Next on my Tudor's Biscuit World list: Elkview. Even though this location is pretty close to me in Charleston, it's not one I have found myself visiting. Until now.



I'm writing this at the end of March, and I think it will publish around the end of April. I hope we're not under quarantine at that point, but at the time of this writing, we are, due to covid-19. So, drive-thru is one of the few ways to support local businesses - that and takeout and delivery. I made my way to Elkview and looked at the remaining kinds of biscuits on my list. There are a LOT of them.



Today, though, it was the Shaved Ham Melt. This brings the classic combination of ham and cheese with a delicious homemade biscuit. This is now one of my favorites - up there with the Politician. It had the perfect proportions of cheese and ham and biscuit to make it taste just like a ham & cheese melt - but better. Because it's on a buttery biscuit. V good.

Grade: A

Ripley is next on my Tudor's tour around West Virginia. At the time of this writing, I have 35 more locations to visit. And, while at each of these, I'm making my way through all the different biscuits.



Up next? It's the Thundering Heard. It's a sausage, egg, cheese and POTATO biscuit. So, think a "Ron," then add a hash brown right inside. This sandwich is large and in charge. It's a whole meal in one sandwich. In that sense, it's almost like a pepperoni roll - all rolled up into a single thing.



I do enjoy these flavors all together. It would depend on how hungry I am, but I don't mind having tater rounds on the side, instead of on my sandwich, because they can crisp up better. And ketchup. Still, I enjoy it.

Grade: A

Sokolata is a fairly new restaurant in the Charleston food scene and it's known for its amazing Greek desserts.



And recently, it made a move to the building across the way and expanded into entrees, like pasta, pizza, calzones and sandwiches.



Right when it opened, I went to check it out with my friend Meghan. It's clear they were experiencing some opening week kinks, but nothing too extreme.



It was a former fast food restaurant - Shlotzskys - and there are giant exterior windows, which brings in some nice light.



It feels more fast-casual concept. We were able to sit wherever we wanted, and after a while, we had a waitress serve us.



The menu has items like hummus, gyro, philly cheesesteaks, lasagna and salads.



We started with some gouda macaroni & cheese bites. These were a bit elevated from the tip fried app you'd expect. I could taste the smoky gouda.



Meghan went with a calzone, which she seemed to enjoy.



I started off with a Greek salad, which had a generous helping of fresh veggies and feta.



The Mykonos Spaghetti popped out to me - sauteed shrimp, onion, mushroom, mozzarella and marinara. Spaghetti isn't usually my go-to pasta (I prefer more pasta to sauce ratio), but I did appreciate the mushrooms and shrimp in here. A nice little twist on what I'm used to.



For dessert, I took home a piece of mille-feuille, which was divine.



Light, crispy layers with mousse and fresh fruit. It was really, really good.
 


Overall, I'd love to see how they move forward and add more dishes.

Grade: B

Golden Chopsticks is located on Wheeling Island and is pretty well-known in the region for having some of the area's best Chinese food.



When I had some extra time,  I made a small detour from home to check it out. 



The inside is pretty large, but dated. There's a faint smell of cigarette smoke - maybe from a time long ago when it was allowed inside? But there are ornate decorations and a few different dining spaces.



There was a menu board featuring the day's specials, and the menu features a large variety.



The menu has both house specialties and chef specialties, gourmet entrees, lunch specials, classics, specialty menu, and even more. The specialty menu caught my eye, with options like seafood udon noodles, wagyu steak, and jumbo shrimp with oriental eggplant.



But I ordered Thai Chili Shrimp - jumbo shrimp tossed with fresh zucchini, snow peas, mushrooms, red bell peppers, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts all together in chef's homemade sweet and spicy Thai Chili Sauce. This was really tasty and definitely had some heat behind it. But it played second fiddle to the flavor. It's the kind of heat that I don't notice until I am downing water because the flavor is so good, the heat is just in the background. Crisp coating, fresh veggies, and a delicious sauce made for a great dish.



I ordered crab cheese wontons and eggrolls. The wontons came in this awesome re-heatable bag and they were great.



Solid eggrolls too.

Grade: A

I've been dying to go to Tito's Sloppy Doggs in Wheeling forever.



I've heard such good things, but their weekday lunch hours are not conducive to my schedule.



When I found myself in the are during their open hours, I made it a point to stop by and check it out. 



The space is narrow, but long. The counter in the back is where you place your order, and there's a large markerboard menu above the counter showcasing the various types of hot dogs and sandwiches.



The first one that stuck out to me was "The Barking." It had "sloppy sauce," French's crispy onions, buffalo ranch and cheddar cheese.



It was one of the more unique sounded hot dogs, and it was pretty good, too.



It had just a little bit of a kick, but some crunch for the texture and some smoky flavor. All around, it was a pretty solid dog. I wouldn't mind trying each on the menu!

Grade: A