Food, Food Everywhere But Not a Bite to Eat – Columbus Zoo

Susan says…

My family enjoyed a weekend in Columbus over the Independence Day holiday weekend.  Our activities included some shopping at Easton Town Center, an afternoon at COSI, and a day at the Zoo.

Talk about a Foodie Wasteland…the food at the Zoo was boring, overpriced, and unappealing. 

Of course the food will be overpriced: they have you and they’re going to squeeze some extra money out of you while you’re there.  Hey, it’s capitalism…the American way.  And I’m all for it.  I knew we’d pay a little more, but I didn’t want the hassle of hitting a local grocery, packing up and dragging a cooler around.

News Nuggets

Susan says…

Coming Soon

Piro Pizzeria will be coming soon to the Shops at Kanawha, formerly known as the Kanawha Mall.  

Teays Valley will soon be home to another Mexican eatery, El Rancho Grande.  They will be occupying the former Schlotzsky’s space near the Kroger at the Teays Valley/Winfield exit. 

It is lucky for them that the Schlotzsky’s sign just so happens to be in the colors of the Mexican flag.

A google search turned up another El Rancho Grande in Beckley.  I wonder if there is a connection other than a common name?

Tomahawk’s Tuesday Special

Recently, Ron and I enjoyed an afternoon on the deck at Tomahawk’s in South Charleston amid the boaters that docked for a bite and the bikers that rode in for a rest. 

Report From the Field – Graziano’s Lunch Buffet

Susan says…

Having just returned from lunch with a very full tummy, I thought I’d pass along what you can expect if you go to the new Riverwalk Graziano’s location for lunch.

1. Expect a crowd. We were unsure if there would be a seat for us but a table cleared just in the nick of time.
2. Expect limited hours for the buffet: 11-2 Monday through Saturday.
3. Expect to pay ~$7.50 for the buffet, which includes unlimited refills on a fountain soda.
4. Speaking of fountain soda, they have Diet Dr. Pepper.  I like that.
5. Expect lots of choices:  Sicilian salad, marinated veggies, iceberg salad, pasta salad, cheese ravioli, pasta, meatballs, marinara, cheesesticks, jalapeno poppers, fried shrimp, pepperoni bites, rolls, pepperoni rolls, several different toppings on pizza, cookies and cake.  Whew!  No wonder I’m so full.
6. Expect good service. When I asked about the availability of pizza without meat on the buffet, not only did they hook me up, but they delivered two slices right to my table.

They also offer 2 slices with a drink for $4.49 – I think I’ll get that next time to prevent myself from overdoing it again.

Old News and New Gripe – Graziano’s Pizza

Dan says…

If you only go to the Town Center Mall in the 4th quarter then you probably don’t know that one of the most popular Picnic Place eateries has flown the coop.  They chose to move instead of paying a much higher lease.  Graziano’s can now be found at Riverwalk Plaza in South Charleston.  Today a busy lunch crowd was enjoying the lunch buffet, which is now available until 2P.

Now for the GRIPE. My family wanted to eat pizza a couple of Saturdays ago. So after mowing the lawn and doing a day’s worth of chores we finally got around to leaving for dinner at 8:45P. Now I think most people believe you should be able to order a pizza until at least 11P.  What time do you think this new location of Graziano’s closes? If you guessed 9p, you’re right.  They kept their mall hours.

That Saturday, 12 people (including my family) were greeted by a locked door. Consider yourself warned.

A Take-Out Treasure – Sinbads

 Dan says…

A reader suggested we give Sinbad’s a try after reading one of our middle eastern food reviews.  Sinbad’s Pizza is located in the 5000 block of MacCorkle Avenue in Kanawha City across the street from Foodland.  You might think that all they serve is pizza given the name, but they have a good selection of traditional middle eastern treats. Some of you will feel ripped off by this review, because none of the “Fork You Crew” ordered pizza on this visit.  So we have nothing to say about that…at least right now.

Cheap Family Eats – Giovanni’s

Tracey says….

I want to say a few kind words about a little pizza joint down the street.  No, it’s not quaint little Lola’s. It’s not one of the master chains, like Papa John ‘s or Pizza Hut.  It’s Giovanni’s on Spring St.  We have been ordering the Tuesday carry-out special more Tuesdays than not since Veggie Offspring #2 was born almost five years ago.  At the risk of jinxing myself, I will say that they have NEVER gotten our order wrong, though we occasionally mix it up by ordering half of this and half of that on our one-topping large pizza for 6.99.

Kingfish and Tchotchkes – The Riverside Anchor

Updated – 2/10/2009
(We originally reviewed the Anchor in August 2008. There has been a FORK upgrade and the menu is attached.)

The Riverside Anchor – Charleston, WV

Dan says…

I have been trying to go to The Anchor since we started Fork You…, but have met resistance every time I suggested it.  I had heard good things about it from time to time. I had checked out their menu online and found a few things I wanted to try.  So on a recent afternoon Susan and I decided to take one for the team and headed to The Anchor.