Coco's Kitchen + Cafe is a brand new restaurant in downtown Charleston that has a focus on healthy meal options.



"Our goal is simple: Use seasonal ingredients to create healthy food that’s nourishing, delicious and makes you feel great. Located in the heart of downtown Charleston, guests can enjoy simple, seasonal and delightful dishes in our casual, relaxed environment. Open Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch. We are so excited to see you! Stay safe and much love." ABOUT PAGE



The interior is lovely. Green plants all over. A mixture of wood and metal tables and chairs. Mason jars. Funky art. And some cool, historic charm. It's really sweet. 



The menu changes up. But on this visit, I went with a Berry Happy smoothie (raspberry, strawberry, orange juice, vanilla yogurt, milk and hemp), the Caprese Panini (mozzarella, tomato, pesto, balsamic and focaccia) and a side of fresh fruit. The smoothie was thick - definitely heavy on the greek yogurt part in consistency and flavor, I think next time, I'll ask for extra orange juice to get that tang.



The sandwich was a bit tough to eat, but I loved the bread. Extra balsamic would kick this up a notch.

Grade: B

After years in Charleston, I'm still learning about restaurants I haven't visited yet. The Elk River Bar & Grill was one of them.



This bar & grill just on the outskirts of town holds a steak dinner on Saturdays - Doug's steaks (which I believe may be from a previous restaurant).



The meal comes with a salad: iceberg lettuce, cheese, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, bacon and croutons. Not bad.



And the steak was humongous - chargrilled. Comes with a baked potato and garlic bread. I'm personally not a fan of the fatty pieces on the steak, and I wish the baked potato had come with butter and sour cream.

Grade: B

There is a brand new smoothie shop on the East End of Charleston. Zeganz Smoothie Shop has healthy smoothie offerings, and food will be forthcoming.



And, in case you didn't pick up on it - it's all vegan and organic.



The space is long and narrow, with plenty of seating for those who might want a refreshing drink while in the neighborhood (or maybe that's just how I imagine a perfect day going).



The menu has smoothie options like strawberry banana with agave and vanilla almond milk.



The Razzified is the one that caught my eye - orange juice, raspberry, peach, ginger and agave.



Plus there are add-ons, like oats, raw cacao nibs, hemp seeds and more.



While I know that's probably a big draw for folks, I was looking for the tastiest option.



And I may have found it! I love the light, fruity flavor, but I could still taste the ginger, which gave it a bit of spice.

Grade: A

You may recall NOSH opening recently on the East End of Charleston, but it just moved downtown in a much more visible spot and much more seating.



Gold, white, and plants cover the new restaurant from top to bottom. It has a trendy vibe.



The menu has hoagies, chicken salad croissants, hot dogs, shrimp tacos, and more, so it's an eclectic menu.



The NOSH Hoagie caught my eye since it's the namesake - slow roasted honey glazed ham, turkey breast, pepperoni, middle cut bacon, pan sauteed chicken breast, swiss cheese, mayo, sriracha crema, romaine lettuce and tomato.



There was maybe a bit too much going on here. It all just kinda got muddied together. I really wanted to get the flavor of that sriracha crema, but it's clearly a sandwich made for a carnivore with all that meat.



It came with a side of onion rings. I'm not sure how exactly I ended up with a side of macaroni salad, too, but I enjoyed it. But the star of the show was a maple bread pudding that was *chef's kiss* divine.



Grade: B

Mia's Panaderia is a sweet, small business that sells Mexican and Honduran sweet breads and baked goods. I found her on Facebook, and she is related to the folks at Melange Cafe, so products are also sold there.



But there are so many goodies that you can order on Facebook - rather than seeing what's available daily at the cafe - that I wanted to make my own mixed box. I took a look at the menu available and pretty much ordered one of everything available at the time! PLUS, she happened to be making Tres Leches Cake that day, so I opted for a slice of that, as well. 



These couple of photos are actually from her - I love that she labeled each of these items! The wedding cookies were slightly sweet little balls; the azucarada was like a strawberry sugar cookie! The marranito is like a gingerbread; besos are coconut and jelly; and my empanada was filled with pineapple - delish.



But look at this absolutely beautiful concha. I'm not kidding when I say these should be the next Instagram food trend. They're beautiful, reminiscent of sea shells and are tasty. But my absolute favorite was the tres leches cake. It was ... maybe the best cake I've EVER had. It was moist and sweet and rich and just ... perfect. I could've eaten an entire cake. It was unbelievable.



And, she even sells pepperoni rolls. Did I mention her items are vegan? The pepperoni roll has a vegan pepperoni and cheese. I can say it's the best vegan pepperoni roll I've had. They're probably a good option for vegan friends who miss that taste of home. For me, I might stick with a more traditional roll ... but I love that these exist.

