Satchel's Pizza (Gainesville, FL)

 Overall                         * * * * -
Flavor                           * * * * *
Uniqueness                   * * * * -
Price                             $$
Comfort/Convenience  * * * - - (more than a bit off the beaten path)

Price Ranges:
Appetizers      $7-13 (really just the salad)
Drinks            $5 or more (beer only in the restaurant, liquor in the back)
Entrees           $3-13 per person, though a whole large pizza is 17
Desserts         $3-7

Boy, what all to say about Satchel's?

Well, let's start with the fact that there's a VW bus out front with seating for people who just feel like they have to be different (I admit, I stuck my head in.  It was weird, ok?) and that they have a junk "museum" at the back (more on that later)

Inside isn't too terribly remarkable.  A small, wood-floored and mismatched tabled interior covered floor to ceiling with local art for sale (this is a college town, after all), a play area for kids.  And other people looking through those little viewmaster toys you may remember from your childhood (And by people, I mean adults)

After about the third table to get them, I started getting a little irate that no one had offered me one.  Talk about silly, but it just seemed so strange that everyone had one but us!

Once I was talked out of my preoccupation with the toys and into looking at the menu I was bemused to find we had wandered into a place that made their own soda.  Not beer, but soda.  And you could get yourself a flight!  So, being with family (who, by our reasoning, all shared the same cooties by osmosis), we ordered one and sat down to try.  Basically it included their versions of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, root beer, Sprite, ginger ale, and a fizzy lemonade.  I think we were all shocked to find we really kind of liked the Diet coke (their version uses Stevia and was just...really good.  I don't know how else to say it) and really they were all great.  They had a little card that came with it too that explained how everything was made, why sometimes it will taste different (they make it in small batches), and why they did it.  I ended up with a ginger ale in the end since it was a little on the spicier side just like I prefer.

On to the food!  My aunt insisted we just had to have the salad (they only have the one kind: the Satch Salad) and I was not particularly impressed, but I have to say I'm more of a greens-crouton-dressing person, and this was an everything-but-the-sink salad.  The rest of the party really seemed to enjoy it, although eyes were bigger than stomachs and we ended up taking half of a large home (for a party of five)

The pizza caused some seriously intense debating.  Unlike 99.999999999% of all great pizza places, Satchels does allow you to order everything completely custom by the slice (I know, I gasped too!), but it still can add up for a larger party.  Bickering ensued before everyone decided that, for the peace of all involved, we should all order whatever we wanted on our separate slices and just swallow the extra charges.

We waited...

Waited... (Their menu does warn you that it can take up to 45 minutes on a busy day for pizza.  Ours didn't take this long, but be forewarned)

Watched some people with those blasted viewmasters (it was seriously irking the whole table by now)

And were delivered hot, gooey-cheesed, fragrant, and delicious pizza slices!

I don't know how they do it, exactly, but no topping were migrant from other pizzas, no crust seemed old or pre-cut, and each slice seemed like it had just been cut from a full-sized pizza with the same toppings.  Each slice was hanging off the plate on both sides (easily the size of a large hand) I doubt very many people order a red sauce, garlic, basil, and ricotta pizza (let alone some of the odder orders at the table) so that can't be possible, but that's what it seemed like.  I ate every last bite.  I ate my crusts.  I eyeballed other crusts (and was told to mind my own plate)

And THEN the viewfinders were brought.  They had 3D pictures of the desserts in them (all posed next to little western figurines)!  I know we looked like a bunch of rubes, but it was a really cute touch.

Unfortunately, we were too full to eat any of the desserts and had to regretfully decline.

But no trip to Satchel's is complete without a trip back to the junk museum (complete with working junk fountain and the largest piece of lint ever removed from a dryer) and the gift shop, which also housed a bar and, that night, a very talented Jamaican singer.  It was very kitschy, very fun.  Full of all those random little things you never really see anymore but are fun as gifts (woopee cushions!)

Word to the wise: Satchel's does not take credit!

