizer I ordered: artichoke & potato with rosemary, garlic aioli. We received some complimentary bread and oil with parmesan. Brussels sprouts with guanciale, hot honey and farmhouse cheese. Fried Oysters with fire-roasted Calabrian chili. Fried mozzarella cheese curds wit hfire-roasted tomato sauce and parm snow. PARM SNOW. Fried anchoby stuffed olives, marcona almonds and lemon zest. Folks at the table seemed to love this one the most. Lobsters & Bowties - poached lobster, langoustine cream, and tarragon breadcrumbs. Just from this description alone, you know it's good. I had a hard time deciding because I also still really want to try the Sunday Ribbons, the Sausage and Pea, the Rigatoni alla Vodka, the Carbonara --- literally, everything. I want to try everything. But, wait, there's more. DESSERT. And, I know you're surprised, but I loved every single dessert. The cannoli chip & dip featured sweet ricotta and housemade pizzelles. Tiramisu cheesecake had espresso, mascarpone and a lady finger. The panna cotta had lemon and mascerated berries. The budino was like a chocolate pudding with salted caramel. Finally, the last one of the evening was bread pudding with panettone and rum anglaise. And, this may have been my most favorite of all. Grade: A

Page's Sourdough is a home bakery based in Sumerco. I recently placed an order with her to try it out. I ordered a sourdough flight, which contained four mini loaves of different flavored sourdough: original, asiago, Italian herb & cheese, and cinnamon & brown sugar. All that plus a sourdough pizza pinwheel. I dipped this one in marinara! Have you tried any of these baked goods? Grade: A

So. St. Louis is a new food truck in the area that features fried chicken and fish.



I ordered The Murphy Lee - Cod & Fried Shrimp. The fried fish and shrimp were just okay—nothing special. The breading was basic and lacked any real seasoning, leaving both the fish and shrimp tasting pretty plain. Everything was cooked through, but without any added flavor or standout texture, it felt like a missed opportunity, especially for $20. Not bad, but definitely forgettable.



Grade: C

Los Amigos is a new Mexican restaurant in Kanawha City, which is the third location from this particular local chain.



This space has been home to a number of restaurants over the years, most recently The Pitch. I think the sports bar decor is still evident in the current setup, but it is still general enough to be fitting.



The menu has all the basics: tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fajitas and the like. I saw a couple things that caught my eye, but they were actually out of them. So I ended up with steak, shrimp and chicken tacos.



I was looking for more flavor, more toppings, more garnish. Just more. Onions and cilantro and sauces helped, but not enough. They were pretty streamlined and simple.



The sides of rice and beans were fine; I ended up scooping some of the rice into the taco to fill it out a bit more. Some seasoning and balance would have turned this around for me.



Grade: C