"We at Capitol Market know Easter week is usually a time of fellowship and community gathering. Our small businesses feel this loss, too, as our usual bustling marketplace has suffered in the wake of this global pandemic. We wanted to find a way to celebrate the season while also giving you a way to help your favorite local spots that call Capitol Market home. So today, we are launching our Capitol Market Easter Sundries Basket Fundraiser! With a $65.00 donation to Capitol Market (a 501 (C)(3) non-profit public market), you'll get a market tote bag full of various sundries and treats from participating market businesses!"
When I saw this, I was all in. I picked up what I consider my Easter basket, and it included specialty kitchen and wine items, dip mixes, sauces, jams and jellies, gourmet crackers, JQ Dickinson salt, spices, coupons, and more - including a voucher for a Soho’s brick-oven pizza!
Buzz is a Charleston-based meat and seafood distributor. In addition to providing top-quality food to establishments around the state, Buzz is a huge asset to the Charleston community.
The company cares about its local people, its product and the customers - so much so that they give back in many ways.
For example, Charleston Restaurant Week was the brainchild of Buzz during the Charleston water crisis to help local restaurants stay afloat.
And now, during the quarantine, they've showed up once again to offer some of their items - which many have been difficult to find locally - directly to the public in a safe and easy way.
They shared the promotion on social media, I reserved my box and then drove up to the Big Lots parking lot to see giant Buzz Food meat trucks ready to go. It was so easy - I gave my name, slid my card, received the box and I was on my way.
What does this amazing box contain you ask? Well, it has 1.5 lbs. of deli meat, 1.5 lbs. of cheese, 2 lbs. of ground beef, 1 lb. of hot dogs, 1 lb. of bacon, 4 pepperoni rolls, fresh tortillas, and 1 box of Buzz Buttered Steaks.
And I've already put an Insta Cart order in for buns, taco ingredients, and more to put all this delicious stuff to good use.
And, I've got to mention, Buzz is once again, along with Charleston Restaurant Week and Boss Babes, have started "Feed the Fight" - which crowdsources donations to fund food delivery from local restaurants and their staff to nearby health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Logan's Roadhouse is a larger national steakhouse chain. But it only has a handful of locations in West Virginia, and I just made my first visit.
"It’s a welcome rest for the hardworking rooted in American tradition. A laidback, “come as you are” kind of place where you can crack open a cold one, throw your peanut shells on the floor and enjoy steakhouse quality meat in the comfort of jeans and a t-shirt. It’s where the atmosphere is lively, beer is served ice cold, rolls are made-from-scratch and are endless, steak is grilled over real mesquite wood… the way it was meant to be and genuine hospitality is part of the DNA. There are no strangers at a Roadhouse, only friends."
This steakhouse seems similar to others - the whole peanuts on the floor thing - and Western-themed decor decorate the walls.
First, rolls with a sweet butter. Very good.
Then, I had a sirloin cooked medium, with a horseradish sauce.
And with sides of macaroni and cheese and loaded mashed potatoes.
All in all, not bad. Especially since I got it to go.
The steak had a bit of gristle, and the mashed potatoes were underwhelming.
For dessert though, I got these campfire s'mores that were fun and tasty, too.
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.
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