Pho Vinh Long, A Taste of Vietname

While growing up, my taste for foreign food was non-exsistent. I was a cheeseburger, hot dog loving type of boy. My first experience with foreign food, as well as most peoples first experience, was Chinese food. I am an avid Chinese/Japanese food loving guy. I especially love South Charleston for its foreign food restaurants, including a Jamaican restaurant and (what I think) the best Chinese/Japanese restaurant in the state, Taste of Asia. While walking around, I noticed that a new Vietnamese restaurant opened, and I decided to give it a taste. I walked into the door without any expectations or anything to compare it to, but I know that my taste buds aren’t jaded, and I know good food when I taste it.

Pho Vinh Long, perhaps the only Vietnamese restaurant in the state, is now located at 610D Street in South Charleston. It is located seconds away from the Indian Burial Mound in South Charleston, right on the corner of a lovely South Charleston intersection with antique and small stores surrounding it. The front of the store is rather bland. It has a large white sign on top with “Pho Vinh Long” written on it, and the front is glass looking in to a dark restaurant. Parking is right in front of the restaurant, and finding a spot to park is never a hard thing to do when going to Pho Vinh Long.

When first entering Pho Vinh long, it doesn’t seem like you are that far from home. The restaurant is simply adorned with linoleum flooring and matching tables and chairs. Palm plants are littered throughout the restaurant and each table has one small plant to itself. The walls are littered with posters depicting Tapioca drinks and their descriptions. The back of the restaurant houses the cash register, a large flat screen TV that plays Vietnamese programs, and a large window that looks into their clean kitchen. Unfortunatly, I didn’t see any of the staff or cooks wearing gloves or hair nets, but I am not a picky guy so that didn’t bother me so much. The bathroom is a single stall room and extremly clean which is definitely a plus for all restaurants. The interior itself doesn’t portray the foreign ancestry present in the food, but once you get a taste of the food, you will realize this is in no way your typical West Virginian restaurant.

The menu presents the entrees numbered and in its traditional Vietnamese name, with ingredients posted on the side. All the ingredients are not listed unfortunately, but the menu covers the main ingredients, like what sort of protein is included. Aside from choosing which entrée you wish to eat, pronouncing the name of what you want is a task within itself, so thankfully the menu is numbered. The price range of the items isn’t bad either, it is a range from 2-13$ for everything on the menu. That price is definitely not bad for a sit down restaurant.

Along with their great food, Pho Vinh Long offers some drinks not common to West Virginia. Tapioca Tea, or more commonly referred to as Boba Tea, is a drink native to Vietnam and is usually offered in fruit flavors. The difference between it and other frozen teas, is that it has things called boba at the bottom of the drink. Boba will probably take some getting used to for most people because it is a slimey, slightly chewy ball of tapioca that comes up through the thick straw. The tea’s are delicious many fruity flavors like honeydew, strawberry, and watermelon.But if you aren’t feeling adventurous, Pho Vinh Long offers the traditional sodas, tea, and other special drinks like flavored carbonated lemonade and coconut milk.

Now I know most of you readers are probably wondering: what ingrediats are used in Vietnamese food? Vietnamese food offers many selections of food. They offer appetizers like spring rolls, which are rolled up cabbage, lettuce, pork, and shrimp and edamae which are soy beans salted and still in the pod. Along with appetizers they offer many soups, but the main ingrediants in the soup are noodles, cilantro, leeks, licorice, lime juice, chicken or steak, and any vegetable they feel like adding. The soup doesn’t taste like any of the traditional food offered in West Virginia. It definitely has its own unique taste, and as a person who doesn’t even like soup, I enjoy their soup immensely. They even offer a beef tendon soup, which is exactly what you think it is. That was, unfortunatly, the worst thing I have had there. The tendons were chewy (which is expected) and with no flavor. But to have only one thing on the menu that I have disliked from what I’ve tried is an accomplishment.

The main dishes are what I really enjoy. All of the dishes are very different in taste, but feature some of the same items. Most main dishes include noodles, some sort of vegetable and some sort of meat, but that’s where the similarities end. Each dish is expertly spiced with spices not found in typical American dishes. Three of my favorites are the lemon breaded chicken over rice with mixed vegetables, grilled pork over rice noodles served with leeks, lettuce, and cilantro, and beef served with a sweet crucnhy brown rice and mixed vegetables. The issue with deciding on what to eat is that the menu is not very descriptive, so its really a random pick and choose situation.

