Late-breaking restaurant news!
OK, maybe you already know, but it was news to me that both the Chipotle at Southridge and Sushi Garden at Capitol Market are now open for business.
I'll be checking them out in the coming weeks, along with a few other not-so-new restaurants I just happened to notice recently. (Anyone have intel on Sabatino's Sandwich Kitchen on Capitol Street or Faith's Corner Café on Summers?)
Plus I'll share a long-awaited follow-up review of the hotly-debated Bricks & Barrels - a place you guys are STILL flooding my inbox about. They just hired a new chef, so could this be a turning point?
Stay tuned for the scoop!
* * *
Sharing several of your opinions on how new ownership has changed the East End's Little India, for better or worse, prompted even more readers to chime in after last week's assessment.
And just as my own experience has been, I'm still hearing a lot of "hit or miss" type comments.
"It's actually quite good, and in some dishes better," Mark Wolfe said, while Brendan Bell reported that his experience has been "consistently better all around."
But others disagree.
"It has suffered, sadly," James Whittington said, with D. Stuart adding:
"Mr. Keith, I always enjoy your articles and the one this morning encouraged me to finally give Little India another try (after the last 'another try') and the end result from today's lunch buffet is that I will not be returning."
He said it tasted like many dishes were watered down or lacking much flavor.
"If I do eat Indian these days I will venture to Sitar, although I never really know what to expect," he added. "The service, as you noted, is quite volatile."
Stuart said his first choice for great Indian food in the area is at Nawab in Huntington, which reminded me of how much I adored that place when I reviewed it back in early 2000. (And does anyone remember its short-lived stint out at Southridge a little later that year? It didn't fly long there, but would thrive in Charleston today.)
During that visit in Huntington, I raved about the restaurant's "authentic, inviting" atmosphere and delicious, fresh, quality food, including "the best beef curry" I've ever had. I remember that curry to this day - and it was more than 15 years ago! I try to order something similar at every Indian restaurant I visit, but nothing can match the incredibly rich, deep, ethereal flavors I enjoyed that evening.
So guess who will be making a trip to Huntington in the very near future? This guy.
* * *
During this whole time Little India has been thrown back in the spotlight, I've been wondering what the previous owners thought of all the debate.
Well, wonder no more. Former owner Meena Anada reached out to me this week.
"I want to thank you wholeheartedly for writing such kind and wonderful words about my husband, Harish, and I in your write-up. It warmed our hearts and my eyes still become moist from gratitude upon seeing the love you expressed for us."
She went on to say how much she enjoyed managing "my beloved Little India" the past five years and didn't want to let it go. But with too much on her plate, something had to give. Although I've never met Meena or Harish in person, I have the utmost respect for the successful venture they kept going for so long - in a location where so many others have failed.
So as much as I miss the food I had come to love, I wish them both the best in the next phase of their lives.
* * *
I've heard of beer fests, bourbon tastings and barbecue cook-offs. But all three of these awesome Bs at one event? Oh yeah.
Stonewall Resort hopes to continue its streak of top-notch culinary events with a "Beer, Bourbon & Barbeque" celebration Nov. 20.
The resort will team up with area brewers and distillers to offer a "decadent culinary extravaganza" with a special tasting menu paired with craft beers and bourbon. But unlike traditional tasting menus, this one will offer a stand-and-dine setting where guests can mingle about sampling multiple small plates and beverage pairings.
Food options will include Texas-style mesquite smoked brisket, hickory-smoked hog leg with an assortment of unique barbecue sauces, spiral-sliced ham with a South Carolina mustard glaze and braised pork belly sliders with North Carolina vinegar mop sauce and green apple coleslaw.
Other dishes featured are a smoked turkey slider with Alabama white barbecue sauce and sweet-and-spicy house pickles, Mountaineer tailgate grilled chicken wings with Sriracha dry rub, bourbon molasses baked beans with thick-cut bacon and cast iron baked jalapeno and sweet corn spoonbread.
Plus collard greens with pork jowl and cider vinegar, pepper-jack mac 'n' cheese with Big Timber Pale Ale and bacon crust, and new potatoes with butter and fresh herbs.
Local microbreweries Mountain State Brewing, Greenbrier Valley Brewing, Riverton Brewing, Big Timber Brewing and others will be on tap, too.
And if that weren't enough, more than 20 different bourbons, whiskeys and moonshines will be available for sampling, including Isaiah Morgan's 10-Year West Virginia Small Batch Bourbon, Basil Hayden, Maker's Mark 46 Bourbon Whiskey, Black Saddle 12-Year Bourbon Whiskey and Full Throttle S'loonshine.
The event kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20, and tickets cost $219 per couple, which includes overnight lodge accommodations. For more information or to make reservations, call (304) 269-7400 or visit www.stonewallresort.com.
Steven Keith writes a weekly food column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or by email 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 blogs.charlestondailymail/foodguy.