For the past couple years, I have posted a ton of restaurant reviews. Some good, some bad, many indifferent. When my blog began to pick up some momentum, some restaurants that I've graded low, or maybe not so low, have contacted me in various ways. Some are angry, and some want to know how they can improve my experience.

Restaurant Redemption is a small series I've created that will allow me to give those restaurants who are keeping up with their social media (notably, my blog) and have made an attempt to rectify a poor or mediocre dining experience. For the restaurants that have contacted me, I'm giving it another dining go. For the most part, I will try a different dish and make note of the previous observations about the experience as a whole.

"Hi Candace, I'm the owner of Ichiban in Charleston. When I read your review I was so disappointed with the experience you had! Warm sushi is not the way it should be served! Please accept my apology for your bad experience. I would love for you to give us another try so we could hopefully change your mind? I think you write really nice reviews and I hope some day we could receive an A from you! Please ask for me if you come back. Thank you for your time and passion about great food!" Laura Lea Miller - August 14, 2011


So, it's been a while. But I wanted to try it again. I've gone to Ichiban for lunch, which I feel is a much better option because it always ends up being cheaper for me.

But on this day, I decided to try something I hadn't had before. I went with a firecracker roll for my new one and lobster maki roll. And a glass of wine. Because wine.

The firecracker is smart. It's a simple, but smart roll because all it's doing is adding some chili powder and chili oil to an otherwise crab, crunch and spicy mayo roll. But it adds a different kind of kick. Albeit the kick was a little much for me, so I tapped off some of the topping. Tasty, simple but unique.

The lobster roll was pretty good. It's the same as many other rolls that are just basically indulgent - cream cheese, avocado, lobster and topped with a sweet sauce - eel sauce. Quite tasty.

The problem with getting these more specialty rolls is that it is so much more expensive. I definitely left spending more than I had hoped to, but the quality of the sushi is better than my previous experience.

It's clear this is marketed as a more upscale sushi experience. And that's totally cool. I just wish I had the extra pocket change to dish out on it more often.

Breaking news sent us to Clay a week or two ago. After hours upon hours on the road, we needed a break for nourishment. We couldn't find a nearby mom and pop place, but Gino's was available. In we went.

I've only been to one other Gino's, and it was in Princeton - or Athens, technically. I wasn't super impressed, but this time around was definitely better.

For some reason, when I saw "calzone," I lit up. I knew immediately that's what I wanted. So, I ordered at the register, also picked up a WV county puzzle, and went into the dining room. The ambiance is much more attractive here. There's actual space, it was clean, and it didn't look like it had seen some tough days. It was nice.

When my calzone came out, it was a large portion, but not embarrassingly large, which I've done before.

I went to town. That fork got a workout. But it was really quite good. Lots of sauce and cheese, and I was really a happy camper. It wasn't dry, it wasn't overdone, it wasn't soggy, the crust was the perfect light crisp on the outside but softer on the inside. It was kind of perfect, actually. I was also starving, so that probably plays into my review here.

I'm sure there are some more local restaurants, and I'd love to try them. But this was quick, easy, and really quite good.

Grade: A

My friend and co-worker, education reporter superstar Shay Maunz, recently raved about this fried green tomato BLT (sans the B, because she's all vegetarian) and how it was amazing. To my knowledge, it's a Friday special, and they can be missed.

I convinced friend and co-worker, city/county reporter superstar Matt Murphy, to go with me recently.

We took the jaunt over to the West Side and found The Grill fairly easily, with the blue and gold banners out front.

We went inside and immediately took a seat at the counter. Mostly because the restaurant was full, but also because we needed to check out what this place has because the Internet is completely void of a menu for this place. You're welcome for the photos.

I already knew I wanted to try the fried green tomato BLT, but the fried mushrooms also caught my eye. They're a delicacy, and usually only Dairy Queen carries them for sure. But occasionally little places like this have them and I get super excited.

Luckily we went a little later - around 1 or so, so they weren't super busy. As soon as we put our order in, the lovely gentleman working started our sandwiches.

He took the time to assemble them perfectly. I noticed this because oftentimes, when restaurants are busy, that's not of concern. What's of concern is getting it out. But he took some time, made sure it was right, then carried them over to us.

Okay, you're thinking, it's a fried green BLT. YES. BUT. It's also kind of like heaven. Let me explain.

How great can it be? Pretty damn great. Not only are the ingredients fresh, but there's this cohesive, amazingly delicious element that brings all these flavors together. The tang, the sweet - and the textures - crunchy, soft. It results in a flavor explosion.

Flavor explosion. I'll have to use that more often.

The sauce and the breading on the tomatoes is just this tangy, sweet, amazing amazingness. It's amazing I'm a writer, huh?

