The Woods is a downtown Huntington bar and restaurant. Heavier on the restaurant portion these days.



Dawn and I stopped by while in the area. The space has a cool vibe between Gatsby-esque decor and lots of bright green, live plants all over. It's clear the space was really being used more as storage, since there's no dine-in, but there was a special area set up right in front to place and pick up orders.



The menu has sandwiches, salads, and pizzas, primarily. A few things that caught my eye were the the BBQ tofu pizza, chicken & capicola sandwich, and spicy fried pickles. 



But I was most excited about the "Build Your Own Pepperoni-Style Rolls." They come two per order with cheese, and you can add two toppings - any from the pizza toppings selection! So, think bacon, sausage, chicken, capicola, ham, feta, anchovies, cheddar, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, pineapples, green olives, black olives, spinach, banana peppers, jalapenos and tofu. 



So I went with a standard pepperoni roll - so I can try the original - then, of course, one with mushrooms. I must say, these were both pretty decent. It took a looong time for these to come out, so they weren't super hot. BUT, I loved the dough that was sprinkled with herbs, and there were slits in the top that let out the air so you don't get that giant pocket. Plus dipped in marinara - very tasty. This, of course, was just an appetizer, though.



I also ordered a fried green tomato sandwich with housemade pimento cheese. Very good. Again, not warm, though. But a tangy pimento cheese was a perfect complement for those fried green tomatoes. There's a reason this is a classic pairing. 



Grade: B

East Flavor is a Huntington restaurant that opened in the fall in a space that many of my Huntington friends say is "doomed" - 322 10th Street. What they mean by this is that there are a lot of restaurants in this space that ultimately fail. 



Truthfully, I feel like this is the case for many towns. And, I'm always rooting for the new ones to change the trend. East Flavor is no exception, so I placed an order online to pick up at the restaurant. At this time, I felt more comfortable getting food to go - but still wanted to support this new restaurant. My quick view inside showed a large space, lots of finished wood and teal accents with small decorations. 



I ordered pad thai, tempura don and an Angry Dragon roll. I keep hoping I'll find a pad thai that lives up to my dreams of some favorites in Morgantown, but this just wasn't quite it. It wasn't bad, but it was a little bland. But, I also know this is probably not their specialty.



The tempura don was on the "danburi" list, and I was curious about it. It was tempura prawns and veggies on top of rice with house sauce, but mine was missing a sauce. But, tempura anything (fried anything) can't be too bad.



Finally, the Angry Dragon roll has shrimp tempura (sensing a theme?), spica tuna, avocado, topped with spicy crab salad and spicy mayo. I enjoyed this the most of the bunch. But I also rarely turn down sushi? Very yummy.

Grade: B

I'm not sure who Grumpy Gary is, but I do know he now has a restaurant in the Huntington area. Or, maybe someone just likes him enough to name a restaurant after him. 



Either way, I stopped here to check it out. The interior was closed due to COVID-19, but there were a few tables outside where we could enjoy our food. We placed our order, waited for some folks who were taking up the tables and were finally able to eat our dishes.



The menu here is heavy on biscuits - topped with everything from sausage and bacon to pinto beans and fried chicken breast. They have other breakfast items, burgers, appetizers, salads and pizza. On this particular day, they had just come out with their "Grumpwich," which has flaked ham on a pizza dough seasoned with garlic, basil and oregano, topped with onions, lettuce, tomatoes, provolone and mozzarella cheese. 

You may be familiar with pubwiches or wedgies, and this is similar. It's a pizza as the top crust of a sandwich. It was pretty good - though certainly messy. And definitely filling. The top was super cheesy and the crust itself was flavorful - like it had herbs in it. The experience of trying to eat while having folks smoking nearby or napping on tables was not great, but I would come back to try a biscuit. 

Grade: B

The Milton Flea Market is an interesting place. You'll find everything from primitive decor and medical scrubs to vape supplies and antiques.



They also have their share of food-related products - like baked goods, jerky and even some fresh produce.



However, there are two places that are more like restaurants or food stands that I wanted to check it out.



First, let's stop at Rocky's World of Ice Cream. They have a permanent set up in a small walk-up space at the market.



On this particular day, they were serving lemonade, shaved ice and other treats to beat the heat.



I went with a lemonade, which was perfect to sip while walking around. Plus, I knew there was more ice cream in our future.



Next up was Fatima's Thai Rolled Ice Cream. This is a really cool find in a flea shop. Rolled ice cream kinda became trendy, but I don't know if there are currently any places serving it in Charleston. So, this was a pleasant surprise.



In addition to ice cream, they have snacks like hot dogs, fries, nachos, pulled pork bbq, etc. 



But when in Rome... so I decided to go with an ice cream. I started with a strawberry base, and then we added maraschino cherries. Side note: Why don't we have more cherries in the store? I want cherries year-round. 



They did their thing by rolling it out on the cold stone, then chopping and rolling up and then topping it with these Pirouline cookie rolls. It was good! 



Have you been?

Here's my latest column in the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

One hallmark of Appalachian cuisine is the innovative use of the food available from the land and rivers — and the celebration of it.

But Appalachians weren’t the first group of people to employ this strategy. Rather, we have the Native Americans to thank for many growing techniques (among other things, like land, etc.) that have served as the basis for a number of meals.

Staples like corn, beans and squash — known as the Three Sisters — not only grow well together, but they also thrive. Native Americans had been growing this vegetable trio for centuries before folks like Appalachians began to integrate the sisters into dishes like soups, stews and succotash.

“Native Americans here knew this from the start, growing corn, beans, and squash — the ‘three sisters’ — together because of their symbiotic relationship. Corn removes nitrogen from the soil, and beans replace it. Cornstalks provide a natural trellis for the bean plants to climb on. Low-growing squash plants create shade and hold in moisture,” according to Fred Sauceman’s essay, “What Exactly is Appalachian Cuisine?”

The small ecosystem exists in a mound, with the three plants working together to deter weeds and pests, enrich the soil and support one another.

Here is how it all comes together:

The cornstalks in the center offer necessary support to the pole beans, which climb toward the sun.

The pole beans pull nitrogen from the air and return it to the soil via their web-like bean roots.

The large, broad leaves of sprawling squash provide shade for the soil to keep it cool and moist by slowing evaporation and prevent weeds.

The prickly hairs on the squash leaves also deter pests, like raccoons.

The pole beans grow up through the squash vines and around the cornstalks to hold all Three Sisters together.

In companion planting, each element — or plant — contributes to create a nutritionally balanced harvest, while helping the others succeed. Together, they produce a whole that is greater than the sum of their parts.

I think that could be symbolic of many things — not only Appalachian food and these important vegetables that provide a framework for so many of our meals, but also our communities, our state and our culture. It’s a time where we, like the Three Sisters, are meant to unite and work toward a better outcome — together.