Top chef in region serves Charleston tasty chews in an effort to make West Virginia’s capital a dining destination,
rather than a drive-through town.
By Butch Maier / Photo above: Courtesy of West Virginia Department of Tourism
Charleston, West Virginia, is at a crossroads—in more ways than one. Interstates 64 and 77 intertwine in and around the Mountain State’s capital city. Charleston residents and visitors head north on 77 to Cleveland or veer off to catch I-79 to Pittsburgh. They drive south on 77 to Charlotte. They go west on 64 to St. Louis or east on 64 to Coastal Virginia. Oh, the places they can go. And do.
Many travelers only stop for gas and pass through Charleston on their way somewhere else. Many residents pack up and move elsewhere. I am one to talk. I left, too. The Charleston population, according to the U.S. Census, peaked in 1960 at 86,000. In 2020, the number of people in the capital city had dwindled to 48,864.
I cherish my annual visits and root for my hometown. Yes, I see some empty storefronts where I used to shop, but I look at the glass cases as half full. Each year I return, some are filled with new businesses. The additions are more than one at a time. There are big commercial projects in motion in and around the capital city, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail. I hope more people will call Charleston home. Others do, too, and are willing to spend for it to happen.
The nonprofit Ascend West Virginia is paying remote workers $12,000 to move to the state for two years. No, it is not an automatic cash grab. There is an application-and-selection process. For more information, go to ascendwv.com. For specifics about Charleston, go to ascendwv.com/featured-communities/Charleston-area.
For those who look at the capital city as merely a stepping stone, chew on this: Charleston is working to become a dining destination, fueled in large part by one of the best chefs in six states.
ENJOYABLE EATERIES
How good is 1010 Bridge, an Appalachian New Americana restaurant? Chef Paul Smith was named the best chef in the southeastern U.S. in 2024 (see sidebar). “My philosophy,” Smith said, “is to try to buy the most seasonal, the most local, and the best quality ingredients that we possibly can—and use the proper techniques to let the ingredients stand for themselves. Let the food be the food, and plate it so it looks like a work of art.”
The “1010 Cut” contains generous cuts of beef with cabernet demi-glace, foie gras-truffle butter, candied onion Brussels sprouts, and lobster macaroni and cheese. The Dijon-dill crusted Chilean salmon is accompanied by potato souffles and seasonal vegetables. Those two oft-ordered dishes have been on the menu since 2020, when the restaurant opened. The scallops and halibut are also popular selections when available.
Offerings change seasonally, “depending on what our farmers and our local partners have available,” Smith said. “We call our farmers. We work together. I don’t tell them what to grow. They dictate what they want to grow because that’s what they do. Then we use our knowledge and expertise as chefs to create the best possible dish that represents our area, our farmers, and our community the best we know how.” 1010bridge.com
Laury’s Restaurant, tucked inside the historic Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Depot for the past three decades, is a Charleston fine dining staple. Chef Ramin Mirzakhani was a semifinalist for best chef in the southeast in 2023. I would recommend starting off with Saffron Scallops Par Fazi—a winning combination of pan-seared scallops and jumbo lump crab meat. For the main dish, it just depends on how hungry you are. Beef options include a 6-ounce or 8-ounce filet mignon, a 14-ounce New York strip, or a 20-ounce bone-in ribeye. I opted for the juicy strip, which paired nicely with whipped Yukon Gold potatoes.laurysrestaurant.com
Fazio’s Italian Restaurant has been a Charleston mainstay for three quarters of a century. While others I know choose from among Fazio’s many pasta dishes, I am a pizza guy. I loved Fazio’s pizza in the 1980s, and I love Fazio’s pizza in the 2020s. WOWK 13 News reported in January that the restaurant unveiled Goodfellas Lounge, a new space for guests to host celebrations and social gatherings. fazioswv.com
Paulie’s Fine Italian, Smith’s new restaurant across the street from 1010, received a 10-out-of-10 review from Charleston Gazette-Mail newspaper restaurant critic Steven Keith. pauliesitalian.com
Fife Street Brewing “is pouring new life into downtown Charleston,” according to WV Living Magazine, as part of Brewers Row with Short Story Brewing and Bad Shepherd Beer Company. Raise a glass as these three businesses lift each other up. fifestreetbrewing.com, shortstorybrewing.com, badshepherdbeer.com
Hale House, a bourbon bistro with a wide variety of drinks, appetizers, and meal choices, opened in 2020 to high praise from Keith. halehousewv.com
