A few new restaurants have popped up in Charleston recently, with Olive Tree Cafe receiving the most praise. This Mediterranean meets American restaurant features everything from shawarma and falafel to Philly cheesesteaks and hot dogs.


The cafe is charming. It has a good bit of seating, a deli with fresh meats and cheeses, a Pepsi Spire machine (!!) and other packaged goods for purchase.

Up at the counter, I ordered the Olive Tree Shawarma because it's one of their signature sandwiches: marinated, slow roasted steak with garlic sauce, shredded pickles, onion, tomato and tahini in a pita. I also got a side of the Olive Tree Pasta Salad.

After a short wait, my meal was delivered. The shawarma wasn't so much wrapped, as it was reliant upon the paper to keep it together, which proved problematic when I need to peel it away. And although there was too much lettuce, the flavors of both the tender meat and the garlic sauce was pretty tasty. A few grizzly bits, but overall - pretty good.

The pasta salad was billed as: Al dente cavatappi topped with the perfect blend of veggies and spices with a little bite. I found it a bit underwhelming, unfortunately. Not bad, just not a ton of flavor and lacking the veggies and spices I was looking forward to.

So, overall I think this place is fine. I liked my shawarma, but I wasn't blown away. I think the pasta salad was fine. I like the little space, and I'm not sure how I feel about it seeming to have a bit of a mixed vision. But, I think I'll just have to try some more to see.

Grade: B

We THOUGHT our day in Pittsburgh was complete. We came, we ate, we played and we were ready to go. And, we were traveling through Pennsylvania, heading back home when this brilliant beam of light shot through the sky like it was calling to us: "Chocolate Factory."

I mean. How could we ignore that. The exterior was precious, with candy-striped poles, playful fluorescent lights and just the most quaint looking place to perch. We passed it, talked about how badly we needed to go, turned around in the middle of the highway and made it back 10 minuets before closing.

I realize this is late, but I didn't plan to stay in there long. I wanted to buy a couple treats and head out. Unfortunately, they already had all the windows covered up with the individual chocolates, and even as we walked in, they continued to blanket up things around us. I was looking at this row of candies, and a lady came in behind me and threw a blanket on it. Way to make your customers feel welcome. A better way would've been a reminder that they close in 10 minutes but would be happy to serve us anything behind the blankets.

I still picked up a box of chocolates, and I had a caramel bar. The caramel bar was pretty good, though the chocolates were a gift, so I didn't try those. Had it been a bit more welcoming environment, I think we probably would've dropped a bit more money -- all before the place even closed. We were in and out within 5 minutes - still five minutes before they were scheduled to close.

Grade: B

For our last meal in Pittsburgh, Butcher And The Rye was up.

We didn't have reservations, and we couldn't be there as soon as they opened for dinner at 5 p.m. -- because we were busy waiting in line for ANOTHER restaurant to open. So, as soon as I was seated at Tako (literally next door to Butcher And The Rye with a walkway connecting the two - same owner) and waiting for my food to arrive, I called Butcher And The Rye to see if they would have ANYTHING available for dinner that evening. Somehow, luckily, they had an opening at 5:45 p.m. It was currently 5 p.m., but we made it.

Our reservation was for a "non-traditional" seating space, which means it was upstairs in the lounge area, where I essentially sat on a couch and we had another ottoman as a chair. It was comfortable, but a bit odd for a meal. It's also quite dark upstairs and a bit more of a whiskey bar feel. The rest of the restaurant has a very cool rustic feel, with butcher paper denoting the specials. Oil lanterns. Chandeliers of antlers. Antique doorknobs. Just super cool.

The menu has delicacies like bone marrow with oxtail jam, dry aged tartare, mussels, and Sunday gravy. I honed in on my absolute favorites: Mac N Cheese - taleggio, fontina, goat cheese, cheddar and parmesan; and S'Mores - bourbon marshmallow, chocolate rope, brown butter fried ice cream, and graham cracker soil. I was setting up this restaurant to win from the get-go.

Mac & cheese, in my mind, can unite worlds and solve wars. It's the best thing - besides ice cream. This had a nice panko crust hiding shells enveloped in a beautiful cheesy blend. This mac & cheese may have been one of the best I've ever had. And considering I was so full and still wanted to eat this, that's saying something.

Ah, and the s'mores. That ice cream was to. die. for. The marshmallow divine. And the graham cracker topped it all off. I didn't love the chocolate because it was a bit bitter, but the ice cream more than made up for it.

Despite it being the last place I visited, it may be my absolute favorite - because, really, what more do you need in life than mac & cheese and s'mores?


Grade: A

Daystar Farm, located in Nestorville, is another new vendor to me at the Morgantown Farmers Market. Recently, they've had some bunches of asparagus and tomato plants!

According to their Facebook, they are a family farm involved in raising livestock and produce. They are all natural and sell at the Philippi Farmers Market, as well.

Did you have a chance to snag anything from them?

Something kinda cool that I stumbled upon recently is olive oil and vinegar tasting. Rustic By Design, the fireplace and outdoor living store in the Seneca Center, has a whole section dedicated to specialty oils and vinegars.

"We currently have over 35 varieties available to taste including: Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Wild Mushroom & Sage Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinegar, Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar, Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar, Serrano Honey Vinegar, Roasted Delicata Squash Seed Oil and Black Truffle Olive Oil. Two more flavors are coming for fall. They are Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Pumpkin Spice Vinegar. 

Our gourmet flavors will certainly liven up any salad, roasted vegetable, grilled meat or dessert. They also make fantastic hostess gifts! Stop by for a visit and let us show you our list of pairings.

We are open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for tastings and sales at 709 Beechurst Avenue, Suite 15, Morgantown, WV 26505."

If you're bored on a Saturday afternoon, check it out. There's a ton of interesting flavors, and a bunch of combos that are really tasty. Check it out!