Satchel's Pizza
1800 NE 23rd Ave
Gainesville, FL

The Block (Charleston, WV)

Overall                          * * * * *
Flavor                           * * * * *
Uniqueness                   * * * * *
Price                             $$$
Comfort/Convenience  * * * * -  (Minus one star for downtown parking)

Price Ranges:
Appetizers      $7-16
Drinks            $8-? (I was scared to keep looking)
Entrees           $13-36 (I counted the flatbreads)
Desserts         $8-12

Located right in the heart of downtown, The Block is in what should really be the perfect location.  After a series of fairly quick flops in the same location (the French restaurant that was around so shortly few remember the name, the Bus Station Grille, and a McDonalds) it's clear you need more than just location to stay afloat downtown.

I'm pleased to say I think The Block has it.

The inside is a little intimidating: pristine hardwood floors, almost floor to ceiling windows on the street side, a large open-fronted wine vault in the middle room, and high ceilings with dangling lights.  Ah, and they're still very busy, so you may want a reservation at this point in the game (but don't be bothered if they have to look for a seat for you or there's a wait: it's worth it and they're not mean about it)  It's a place you want to dress up for, but not one that you necessarily need to.

The host was very pleasant and found us a seat quickly, even without reservations (I'm sorry, host, you're the one person whose name I didn't get!) and we sat down to review the drinks list and menus.

Hands down (and pages turned.  Twice.) The Block has the largest wine list in Charleston.  No exaggeration needed.  It is literally a three page, legal paper size, front and back menu of wines to choose from.  This also includes flights, offered nowhere else in Charleston, of roughly 1/3 glasses of wine that run in the range of 10-16 dollars for three samples.  Confused by the options?  Off to the side of each wine is a number which corresponds is also seen next to one of your food menu items.  Or you can ask the server.  (Ours was very knowledgeable and happy to find out anything he didn't know) Individual glasses start at about $8, but can get very pricey depending on what you want.

Lest you think the poor beer drinkers are forgotten, they also have about 10 beers on tap.  Nothing to sneeze at for any establishment, let alone one that focuses on wine.  Bottled beers and ciders are available as well (including very nice specialized glasses for Lindeman's)  Prices are reasonable, running around $8 for a pint.

And cocktails can't be forgotten either.  I tried both the chocolate martini and the Island Colada.  Both were made well and well worth the 8-13 price range.  Plus the dollop of whipped cream on the chocolate martini...mm...

Finally, the food.  This particular time we were going right after work, so we just stuck with something "light", but I feel like we got our value. 

First was a watermelon and feta stack with mint, balsamic reduction, and walnuts: I admit I was a little hesitant.  It sounded not particularly unappetizing, but certainly strange, and yet it was delicious.  I feel like a tangier cheese might have brought the watermelon flavor forward a little more (or possibly a very light sprinkle of salt?), but overall it was just light, refreshing, and very pleasing.

Then came bruschetta that came out as the toasts and you put the topping on yourself (actually a very bright idea: keeps the toast from getting soggy)  The flavor on this was a little disappointing for me: it wasn't bad at all, just a little bland compared to everything else we ate and not as adventurous.

Our "main" meal was flat breads.  The further one is the Santorini and the closer one is the Paizano.  Both were amazing, lip-licking, eating-far-too-much experiences.  The Santorini is Manouri cheese (a slightly tangy goat cheese), artichokes, kalamata olives, dates, and fig balsamic glaze: slightly smokier and sweeter flavor (also stickier).  The Paizano is pesto, truffle oil, artichokes, roasted red peppers, purple onion, portobello mushrooms, golden raisins (I didn't taste any of these, but they were supposedly there), and Manchego and Parmesano-Reggiano cheeses-deeply savory and slightly earthy from the mushroom. (Umame, as the Japanese would say)  Flat breads, by the way, are very much are enough to be a meal, possibly even for two depending on how hungry you are.

Finally, we ordered dessert, already too full, but determined to have the full experience.  My friend ordered the Tres Leches and my husband and I ordered the Bailey's cake.

Hm.  The Tres Leches (thank you, dear friend, for letting me try!) was very good, but the Bailey's cake (above), which had been described as a kind of tiramisu, was very dry and dense.  Possibly just because we were thinking of it in the mindset of a tiramisu rather than a cake, but it was too thick and not very Bailey's-ish.  It was still a good flavor, but the texture was not right.

