Noah's Eclectic Bistro has been taunting me with its enticing aromas and modest hours since I moved to Charleston. A menu that changes weekly, a small dining area and higher prices, this place was nearly unattainable for some time. I tried to walk in once, but they were booked that night. That made me want to go even more. In one of my final nights in Charleston, my friend Brittany and I made reservations (highly suggested - 304-343-6558) to secure our spot, dressed up a bit and pretended like we had the money to spend.

Noah's is located on McFarland Street, right across from Charleston Newspapers. Luckily, my parking garage was right there, so parking wasn't an issue for me. For others, it's downtown parking, so do with that what you will. It's only open Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

It has just 11 tables, and the menu changes weekly to accommodate seasonal ingredients. Inside, it's pretty minimal. Dark woods, nothing on the tables, save for napkin and silverware, dark curtains, kind of dark. Where we were seated, we could see the prep area outside the kitchen, so it was cool seeing dishes so delicately prepared and sent to the customer. It also made us incredibly impatient and excited for every meal.

Our server brought us water and menus. Because it changes weekly, the menus are very limited. I kind of liked that, though, and between the two of us, we had half of what' son the menu. To start out, we both got an appetizer: she got the "stuffed fried fresh morels" while I got the "braised chicken empanadas."

The stuffed fried fresh morels were probably one of my least favorite dishes of the night. That said, it's better than many dishes you'd get at an average restaurant. There was goat cheese stuffed inside the mushroom, which was supposed to be "lightly" tempura fried, with garlic cream and baby greens. My problem is that it was SO fried that I didn't get the fresh mushroom taste and it fought with the cheese flavor. When I had pieces that were less fried, the garlic cream sauce was lovely.

I loved the empanadas. They were served with pico de gallo, queso fresco and salsa verde. Unlike the mushrooms, these were cooked perfectly with a slight crisp on the outside but pillowy inside. Full of fresh, vibrant flavors. It was lighter and a much better option of the two we had. Both of these were fairly small for being $15 and $11, respectively. But empanadas win on both flavor and value.

For my main course, I went with the crab crusted tempura fried jumbo sea scallops. Brittany ordered the pan roasted gulf black grouper. When mine came out, it was a huge heap of brilliant colors and textures and I couldn't wait to dig in. It was large sea scallops skewered with crab on top, which was all then tempura fried with stir-fry vegetables, spicy mayo and soy sauce. It was kind of amazing. It was fried, but in a much lighter way than the appetizers, and it didn't control the flavor - it just accented it.

It was just fantastic. Between the slightly crunchy vegetables and the crisp of the batter, the sweet tang of the sauce - the scallops were cooked perfectly. Just divine.

Brittany's dish was also a lovely concoction of flavors. The grouper was atop a bed of risotto, kale, stewed tomatoes and shaved parmesan. It was this plate of different levels of colors and textures. While Brittany was not sold when she took a bite of the fish, when she combined all the elements together in a bite, it sung for her.

I did the same thing - tried everything at once - some sauce, some risotto, some tomato, some fish, and it was just great. Her dish was a good bit bigger and maybe more filling than mine, but I think the flavors of mine were a bit more bold.


For dinner, we both wanted the fresh lemon curd, which is phyllo crisps, fresh berries and mascarpone cream. But instead, we ordered one of those and one of the mixed berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Thank god we opted for both.


The lemon dessert was fresh and had a citrusy flavor, but it was almost too much. I think the curd have been toned way down so that the marscapone and fresh berries have a role. It was just too acidic - to the point where my lips puckered a few times.

The cobbler - while safe - was phenomenal. It was baked in this cup that had this light flakey topping and just a heavenly mixture of berries inside. On top was a scoop of ice cream. It was like every ounce of comfort food wrapped up in a luxurious shell. It was warm, thick, sweet, flaky, cold all at once. A great thing.

One of my favorite restaurants in Charleston, but definitely not one that a journalist budget could afford often.

Grade: A

I've always thought that the Creperi Cafe (I'm actually not sure if it's Creperi Cafe or Cafe Creperi - I've seen it both ways) is a creative idea. Have an entire menu based around crepes - a universally delicious food. It's different, and it's fun. Or maybe I just like a well-executed theme.

