Plus 40 food trucks and vendors are coming to Regatta, a Low Country Boil is coming to Gritt's Farm in Buffalo and a women-only dinner is coming to J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works.
Dem 2 Brothers and a Grill quietly opened its new location in downtown Charleston this past week, adding another option for diners craving the restaurant’s mouthwatering barbecue, homestyle sides and desserts.
Located in the storefront that formerly housed Nosh at 189 Summers St., Dem 2 Brothers has redecorated the space with wood floors and tables, sleek dark metal chairs and a fun selfie wall featuring a neon light proclaiming, “I Like Pig Butts & I Cannot Lie.”
A menu hanging right inside a new counter by the front door features pulled pork, ribs, brisket and chicken combos or sandwiches, along with hot dogs, hot bologna, fried fish (tilapia, whiting or catfish) and wings.
Sides include mac ‘n’ cheese, collard greens, sweet potato casserole, cabbage, green beans, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad and sidewinder fries, plus there’s banana pudding and seasonal sweets for dessert.
I presume Dem 2 is rolling out a “soft opening” of the new location – since there hasn’t been an official announcement and there is no reference or hours for the new place listed on their website or social channels – so I definitely recommend calling first to make sure they’re open.
The restaurant’s original location at 423 Virginia St. is open from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and until 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday. For more information, call 304-400-4977, visit www.dem2brosgrill.com or check out the restaurant’s Facebook page.
40 Food Trucks Coming to Regatta
Live music, carnival rides, cold drinks and more aren’t the only things to enjoy at the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta along Kanawha Boulevard downtown this Friday through July 4. The annual river festival also offers quite the food-a-palooza with a whopping 40 food trucks and vendors serving up tasty treats.
On tap for this year’s event are A Family Affair, Bandit BBQ, Baskin Robbins, Bayou Classic, Big Marv’s Cafe, Bite Mi, C&L Concessions, Carol’s Soul to Soul, Chick fil-A, C-N-C Concessions, CPD CPAA and Crouch’s Rockin’ Rolls.
You’ll also find Dem 2 Brothers and a Grill, Diehl’s Pig Shack, Expressway Food/Fun on Wheels, Farmhouse Fixin’s, Fliehman Concessions, Holy O’s, Hot Diggity Dogs, Hughes Concessions, JoJo’s Tacos, Just Drinks, Kona Ice, Lobster TrappN Southeast, Local Eats and Mountain Juice.
But wait, there’s more!
Rounding out the list are Mr. Choo Choo’s Big Dogs, Mr. Poppins Kettle Corn, Nellita’s Cocina, Oishii, Phat Daddy’s, Rockin’s Rolls Cinnamon Rolls, Shape Shop, Sherry’s Concessions, Sunset Slush, Tidewater, Twisted Sisters, Wild Bill, WV Mountain Ears and Zul’s Frozen Lemonade.
Wow, choices aplenty!
Low Country Boil at Gritt’s Farm
From barbecue to a boil, Gritt’s Farm will host a Low Country Boil with brews and live music on July 8 at the farm’s property in Buffalo.
Chef Jesse Lyons of downtown Charleston’s Coco’s Kitchen + Café will prepare a menu of zucchini fries and fresh herb dip, followed by a boil of shrimp, crab legs, mussels, local Angelo’s sausage, Gritt’s sweet corn and red-skin potatoes. Fresh farm cake donuts will round out the meal.
Performing that day are Kentucky country music singers Hunter Flynn and Jordan Lee King, and there will be dinner seatings at 2:30, 4, 5:30 and 7 p.m.
Tickets are $75 per person, which includes event entry, food and non-alcoholic beverages. Wine and beer will be available for purchase. For more information and tickets, visit www.grittsfarm.com.
Women-Only Dinner at J.Q. Dickinson
A “for women only” farm-to-table dinner at J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works in Malden on July 13 will feature the culinary talents of the first woman ever to be named the state’s best chef in WV Living magazine’s annual “Best of West Virginia Awards.”
Formerly at Snowshoe and Whistle Punk Grill & Taphouse in Richwood, Libby Nolle now leads the kitchen at The Vault on Main in Summersville, where she brings her passion for Italian and Northern French cuisine to a menu gaining acclaim throughout central West Virginia and beyond.
That evening she’ll prepare a five-course dinner at J.Q. Dickinson’s next “Celebrating the Seasons” dinner, with a portion of the evening’s proceeds being donated to the West Virginia Women’s Business Center, which provides essential support to small women business owners across the state.
The menu will feature:
Greens with cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, house-made feta, red onions and tahini-ramp dressing served in a caramelized onion pita
Lemon and dill chicken soup with orzo and a parmesan crisp
Moussaka-spiced tomatoes and macaroni with braised lamb and eggplant
Marinated and grilled souvlaki chicken skewers with wilted greens, stewed fava beans and heirloom tomatoes with feta-herbed cornbread
House-made baklava and pistachio ice cream served with spiced filo chips
A cash bar throughout the evening will offer a variety of beers, wines and spirits, including selections honoring female winemakers.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. at J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works, which is located at 4797 Midland Dr. in Malden. Tickets are $90 and, when purchasing them, guests are asked to submit their favorite song of empowerment for a live DJ and dance floor. For tickets or more information, visit www.jqdsalt.com.
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Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.