Amidst all of the fun activities in downtown Charleston this past weekend – and there were SO, SO many – was a tangy and tasty one near and dear to my heart. Or should I say tummy?
I was once again honored to serve as a judge at the annual Charley West BBQ Fest, which filled a few blocks of Laidley Street next to Slack Plaza on Saturday afternoon as world-class bikers raced through the streets of downtown as part of the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships held here.
After blind-tasting boxes full of ribs, pulled pork, sauces and more, my fellow gang of judges and I for the Competition Division awarded Best Ribs and Best Pulled Pork to Tyson Hatfield of Hatfield Q, and Best Sauce and Best Wildcard to Tom Summers of Stills ‘n’ Squeals BBQ.
In the Backyard Division, Dakota Farmer won Best Ribs, Barry Wood won Best Pulled Pork, Blue Creek BBQ won Best Sauce and David Mincer won Best Wildcard.
Commercial Vendor winners included Gil’s Pit Beef on top, followed by Rollin’ Smoke BBQ as runner-up.
And finally, the People’s Choice winners for Best BBQ were Rollin’s Smoke in the Commercial Division, Stills ‘n’ Squeals in the Competition Division and Blue Creek BBQ in the Backyard Division.
For a full list of winners, including second- and third-place finishers in all categories, check out the event’s Facebook page.
Now about those “Wildcard” entries …
While there were plenty of traditional smoked, slathered and ’qued meats to enjoy, we also got to judge this category, in which teams could prepare and present anything they wanted us to taste.
And I do mean anything.
We savored an actual apple pastry dessert with ice cream before trying to endure a “meat dessert” resembling a pork belly cinna-bun situation featuring a glazed strip of pork belly rolled up like a cinnamon. Then it was topped with icing, just like a cinnamon roll.
We appreciated the creativity but collectively agreed it was a less-than-successful result.
A pastry flecked or topped with candied bacon or pork belly? Maybe.
Actual fatty pork belly topped with icing? Not our jam.
A nice four-letter word: PODA
While walking around downtown from race to festival to concert over the weekend – sipping a cold beer along the way – I can’t tell you how many out-of-towners came up and asked me if it was really legal to just walk along the streets, drink in hand.
Why yes, I told them, yes it is.
To which they usually responded with something like, “That’s so cool!”
Why yes, I told them, yes it is.
Thanks to new state ABCC laws allowing the practice, Charleston and Huntington have joined the ranks of countless cool cities nationwide that now offer approved “Sip & Stroll” districts. I see them almost everywhere I travel now, so it’s joyous to have them in our fair town, too.
Within these areas you can freely walk from place to place with a drink in hand, so long as it’s an approved drink purchased from an approved establishment and served in an approved cup during approved times – currently 4-10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Known as PODAs (or Public Outdoor Drinking Areas) Charleston now has three separate “Sip & Stroll” areas to enjoy, including a large section of city center between Summers and Hale streets downtown, the Bridge Road Shops between Lola’s and 1010 Bridge in South Hills, and the East End around the Red Carpet Lounge and Tricky Fish.
The West Side and Capitol Market have also both been approved as possible PODAs, but those areas haven’t officially launched yet.
I’m sure there are detractors out there who fear letting people walk down the sidewalk sipping a beer may lead to the end of civilization as we know it. I’m also sure they are very wrong.
PODA is good. PODA is here. And it’s about dang time.
Starbucks closing at Town Center
In news surprising absolutely no one, Starbucks at Charleston Town Center announced it would be permanently closing on June 2, striking another blow to whatever we’re calling that once-thriving mega-building anchored in downtown Charleston.
Red Lobster files for bankruptcy
After announcing the closings of dozens of locations a few weeks ago, national seafood chain Red Lobster has now officially filed for bankruptcy. For now, West Virginia’s locations in Charleston, Huntington, Parkersburg and Morgantown are not on the list of immediate closures.
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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.
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