I'm just going to leave it at that, really. Oh, and the mushrooms were good, too. Get they honey mustard to go with them and fall into a fried food coma. Mmm.

Grade: A

Remember when people got all riled up at the prospect of a gastropub coming to Charleston? People on Twitter were not pleased when B&D Gastropub marketed itself as the only gastropub in Charleston, when many other places - like Pies & Pints - technically fit the definition of a gastropub, they just don't use the moniker in their name.

"Gastropub or gastrolounge refers to a bar and restaurant that serves high-end beer and food"

So B&D is RIGHT off the bridge in Kanawha City. I passed most of it and caught the tail end of the parking lot when I realized it was right there.

I kind of had low expectations because I had heard not so great things. That usually works in a restaurant's favor for me, though.

It's modern and clean on the inside. Smooth lines, not too much clutter. Brick walls and dark colored woods and metals.

When we were seated, I asked the waiter what he liked. He recommended the burgers. They're advertised as six ounces of fresh beef on a grilled bakery bun with house made chips. I went with "THE MELT," which has applewood bacon and is stuffed with a choice of cheese. It says "We recommend feta :))" That's kind of cute. I love a smiley.

I also ordered mine with sweet potato fries because, well, they're amazing. You can't mess up sweet potato fries too badly.

While I waited for that to come out, I went ahead and ordered a Bridge Brew Works Pale Ale - "English style amber ale with moderate bitterness matching its malty profile. Scottish and English hops are featured."

I wish I could get paid to write beer descriptions because to my untrained palate, it's a bunch of BS. Hints of caramel and yada yada. I can tell you I've never had a beer taste like caramel, and I've had a lot of caramel. This beer, however, is pretty badass.


It's smooth, not too bitter and goes down easy. I also enjoy the fact that you can have local beer here. That's always a positive.

Before the main meal, I ordered an appetizer of the "southern mac & cheese."

The macaroni and cheese is average. The cheese wasn't creamy - it was more hard, block cheese melted over top some noodles. And because it's "southern," I was expecting to have a hint of sweetness there.

No such luck

It also had this kind of bizarre crunched up saltine crackers on the top. 

When I saw that it had a "crust," I was expecting it to more be a hardened crust over all the macaroni, not just bits of cracker mixed in. It tastes exactly what you think cracker mixed in with macaroni and cheese. Lame.

The burger was pretty dang good, though. I got mine stuffed with bleu cheese because that combo is fabulous. You can also choose your toppings, and I went with the lettuce, tomato and onion.

When you take a bite of the burger, cheese doesn't ooze out. However, I definitely got the kick of the bleu cheese just interspersed throughout the meat. That may even be better. The bun is a good bit bigger than the burger, which is unfortunate, because the bun:burger ratio favors the bun. When, really, the burger is adequate size, but within the context of the bun, not as impressive.

Good  taste and cooked well.  The fries were also pretty good and came with this tasty sauce.

So, better than I thought. Mind-blowing, no. But above average compared to most of the other restaurants in Charleston.

Grade: B

You have not had a gyro (Jy-Roh or Yir-Oh - doesn't matter), until you've had Yorgo's.

Situated in an otherwise unassuming area of Steubenville, this restaurant is well-known in the area for having the best gyros. They're huge, delicious and cheap. I'm not really sure what else you could want.

When I was visiting home, my parents and I went over to fill our bellies. My family and I walked in and already knew what we wanted, really. I ordered their classic gyro. I state time and time again that french fries are not typically my favorite, but because "potatoes" is also in the name, I had to try it. We got a giant plate of fries with cheese to share. You order at the counter and they hand it off to your when it's finished.

Oh, and I somehow convinced my parents to let me have a piece of baklava, too. Hey, it's nice when mom and dad buy.

They slice of slivers of lamb from a giant skewer, pile it on a fluffy pita and top it with lettuce, tomato, onions and their delicious cucumber sauce. By the time it was handed over to me, it was this giant behemoth of a sandwich that looked at me intimidatingly.

Devoured. Here's the problem, though. If it's really a problem. It's so huge that you actually run out of PITA before you run out of meat. Unheard of. But it happens here. I had a few chunks of meat leftover because my stomach would hate me (more so than it already did) if I finished it off.

But it's Grade A meat. Not a single imperfection. The toppings are fresh as could be, and the tzatziki sauce is what dreams are made of.

The french fries were also pretty bangin. It was a huge plate - crispy on the outside, soft potato on the inside. And just topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheese and melted atop the steaming batch.

The baklava was the best I've had. I sometimes find with the nuts that it gets dry and too crunchy and brittle.

This was so good. It was soaking up the perfect amount of honey that made is a sticky, sweet triangle of deliciousness.

Oh, and they give free refills.

Grade: A