Recovery Sports Grill reopens, Pickle Palooza is coming, Danny's is back

Remodeled Recovery Sports Grill at Sheraton Four Points in Charleston

Recovery Sports Grill at 600 Virginia St. E. inside downtown Charleston’s Four Points by Sheraton hotel has reopened after closing in mid-July for a multi-week makeover.

General Manager Greg Wolfe said the restaurant now features “a whole new look,” including the installation of video walls to replace the previous projectors that played sporting events, a new firepit and Adirondack furniture on the patio, and updates to the restaurant’s party room.

Recovery is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 681-205-8395 or check out www.recoverysportsgrill.com.

Inaugural Pickle Palooza coming to Slack

A new Pickle Palooza festival offering free samples, live entertainment, games and more will take over downtown Charleston’s Slack Plaza from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20.

And as the press release cheesily proclaims, this is a really big dill!

Pickles and other pickled/fermented foods have been having a moment in international culinary circles, prompting many cities large and small to host pickle-themed celebrations of late.

Our northerly neighbor Pittsburgh’s own Picklesburgh festival – featuring (and I’m not making this up) a mechanical pickle you could ride – just wrapped up its 10^th year over the summer, being named USA Today’s top specialty food event in the country for the past four of those years.

While there won’t be a giant pickle to perch on here, guests at Slack next weekend can enjoy free pickles samples from 11 local restaurants and participants, including ...

1010 Bridge, Black Sheep Burritos & Brews, Capitol Market, Coco’s, Dem 2 Brothers, Fazio’s, Fernbank Public House, Fife Street Brewing, Gritt’s Farm, The Laporte Café and T&M Meats/WV Brickoven Bistro.

Every guest will receive a free vote for their favorite People’s Choice pickle, with additional votes available for purchase. Special Mayor’s Choice and Judges’ Choice winners will be chosen as well, plus Ellen’s will be scooping up pickle ice cream!

The event will also feature live music from The Chucktown Allstars and The Charleston Rogues; competitions like the Pickle Toss, Pickle Bucket Game and Pickle Relay; and local artists selling their work. 

Pickle Palooza is presented by Arts Amplified, the organization that helps bring music, arts and cultural events to “City Center Live at Slack Plaza.”

“Pickle Palooza is everything we love about City Center Live — great local flavors, live music and a fun reason to come together downtown,” said Bryan Cooper, Executive Director of Arts Amplified. “Your support helps us invest directly in the artists who make Charleston such a vibrant place to live, work and visit.”

The event is free to the public and registration is not required to attend.

Danny’s BBQ Stand reopens downtown

Just as promised, Danny’s BBQ Stand reopened last week featuring new management at the helm – but the former Charleston mayor and his recipes still flavoring the menu.

After running a string of successful restaurants throughout the Kanawha Valley, Danny Jones most recently operated Danny’s BBQ Stand at 1019 Quarrier St. before closing back in 2022.

Much to the delight of Jones’ many fans, new restaurant operator Benjamin Noel says the food is “the same as it ever was!”

“He is our advisor and the recipes and everything else is exactly the same,” Noel told me on Monday. “We’d love for you to stop by and see us one day if you get some time.”

Oh, you know I will!

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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 wvfoodguy@aol.com.