The people who own the store are great. It certainly feels like a mom and pop store, but it is a little bigger than your average mom and pop store. Everyone in the restaurant is related (except for the cook) and their children are there to help you decide what you want. It’s a great atmosphere. You certainly feel welcomed when you go to Pho Vinh Long, and you definitely get a sense of the family atmosphere. Unfortunatly they are a bit under staffed due to it being a family restaurant and how busy they can get, so the time between when you sit down and when you actually get your food and drink can be a bit long. But, I personally do not mind the wait because of the comfortable atmosphere, but I know some will.

Overall, Pho Vinh Long is an excellent addition to the selectin of restaurants Charlestonians have to chose from. It is located nearby and offers food you probably won’t find in the rest of the state. It has a great atmosphere with a welcoming friendly staff and the food is some of the best foreign cuisine I have had. I definitely recommend you try Pho Vinh Long for your next dinner.

Phil "The Thrill" Washington

(Yeah, it is a little short and needs some editing work done. Rest assured, comrades, that all this will be done with much haste and little fanfare. -JC)


Take a walk through the Davis Fine Arts Building on any given day of the week, and chances are you'll hear the subtle, yet powerful melodicism of a jazz chord-solo floating through an open office door. Take a look inside, and you'll see the Charleston area's real "guitar hero," Phil Washington, his fingers nimbly jumping from fret to fret, from string to string, like a nest of spiders turned loose on his unsuspecting guitar.

"What's happenin', bro-ski?"

That's Phil's favorite greeting, his fingers still running wild over the guitar neck even as he looks up from his music.

"And stuff," he says as he strikes a final chord before hanging the guitar on the wall.

From his laid-back demeanor, you would never believe that Phil Washington is the Charleston area's true "guitar hero," with a M.A. in Jazz Studies from Marshall University and his name on every theatre company's short list of musicians. He has performed with the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, recorded an album with local group The Esquires, and has even performed with Grammy award-winning jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.

And it has all grown from a desire not to show off.

"Yeah, when I was going to State for my Bachelor's degree, the guitar teacher then had a bunch of guys who could play that widdly-widdly Van Halen stuff. Single note stuff, you know?

But then a blues guy came in to play a clinic, and asked if he could play with some of the guitar students. The instructor had all those guys playing that single-note, crap, and the blues guy just asked, 'Do you have anyone who can play a chord solo?'"

Of course, Phil was the only student at the time who was studying chord solos. His understated approach to the guitar, a complete contrast to his outstanding ability, led him down a different path than many guitarists at the time. He sees this as a good thing.

"The rock stuff is boring and easy," he says. "Give me jazz any day, because it's more than the same old pentatonic crap over and over again."

One of Phil's early guitar heroes was the late Jimi Hendrix, a player who still influences him to this day.

"It was amazing, some of the stuff Jimi did. You think Stevie Ray Vaughan would have been famous without Hendrix? Look at everything he did, everything he wore. Just like Hendrix."

Even before Hendrix, though, Phil listened to the otherworldly guitar playing of jazz luminaries such as George Benson and Wes Montgomery. Their playing, possibly even moreso than Hendrix, shaped the legend behind Phil "The Thrill" Washington.

"I was into Hendrix, yeah, but back before that I was into Wes and George, those jazz guys. I had been playing guitar for about a year, playing by ear, when I realized that I could play three Jimi Hendrix songs, but I couldn't even play one Wes Montgomery song."

It was at that point of his musical life that Phil decided he wanted to actually learn to read music, not just play along with recordings. His friends didn't share his passion, but that didn't deter him for a second.

"There's just so much more you can do when you read," says Phil. "It opens up a whole new world of possibilities with improvisation and chord soloing, I don't know how I ever played without being able to read. Put a lead sheet on a stand in front of most of those rock and rollers, and they'll be like, 'You want me to play that? Show me how!'"

Jazz, however, isn't Phil's only musical outlet. If you look at any four musical productions from the Charleston area in recent memory, Phil has probably played guitar on three of them. Some of these, believe it or not, have even pulled Phil into the world of rock and roll.

"The stuff for Rent was rock stuff, but it was tasty rock stuff," says Phil as he plays a chord progression he memorized from the challenging show music. "The guy who wrote it actually made it fun and interesting; it wasn't just a bunch of power chords."

Not that Phil has never dabbled in rock and roll before. Until just recently he played bass with the Esquires, a local rock group whose roots go all the way back to the 1960s.

"We played the old standards, 'I Feel Good,' 'Heard it Through the Grapevine,' you know, rock and some R&B stuff.”

Phil was an on-again, off-again member of the group until creative differences forced him to hang up his rock and roll hat to concentrate on what he loves to do: play jazz and do his part in educating the next generation of guitarists.