And, in contrast to my last review, I'd like to say we had some of the best service we've ever had here from the server, Scott.  Our drinks never ran low, we never had to do more than glance up to have a question answered, he never pushed us to order (or to leave, and I know we committed the cardinal sin of lingering.  I hope we tipped well enough, Scott), and he was just so darned pleasant!  Bless you, Scott, and may this bring you many customers.  We also got a buzz by from the manager, Brittany, making sure everything had gone well (to whom we also mentioned the fantastic food and service).

Overall, kudos for a meal I am more than willing to pay the price for.  It was delightful and the service was impeccable.

Words to the wise: Beware your seating in the late evening.  As the sun comes in those big windows, you may find yourself with it right in your eyes.

Dangerously Delicious Pies (Washington DC)

Overall                          * * * * *
Flavor                           * * * * *
Uniqueness                   * * * * *
Price                             $$
Comfort/Convenience  * * * - -  (more seating, please!)

Another one of my destination food stops, I had researched this place months before our actual trip and was more excited about it than any of the other places we were supposed to go (the museums, the zoo, the really nice hotel, even the Ben and Jerrys)

"Eh, pies..." you say?  What if I told you these were not just sweet pies, but also lovely lovely meat pies? (bonus points if you got the reference)  I didn't even go for the sweet pies, as tasty as they looked, I went for the SMOG.

But let's back up a bit.

So you go to DC's Chinatown and you wander around a bit because probably, like me, you didn't even know they had one.  Then you get a little disappointed because it's so small and there isn't much.  Then really lost because you could've sworn you were in the right place, but you haven't seen their sign or anything that looked right...Only to find out they're one street outside of the Chinatown in an area with a lot less foot traffic.

It really is a little hole in the wall.  A service counter (with a little display case) and about five bar stool seats right up against the front window.  No worries, though, because you'll be eating this pretty fast and threatening each other with forks over the last bite before you know it.

My husband and I saw the prices, imagined most places tiny slices of pie, and decided we'd just share a slice of SMOG (Steak, Mushroom, Onion, and Gruyere)  They weren't outrageous, but when you aren't quite sure what you're getting and it's just lunch, you just don't want to spend a ton.

It took about 5 minutes for them to heat up our pie and bring it to the counter, by which time I had sufficiently glared and space invaded some locals into making them move over a seat so we could have two together (who sits a party of three in the dead center of five seats?  Jerks, that's who!)

Heaven.  I knew the moment I smelled it that I was in love, that my taste buds would never be the same.

Snuggled adorably on a bed of salad greens I knew I had no interest in was this gorgeous, almost 1/4 of the pie wide, dripping steak and cheese and heaven slice of flaky crusted pie.  It tasted every bit as good as it looked and smelled and I think I spent the next ten minutes or so letting out little moans of pleasure with every bite because every so often I'd look up to see someone giving me a weird look.

I'm sorry, DC residents, I love food.

I did end up eating the salad, but only in a morose "My pie is gone..." sort of way.

Long story short?  If you're in DC, you NEED to eat at Dangerously Delicious Pies and you really really ought to try the SMOG.

Dangerously Delicious Pies
1339 H Street NE
Washington DC

Bricks and Barrels (Charleston, WV)

Overall                          - - - - -
Flavor                           - - - - -
Uniqueness                   * - - - -
Price                             $$$$ ($40-50 per person or more for appetizers and drinks)
Comfort/Convenience  * - - - -

This place has been on my best friend's radar for months now.  So when it opened and we both had time off, we gathered family in town for the weekend and went.

Well.

Let's start off by saying that you will not find parking if there's a game going on at the Power Park, because the 20 spaces they have are already taken (questionably by diners) and all surrounding parking is taken by people going to the game.  So you're taking a hike in an area that most Charlestonians would acknowledge is really not the best late at night to get here.

Then you step into a (very) dimly lit interior of hardwood floors, black walls and ceilings, and a few sparse pendant lights.  Thank heaven the menu print was large because I was having problems reading it well and I'm nowhere near bifocal age yet.

The beer and wine lists are fairly extensive, but also fairly expensive.  You could pay much less at half a dozen places downtown (Pies and Pints, Blacksheep, Celsius) for similar selection.  No specialty cocktails here yet, though the waitress said they're going to make up a few soon.  After seeing the prices on the wine and beer menus, I wasn't interested in trying for liquor.

