Bricks & Barrels: Blackened flat iron served with crispy fingerling potatoes, vegetables, and garlic compound butter

I know it's just a teeny bit late, but I wanted to mention all the great food I had during Charleston's Restaurant Week. Held during the last week of January, Charleston really did Restaurant Week right. I went to three different restaurants this week in order to write something up for Taste! WV Magazine (I really should get on that...).

Bridge Road Bistro menu

Buzz Food Service organizes and sponsors the event, which featured 20 different restaurants offering a three-course meal for $30. Appetizer, entree and dessert for $30? Yes, yes and yes. During the first year, there were 8 restaurants, then 16 in the second year. And this year - 20!

Bricks & Barrels - Chocolate decadent cake with vanilla sauce and fresh berries

Tons of people go out to find new restaurants and revisit old favorites. Aladdin Restaurant, Bricks & Barrels, Dem 2 Brothers & A Grill, Fifth Quarter, Leonoro's, Su Tei, The Block, B&D Gastropub, Ichiban, Paternos - and so many more participated. The event resulted in half a million dollars in economic impact.

Bricks & Barrels - Sauteed shrimp with peppers and onions, tasso ham gravy served over grits

So, where did I go? I went to Celsius with Veronica - my first time at the restaurant, so it'll get its own post. I also went to Bricks & Barrels with Veronica, which was pretty amazing. I started off with these small bite-sized crab cakes, which were fine. The entree, though, is what was the best part. Their take on a shrimp and grits was creamy, tangy, smokey and all-around comforting. The flavors were balanced, the texture was varied, and the dish had soul.

Bricks & Barrels - Mini chocolate brick

My friends opted for their steak and enjoyed it. My dessert was their mini chocolate brick, which was this chocolate shell with cream inside. Not bad.

Bridge Road Bistro bread

The final restaurant I visited was Bridge Road Bistro. For starters, I had this French Onion Soup. It was pretty tasty. I love the croutons and Swiss cheese bubbling down the side. It's a very earthy sort of taste, but I'm into it.

Bridge Road Bistro - French onion soup with crouton and Swiss cheese

For entrees, my friend Maggie got a salmon with potatoes and greens. I went for the bacon-wrapped pork medallions with whipped potatoes, haricot verts with toasted almonds and a huckleberry demi glace.

Bridge Road Bistro - salmon with potatoes

The pork was quite good, as were the potatoes. The sauce really was a nice complement to the meat. Nicely thought out dish.

Bridge Road Bistro - Bacon-wrapped pork medallions with whipped potatoes and haricot verts with almonds.

Dessert was creme caramel with fresh berries. Anything rich and creamy such as this has my vote.

Bridge Road Bistro - Creme caramel with fresh berries.

I love the cohesive, community-driven aspect of this weeklong event. I think it benefits so many areas - including the patrons who find new restaurants, the restaurants who get a bump during a slow time of year and the economy that sees so much more money. I'd love to see this implemented in even more areas throughout the state.

I did a quick culinary tour of Parkersburg with BFF Veronica to check off a bunch of places on the 101 Most Unique Places to Dine list, and our first stop was Cham's Lebanese Cuisine.


Cham's Lebanese Cuisine is a family-owned restaurant that serves up classic Lebanese dishes: shawarma, falafel, kabob, hummus, etc. I went for the shawarma, while Veronica opted for the falafel wrap.

After a short wait, our dishes came out - and with a smile. Everyone here was very kind and friendly. My dish was not bad, but it wasn't the best shawarma I've ever had, either. A bit more wrap than meat, and a good sauce would've helped bring it together. But good quality meat and a big portion.

V wasn't super keen on her falafel (but I haven't had a falafel I've been super keen on, either). I had a bite, and it wasn't bad. It was tough to bypass the dessert ... but we did have another dinner to get to, so none for this visit.

Overall thoughts: Good, especially for the Parkersburg area. Great? I've had some in recent memory that are hard to top.


Grade: B

The corner of University Avenue and Campus Drive has lured in yet another restaurant - this time in the form of Indian cuisine. Bombay Indian Grill opened on Monday and has had a steady stream of customers ever since, according to the owners.

