Another lunchtime discovery, Swiftwater Cafe is off of Capitol Street and serves breakfast, sandwiches, salads and wraps. They have daily specials, and a coworker told me I must try their "Big Ed Burger." I waited until Wednesday and headed over for lunch.

Daily Specials

• Monday: Grilled Chicken Sandwich with side and a drink
• Tuesday: Varies 
• Wednesday: Big Ed Burger with Roasted red Potatoes or fries 
• Thursday: Varies
• Friday: Big Ed Burger with Roasted red Potatoes or fries 

It has two entrances, which confused me a bit. But clearly they do a good business because as soon as I walked in, I lined up behind a dozen or so people already waiting to order. For a fairly small space, there is also a good bit of seating.

They cater to a lunch crowd, though (7 a.m. to 2 p.m.), so I wasn't waiting too long before I got up close enough to read their items from the black chalkboard. The folks behind the counter were super friendly - really fantastic service here. So helpful, nice and genuine. It wasn't a long encounter, but you just know when people truly care. And being new to town, that meant a lot to me. I paid, stepped to the side to wait for my order to be prepared, then took it back to the office.

The Big Ed burger is a 1/3 pound beef patty with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, pickles, mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup on top. Toppings were fresh - onions crisp - flavorful blend of all the condiments. By the time I got back to the office, it was starting to get a little soggy. That's my fault, though. And this burger was huuuge. I regretted stuffing myself with it - but it was just too good. And a lot of it. You can get fries or roasted red potatoes on the side. I got fries, which were fine. They were thick, crinkle-cut ones. I prefer less thick ones, but they weren't bad. Just personal preference. I'll go for the potatoes next time, though.

Grade: B

As I slowly begin to discover quick, easy and cheap lunch places around Charleston, I am finding some treasures. Sam's Hot Dog Stand is one of them.

It's located on Hale Street with an unassuming restaurant front and a few tables inside. I've been a few times, and each time I have ordered their hotdog lunch special: two hotdogs, a bag of chips and drink. I think it rings up to around $5, which isn't bad.

I ordered two West Virginia specials: sauce, slaw, mustard and onions. You can get mild or spicy sauce. I got one of each. I cautioned everyone on my anti-too-spicy stance, but everyone assured me it wasn't THAT spicy. They were correct.

I'm sure they get a little bit more steamed and sloppy in the trek back to the office, but they're still pretty spectacular.

But yes, get the spicier one. It simply adds some more flavor - not necessarily heat. I appreciate the fine consistency of both the chili and slaw and the kicks with onion and mustard. It's just all around pretty tasty. I have admitted to not growing up with this kind of hotdog (gasp - I ate ketchup on them), but I'm quickly growing to love them. I've been back a couple times already.

Grade: A

A whole café devoted to Crepes? Is this Charleston or France; I’m confused. TWO cafes?

The Creperi Café has two locations: one in Kanawha City and another at Trace Fork in South Charleston. My friend and I tried to hit up the original location in Kanawha City, but it had closed for the evening. So we trekked over to the location in South Charleston.

They offer both sweet and savory crepes. So, if you’re feeling breakfast, you can get some stuffed with eggs, cheese, bacon, ham, etc. Lunch and dinner options include smoked salmon, shrimp and a Greek version.

But of course I went for dessert.

Chocolate, strawberries and ice cream on top was my selection. After I placed my order at the counter, I took a seat and awaited my dessert. If you can, catch a glimpse of them making it. Kinda nifty.

Maybe I hyped this up in my mind, but the chocolate was SO overpowering, that I barely was able to taste the cool, sweet strawberries or the fluffy crepe pastry. There are few times when I say to tone down the chocolate, but this is one. It simply didn’t let the other flavors shine through and instead covered the elements sloppily. Less chocolate, and I think this would be delicious. I was pairing ice cream with bites of chocolate to tone down the flavor.

And all the other offerings on the menu are enticing, too. I’ll have to take another shot.





Grade: B

Adelphia is one of the few "classic" restaurants that I hadn't been to in Charleston. There are a handful of classic restaurants - Bluegrass Kitchen, Tricky Fish, Vandalia Grille - that I think of when folks come to town, and these are usually some of the first restaurants people try here. I finally was able to try Adelphia - which is this interesting combo between Greek food and sports bar.

It's located on Capitol Street, so parking isn't so fun. However, it's worth it once you get there. There is some outdoor dining available - and we actually saw a couple with their dogs outside while they ate. So, that's cool.

The menu is a hybrid between sports bar and Greek, complete with tons of large TVs adorning the walls and miniature speakers for the table to tune into the TV of your choice.

I decided to go classic and tried their gyro. We also got an appetizer of fried feta cheese because the menu said it was their original. If you want to essentially have bar food but feel a little classy in the process, get it. It's deep-fried goodness. Giant chunks of fried feta cheese atop a piece of pita lightly seasoned and topped with an olive? Um, yes, please. Two, actually.

The gyro was also tasty. The ingredients were all fresh and not greasy - I tend to think of a festival gyro where it's soaked with sauce and dripping. But this had perfectly seasoned strips of meat, enough sauce to taste it and fresh tomatoes and onions on top. Very good. Also - the sweet potato/waffle fries came with a cream cheesey cinnamon sauce that was an interesting combo. But good. I'm a fan of the sweet/salty, so it won me over.

I also got the baklava, which was decent. It was heavier on the honey than what I'm used to, but if that's your boat, get to it, gravy. They have some other desserts that look pretty tasty though.

Grade: A

For one of my first nights in Charleston, a friend took me to Umami - a new sushi restaurant in the East End. Umami is supposed to be the fifth sense of taste - most often the mushroom is used as an example for this flavor.

Umami is located on Washington Street East, next door to the locally famous Main Kwong. The owners of the two businesses are said to be friends.

Parking is around the back of the building, and I haven't seen that get too busy yet. The interior has clean lines and vibrant colors, and the menu has around 100 dishes, many of which being sushi rolls. I like that they denoted the rolls without raw items. They also have a hibachi grill.


I got a spicy California roll and an eagle roll. The spicy California is pretty straight forward, but I did appreciate their spicy mayo sauce. It had a little tang, but not too much. And the eagle roll was pretty tasty - tempura shrimp, avocado and spider sauce. I think the difference between mediocre sushi and sushi that blows you away is the freshness. Umami is fresh. Simple ingredients, but fresh and prepared correctly make all the difference. For under $15, you can't really beat it.

Umami Sushi and Hibachi Grill, 1401 Washington St. E., is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then again from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday, it is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. On Sunday, it is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Call 304-343-8989 for more info.

Grade: A