But I really came to this location to try out the food: menu descriptions were intriguing, although I was again thrown by the prices (appetizers were already approaching the $20 threshold and several of the entrees were $40+).  Entrees do not include anything extra, and by "anything" I mean a bread basket, a salad, or a side.  You ordered a steak?  Here's your steak.  By itself.

Not to be deterred (after all, we knew it might be expensive and we'd even dressed up for it), we got drinks and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

About half an hour to forty five minutes after we'd gotten our drinks, the waitress came back to take our orders for food and one of our table mates had to remind her to get the frosted glass for her shandy (which she said she'd bring when she dropped off the drinks, but it never came).  No refills on water for anyone.  When she came back with the glass, she refilled waters, but didn't ask my husband if he'd like a new beer.

Thankfully, we were having a good time and in good company because it was another long wait for the food with only one quick flyby from the waitress (who got another beer this time, but didn't refill waters or tell us anything about the status of our food) before the final "It's plating now" right before they brought the food out.

And the food we paid so much for?  Utterly unimpressive.

With five of us ordering different things each, I think I can give a fairly good representation of what they have to offer: the Mediterranean chicken was the only thing that got an unreserved thumbs up and the only thing that kind of came with a side (served on a bed of couscous), then there was a grilled portobello and tofu that was flavorless and watery, a very undercooked and flavorless tuna steak that was unfortunately a little gamey as well, a ceaser salad with what appeared to be Italian dressing (what on earth?), a "steak on steak" (beefsteak tomatoes on filet with mozzarella and a drizzle of balsamic) ordered medium rare and arriving on the more done side of medium well, and an altered Cobb salad that arrived incorrect but they fixed.

To top off the insult of bland food, as the girl who ordered the tofu and I were getting down to the last bits of ours (or, in my case, the last bit I could choke down), we saw a waitress going around with a pepper grinder that ours had never offered.  No salt or pepper on the table and no offer of the pepper grinder.

Now irritated, we had to wait for her to come back to flag for our checks and wait another several minutes for her to come back and (we had our cards ready so we could just leave by now) take the cards.  Wish we'd looked a little more carefully at the bills before we paid because we were overcharged $6 for a bottle of wine.

Long story short?  Bland food, bad service, outrageous prices, and terrible location.  Go elsewhere.

Bricks and Barrels
1214 Smith Street
Charleston, WV

Su-Tei (Charleston, WV)

Overall                          * * * * *
Flavor                           * * * * *
Uniqueness                   * * * * *
Price                             $$ ($20 per person)
Comfort/Convenience  * * * * -  (only for being out of downtown)

Su-Tei is located in the Kanawha City part of Charleston, about five minutes outside of downtown.  The building used to be a Blockbuster and WOW has it changed!  If you peak inside from the parking lot you might actually wonder where you've gotten off to.  There's a lit fountain in the center with bamboo and a samurai suit, curved white leather booths, and a general air of a very nice classy restaurant.

Despite the looks, they aren't pretentious and no one gives you a look if you come in with jeans and a t-shirt.  It's a great place to dress up for, but you definitely don't have to.

The menu is eclectic Asian fusion and very very well done.  No place I've ever been, in Charleston or out, has ever prepared duck so finely.  The skin is perfectly crisp, the fat melted away, and the flesh underneath tender and juicy...The sushi menu has several options unique to their location, my favorite of which is the Kimono Roll, and all are fresh and delicious.  Easily the best sushi place in town currently both for price and flavor.

For drinks they have both traditional options (wine, beer, and traditional mixed) and an excellent selection created by their own bartender.  Each of the new drinks I've tried has been a delight to the taste buds, but I have to say I've got a soft spot for the ginger drinks as they infuse their own vodka on site.

Perfect night's menu?  Thom Kha Shrimp (soup), house salad, Kimono Roll, Fried Dumplings, and Spicy Duck.  Stuffed to the gills, but it's all so good!

Don't forget to ask for waiter Ben.  He knows the menu inside out and can make some great recommendations as well as providing top notch service.