Ellen’s Homemade Ice Cream provides an array of optimal dessert options with creamy ice creams, zesty sherbets, smooth gelatos, and refreshing sorbets—either after an early dinner or for a cold snack on a hot day. After a quarter century, the founder stepped down in 2022. The husband-and-wife team of Aaron and Marie Clark stepped up, along with—guess who—the award-winning Smith as Ellen’s churns out delicious artisanal sweets. ellenshomemadeicecream.com
CIRCUSES IN TOWN
To my chagrin, I had to leave town before dark on December 13, so I just missed out on witnessing Redneck Brawl 11. For that spectacle at the Charleston Coliseum, prohibited items included “knives” and “weapons of any kind.” The latter should have sufficed, but the former must have been singled out for a reason. A deeper dive into the non-approved items included “knitting needles or crochet hooks.” All brawl, no shawl. I am curious to see what will be added to the list for Redneck Brawl 12. For those in town this spring and looking for a more traditional circus, albeit without animals, the Coliseum will host Ringling’s The Greatest Show on Earth from May 7 to 10. chaswvccc.com/events
HIKE OR BIKE
Kanawha State Forest covers 9,300 acres with more than 60 miles of hiking and biking trails with pretty views—whether the flowers have bloomed in spring or the autumn leaves have turned. The park is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. wvstateparks.com/parks/kanawha-state-forest
PLAY A ROUND
When I was 11, the par-3 golf course at Coonskin Park was an ideal way for me to ease into the game, with just one of the 18 holes longer than 200 yards. The park has since stepped up its game—and shortened it—with the Short Course @ Coonskin, a nine-hole executive course designed by Kelly Shumate, golf course superintendent at The Greenbrier Resort. The holes, which range from 60 yards to 123 yards, were designed to replicate classic green complexes from the 1920s and 1930s. kcprc.com/activity/golf
GO TO A GAME
Charleston is home to the Dirty Birds of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, who play at GoMart Ballpark. One of their mashers is a former Pirate’s kid. The Dirty Birds got two home runs from former Norfolk State University star Alsander Womack—son of Pittsburgh All-Star and Arizona Diamondbacks World Series champion Tony Womack—during the team’s professional baseball record-tying 10-homer night last year. The Dirty Birds play at home May 1-3, 12-17, 22-24, and 26-28, as well as June 9-14 and June 23-28. dirtybirdsbaseball.com
TAKE TWO TOURS
The West Virginia State Capitol, with a 293-foot gold-leaf dome, is a sight to behold. Tours of the State Capitol and the West Virginia Governor’s Mansion are available for guests to book. wvtourism.com/tours
ARTISTIC CHOICES
The Clay Center provides an array of music, theater, and art offerings throughout the year. (Full disclosure: The Clay Center houses Maier Foundation Performance Hall, and I am on the Maier Foundation board.) The musical Kinky Boots is May 4. Performances of Swan Lake with the West Virginia Symphony are May 8-9. Students ages 7 to 10 can explore science, art, and technology in a fun, hands-on way at Discovery Day Camp on May 12. For The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes, the actor will engage in a moderated discussion following a screening of the movie June 13. theclaycenter.org
BED-AND-BREAKFAST
My stays in Charleston have been limited to beds in family homes and chain hotels, but a well-reviewed bed-and-breakfast that looks worth a try is the Brass Pineapple Inn, an early 1900s home near the State Capitol Complex. The inn boasts a blend of Art Nouveau and Victorian styles, a smoke-free building, and an almost-soundproofed environment. Guests get to enjoy not just a full breakfast prepared from scratch, but afternoon tea, sweets, and hors d’oeuvres. brasspineapple.com
STOP AND SEE—AND SAVOR
While many drivers set their GPS for other cities and at the halfway point get quick glimpses of Charleston at 65 miles per hour, the city soon could become a place where more people stop and stay awhile. “I can’t go anywhere without someone saying, ‘Thanks for representing West Virginia so well and putting us on the food map,’” Smith said. “I didn’t necessarily put us on the food map, but we’re just trying to make the best possible experience at 1010 and now Paulie’s. Right now, we have about 18% out-of-towners at our restaurants, which I think is something that is not normal for West Virginia.”
Rather than just passing through Charleston, more and more tourists can’t pass up the opportunity to take an exit, take a seat, and take a bite. “With our culinary tourism really, I think, hitting its stride, we are trying to lead the way,” Smith said. “It’s not just The Greenbrier anymore. The Greenbrier is still fantastic and wonderful, but we are just trying to up the bar and work together, most importantly, with other restaurants and other chefs and other business owners to showcase what we have to offer throughout this state. What we are trying to do is show there are great things in West Virginia, there are great places to visit, whether you are coming from the Hampton Roads area or you are looking to move here.”
Butch Maier
