I've been dying to try Vandalia Grille since my last trip to Charleston (last summer). We didn't have time. But, huzzah! On my most recent trip to Charleston, it was our first stop. This cold, rainy Friday night could only be solved with tasty burgers and sweet potato fries.

I parallel parked (!) in a side street, as Vandalia Grille is located right downtown, and a lot of the street parking was already taken up. The yellow front was inviting. We stepped inside to see a full restaurant. There's another entrance on the opposite side - kind of cool. We stood at the front awkwardly until a waitress popped by and said we could sit anywhere we like. We walked back until we found a table that wasn't infringing on others' privacy. It just so happened to be in front of the cook's area. A waitress quickly came over and took our drink orders. She was excellent the whole evening, asking us if it was our first time and offering her recommendations.

I had perused the menu briefly online already, so I knew I wanted a burger. But as I looked down the menu, I noticed they had three slider burgers. That looked perfect - I had the opportunity to sample three of their signature burgers - the Colorado, Aloha, and Gobbler. I also got their sweet potato fries, and we split the brushetta for an appetizer.

Their menu had "tapas" - small plates that are meant to be shared. We thought about buying a couple appetizers and just splitting them, but the burgers looked too tempting. The brushetta came out fairly quickly. Eight focaccia toast points were seated on a plate, drizzled with a sweet balsamic reduction, while a mound of sweet tomato and basil decorated the center. While the dish was probably too sweet for some folks, I thought it was key.

The Colorado burger consisted of a bison burger, smoked bacon, cheddar and red onion marmalade. This was the first one I tried, and it was a solid burger. In the words of my dear friend Brittany, it wasn't anything spectacular, but it was a solid burger overall. I think if the red onion marmalade was more prominent (I didn't really even taste it), it would've added another element here.

The Gobbler burger was next, and it was a turkey burger with spinach, gouda, caramelized onions with a pesto sauce. While this all sounds fantastic on paper, maybe I didn't get the full effect since it was only a slider. I didn't get those pops of flavors. I got a turkey burger with some cheese. And if you have a good gouda, it's out of this world. This burger was just okay with me.

Finally, the aloha was ground beef, with grilled pineapple, red onions, green onions, green leaf lettuce, and a teriyaki glaze. This one packed the most flavor for me. Right away, the pineapple was sweet, and the teriyaki was a little tangy, and the lettuce mellowed it out. This was probably my favorite of the three.

Oh, and how could I forget the sweet potato fries? They weren't bad - slightly soggy. I prefer mine to be more crisp ala Tailpipes, but the cool thing about these is that they came with two sauces: a sort of cherry mustard and a teriyaki mayonnaise. Bother were interesting. I used the mustard for the fries and the mayo for my burgers. All in all, not bad.

We also ordered their dessert - which was something like a fried cheesecake with ice cream ... everything in that phrase sounds amazing. And it was.

As a side note: Brittany ordered the Mediterranean salad, and she loved it infinitely better than her burger.

Grade: B

Only I would get excited at the sight of a small shack along the road in hopes of it being a new dining establishment. Right alongside Grant's, between Thorn Street and Oakvale and Athens Road is a small, small building. It looks as though it could be a shed belonging to the grocery store. But look closer! Signs waving in the air say "Hotdogs!" and "BBQ!" and a small yellow building, complete with red porch.

We approached the building from the backside, so it was like a grand reveal when we pulled around to the front. A small gravel lot leads the way to this bbq shack. We walked up the bright red stairs. I was kind of surprised at how well this place was put together. It is new, and it is small, but the quality was not sub-par. As soon as I got to the top of the stairs, I saw a sign that said their daily special was a bbq sandwich, bag of chips and drink for $5. Sold! Something about package deals that I love. The rest of the menu is pretty small.

We stood on the porch, watching traffic go by as we waited for the food to be done. After just a few moments, the window slid back open and the kind gentleman ushered out the steaming hot sandwiches, wrapped in a brown paper bag. I spotted a single picnic bench on the side of the building, so we took ourselves there and unwrapped our foodie presents.

At first bite, I noticed how steamy the bun was the pork was tender. The bbq was a little too on the sweet side for me. I like a little bit more tang to my bbq. The chips were classic Lays (no choice here), and I had a water. I would've liked a little thicker, tangier sauce, but it wasn't bad. And I was pleasantly surprised considering the location. Would I go back? Mmm, when it comes to bbq, I'm not sure if anyone can beat A Taste of Memphis...

Grade: B

At the Health Sciences Farmers’ Market, the line for the “bread lady” was always, at least, 10 people deep. That bread lady, Karen Guse, makes some of the best pepperoni rolls around. Her various breads, which were produced in her basement, have now found a home at the former Tutto Gelato stand on High Street. My five years here have seen the unique gelato standing tall on High Street, but after stopping at the now-Wild Mountain Bakery shop, I was welcoming them with open arms.