Su-Tei (website has volume)

5711 Maccorkle Ave SE, Charleston, WV
Monday-Thursday 11a-830p, Friday 11-1030, Saturday 12-1030, Sunday 12-930

Graze (online food ordering review)

Overall                          * * * * *
Flavor                           * * * * *
Uniqueness                   * * * * *
Price                             $ ($6.99 for the 4 snack box, $11.99 for the 8 box)
Comfort/Convenience  * * * * *  

I like snacking as much as the next person, but the problem is I'm irresistibly drawn to things like Cheezits, which I know are roughly on par with shoving my mouth full of butter and trans fats.  Sure, I could have some celery or an apple (and sometimes do), but sometimes I just want something easy and prepackaged and different.

That's where Graze comes in.  You sign up, go through their snacks (really just to weed out the stuff you're sure you either can't or won't eat), and wait for your first box to arrive.  You'll get four little individually packaged snacks, each somewhere between 110 and 250 calories (highest I've seen, anyway)  Rate those snacks and they'll have a better idea what to send you next time.  So on and so forth.

At first I was a little dismayed.

$6.99 for four little (roughly the size of your hand) packages of snacks?  What a rip off!  Oh, but they were good.  And they were filling!  There's nothing worse than eating a snack that leaves you hungry for more, in my opinion.

Top picks for me so far are the Apple Cinnamon Flapjacks (like a soft oatmeal-based granola bar), the Summer Berry Flapjacks, the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dippers with Berry Compote (weird sounding I know, but I promise it's good), and the Tropical Daquiri fruit mix.

Words of wisdom: Not sure you'll like it?  Use a promo code (like this one) to try it out.  The first box is free and as long as you cancel or pause before the next box goes out, there will be no additional charges.

Altech Brewery and Distillery (Lexington, KY)

I tend to hunt down places to go for food and drink before I visit a new town and Lexington was definitely no exception.  And what do you need to have in Lexington?  Bourbon, of course!

Alltech made my pick because they don't just have the bourbon distillery, they also have a brewery at the same location.  So I researched tour times (Every day but Tuesday 10-4 on the hour), cost ($8 per person) and loaded up my mom and my sister and we went.

So much fun to be had!

It's a small facility, basically three buildings (for the tour, anyway).

You start in the gift shop building with a roughly ten minute video talking about the history of the company and the types of beer and bourbon they offer (there's also coffee and some very nice clean bathrooms here).    No need to pick anything up from the giftshop yet, you'll probably end up here before you go, too.

Then you move over into the beer brewing building.  Mmmmm.  They walk you into the area where the beer is fermenting and talk to you a little about the process behind making the beer (I got put on the spot last time we went as a homebrewer to explain how I do it, then they explained the differences. Eek!  Did result in an extra at the sampling station though!)  Then back to the sampling room.  It gets crowded in here, but both times I went it was a great group of people and everyone was so cheerful and helpful you really don't much mind.  Plus you'll only be in there for a little while.

Now happily slightly tipsy, you move on to the distillery building, passing a hop vine on the way.  The guide usually shows you the unaged bourbon (completely clear and more or less scentless) and a few other samples of various ages, then talks to you about some random facts before taking you in the wort room.

 (a bubbling tub of wort.  It smells heavenly)

(Two gorgeous copper alembics.  Definitely the eyecatchers)

Here you talk a bit more about the actual process of making the bourbon and the types of bourbon you'll be trying.  If your group is big enough, they might have you try it here instead of in the next room, which is very very small.

Definite must-tries?  The Kentucky Kolsch (beer) and the Kentucky Sundown (bourbon)

You're also just a few blocks down from a pizza place called The Mellow Mushroom, which-although it is a chain-is very good, so if you have a bit more than was wise while you were here you can just walk down and have a bite while you're waiting for it to wear off.

Words of wisdom: The $8 gets you FOUR samples on your tour.  There are SIX beers (and usually a seasonal) and FOUR bourbons.  No, you can't buy extra tickets (I asked).  However, if you go with a group of friends, you can stretch your tickets by sampling each other's choices.

Words of wisdom 2: You can buy their liquor here on site (And I love the Kentucky Sundown with a passion), but you can't buy the beer.  Check out on of the local liquor stores (Liquor Barn is a popular local retailer)