As a side note, the owner is just the absolute sweetest. Not only did I get super excited upon seeing this bakery and placed an immediate order, but the owner met me in the middle of quarantine (in complete PPE!), taught me how to pay her with Apple Pay (just via text - without a machine!) AND make the transaction super quick since I was *possibly* not in a correct parking spot. Just an all-around lovely experience.

Grade: A

There's a bit of a Jamaican trend happening in West Virginia right now. It started with Karubees in Dunbar, then I quickly learned of two restaurants that opened in Morgantown (more on those later), and then Island Rhythm Jamaican Cuisine & Catering here in Charleston.



Located in Kanawha City, Island Rhythm Jamaican Cuisine & Catering has taken over a former bakery space and is serving carryout during the quarantine. So, I absolutely needed to take advantage of that. I ordered the jerk chicken, mixed vegetables, mac & cheese and a beef patty.



The flavor of the jerk chicken was good, though I found many wayward bones and pieces of cartilage that had me stopping every other bite. I get that this is a standard preparation, just a warning :) The mixed vegetables were tasty - but I do love me some cooked cabbage. Again, be on the lookout for spices and herbs that have leaves and stems you may not want to bite into. The mac & cheese used like a tricolor rotini, which I thought was interesting. Small piece, but it had that comforting flavor I love. The beef patty was totally my favorite part of the meal. Crispy and a little spicy and savory.

Grade: B

You may be familiar with Ms. Groovy's Kitchen catering from area festivals and fundraisers. They're often participating in community events, so I've been able to sample little dishes here and there. But, never a full meal - until now.



Ms. Groovy's Kitchen - like some other caterers - began offering daily specials for folks. They take the ability to make a big batch meal but sell it by the individual portion. And, they did it on a donation-based scale, with a suggestion of $10. I absolutely love this idea.



The day that caught my eye is the one where they were offering roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and dessert. We could all use some comfort food, right? The turkey was unreal. Green beans were some of the best I've had. Not a big fan of chocolate cake, but all around, a delicious meal.

Grade: A

Cheerful Heart Catering typically specializes in larger events. But in the time of quarantine, that is all but nonexistent. So, this savvy business has created a daily special for individuals to purchase. I think this is a great idea - they can still cook in bulk, and the public gets to enjoy a homecooked meal that we may not have had access to otherwise.



Located on the West Side, Cheerful Heart Catering listed a weekly menu, which included options like BBQ, stuffed chicken and lasagna - that last of which caught my eye. "Contessa Laura's Lasagna with salad and garlic bread."  



It was easy peasy - I called in and told them I'd like one. The meal is already prepared, so I drove right over and had them hand it to me curbside. Once I got home, I dug into the salad first, which was a handful of lettuce some cucumbers and tomatoes with a side of ranch dressing.



The large square of lasagna was the comfort food I was looking for. Layers of pasta, ground beef and some cheese - though I always think more cheese is better. It was piping hot and perfectly accompanied by a slice of garlic bread.



And, to my surprise, there was dessert AND a bottle of water - all for $8. The dessert was a gooey brownie with marshmallow and it was delicious.

Grade: A

Sokolata is a fairly new restaurant in the Charleston food scene and it's known for its amazing Greek desserts.



And recently, it made a move to the building across the way and expanded into entrees, like pasta, pizza, calzones and sandwiches.



Right when it opened, I went to check it out with my friend Meghan. It's clear they were experiencing some opening week kinks, but nothing too extreme.



It was a former fast food restaurant - Shlotzskys - and there are giant exterior windows, which brings in some nice light.



It feels more fast-casual concept. We were able to sit wherever we wanted, and after a while, we had a waitress serve us.



The menu has items like hummus, gyro, philly cheesesteaks, lasagna and salads.



We started with some gouda macaroni & cheese bites. These were a bit elevated from the tip fried app you'd expect. I could taste the smoky gouda.



Meghan went with a calzone, which she seemed to enjoy.



I started off with a Greek salad, which had a generous helping of fresh veggies and feta.



The Mykonos Spaghetti popped out to me - sauteed shrimp, onion, mushroom, mozzarella and marinara. Spaghetti isn't usually my go-to pasta (I prefer more pasta to sauce ratio), but I did appreciate the mushrooms and shrimp in here. A nice little twist on what I'm used to.



For dessert, I took home a piece of mille-feuille, which was divine.



Light, crispy layers with mousse and fresh fruit. It was really, really good.
 


Overall, I'd love to see how they move forward and add more dishes.

Grade: B