What does the typical person do when they see a somewhat rundown building in not the best area? Opt for a better dining option?

We all know I'm not typical. I didn't even know it was a restaurant, really. I was thinking more of a bar with maybe some food. But my friend Matt saw it and was excited to go.


When I casually asked friends if they've heard of Bruno's, most shook their heads or said yeah, but were ambivalent about going. That made me all the more interested.

It's pretty big inside with a few segmented areas. We sat in the center section with booths while we got acclimated. It's pretty laidback. Kinda dark. But the people were super friendly. Our waitress greeted us right away and brought out our drinks. She also offered her suggestions for dishes when we asked.

First up were the crab balls. Because why not?

These were good. There were only four for $10, so as good as a $2.50 per ball could be. Kind of like a crab cake but bite-size. Cajun mayo was fine. Nothing too extravagant here.

For our main dish,we had to go with a brick oven pizza - our waitress said they were too good to pass up. We chose the signature white pizza: spinach, goat cheese, garlic and tomato.

I love the irregular shape to homemade pizzas. It was huge, too. And I was pleasantly surprised. The goat cheese was fairly mild, little salty, but awesome with the tomatoes, spinach and soft crust.

Pizza was a winner - not sure about all the other combos, but this one was good. I'll pass on the appetizer next time.

Grade: B

I've been to The Cold Spot in Glen Jean. Twice, actually. My opinion of the place had risen since my first visit as I had the chance to meet the owner on my second visit to that location. I, again, went with photographer Tom Hindman, who knows everyone. The owner genuinely cared about our meal - though there were no worries - it was great.

So I visited the Charleston location recently with my friend Carl. You know those nights when you kind of just want to "bro" out and have some beer and wings?

Yeah, that.

When we got here, I'm not going to lie - I was a little confused about the layout. It is sprawling in non-linear way. Maybe it's just the way they section it off. Didn't matter - Carl knew his way around and we made our way to the bar. First-class service was executed all night - maybe because he had been here a time or 3,000 before - but the woman behind the bar was fantastic. Got us a pitcher of beer as soon as we sat down. Friendly, on top of her game. Give her a raise. It'd help if I remembered her name.

Anyway.

I ordered 12 boneless sweet BBQ wings. They were pretty busy that night, but when we got our wings, they were piping hot. In typical fashion, I had been starving so I actually got filled up pretty quickly. But that's not to the discredit of the wings.

They're good.

Crispy on the outside, covered in a sweet and tangy sauce, the wings are general crowd pleasers, I'm sure.

I didn't even have ranch or bleu cheese. I think I just forgot about it. But I think that speaks to the quality of the wings.

Grade: A

Remember how excited I got when I had a calzone from Gino's in Clay County? I thought I found THE best thing at Gino's. I was just choosing the wrong thing! I gotta give all other Gino's a chance!

LOL.

I went to the Gino's on the East End of Charleston. I had called in my order previously and just went inside to pick it up. It's pretty close to home, so it's convenient.

When I walked in, the man was chit-chatting with a couple in front of me and failed to even acknowledge me until they finished their conversation. Then he asked me what I had ordered. I told him. During this process, there was some in-fighting amongst employees, and I actually felt bad for the guy working.

It could use a dose of professionalism.

When I got home, I was severely disappointed. My calzone had been cut haphazardl. It had been cooked too long on the bottom. Grease was puddling in the box. The edges were odd and puckered, leaving crunchy bits and odd openings.

Where was the beautiful work of art I had received in Clay? It had been replaced with this lifeless, overly greasy, slovenly assembled blech. No bueno.

Grade: C

One of the more unique establishments in Charleston is The Peanut Shoppe. Not every city has a shop devoted to nuts and candy, but good ol' Charleston does. As an institution of sorts, my townie friends required my attendance here.

I usually skip by this place because I walk by the small exterior and it's usually closed by the time I make my way downtown. It had stayed open later on this particular night because of a parade, so we followed our noses to the roasted nut aroma.

I get the feeling of stepping back in time when I set foot in here. It's small and tons of containers and bins feature every sort of nut and popcorn and candy you can imagine. I imagine this is magical for children. I'm amazed at 24 years old.

While nuts are lovely, I couldn't get over the hand-pulled caramels. Hand. Pulled. Caramels. There's no contest.

I got a handful and went on my merry way. Little did I know what a fantastic decision this way. I ended up having a long day and every so often, I'd pop one of these. And each time I congratulated myself on what a brilliant decision this was.

They are a different level of soft. Like, you can't get these in a grocery store. Chewy but melty. And lovely. Go soak up a piece of Charleston and enjoy some treats.

Grade: A