"Conceived as a bright and colorful tribute to Dorothy Draper, Draper's offers casual all-day dining with a menu that includes classic Dorothy Draper recipes as well as traditional southern dishes." - Draper's at The Greenbrier.
So, I have written about Draper's at The Greenbrier before -- but only the ice cream bar (which is totally incredible, and you should try the ice cream). Since the opportunity presented itself, I made a return visit and was able to have a full sit-down breakfast at Draper's.



First, The Greenbrier is incredible. It's huge, beautiful and over-indulgent in these giant tacky patterns and exudes richness. The Greenbrier has a few various dining options; Draper's is the most casual of the bunch.

Breakfast options included bakery items like croissants and muffins, oatmeal, cereal, omelets, breakfast platters and pancakes. Tony ordered a trio of tiny breakfast sandwiches, which had bacon, egg, cheese and BBQ sauce. I tried a bite, and they seemed fairly standard, but the BBQ added something a little different. Just not sure how I feel about BBQ for breakfast.

Their "Buttermilk Pancakes with Greenbrier Peaches" was hard too pass up. It came topped with peaches, whipped cream and came with a side of syrup. I also ordered a side of sausage for some protein (and that salty/sweet combo) in the meal.

There was a bit of a mix-up. Our server, who was totally pleasant and kind, accidentally put in an order for pecan pancakes, I believe. When they came out and were void of the famous Greenbrier peaches, I was confused.

When our waiter came back, I mentioned the mix-up to him. So, after a bit of a wait, I finally received my real pancakes. They were a sight, too, topped with a gorgeous peach topping, powdered sugar and a mound of whipped cream. And it was delicious. I don't know if a pancake can be bad, really. But the peach topping is what really made these awesome. The sausage (which I was too dumb to get a photo of), was also really good.

And on top of it, the server brought us each a cookie for messing up the order. I don't know how Tony lucks out and gets a cookie when I was the one who had to wait extra long on my food :) But, it's easy to win my loyalty with sweets. The oatmeal cookie was pretty awesome, too.




Grade: A

The Block Restaurant and Wine Cellar has replaced the former large, vacant yellow Cafe de Paris space at the corner of Quarrier and Capitol streets in Charleston. Upon my first real adventure to Charleston, that space struck me - prime location, large, and interesting - until I learned it had been closed for years. What a shame, I remember thinking.

But now The Block Restaurant and Wine Cellar has finally produced a functioning restaurant in that space, complete with a total beautiful renovation, extensive wine list and trendy dishes. I passed through for lunch, excited to check out this new restaurant that has been long awaited.

The interior is quite lovely, with sleek lighting, a mixture of dark and light mocha colors and exposed brick.



The lunch menu at The Block has appetizers, cheese platters, soups, salads, flatbreads, sandwiches and hot tapas. I put in for an order of the meatball trio - which comes with a chicken meatball, a beef meatball and a pork meatball, with accompanying sauces. Maggie went for the crab cake and quinoa, while Tony got an Italian panini.

Maggie loved her crab cake, and she has ordered it more than once. Tony was satisfied with his sandwich. And I, well ... I had to wait a bit. Because as everyone else's dishes came out, mine was delivered incorrectly. The waitress brought me the hummus trio.

The hummus trio has sun-dried tomato and basil, traditional and Sriracha hummuses (hummi?). So, luckily, I dig hummus. But it's not exactly what I was going after. Regardless, the waitress allowed us to keep it while they prepared my actual meal. Points for creativity - I actually totally love the concept of three miniature bits of something. Like a sampler platter, but less guilt-inducing. I love trying a little of everything. The tomato was good - but maybe a bit dry? The traditional was fine, though even more garlic could've helped. And the Sriracha had a little heat, but not much. So, eh.


And finally, when my main dish came out, I was excited to try yet another little sampler - three different meatballs. I was starved and wanting these even more after watching my friends down their lunches and I was left with hummus.

Unfortunately, these need some work. The seasoning is weak, the meat was dry, and the sauce was lackluster. This is one tiny bite that can pack a punch - could be lots of flavor. But, it just didn't happen. They were all OK, bordering on not-so-good. The plating also could use some work.


So while I know it has received some mixed reviews, and I think I'm one more tally in that mixed column. I so want to like this place because I think it needs to thrive in that location, and I think the wine list is outrageous (in a good way).

The service just did not work (PLEASE write down the orders when you have a table of three - a hummus trio and a meatball trio are easy to mix up) - making my lunch run late and my tummy rumble. And the food needs some work. Maybe it could have been overlooked, and the seasoning hand wasn't heavy that day. There's a good chance that other menu items are outstanding. I just know the ones I got didn't fall into that category.


Grade: C

I think I may be one of the few people on earth who actually really, really likes cooked cabbage. I remember when my mom would make cabbage rolls, I would eat the leftover cooked cabbage. When I saw this beautiful head of cabbage, I thought of all the possibilities - mostly a summer sort of cabbage wrap. Think hoisin sauce, no tomato sauce. And Cheat Hill was at the Morgantown Farmers Market to fulfill this desire.

Lisa provided me with some information on Cheat Hill:

Cheat Hill, former Hinnant Farm, is run by a young couple, Sarah & John Hinnant. You can find them at the farmers markets on most weekends throughout the summer selling bouquets, jams, jellies, various vegetables, and entertaining their son Henry. They have a small farm in the Cheat Lake area and hope to start a CSA in the future. They are 'newer' to the market, only being vendors for a couple of years.

They have a beautiful bounty of veggies each week! What's your favorite buy from Cheat Hill?

Backbone Food Farm brings tons of vegetables, herbs - and you'll see them with mushrooms - to the Morgantown Farmers Market.

Here's some insight on this cool vendor from my good friend Lisa, former Morgantown Farmers Market coordinator.

Backbone food Farm is found in Oakland, MD and run by the Dubansky Family - dad - Max and his mother Rita, wife Katherine, and a slew of wonderful kids! This 530-acre farm is home to chickens, draft horses, cows, pigs, dogs, bees, flowers, and lots of vegetables since 1996. Max has a more unique way of farming - draft horse power! They teach organic growing practices, sustainability, and hands-on agriculture at their Certified Naturally Grown farm through open-to-the-public farm days. At the morgantown farmers market they only sell a large variety of vegetables, herbs, and fungi, but they also offer pasture raised pork at their farm. (Max taught me how to cook shiitake mushrooms and now I'm a SUPER fan of them! With tons of protein, they are great to help fill you up, have lots of uses, and pair great with meals.) They sell their products through farmers markets and a CSA, now in it's 12th year. To learn a little about agriculture at their farm, check out their farm events on their facebook page and attend one! To learn a LOT, they offer farm internships, but I have only heard positive reviews about. Since they are in the mountains and near some very popular winter vacation spots for skiing, they offer cross country skiing tours in the fall. 

I had these delicious scallions from Backbone, which found their way into most of my dishes for that week. I put them in a mason jar with some water in the bottom and covered the tops with a plastic bag. They were perfect with my meatloaf, thai pasta dishes and omelets. So good. What's your favorite product from Backbone?