Merchants is owned and operated by locals Chef TK and Emily Peterson, and they invite guests to come as they are. This isn't a dress code, it's our philosophy for all we do. We are here to take care. For us, it starts with the menu – we work with our neighbors to bring the best of what's available locally to the table, showcase the specialties of our region and host guests for a great meal.

Our menu is full of familiar dishes, reimagined through our lens of seasonal + local + flexible + fun. The bar program is anchored by 30 craft beers on draft, offered up along side hand-crafted cocktails and approachable wine. Come join us!

One of the best sellers is their brussels sprouts - with dried apricots, garlic chili mustard and cashews.

I got a trio of wine samples - for just $15, when one of them would be $15 a glass on its own. Mine included "Teutonic Jazz Odyssey Field Blend" which is a gurwurtztraminer & riesling with caramelized green apple and refreshing acid flavors.

My second was the Cavicchioli 1928 Prosecco - spumante. extra dry, aromas of candied fruits, sweet flowers, lively & delicate.

And my third was Neverland Cabernet - a true California cab, layered with notes of black currant, blueberry, and smoked cedar planks.

How cute!

For my main dish, I went with a "short rib gnocchi." Gaaah.

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

A meal of biscuits and gravy is a long-held Appalachian breakfast staple — one that uses up the tasty skillet leftovers to create a delicious, tummy-filling dish.

This simple homemade breakfast can often be an indulgence in and of itself, but consider an even more extravagant kind of gravy to top those fluffy, buttery biscuits: chocolate.

Now, hear me out. You might be thinking that’s gross. But not all gravy has to be made from meat fat and drippings. Rather, a gravy can be roux thickened in a skillet using fat — in this case, butter.

Chocolate gravy is an Appalachian tradition made with cocoa powder, sugar, flour, milk, butter — all whisked smooth and poured over top hot, flaky biscuits.

Commonly found in the mountain South, chocolate gravy may have made its way to the area in the form of Mexican-style breakfast chocolate via trading between Spanish Louisiana and the Tennessee Valley, according to “The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America.”

“Another possibility is that the very old population of mixed-race Appalachian Melungeons has preserved the dish from the 16th and 17th century Spanish colonies on the East Coast,” the passage continues.

However it made its way to the mountains, chocolate gravy fits right in. It speaks to the resourcefulness of the people here and making use of pantry staples to create a tasty meal — an indulgence when such luxuries were often difficult to come by.

While chocolate gravy may not be prevalent in the more northern part of Appalachia, it has a beloved place in the southern region — for sweet snacks and special Sunday morning breakfasts. And if you still turn your nose up at the thought, consider how satisfying this dish could be after winter dinners of beans and cornbread or vegetable stew.

For those who have never tasted the spread, think of a chocolate pudding. In fact, the two are so similar you can swap the flour in the chocolate gravy recipe for cornstarch and have a dessert. But poured over hot, buttery homemade biscuits, chocolate gravy becomes a meal. The sweet, rich chocolate mingled with the saltiness of a flaky biscuit is a classic flavor combination.

Think caramel popcorn. Think peanut butter and jelly. Think chocolate-covered pretzels.

While this meal may elicit strange reactions with its name, its flavor will make for salivating taste buds. The dish has been producing this same reaction for decades, with creators sharing the magic with friends and family.

This classic mountain South Appalachian recipe makes use of available ingredients and turns it into something extraordinary — which gets at the heart of what makes Appalachian dishes so special. These are real, authentic dishes that are rooted in our history and continue to be part of our story.