In my never-ending quest to try all things Girl Scout Cookie flavors, I found a Samoa flavored donut at Donut Connection! Caramel, toasted coconut and chocolate. It's a winning combo.

Kita Modern Japanese restaurant is a new, flashy restaurant in Charleston.

The restaurant replaces a number of failed Asian restaurants in the same space.

There has been a great deal of turnover - from Red Fire Asian Grill to others that displayed business names that never even opened.

The interior is not unlike its predecessors. It's modern with some flashy details and a pretty open layout.


It wasn't long after they first opened that I visited. So I couldn't find a menu anywhere. But I arrived, pull up a seat to the bar and picked a few options to take home.

One of the first things I ordered was "Octopus" - brasied soft and charred, yuzu butter and tonkatsu grits.

This had some fantastic flavor. I really like octopus in general, and I appreciated the unique flavors here.

They were out of a few things I wanted - like bao buns and candied bacon. So I went with some other options.

Fried wontons are always an easy go-to for me. These little purses had a little sweet chili sauce underneath. A nice sweet and creamy combo.

We also went with an order of Kalbi, which is Korean BBQ short ribs. These had a good flavor, though the texture could use some improvement. A bit fatty and more bone than meat at some points. But the flavor was good.

Moving onto sushi.

We ordered the "Mango Madness," which had smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado, mango and covered in shoestring potatoes.

Definitely different - and tasty.

Grade: B

Each year, Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha & Putnam brings one of West Virginia’s most talked-about restaurants to Charleston, giving the community a chance to dine on some of our state’s finest food. This year, they hosted Hill & Hollow of Morgantown for the annual fundraising dinner.

 

Hill & Hollow served unique dishes using Appalachian-sourced ingredients fused with modern cooking techniques. Each item on the menu was sourced from local farms.

 

This event was brand new to me. I hadn't had the chance to go in past years, but I had it circled on my calendar since the date was announced this year.



And I was excited to be able to contribute some ideas for restaurants for the fundraiser. Hill & Hollow is always at the top of my recommendation list because the food is so unique, and you can't find it anywhere else.



So, I was excited to see that one of my suggestions was chosen for the event. And, I was excited to participate in the event, too. I spent the first hour-ish taking tickets and then I found myself at the buffet.



So, if some of the options look a little enjoyed, that is why.



Appetizers included trout fondue, confit beef poutine, roasted pumpkin soup, salt-rising bread, charcuterie, preserves and pickles, warm spinach salad, ramp hummus and local Appalachian cheeses.



And, each one of those - the charcuterie, the preserves - had a billion components.



Entrees included Appalachian cioppino, brown sugar pork tenderloin, roasted chicken with alfalfa, braised lamb, rabbit fricassee, duck shank, spaghetti squash lasagna, wild boar cobbler, and more.



Desserts included pawpaw bread pudding, rhubarb crisp, mincemeat pie, and buttermilk pie.



The evening was full of delicious food, fun music and it was all for a good cause. The appetizer section had all sorts of pickled veggies - even okra.

Plus lots of fresh breads - like a salt-rising, which was my favorite. The ramp hummus was also to-die for. And the warm spinach salad even had its own light to keep it warm.

And local cheeses! I could've spent my entire evening at the cheese station. From soft and strong to hard and aged, cheeses here were delicious.

Trout fondue.

Appalachian cioppino.

Pumpkin soup.

Brown sugar pork tenderloin.

Roasted chicken with alfalfa.

Rabbit fricassee.

Spaghetti squash lasagna.

Wild boar cobbler.


Duck shanks.

Confit beef poutine.



Stew.



Paw paw bread pudding.


Rhubarb crisp.

Buttermilk pie.

Mincemeat pie.



Just look at that - Mmm mmmm.

Everything old becomes new again!

What was once China Gourmet has rebranded and changed its name to PJ Loyal Buffet, which prompted me to make another visit. 

China Gourmet wasn't my favorite local Chinese buffet, so I was interested to see what PJ Loyal Buffet offered.

Walking inside, it looks much the same. There is sushi and a Mongolian stir fried station directly ahead.

There are some options to the left and to the right of that.

The left was more salad and fruit.

And then the bulk of the entrees are to the right and include standard options - general tso's chicken, coconut chicken, beef and broccoli,  etc.

Even though I went right during lunch rush, there were a good bit of items running low. Though, I did see them often replacing trays.

Some of my favorites included their seafood bake and any sort of sweet and sour chicken. Nothing too different, but decent.

Grade: B