That's how I met Phil two years ago, during my third year as a student at West Virginia State University. He is the resident guitar guru, and I was the admittedly nervous student preparing to completely reverse everything I'd taught myself about the guitar. I could read music, but could never apply it to the guitar; this was something that Phil used to his advantage.

"That's a good thing, man, because you're not obsessed with modes. All these people come to me and say, 'I know all my modes,' and I'm like, 'Congratulations, you can start a scale on a note other than the root.' It's like they want to be rewarded for being ignorant."

From that day on, I could always count on learning something new every time I went in for a lesson. And not once did Phil disappoint me, always coming in with something new and epic to work on, from jazz chord solos to single-note interpretations of songs by The Who. All this is interspersed by Phil playing excerpts from his favorite jazz pieces.

How can he play all these things from memory? Necessity.

"When I was at Marshall getting my Master's, I had to perform a solo recital of a bunch of different pieces from different genres. I practiced my butt off for weeks to get that down, but I went in there and nailed it. And my teacher, he was tough! Lesson was at noon, and if I showed up at one minute after he'd be packing his stuff to go, because lesson didn't start at one minute after."

Phil also recalls fond memories of playing with the faculty jazz ensemble, as he was a student teacher during his time at Marshall.

"That same guitar teacher, when he would play licks onstage, he'd turn his back to me so I couldn't cheat and steal his stuff. I'd be like, 'Come on, man!' Because really, that's where jazz guys get their best stuff. They hear or see something they like, and make it their own."

Phil's education has paid off, landing him a number of gigs in musical theatre throughout the Charleston area. He has played guitar for a number of shows in recent years, including Romeo and Juliet, Rent, and The Blob, and will be taking part in the upcoming Gypsy and Barnum. Somehow he balances these performances with teaching, both at WVSU and at Kerr's Music, leading the WVSU Guitar Ensemble, and performing with the praise band at his church, which has actually released an album.

"The album cost about six thousand dollars to make, and only five hundred copies were pressed. We didn't turn a profit, but the guy that financed it said he didn't want anything in return. It was a pretty positive experience."

Positive is the word that best sums up the man called Phil "The Thrill" Washington. He never looks back on his past in anger, instead seeing every event in his life as something pushing him forward to where he is today.

"I was always mad when I was younger. Mad at this, mad at that... you never accomplish anything when you're mad, because you can't see where you're going through all the rage," says Phil, referencing his younger days in Detroit.

"And don't worry about making a bunch of money with your playing. That's where a lot of people get lost, because they're worried about money. I learned real early that all money does is let you buy stuff. If you really love to play, though, you've already got all the stuff you need, so why do you need any more?"

Phil's positive nature is emphasized during lessons. No matter what level of skill you may have attained prior to the start of your lessons, Phil always knows exactly what to say to keep you going. Take, for example, one of my first lessons, a particularly frustrating run through a piece with myriad complex (at the time) chord changes and a few single-note runs containing accidentals that I had yet to map out on the fretboard. Naturally, I struggled through it, but managed to finish it eventually. I expected Phil to be harsh with his criticism; it was a terrible effort, really.

"I was playing for a show once, and we were rehearsing, and I thought I was absolutely killin' the piece we were playing. After we were done, the conductor looked at me, and asked if I had a broom.

"When I asked why, he said, 'To sweep up all those notes you dropped.'"

In addition to his impressive guitar resumé, Phil is a singer, and believe it or not, an announcer. He sings at his church, and has done vocal work for the Esquires, and is a television announcer for the West Virginia Lottery. That's right, folks: Phil Washington calls the lottery numbers. In his office there is a large picture of him in a gigantic, purple, spherical suit and a top hat.

"Yeah, that's me," he says when asked about its origin. Of course, right next to that picture is one of him jamming on the bass with Wynton Marsalis, which reminds anyone who sees it that while Phil may not be the most serious man on the planet, he takes his music very seriously.

"You can joke around and have fun and whatnot, but at the end of the day you've got to play to get anywhere in this business," he says. "And I don't mean get up there and play some pentatonic crap or the blues scale over and over. If you want people to notice you, you've got to play."

And whether it is the guitar or any other instrument that Phil is playing, rest assured that he will play from now until forever.

A One Day Get-A-Way:Just You and the Kids

Okay, so.....after talking with Esther and Adam and a few others in class on Friday I planned on doing a couple ideas on museums that could be fun for parents and their kids. My travel piece was going to be on COSI which is about 2 1/2 hours away and for in town, I was going to do the Clay Center. However....after looking at recent posts, someone has already done it. (So that knocked off about half of my article) Nonetheless, after actually writing my article, I think 2000 words was not realistic especially to be an excerpt on our Zine page.

