Betty Lou's Diner came across my radar when I was doing research for a story. The local health department in Charleston was giving gold stars for the restaurants who basically went above and beyond typical health standards. Betty Lou's was one on a fairly short list.

I was intrigued. And then I found out the restaurant was one of 101 Unique Places to Dine in West Virginia. Okay, cool. Definitely going.

Brittany and I made our way to the South Charleston restaurant - it's located at 415 Central Avenue, and it's pretty much nestled in with a residential area. But the bright red exterior tipped me off.

It was pretty sparse when we went inside, but we chose a table near the front. A waitress came out with some worn menus that had seen better days. I was torn between trying their pulled pork sandwich or their Betty Hot Dog - which is essentially a West Virginia hot dog (slaw, mustard, chili, onions). So I got both, duh.

After a little wait, my food came out on a plastic red tray. So much West Virginia in one spot. I was happy.

The pulled pork was pretty big, and it was pretty average as far as flavor goes. Standard BBQ, but nothing that blew me away. It was good, though.

The hotdog was similar. Mediocre weenie, not a ton of chili, slaw was fine. Decent hot dog.

Nothing was terrible here, but nothing was better than average. It was all decent.

Oh, I'm lying. One really cool thing is that they had my article hanging up. That's pretty cool.

If you're in the mood for some diner food, this might quench that thirst. And if it's nearby, I'm sure it's a winner. I wouldn't mind trying it again.

Grade: B

One of my coworkers dined at 5 Corners and gave me a rave review of the West Side restaurant. On one of my final assignments for the Daily Mail, photographer extraordinaire Tom Hindman - and probably one of hte most down-to-earth and hilarious people I've ever met - and I were passing the restaurant before heading back to the office. I casually mentioned I had been wanting to go here. He promptly asked if I'd had lunch yet. I said no, and he whipped around and parked right in front of the restaurant.

Lunch is served.

It may not be the best area of town, but if your vehicle is nearby, I think it's OK. And it was in the middle of the day, so hopefully that helped. Either way, we found ourselves walking inside a nice place. A man greeted us and handed us some menus.

Sandwiches galore.

But one that I haven't seen was Grace's Grilled Cheese Caprese. Already sounds good, right? It was American, Gouda and Provolone cheese with fresh basil and tomato on white bread drizzled in a balsamic reduction. Mmmm. Got that with a side of potato salad.




Classic comfort food with a touch of fancy. To be honest, you could probably put balsamic on anything, and I'd be a fan. But taking two favorites - a grilled cheese and a caprese salad - and combining them is probably a quick and easy way to get you a good grade.

It's simple but smart. Creamy cheese, some cool tomato, with crunchy toast and sweet balsamic - I mean. C'mon. Simple, but lovely. Will definitely try again. Potato salad did not wow me, but I didn't really need it do.

For a good, simple, but delish sandwich, check 'em out.

Grade: A

When I have intentions of trying a new restaurant, it's usually quite deliberate. I have heard about it or saw its new opening, and I venture to try it.

That wasn't the case with Charleston's Hibachi Japanese Steakhouse. Nothing about it stuck out to me. Probably because I have seen about 1,000 other restaurants with this exact name, so it has taken on a sort of generic feel. But I passed it quite often considering it's near Target. And one day, while hungry and out and about, my friend and I went here instead of the couple of fast food places nearby.

It was nice inside, from what I saw - minus a few glitches, like an oddly placed sink and trash near the entrance. But the interior was clean And service was okay. We stood around looking puzzled for a minute when no one was at the front reception area.

Instead of hibachi, we just sat in the dining area for sushi. So this may be a different experience than had we been getting the full experience.

I ordered an appetizer - the eggrolls, which came out entirely too greasy and just unappealing all together. It felt like grease just spurted out when you tried to take a bite. Just no.

I got two rolls Salmon Dynamite: deep fried salmon, crab stick, avocado and spicy mayo on top. And a Special California Roll: crab, cucumber and avocado which is topped with baked crab and eel sauce. Not sure why I wanted to get the two most unhealthy rolls that day, but whatever.

The Salmon Dynamite was my favorite. The deep-frying was only on the outside, so the salmon inside is still mostly raw, save for the end pieces. But it's good. I appreciated the crunch on the outside with the spicy mayo sauce.

The Special California Roll was served hot, really. Which was interesting but different. It just simply had too much crab topping on top. It dominated the whole flavor of everything and made whatever was under it soggy.  Just meh.

However, I think it is less pricey than comparable places, and when I went, it wasn't too busy. So, not too bad of an option.

Grade: B

There are three Husson's Pizza locations in Charleston: on the West Side, on Bridge Road and in Kanawha City on 36th Street. They're very specific about which locations deliver where, and I was just at the cutoff for the the 36th Street location.

Husson's is a local chain and has branches in St. Albans, Cross Lanes, Sissonville, Spring Hill, Pinch and Huntington.

The menu boasts the largest "large" pizza in town. I don't know if that's true or not, but their pies are a decent size, for sure. You can also get subs, salads and low-carb options.

Husson's is probably my second favorite place in Charleston to get a New York-style slice. Graziano's being my favorite, of course. Charleston has some decent places to get a flat slice, as well as some fancier places, too.






It's flat and greasy - but not too greasy - and it makes me happy. The crust is not rock-hard - somewhat pillowy. Surprisingly considering how flat the dough is. Of course I got mine with mushrooms. I like Graziano's sauce a bit better, but this is really a good option that delivers quickly.

Grade: A

I'm not sure how often you see a soda fountain still in existence, but this was my first. They harken back to a simpler time when people would gather around them to chat. Trivillian's Pharmacy is located in Charleston, and I did feel like I was stepping back in time when I went inside.

It's not every day you see a dining area right beside nasal decongestants and band-aids. But that is the case at Trivillian's.

There is a long counter with stools and there are a few dining tables set up in the center, which are covered with red and white checkered tablecloths. We sat down and the man who was working the register came and supplied us with menus.


There are sandwiches - like pimento cheese, turkey, BLT, peanut butter and jelly, reubens, BBQ - and there are hotdogs. I was feeling the hotdogs this day.

So I ordered up two in a West Virginia fashion: chili, slaw, mustard, onions. Oh, and a milkshake, because who can resist?

My hotdogs were pretty good. The slaw was pretty loose - not a ton of sauce to hold it together, but otherwise, it was a pretty solid dog. The chili wasn't spicy - which is good for me. It has ground meet and a good flavor.

The milkshake was just lovely. Homemade goodness.

The West Virginia Hot Dog Blog has their say - and they are the masters when it comes to West Virginia Hot Dogs. And the folks over at Fork You also chimed in.

Grade: A