The shop features artisan bread, muffins, coffee, scones, cookies and pepperoni rolls, which come in regular or jalapeno. What makes these pepperoni rolls lovely, though, is that there are tiny chunks of pepperoni throughout a delicately, soft baked bread. It’s not a chunk stuck to one end. The slightly smoked taste is spread throughout the entire bun, giving you a nice mixture of bread and spice in each bite.

They are open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For the inner carbaholic in all of us, this soft, light, airy bread with some warm butter is enough to keep me happy. On this particular day, I also opted for their two muffins: blueberry and orange-mango. Heavenly.

I first tried the orange-mango,  and I was skeptical. I was concerned it would be slightly bitter. But a large muffin, contained in a maroon paper, was handed to me. Topped with crystalized sugar, it looked gorgeous. And it tasted even better. This light, fruity muffin had chunks of real oranges and mangoes, surrounded by fluffy cake. I finished the muffin, feeling refreshed and my palate cleansed. Which is sort of the opposite of the blueberry. While still great, the blueberry is a heavier muffin, more of what I’m used to, but still with small bits of blueberry and a tasty, sweet, muffin. For around $10, I got two delicious muffins and a pepperoni roll that’s out of this world.

Try it; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Grade: A

Slight Indul-
gence has a great name. You can indulge ... just slightly here. There are two locations - one right on High Street, and the other is on Collins Ferry Road. I plan to visit that one soon! The High Street location was opened in 1983.

Slight Indulgence features gourmet wine, beer, chocolate and other goodies. They have wine that ranges from $7 to $1,000 that come from all over the world. This family business values their customers, and it shows through the employees who are always willing to help.

They have a variety of West Virginia products, which is great. You can't find those everywhere. They also have beer that you can buy by the singles, so you can create your own six-pack. I did just that.

They also have a case full of delicious chocolates; I selected four to take home, as well as a bottle of Forks of Cheat CocoVino. The chocolates are gone, but I have yet to open up the dessert wine.

On a rainy day, what's better than a gourmet pizza? I've been wanting to try New Day for quite some time. I hear their scones and breads are fantastic. But I was after their pizzas, which they only make after 4 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday

Located right on the other side of the bridge on Kingwood Street, this bakery is in a beautiful purple and orange house. We parked in a spot and walked inside. To my surprise, it's quite small. When you walk in the door, there's a small counter to the right and some shelves that house bread. And toward the back is the large oven where they do all the baking. There's no dining-in area, and one bench for those who are waiting.

We grabbed some yellow menus and perused our options. We asked the man at the counter which is ordered most often, but he simply said they're all good. That didn't narrow down my options much. I had such a hard time deciding which of their specialty pizzas to order, but I finally decided on the "eggplant taverna," which was a white sauce, with roasted eggplant, roasted red pepper, feta, basil and mozzarella. You can choose between white crust or WV wheat crust in a small or large. I got white and a small for $15.

You also have the option of making your own pizza, with three sauces to choose from: red, white and green. And you can choose your toppings:

Basic Toppings:  $1.40/$1.75 Black Olives Green Olives Green Peppers Spinach Onions Spicy Italian Sausage Pineapple Pepperoni Fresh Mushrooms Chopped Bacon Fresh Garlic Extra Cheese Jalapeno Peppers Ham Banana Peppers Cheddar Cheese

Deluxe Toppings:  $1.80/$2.15 Artichoke Hearts Fresh Tomatoes Sun Dried Tomatoes Fresh  Mozzarella Roasted Red Peppers Kalamata Olives Feta Cheese Bleu Cheese Chipotle Peppers Fresh Goat Cheese Fresh Basil Grilled Chicken Caramelized Onions Roasted Eggplant Ricotta Smoked Gouda

We sat on the small bench for a few minutes, watching the cooks in the room across from us prepare the pizzas and feed them to the large brick oven. Ben had ordered the Diabolo: red sauce with spicy Italian sausage, jalapenos, chipotles and mozzarella. Finally, the boxes were propped up on the ledge containing our pies, and we were on our way.

Eggplant Tavera

My pizza was tasty - I loved the melted ricotta and sweet eggplant. I do wish the eggplant was larger slices so I could get more of a bite with them. It was definitely on the saltier side, so those eggplant chunks added some sweetness. But the crust was perfect, and the toppings were fresh. Add a cold, sweet pop on the side, and it's a great pie.

Diabolo

The Diabolo was actually also very tasty. It was quite spicy, but it was a delicious, savory spicy. I love the love that's put into these pizzas. You can tell some thought went into them. I can't wait to try another; they all look fabulous.

Grade: A