Hook & Barrel is a noted seafood restaurant in Myrtle Beach that focuses on local food and  sustainability.



Chef Heidi Vukov started this restaurant and has won many awards, including the 2018 South Carolina Chef Ambassador. 



Hook & Barrel was one of the first places I knew I wanted to dine at when I decided to take a trip to Myrtle Beach because it had been recommended to me a few times. Vukov's other location, Croissants Bistro & Bakery, is also one we'll come back to later. 



The restaurant itself is beachy. Open, airy, light, a large wraparound porch - which is where I chose to have my meal. 



I started with the crackers and pimento cheese, which, wow, is quite the way to start a meal. Super crisp chips with a heavy scoop of cheese and mayo and pimento that is was just hitting all the right notes.



I ordered a crab cake before I knew of the delightful complimentary pimento cheese appetizer, but I always love a crab cake. These three mini ones were plump with a flavorful remoulade. The cakes had hunks of crab, perfect seasoning and just a delicious pairing with the creamy sauce. 



The menu spans from fresh oysters and she crab soup to smoked shrimp & grits and pan-seared scallops. The latter is the one I landed on, which came with celery root puree, sauteed kale and roasted mushrooms. A beautiful scallop is special thing. That nice sear gives way to a meaty scallop that is slightly sweet. Paired with the puree, kale and mushrooms - it really was a perfect dish.

Grade: A

Summersville is home to a restaurant called The Local.



With a name like that, I'm expecting local beer, local music and local food. 



The space gives more of a country bar and grill vibe, and it seems like it's more popular in the evening than during lunch time.



The menu features burgers, fried apps, hot dogs, a couple salads, and two chicken sandwiches. 



To start with, we decided to try some pretzel bites that were topped with salt and had a cheese dipping sauce. I liked that they were cut on the diagonal so it made it a lot easier to eat the individual pieces - which were almost toasted. Cheese was fine. 



Friends opted for a hot dog and different burger, which they both enjoyed. And I may have sampled. 



It's tough for me to ever pass up macaroni and cheese so when I saw macaroni and cheese placed on top of a burger, I knew I needed to try that. First - that bacon blue cheese. I love blue cheese on a burger - I just don't love floppy bacon. It was OK.



For the mac burger, I always appreciate the cheese, but it really needs something to make it pop so I can appreciate that creamy dairy. Like a sriracha or honey or something that helps punch it up. Overall, it was fine - a little cold... but I do enjoy a crispy fry with garlic.

Grade: C

OK, so we are finishing up our rounds at the local Gino's Pizza and Spaghetti restaurants. And that took us to Grantsville, West Virginia, which is not a place that I visit often. So, I made a special trip here just to check out their Gino's. At this point I have tried most of the menu items that I'm interested in, and I have gravitated toward a few favorites.



One of those is the boneless wings in their tangy mustard sauce. I've also noticed that a few locations so far make their own blue cheese dressing, which is really special. So these wings were a little bit on the dry side, as you can see from the photo. But they had the signature tangy mustard flavor, which I really enjoy. The main draw here, for me, was that homemade blue dressing. It really is quite tasty if you can find it. So, overall, much like many of the other locations but extra points for that blue cheese.

Grade: B

I came across this mini donut truck in Barboursville recently, and I was excited to check out what they had to offer.



O Goodness Mini Donuts offers teeny tiny donuts by the dozen with both classic and specialty flavors: cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, glazed, peanut butter lovers, maple bacon and fruity pebbles. 



I threw caution to the wind and ordered a dozen. You can split the dozen into two flavors, so I went with peanut butter lovers and fruity pebbles. 



I actually really liked the texture of these little guys. They had an ever so slight chew that was really satisfying. And the toppings, of course, took them over the top. It's kind of a fun experience to eat a bowl of donuts with a fork - plus fruity cereal and peanut butter candies. It doesn't really get much better.

Grade: A

The Juice Box has opened a location in Kanawha City, in addition to its Hurricane location. 



They offer cold press juices, cleanses, "shots," smoothies and acai bowls.



When I visited he Hurricane location, I tried the Tropical Smoothie, and I enjoyed it.



So, this time, I had to go with something just a littttttle different. The kind gentleman working encouraged me to try the "Blue Breeze" acai bowl. 



It's actually pretty similar to the tropical smoothie with banana, pineapple, kiwi, raspberry, coconut, peanut butter, honey, blue spiralina and hemp seed. 



It was the last two that sorta threw me. Blue spirulina? Apparently it's a superfood algae that can be bitter - which is why it's mixed in with all those sweet fruits. Hemp seed? These don't seem to have much flavor but add some nutritional value.



And in the finished product? I couldn't taste anything ~different~. In fact, the bowl was really good. I loved the contrasting flavors with the fruits and oats. There was a perfect proportion of ingredients so it didn't feel like one big soupy mass or just a thick bunch of oats. It was a beautiful medium, and it's definitely something I'd try again. It was sweet, refreshing and satisfying.

Grade: A