Living in Charleston, it is not always easy to find something fun to do with your kids. So, have you ever thought about something not in town, but something close enough to wear you can leave and come back in the same day? Well I might have the perfect solution for you interactive! COSI, which was formerly known as the Center of Science and Industry Museum, includes more than 300 exhibits throughout themed demonstration areas. The good news is that it is located right in Columbus.

COSI includes exhibits for children of all ages that allow them to not only play, but to have fun while doing so. Columbus is approximately a two and a half to three hour drive from Charleston. COSI is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm and on Sundays from noon until 6pm. If daytime hours are not the most convenient for you, they have a special the last Friday of every month. These Fridays at COSI are known as Family Friday Nights. Regular exhibit prices are 13.75 per adult and $8.75 per youth. Seniors (60+) is $12.75 and members are free. However, on Family Friday Nights, general admission is only $8.00 per person which includes all of COSI’s permanent exhibits as well as a movie on their 7 story Extreme Screen Theater. (This saves you $11.75 per person)

More information about this wonderful museum and learning opportunity for you and your child can be found at COSI’s webpage: www.cosi.org

Children's Activities at the Clay Center

(Yep, the title is boring......)

This is for all you parents out there. You know that feeling when you have been stuck indoors with kids too many days in a row? When you are itching to find something for your kids to do? When you just have to find something to occupy them and hopefully burn off some of that never-ending energy? Why not try out the Clay Center? There are three floors of entertainment with lots of special activities that do a great job of breaking up another monotonous day stuck at home.

The Clay Center is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and on Sunday from noon to 5 pm. They are closed to the public on Monday and Tuesday. Smart pass admission, which includes access to the galleries, film, and planetarium is $13.50 for adults and $11 for children. Admission to the galleries only is $7 for adults and $5.50 for children. This can get expensive for a family of 6 (it cost us $36 for admission to the galleries only). Annual memberships are available for individuals for $55 or for families for $75, a great deal considering it would pay for itself with two visits.

While walking up to a rather elegant looking building with several unique and fascinating sculptures out front, I thought that these four rambunctious, laughing kids behind me would surely terrorize this quiet, upscale museum. Not so. As we entered the doors, no less than three employees with bright smiles and a palpable excitement greeted us. As I paid admission, the employees got down on the kids’ levels and took them over to the display set up by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources with a number of containers holding my worst enemy…snakes. My children eagerly stepped up to the man holding a snake and immediately wanted to touch the snake. They learned about venomous and non-venomous snakes, and got to hold a large snakeskin that was found in the forests of West Virginia. As a reward for their bravery, they received bright yellow stickers proclaiming “I touched a snake today”. Sadly, I received no such sticker.

Straight back from the front doors is an area that is part of the Clay Center’s Avampato Discovery Museum. This area contains Kidspace, which is designed just for those kids under the age of 5. Your toddlers and preschoolers will delight in the huge indoor tree house, where they can climb, slide, run, crawl, and jump to their heart’s content. There is a giant ball pond filled with over 10,000 plastic balls that can be “shot” from the upper branches of the tree house (I learned about this neat trick when searching for the origin of all the small blue balls that kept mysteriously bouncing off my head). The balls can also be tossed into buckets, or just jumped in from the edges of the “pond”. Another fun area of Kidspace is the “spider symphony” where kids can engage in physical and cognitive play by “playing” a number of different instruments to hear their unique sounds. Kidspace also caters to the needs of families, with a special nursing room for moms and babies, and a Big Kid Room, designated for older siblings. The Big Kid Room contains a number of bean bag chairs, a couch, and a TV with a variety of DVDs. My 8 year old actually thought this room was rather boring and wanted to climb in the tree house, but the employees at the Clay Center are very strict on the age limit of 5 and under. Every Wednesday, preschoolers are invited to Wee Wednesdays to enjoy story time and crafts designed just for their age. The themes change weekly and are based on popular children’s books. These activities are included in the cost of the gallery admission.

Directly beside Kidspace is Earth City. Earth City is a unique indoor sand and water discovery area, which was a huge hit with my kids. It is designed to teach children about West Virginia’s geology. There are many hands-on exhibits that teach about tornadoes, geysers, dams, waterfalls, and more. My eight-year-old enjoyed the tornado and geyser exhibits, while my three-year-old twins just thought it was fun to get wet and dirty in the water and sand. Either way, it was a great play place and was very entertaining. There is an area of Earth City, aptly named the Cavern of Time, that has performances of live science demonstrations and occasionally shows educational films. The subject of the presentations changes monthly.

