Have you been to the corner of Ruffner and Washington in downtown Charleston? 



To be honest, it's not an area I spend much time in, nor does it have the best reputation. 



But new folks have revitalized the area that I formerly knew as the East End Bazaar into the new "B.K.S. The Pa'Teo," which stands for Best Kept Secret. 



There are a couple vendors there, including the first one I tried: Carol's Soul to Soul. After seeing Carol Hines post in a local Facebook group, I friended her so I could keep up with where she's cooking. That's what led me here.



Carol's Soul to Soul serves up soul food that changes regularly - but you'll often see fish, fries, wings, burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, BBQ, mac & cheese, greens and more. I went with two favs: a cheeseburger and baked mac & cheese. 



This was like good, straightforward backyard cookout food. A solid, reliable burger. A solid, reliable pile of mac made for a tasty, filling lunch.

Grade: A

You don't have to tell me twice about a new ice cream shop.



The Frozen Barn in Oak Hill serves hand-dipped ice cream from Ashby's Sterling Ice Cream. 



They carry about 24 flavors at a time, and if I had my way, I'd try them all.



Instead, though, they do have an option where you can get five mini scoops all in one boat. Yes, please.



As per usual, I couldn't decide between fruity or chocolately, but with 5 scoops, I could do both. 



My least favorite was the anniversary cake because I just kept thinking I was eating Play-Doh. 



The Sea Turtle ended up being my favorite - no surprise there. Give me caramel any day, and I'm happy.



Have you been?



Which flavor is your fav?



Grade: A

A little while ago, I visited Smoke House BBQ in Glenville. They described themselves as "Family style restaurant with Southern Pit Style Smoked BBQ, home made sides, home made sauces and dressings, Burgers, Hotdogs, Wings, Grill Chicken & more!" 



It was a busy weekend, so I ordered to go: a pulled pork sandwich and a side of corn nuggets. The pulled pork sandwich was fine - a few fatty bits that I avoided, but fine overall. The corn nuggets were fun - not something you see on every menu. Plus they're a bit sweet and fried and also a savory, so you can't really go wrong. Overall, a decent meal.

Grade: B

I was in Wheeling recently and grabbed lunch with my mom at Elle & Jack's.  



The restaurant was somewhat busy, which was immediately evident when it took several minutes to get us seated, to get menus, to get drinks. This kept me a little on edge, counting the minutes down on our lunch break. 



The space is nice, though - modern, yet elegant. And there is outdoor dining along the road, which is where we opted to sit. The menu for lunch was fairly small with burgers, sandwiches and salads. I went for the classic burger with American cheese, mayo, ketchup, onion and a side of fries. 



Unfortunately, by the time the food came out, our lunch break was over and we had to get the food to go and eat separately. Once I was able to dig in, it was pretty good. A bit cold and soggy at this point, but my burger was well-seasoned, and the slice of melty cheese always makes everything better. 

Grade: B

A new seafood restaurant in South Charleston is bringing some bright lights and funky dishes to the area. 



It's So So Good Seafood Restaurant and Lounge is just a few doors down from a lovely soul food restaurant and is capitalized on the bright facade by bringing that indoors with pink booths and multicolored lights.



The menu features a lot of fried seafood, as well as steamers, and some unique items like conch balls and conch salad. I couldn't decide on what to try, so I went with the sample: 1 crispy fried fish, 4 jumbo shrimp and 4 wings. They have a naughty pleasure (mild & sweet), naughty pleasure garlic, honey garlic, honey garlic lemon pepper and lemon pepper sauce. I went with the naughty pleasure garlic. 



The wings ended up being my favorite part, surprisingly. I loved the sauce, and the wings were cooked well with a nice texture. The fish and shrimp both could've benefitted from a lot more seasoning. Or, a sauce could've helped out, too. But otherwise, a little bland. 

Grade: B