So I've kept this secret long enough.
I've been teasing you with cryptic tweets, taunting you with mouthwatering Facebook photos and dodging your demands to reveal the name of my latest dining-out obsession.
But no more.
The most delicious, most exciting new restaurant to hit the Kanawha Valley in quite some time is ... quite a place!
It offers a perfect blend of casual bar-and-grill meets upscale fine dining. A diverse Mediterranean-inspired menu features delicious salads, sandwiches, flatbreads, craft burgers, pastas, entrees and more - including the area's new "best" appetizer. (The Food Guy says so.)
And the views? Unmatched in Charleston. Perched high atop the city at Eagle View Apartments, this hot spot offers sweeping panoramic views of the Kanawha Valley, from Marmet all the way to South Charleston. Better yet, there's a large outdoor deck for soaking up jaw-dropping sunsets or shimmering full moons.
A secret no more, Adventures Bar & Grill is easily my new favorite spot to enjoy a sublime glass of wine and some of the area's best food.
In the interest of protecting my cred, however, I do want to offer a few disclaimers.
I'm pretty much hearing universal praise for the food, but I have received more than a few complaints about glacially slow (and sometimes unfriendly) service. My experiences have been stellar, but it sounds like this new place is still working out some kinks.
And that "top of the world" location has its drawbacks. Although it's open to the public, Adventures is located within Eagle View's gated community, meaning you must have a gate code or push the intercom button and wait to be buzzed in. This has worked for me all but one time, when a frustrated resident from one of the many cars backed up behind me had to come up and use his code to let me in.
That tricky access may prove to be a real challenge, because I know folks who have tried to get through the gate, but eventually gave up and went to other restaurants when no one answered the intercom.
I sure hope they work out these issues and folks who drove away or had a bad experience will give this place another chance. Because there's incredible potential for Adventures to be a true "destination" restaurant in Charleston.
It's already tough to snag a table on Friday and Saturday nights without a reservation. And as the weather turns nicer, good luck trying to get a spot on the deck. It will be the place to be, I guarantee.
Location isn't the only draw, though. Most of the food here has been exceptional. I've eaten my way through every section on the menu, so I'm here to steer you in the right direction.
Start with a glass of wine (the list is quite interesting) or a cold craft brew. Then skip the heavily fried appetizer options and go straight for the phenomenal deep-fried goat cheese.
Featuring large orbs of premium cheese flash-fried in a paper-thin breading - then topped with powdered sugar, drizzled with honey and served with pita chips - this is a warm, rich and creamy indulgence that is crazy good.
If you're in the mood for a craft burger, sandwich or flatbread after that, more than 30 nice options await.
We like the Pavlou Kilma flatbread (shaved lamb, beef, tomatoes, red onions, banana peppers, tzatziki sauce and feta) and adore the Breakfast Burger (fried egg, hickory-smoked bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion atop a premium seasoned, juicy burger tucked between thick slices of butter-toasted sourdough bread).
It's a rock-solid burger, but most entrees have been even better.
The restaurant's signature crab cakes have drawn similarities to those once served at Charleston's beloved Tarragon Room, and my filet (flanked by a giant lobster claw with drawn butter) was perfectly seasoned and fired. The lobster mashed potatoes and potato croquettes served alongside each were top-notch, too, the layered wedge of potatoes offering a perfect interplay of slight crunch and silky cream.
On another visit, my bacon and blue cheese-encrusted ribeye was cooked just a touch over my requested mid-rare, but was otherwise fantastically full of bold flavors. And then there was this seafood risotto.
My goodness, this risotto.
We were expecting a bowl of creamy rice simply seasoned with fish stock or maybe featuring bits of seafood blended in. What we received was a bowl of the most incredible, deeply flavored risotto I've ever had, which was also then topped with large portions of fresh shrimp, lobster and a whole filet of fish. (Check out the photo, you won't believe it.)
You could've punched my ticket to heaven right then, but I'm glad I stuck around for dessert. The baklava logs and raspberry cream cake situation were both nice, but the decadent Chocolate Explosion was another wow-worthy experience - a warm, molten lava cake with actual warm, molten "lava" inside, a rarity indeed.
And I still need to try the lobster ravioli, cedar-planked salmon with housemade chili-apricot glaze and maybe - just maybe - the Spicy PB&J Burger featuring peanut butter, jelly, maple bacon, jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and cucumber.
That last creation pretty much sums up Adventures Bar & Grill. Creative and unexpected, with a considerable "wow" factor.
I feel on top of the world when I'm there, so I sure hope they can start delivering consistently top-notch experiences to others as well.
IF YOU GO: Adventures Bar & Grill at Eagle View is located at 530 Silver Maple Ridge in Charleston. Hours are 4 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday through Saturday. They are closed Sunday and Monday. (Please note the kitchen closes at 10 p.m. each night, but drinks are available until closing time.) For information or reservations, call 681-265-9128 or check out the restaurant's Facebook page.
Steven Keith writes a weekly food column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and an occasional food blog at blogs.wvgazettemail.com/foodguy. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or by email at wvfoodguy@aol.com. You can also follow him on Facebook as "WV Food Guy" and on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest as "WVFoodGuy."