Charleston has implemented Food Truck Wednesdays, and I couldn't be more excited. 

Food trucks are always sort of fun and a novelty, since they're like a little treat when you stumble upon one. But having a handful in one location? Even better.

This past Wednesday featured local favorites like Dem 2 Brothers & A Grill, Joey's Rockin' Dogs & Tacos, and more. But I had my eye on one in particular.

Bite Mi is a new "Asian Street Food" food truck that was serving up stir-fried ramen, fried rice and other favorites throughout the morning but had just a few items left by the time I arrived. 

But I was excited to try the "Bite Mi Bao." Fluffy steamed buns held pickled carrots, pickled daikon pate, mayo, cilantro, jalapeno, cucumber and chicken, pork or beef. Or, you can be weird and get shrimp like I did. 

There is something about the texture of bao buns that makes me fall in love. It's like a warm cloud holding fresh, crunchy ingredients. Plus three of these for $8 was an easy choice. 

These had a fabulous flavor, and I especially enjoyed the pate on these. 

And, I also ordered BBQ Pork Buns. These I haven't had since I was on the West Coast, and I'm absolutely in love. Again, the dough is soft, steamy, but toothsome. And inside is this sweet, salty BBQ pork that is just a treat.

If I could get these daily, I would be in big trouble. These are two of my favorite Asian street foods, so I was very excited to see them.

To finish off my meal, I had a Vietnamese Iced Tea. This was less sweet than I would have liked, but it helped balance the meal overall. Yum. Have you been?

Grade: A

It's my favorite time of the month! Appalachian Mercantile Box day! I love all the little goodies each month. I'm excited to try those chips and salsa for a snack later, and those chopsticks came in handy for my delivery sushi last night! What's your favorite?

 Any time there is a new coffee roaster in West Virginia, I am excited to check them out. The same goes for the West Virginia Coffee Company.

"We are the West Virginia Coffee Company. We are a small company that focuses on roasting the best Arabica coffee beans, freshly to order. Your coffee will be roasted, and packaged (ground or whole) in a sealed foil bag with a fresh-lock valve, and promptly shipped, priority-class mail, so that you get the freshest coffee possible."

Not only do I love this name - simple, iconic, straight to the point - but this coffee is delish. And, this is just one of their varieties. But, it's the perfect way to wake up.

Columbus is full of incredible restaurants, and its suburbs are as well. In Hilliard, the first restaurant that popped up over and over again was Starliner Diner.


Starliner Diner is known for Cuban food and breakfast - not a combo you see often. But, one that is enticing nonetheless.



"Since beginning its operation in 1995, Starliner Diner has been a local favorite to consumers in the Hilliard community and beyond. With its eclectic menu and kitschy decor, Starliner offers customers an alternative to the cookie cutter, big chain restaurants by providing them with a unique and fun dining experience.



The Cuban inspired menu also includes American and Southwestern influences and features popular dishes such as Creole Macaroni and Huevos Rancheros. This one of a kind restaurant is most often celebrated for its breakfast, and has won several awards including Best Breakfast in Columbus, Best Hangover Breakfast in Columbus, and Best Diner in Columbus as voted on by the readers of Columbus Monthly. Columbus Alive, and 614 Columbus. Be Sure to visit this Hilliard area staple and see what everyone is talking about!"



The building is unassuming outside, but once you enter, it is super colorful and painted from floor to ceiling. It has a celestial, and sunny, motif. The menu had turned to digital, simply by scanning a QR code on our table (genius!). Tons of items caught my attention: cajun jambalaya, adobo pork loin, cuban sandwich, cornbread crusted chicken casserole...



But I went with a plantain appetizer to start, and the Creole Macaroni - Chicken, Cajun sausage, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and corn tossed in a Cajun cream sauce. Served with Cuban bread.



The plantain appetizer combined that sweet and salty that I love so much. I love the fried texture to give some crisp to the mooshy plantain. And the macaroni packed some heat - in a huge package. I loved the different components with the scallions and sausage, but the pasta and sauce itself could've used some more cheese or deeper flavor. Still good overall!

Grade: B

Even though 2020 has been the weirdest year ever, I am still staying busy and eating as much as I possibly can. The past couple months have been sparse for blog content - not because I haven't been trying new restaurants - but because I bought a house! So all of my free time has gone toward getting settled. So I apologize for the delay - but let's get to it and talk about a new-to-me pizza spot: Donatos.



Donatos is Dawn's favorite pizza, so we had to hit it up while in Hilliard, Ohio (which is the Columbus area). It is "America's original Edge to Edge pizza" on their famous thin, crispy crust. It is cut into squares - also known as "tavern style" or "party style." I feel like I see this in the Midwest only.

The crust is, indeed, very thin - but wasn't particularly crisp. And, the sauce really did go allll the way to the edges, so if you don't love the puffy crust at the end or even the super crunchy bit, this may be for you. I liked the flavor of the sauce - mild, but not bland. And they were not skimpy on the toppings, even on a small pizza. It's not my preferred pizza, but it may be my favorite of this style!

