Just as an FYI: Hill & Hollow is now serving lunch, and it's GOOD.

I had the "Tempura-battered Lake Eric perch with ramp tartar & dry vinegar" and it was easily one of the best fish sandwiches I've had in quite some time. The vinegar is powdered, so you still get the flavor without it getting mushy. Delish! And the fruit and nut bread pudding with apple butter for dessert? To die for.

Charleston is one of my favorite places during the summer. There are so many festivals and events that really show off the community. One of my favorites is Taste-of-ALL, which brings a bunch of area restaurants together and allows them to serve up small portions of food in exchange for tickets. Tickets are 50 cents each, and no item costs more than 6 tickets ($3).



I got a sheet of 20 tickets ($10), plus a few extras that my dining companion bequeathed me.

Let's talk about some of my favs.

Four Points by Sheraton: Lobster Roll with Appalachian Ramp Stew
The in-house kitchen for the event location brought it. Lobster rolls are so few and far between in West Virginia that I'm always happy to see them, period. But this one was tasty regardless. It was a nice buttered roll and inside was this pocket of lobster salad

Bluegrass Kitchen: Blueberry Buttermilk Pie Bite
Bluegrass Kitchen had their famous blueberry buttermilk pies in bite-size form, so of course I had to get a bite. I am obsessed with this pie - sweet, creamy, amazing - so this was clearly one of my absolute favorites.

Ichiban: Almost Heaven Maki
Blue crab, shrimp, spicy mayo and scallions make up one of my favorite rolls from Ichiban. Ichiban, who was outside, provided a nice change of pace with a light bite.

Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream: Butter Pecan
If there's no caramel to be found, butter pecan is easily my most favorite ice cream flavor. And, Ellen's does it right with giant hunks of pecans swirled into the sweet, buttery ice cream.

Black Sheep Burritos & Brew: Pork Belly Bao Buns with Pickled Onion & Mirin-Ponzu Glaze
I appreciate Black Sheep taking a bit of a gamble with a pork bun. And, overall, the flavors here really worked.

Bistro Food Truck: Meatballs
This mini meatball slider was a bit cool by the time I got it, but simple and tasty.

Holl's Chocolate: Two-piece box of chocolates
Holl's Chocolates, which is my favorite chocolates here in West Virginia, had chocolate-covered strawberries, as well as small boxes of chocolate truffles. I got one of the small boxes of chocolate truffles, and one was milk chocolate and one was dark chocolate. I love the milk chocolate. But I never a huge fan of dark chocolate. That said, both are still delicious and I can only hope that next time I'm in the Parkersburg area I snag a box with milk chocolate and caramel.

Did you go? Did you have the best time? Because I did, and I did 😊

Pittsburgh is home to a Hofbräuhaus location, which apparently serves up the craft bier of Bavarian kings. Hofbrauhaus has six other locations in the United States. This brewpub is modeled after the legendary 400+ year-old Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany, and it tries to recreate that experience with traditionally decorated rooms, German food and on-site brewing.


I didn't realize there were multiple locations until we walked up to this massive building and it had the tell-tale signs of deep pocket backings: A humongous building, detailed exterior, huge steel tanks that few local breweries would be able to afford, and the branding. Panicky, I started to google if this was a large chain. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found out there are only a handful of locations, so I was in the clear. These are the things I do to myself. 🙄

Walking inside, there is a just a sprawling open dining space - so expansive that it was a bit overwhelming. It was just in stark contrast to what I was expecting at the thought of this place - which might be smaller, more intimate, authentic. We opted to sit outside (unfortunately next to a raucous group of 20 or so who probably had been there far too long).

We were there for lunch, so we missed out on a good bit of the "environment" of the place, which I'm sure is robust and lively. We didn't eat here, but we did get samplers of the beer. My fabs included the Hefe Weizen and the Original Lager. Light, easy drinking beers that were great for a warm day. The others I didn't care too much for.

If you're looking for a loud, wild place to enjoy some hearty food and drink, this is your place. I did love the riverside dining, and I think if I were to get a true feel for the environment, I would've liked it a bit better. And maybe for dinner, as opposed to a more calm lunch. Has anyone tried the food? Curious to see how it was!

Grade: B

Lunch (round 2) came in the form of Grit & Grace Noodle Bar. The restaurant recently took on a new look - with a more casual feel and additional noodle dishes. It now focuses on Asian-style street food (which our server admitted he didn't exactly know what that meant).

G&G has a cool-looking interior with these staggered lantern lights and a super sleek feel. But, they also have outdoor seating along the front of the building, which puts you right in the center of the busy Pittsburgh streets. We'll take it.

I wish the dim sum was available for lunch, but our options were limited to sushi or noodles. Because it's a noodle bar, we focused our attention there - ultimately deciding on the "beef shank ramen" with roasted bone marrow, leeks, pickled Chinese cabbage and toasted garlic chips.

They were kind enough to bring out the large bowl and then two small bowls so that we could split it. In the meantime - funny story - a large man walking on the sidewalk notices Heather's necklace and asks where she got it. He then steps over the sidewalk border and into the restaurant dining space to ask about her watch. Uncomfortable. Our server came over to ask if we knew him. Noooope.

The ramen was good. It had an overall sour flavor, which I don't hate, but I wanted some more breadth. Some more depth. Just more flavor. I've had my share of (really good) ramen at this point, and I can't say I can count this amongst them. Decent, yes. Best I've ever had? Meh.


Grade: B

The Blue Horizon Flea Market is a flea market at the edge of town that has vendors of all kinds set up to sell their merch. I was curious, and it was ... about what I thought it was going to be.

They do serve food. I didn't get a chance to try anything, but I wanted to at least post the menu in case anyone else is interested.