This restaurant space seems to be cursed. It has previously housed a Pizza Al's and some other short-lived places. So, what gives? Is it an awkward location? Is it parking - despite there being a giant short-term lot directly outside the door? Has there not been a unique enough restaurant to draw people to this area? Is there not enough foot traffic? I don't have the answers. But I wish these folks the best.

Tony and I parked in the short-term lot and luckily got in right before the lunch rush. A sign outside noted a lunch special: $7.99 for two items on the lunch bar with rice. The bar had pans of channa masala, spicy garlic chicken, etc. Behind the counter was the full menu, which features favorites like chicken tikka masala, chicken vindaloo, lamb korma, etc.

At the counter, I ordered chicken tikka masala, as well as an order of vegetable pakora. After paying, we found a seat and waited for our food. I really don't love this kind of seating - like faux booths that make me feel like they're going to tilt and break. Just my neurosis showing here. Otherwise, bright colors on the walls and a bit of odds and ends that need touched up. They've tried to get as much seating in here as they could, which lends itself to odd angles at some points.

The lovely owner brought us out a sample of Mango Lassi, which is this mango yogurt drink - super velvety and smooth. I'm a fan.

Next up, the pakora. Green peppers, cauliflower, potatoes and onions are dipped in this delicious batter and fried until crisp and golden. Think Indian tempura. Fried VEGGIES can't be all that bad, right? I like the batter, and, even though it fell apart a bit, it was tasty. It was served with a tamarind dipping sauce and a coriander chutney. The tamarind is a bit sweeter, while the chutney has a fresher taste.

The naan was good - and plentiful! That's nice. Tony's butter chicken up there was very good, too. Not quite as sweet as mine but very flavorful.

The tikka masala is super creamy and just a hint of sweet. It is delivered in a large bowl, with a small dish of rice - with, I think, the intention of scooping bits from the bowl to the rice and going spoonful at a time. Very good.

When I finished, I went up to get a to-go container (enough for a whole other meal!). And, while there, I got some kheer. I love, love, love rice pudding. I also love gulab jamun, but I was trying to pace myself. It has a nice hint of cinnamon. You can't really go wrong with it, though.

I like this place. I'm not sure we need (or can sustain) a third Indian restaurant in town. And I'm not sure if it blows the other two away. But I do like it. I think I'd have to try a few more dishes to get a better gauge.

Grade: B

A small deli in Spencer open only for lunch Monday through Friday posed a problem for me. But, where there's a will (ahem, an appearance on the 101 Most Unique Places to Dine in WV list), there's a way.

I took a day off for some culinary adventure and made my way to Spencer to visit the Church Street Deli. After being misled by Apple Maps, I found my way there - and even parallel parked!

Inside, it opens up into a dim dining space with a few black tables and chairs, and further back sits the counter space. Off to the right and back, there is even more seating. Up at the counter, I made a quick decision to try the loaded potato soup, which was the special for the day.

For a cold, rainy day, there was no better cure. It was cheesy and rich - my only faint complaint is that it seemed to have this layer of film on top that I didn't totally love. Maybe that was sitting for a few before serving? Not sure, but the flavor was on point. This little deli certainly knows how to dish up a decent soup.

Bonus? The women's restroom was totally decked out in Marilyn Monroe. Cool. Haha.

Grade: B
 

La Famiglia, located in Huntington, calls itself a southern Italian deli. They appear to have these sorts of items, as well as a dinner menu. Thinks pizzas, pasta dishes, etc.

The restaurant has roots in Calabria, as the family's cultural heritage is Italian. They use the same recipes brought over from Calabria maintained through the generations.

The environment in this restaurant is warm, welcoming. Super cozy. The service great. I thought a pretty straightforward dish would be the classic spaghetti and meatball pasta.

I found it fairly average. The pasta was cooked a little too long, and the sauce was a bit watery for my tastes. It wasn't bad; it just wasn't super exciting to me. Meatball was a bit dry. Nothing terrible, just nothing great.

This little cannoli, for dessert, though, was pretty tasty! It had a nice crisp pastry and delicious creamy ricotta center. Overall, decent experience. But I've had better Italian in the area.

Grade: C