Grade: A

King Kebab is a Mediterranean restaurant that has a location in South Charleston. But, recently, they opened up a new spot in Kanawha City - which is closer to my home base now.



Though I didn't get a chance to go inside, the outside is bright with big signs that describe items they have. King Kabab is staying very safe during the pandemic. I was able to order my meal over the phone and simply drive up to the door, where they brought out my order and paid. OK, now let's get to the tasty stuff.



First up, chicken shawarma. If you've never had shawarma, you are missing out. It's like a little garlicky hug wrapped up in pita. It has chicken, lettuce, tomato, tahini, and garlic sauce in pita bread. But that garlic sauce is what makes it for me. It packs a punch that I just can't get enough of. And King Kabab does it right.



In my opinion, it's the best thing you'll find on pita bread.



And, then, I got a veggie sampler platter: falafel, grape leaves, hummus, tabbouleh, tahini and pita bread. I am pretty picky when it comes to falafel. Too often it's dry - but this. This was perfect. I kept dipping it in the hummus. And the grape leaves, which are a bit sour, have really grown on me. Everything felt fresh and satisfying.



Have you been?

Grade: A

Hibachi Express has opened on the East End of Charleston beside Main Kwong. Their specialties include hibachi, of course, sushi and Thai.
They seem to be focusing on carryout and delivery during these times, so I placed an order for delivery to check it out.



First up, we have cheese wontons, always. These had a lot of cheese - no crab - and were the turnover style, which I enjoy more. Stuffed to the brim with filling and served with some sweet chili sauce. Tasty.



Then, it was a regular spicy crab roll, as well as a West Virginia roll, which had shrimp tempura, avocado, crab, tobiko and a mango sauce. These were both OK ... not a ton of flavor, but nothing especially bad either.



We also tried the pad thai dish. I love pad thai. But, this too, didn't have much flavor. I was hoping for just a touch of heat and some spices but it was nothing of note. And, the shrimp weren't deveined, which is a pet peeve. Overall, not bad. But I would venture out to try some different options next time.



Grade: C

Tudor's Biscuit World is one of the few places during the pandemic that I can reliably count on to be open. And, I may have Tudor'ed myself out a bit by trying all of them in the local area. But now that I've taken a break, I'm back to get my biscuit fix.

The Lavalette Tudor's had a bit of a situation a few months back where an employee was shot and killed. So I wasn't in a huge rush to get to this location ... but here we are.

Now that I'm making my way through the last handful of biscuits, I ordered the strip bacon biscuit. It's pretty basic and kinda boring. We at least need cheese, right? This one was just OK.

Grade: B

I've mentioned before that my favorite thing to receive in the mail is my JQ Dickinson Appalachian Mercantile Box. And, I love to give you all a sneak peek at some of the goodies I receive. Is anyone else loving these as much as I am?!

There is something fun and quirky about a restaurant that focuses on carnival fare. Those sickeningly sweet treats are only available at these special events, and when all these events have been canceled due to the pandemic, this restaurant can be that outlet to still dig into sinful sweets.



Carnival Eats, a new restaurant in South Charleston, is serving up corndogs, cotton candy, funnel cake, and a bevy of other deep-fried snacks. Since they opened, they've been slammed - hourlong waits, not-so-positive reviews and service issues have plagued the restaurant.



But, Dawn and I were interested in giving it a go. We got lucky and went right as they opened on a Saturday so we were the only ones in there. The interior is small, but vibrant with murals on the walls and a very extensive menu hanging above the counter. Like, very extensive.



The deep-fried desserts make sense to me ... but then there's bubble tea... and there are salads ... and there is hummus. I like variety as much as anyone, but I know this can wreak havoc in the kitchen and lead to long wait times, which is one of the biggest complaints I've heard.



Nonetheless, I put in an order for a few different things. Let's start with the pepperoni grilled cheese. I love an elevated comfort food - so take a grilled cheese, add mozzarella, pepperoni and sauce, and it's like those pizza sandwiches I made growing up. Nothing I couldn't make at home - but I still love it.



Next up was a side of pretzels. Dawn loves a pretzel, and I don't mind them. I liked these little bite-sized guys. They didn't have a nacho cheese, which surprised me. Instead, they shared a white cheese - which would've been good, but it was just like a melted cheese so it hardened up and became plastic pretty quickly.



Then, I ordered a s'more churro. According to the photo on their website, I thought I would get a s'more with churros for the graham cracker. Instead, it was a platter of small, tough churros with some mini marshmallows and chocolate sauce. Not exactly what I was expecting and not a huge fan.



Dawn tried a corn dog, which she was very excited about but did not totally love.



Finally, we split a cotton candy burrito. These are one of those Instagram food trends right now, so I was excited to check it out. The execution, however, needs work. Instead of being this bright, colorful beauty, it kind of all meshed together, melted and just turned into a giant blob of sugar. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing - it tasted like, well, sugar - but it wasn't that beautiful sight I wanted to see.



Overall, I think the concept is fun for a once-in-awhile treat, but an extensive menu has led to some service weakness and food quality issues.



Time will tell! Have you been? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!



Grade: C