A funny thing happened after last Wednesday's Charleston Gazette-Mail hit the streets.
Among the feedback I received were calls from readers congratulating me on the “new” column.
Well, um ...
I thanked them all kindly, before clarifying that it wasn't my first column — but more like my 900th.
Comments like these, however, made it clear that the local newspaper consolidation has introduced me to a whole new audience of readers and some introductions are probably in order. So to those folks, welcome! I'm loving all the new friends and here's a little Food Guy 101 to tell you a little more about me.
I've lived in Charleston the past 24 years, but grew up in Huntington in a family with fairly traditional eating habits – meatloaf, pork chops, spaghetti, etc., all of which I still enjoy to this day. But as I got older and moved out of the house, I found myself craving all of these “unusual” foods I had never tried before.
I started ordering the most exotic dishes I could find on restaurant menus and, after discovering all of these new flavors and textures, became obsessed with trying to recreate the dishes in my own tiny apartment kitchen.
That's when my true love affair with food was born, and it's only grown deeper with time. Whether experimenting with recipes by myself, cooking for my wife and three (God help me) boys at home or enjoying a nice meal out with friends, I'm never more fulfilled than when I have a fork or spatula in one hand and a nice craft beer or glass of wine in the other.
Good food feeds my soul. But while I've become a fairly accomplished home cook and baker, a chef I'm not.
I have no formal culinary training and my food-service experience is limited to a very brief stint working the Hill's Department Store snack bar back in the late 1980s. Although I made a righteous bowl of Chili-Cheese Nachos there, I've never once seriously considered attending culinary school or opening my own restaurant. It's grueling, risky work, which is why I have the utmost respect for those who do it.
What I can do is share my thoughts and experiences, my successes and failures, with food and cooking. To that end, I've been writing a weekly food column in the Daily Mail for the past 14 years – and did periodic bimonthly “Dining Out” reviews another 5 years before that. All told, that's nearly 900 food-related stories I've done championing homemade cooking and recipes, fresh healthy ingredients, occasional indulgences, local chefs and restaurants, new food products and trends, and more.
That includes occasional restaurant critiques, both positive and constructive, of places ranging from a casual rib joint or ballpark concession to a fancy wine bar or the finest white-tablecloth bistro.
When a new restaurant opens, readers immediately want to know if it's any good. How are the menu, service and ambiance? How are the prices and are they worth the quantity and quality of food served?
So I go check them out (always anonymously, always paying my own way) and share both the shining and less-than-stellar things I experience. Just as you would have if you had walked in and plopped down your hard-earned money as well.
Am I always right? Of course not. But am I fair? You betcha. If I call out a restaurant for making mistakes, you can be sure I visited multiple times beforehand to ensure it wasn't just a one-time slip. What's more, any bad experiences are always framed in a way that encourages that restaurant to improve – to step up its game so it CAN survive.
I don't always expect you'll like (much less agree) with what I have to say. But I do believe, over time, you'll find I'm overwhelmingly supportive of the local food scene and all who try to make a go in it.
I hope to keep sharing these experiences in the combined Charleston Gazette-Mail newspaper. And I hope you'll come along for the ride.
X X X
In last week's column, I asked readers to share their favorite West Virginia spots for enjoying the best chicken wings and cheesecake (although not at the same time, I hope) since both foods were celebrating their national “day.”
Here's what a few of you had to say ...
“I am not a big chicken wing person either, but I had to write and tell you about Victorian Hall & Tavern (Bubba's) in Weirton,” wrote Susan Maslowski, adding that it's one of those places you'd probably fly right by based on its outside appearance.
“But Bubba's has a wing night, the place is packed and the wings are REALLY good. We tried several varieties, but the ranch were the best.”
She said Bubba's secret is that they partially pre-cook the wings before the tavern opens, then finish cooking them when someone places an order. That keeps them fresher while sparing customers the 30-minute cooking time required, as Bubba says, “to do them right.”
A little closer to home, readers Mike and Barbara say it's well worth a short drive for the chargrilled wings at L&R Custom Catering in Hurricane, across from the entrance to Waves of Fun water park.
“Their smoker sits along the road in front of the eatery. We visit weekly for the wings, as well as great pulled pork and delicious home-cooked sides,” they said. “No cheesecake, but good bread pudding. Try it sometime – you will become a regular!”
Deal!
On the cheesecake front, reader Wes Harvey said: “The best cheesecake I have ever had, and I stress EVER, is at The Red Rooster in Gassaway. Crazy but true. Find out when they'll have it and make the trip up there!”
X X X
And finally, I was thrilled to hear from some friends who gave Charleston's new Bricks & Barrels” an enthusiastic thumbs up.
“Michael and I tried Bricks & Barrels for the first time and we had a delicious dinner,” reports Kathy Griffith. “Our server, Bryce, was fantastic and the owner stopped by our table to inquire about our meal. I just wanted to share our great experience and we will definitely go back.”
I hope to start hearing lots more stories just like this one.
Steven Keith writes a weekly food column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or by e-mail at dailymailfoodguy@aol.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and Pinterest as “DailyMail FoodGuy,” on Twitter as “DMFoodGuy” and read his blog at http://blogs.charlestondailymail/foodguy