Creperi Cafe fought me, though. I tried and tried and tried to dine at this establishment, but it was always closed. For one reason or another - during hours they were supposed to be open. Just when I was about to give up trying to give them my money, I tried one more time. And they happened to be open.

Their second location is in South Charleston, but since this is the original, I was even more excited. It's located in Kanawha City in a small plaza with a sub shop. A decent sized parking lot is out front, and the building looks like a quaint house from the outside.

Inside, bright colors splashed the walls, and at the front was a counter to place our orders. They have breakfast crepes, chocolate crepes, light meal crepes, and ice cream crepes. Since it was around dinner time, my friend Matt and I both got the Crepe de Salmon.

What's pretty cool is you can watch them make the crepes right in front of you. It's a delicate and kind of beautiful thing.

My crepe contained smoke salmon, fresh spring mix, onion, roma tomatoes, black olives, greek dressing and feta because they were out of smoke gouda. $6.95 plus my drink.

It's a fairly large portion and full of goodies. And it's light and feels healthy. Think salad wrapped up in a brittle crepe. Fresh, light and a little tang with the dressing. Tasty.

Grade: A

Let's keep this short and sweet. I didn't think to take a photo at the time, but considering this is one of my favorite Tudor's locations now, I want to document it.

First off, it's open 24 hours. I'm not quite sure how that happens, but it's true. It's the same kind of greasy biscuits you'll get anywhere else, but it kind of tastes a whole lot better after driving from Huntington back home.

Biscuit - huge, gooey, cheesey, crunchy bacon, soft biscuit. Mm.

Grade: A

Taylor Books is an institution in Charleston. I knew about Taylor Books before even moving to Charleston. In fact, I had written about it when I was freelancing for the Charleston Daily Mail. I met Ann, the owner, for the story, and she was just amazing. She is the most sincere, wittiest woman in Charleston, I'm sure. I hope to be half the woman she is some day.

And I spoke with her again recently for another story about her raising chickens on the top of Taylor Books. I mean, does it get much better? So, yes, I'm totally biased. I love this place. I love absolutely everything about it. It's situated in the heart of downtown Charleston, so walking there was always lovely. It is a locally owned book store that also has an cafe, gallery and more. It's a hub for culture in Charleston, and it is truly a home away from home.

It is the perfect place to relax with a book, to meet up with friends for coffee, to do an interview, check out local art, whatever. It's a perfect blend of everything I want in my free time. They even have wine.

The cafe is stocked with scones or muffins that Ann wakes up early to make. They're all delicious - you can't really go wrong. What's pictured to the left here is a pumpkin cheesecake latte. I mean, c'mon. What more could you ask for in life?

It's the best coffee shop in West Virginia. I think I can say that confidently. It's well-liked, and if you haven't been here, you're doing yourself a huge disservice.

Buy a book. Stroll through the gallery. Get some coffee and a scone. Scope out the passers-by. Revel in one of the best establishments Charleston has to offer.

Grade: A

It was only proper that I round out the food court at the Charleston Town Center, right? I've reviewed both China Max and Sakkio Japan. Next on my list was Hawaiian Grille.

Their sign says burgers, hot dogs and chicken. It definitely has items influenced with what I think of as  Asian flavors - the eggrolls, noodles and sweet/sour chicken. When I went up to the counter, I received samples of the pineapple chicken and Hawaiian chicken. They're barely discernible, but both sweet and tangy. I got half and half with noodles and an egg roll.

So it's food court food, made in large batches which means things probably aren't totally measured out and are made to feed large amounts of people quickly. But, it's good. It's tasty, that is.

The chicken is clobbered in a thick, sweet, tangy sauce that could probably make anything taste decent. But I enjoy that sweet and sour combo, so I'm happy. Noodles were not bad. They were a little cooler by the time I got them, but flavor was decent. The egg roll was full of mushy celery and other things I didn't know, so I'd stay away from that one. That was bad. But the main meat entrees and noodles, I'd definitely try again.

Grade: B