Outside of Earth City is Health Royale, an area designed to teach children about the workings of the human body in a fun and entertaining environment. There are several “games” including a mountain climber game in which the child has to select healthy, low fat foods to keep the climber from falling off the mountain. There is an x-ray machine that has x-rays of everything ranging from the human body to snakes. The main attraction of Health Royale is the large “Hollywood Squares”-inspired game show. Visitors play along while answering questions relating to health, diet, drugs and alcohol use, exercise, and more. The game show “host” is Skully, and the guests are Funny Bone, Coach Heart, Queen Intestine, and others. This is a very popular attraction, which recently won a coveted Thea for “Outstanding Achievement Award for Museum Attraction.” Other recipients of this award include Universal Studios and Disney.

After Health Royale, we headed downstairs to the Gizmo Factory. This are features more than 30 exhibits to teach children about physical science. It is a hands-on area and the several employees and volunteers that were in the area encouraged my kids to do anything and everything to learn more about science and engineering. The area is geared more towards school age kids, but my 3 year olds enjoyed it as well. There is a full body pin screen, which was a huge hit with kids and adults alike. Many adults (myself included) laughed loudly as we tried to out-do our kids with the most creative “pin design”. There were also exhibits to throw a ceramic pot (digitally!), design a roller coaster, and make beautiful music on a laser “string-less” harp. In a small room off of the Gizmo Factory, we discovered Exploration Station. This area includes a number of hands-on building activities and we were told the programs change often. This area teaches how engineers design and build structures and then encourages the kids to attempt to build temples, pyramids, and other structures out of blocks.

Another amazing and exciting area of the Clay Center is the ElectricSky Theater. This is a 61-foot domed screen that features both planetarium shows and giant screen films. Currently showing for the planetarium show is “Rocket Men: A Brief History of Rocketry.” This show looks at rocketry from ancient times into the future. The planetarium has a star-ball with more than 10,000 stars. Each planetarium show is approximately 45 minutes and is followed by a live seasonal star talk. Currently showing on the giant screen film schedule is “The Alps.” This is showing through July 9 and shows spectacular views of Switzerland’s natural beauty, along with a “ride” through the mountain villages, a bungee jump off Verzasca Dam, and following a climber as he climbs one of the steepest peaks in all of Europe. The film runs approximately 45 minutes.

Aside from these “staple” activities at the Clay Center, there are many more ever-changing activities that kids can participate in. For example, on the second Saturday of each month, a “Fun Lab” is held in one of the classrooms. The theme is different every week. On May 8, they will be creating masterpieces from pasta and beans. On June 12, a Critter Mini Zoo will be held, where children can meet the Clay Center’s animals including snakes, lizards, tarantulas, etc. My kids would love this, but I think I will be waiting outside. The cost of this activity is included in the gallery admission.

There is also an After School Explorers Club. This activity takes place on Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:30 and is designed for children from grades 2 through 6. Activities include demonstrations, hands-on experiments and crafts. The next upcoming activity is called “Make it Work!” and will be geared around challenges dealing with magic carpets, warp speed and a human knot. Sounds interesting. Cost for this workshop is $12 for members and $15 for non-members.

Of particular interest to school age children are the numerous summer activities planned. There are several Summer Discovery Day Camps and even a Camp-in. The Camp-in has been named “Space Night at the Museum” and will run from 6:30 pm on Friday June 18 until 10 am on Saturday June 19. Admission is $40 per person and will include a planetarium show, a giant screen film in the ElectricSky Theater, space themed workshops and a dance party. Also included are snacks and breakfast. This sounds like it would be a very special, exciting night perfect for the whole family. Imagine camping with your family under a sky of 10,000 stars. All in a comfortable air-conditioned, bug-free room.

There are several summer day camps that are offered at the Clay Center. My daughter has signed up for the Vet Camp, which will be July 6-9 for two hours each day. Her goal is to one day become a veterinarian and at this camp, she will be able to interact with live animals, learn how to help animals, and meet a real vet. She is very exciting and I think this will be a wonderful opportunity for her or any other animal-loving child out there. There are also upcoming theater-themed workshops, film-making workshops, science workshops, and art workshops. The cost for these day camps is $45 for members (per person) and $55 for non-members (per person).

If you (or more likely, your child) decide that you must absolutely take home a piece of the Clay Center, luckily there is a gift shop available for your perusing. The BB&T Little Shop of Wonders has items that cannot be found anywhere else. Whether you would like chocolate covered crickets, crunchy salsa larvae, sea monkeys, or a simply super-high bouncy ball, this is the place for you. Even if you choose not to purchase anything, the gift shop is a unique experience in itself and you browse through their selection of one-of-a-kind items. Also, each Saturday and Sunday, the gift center holds an interactive event they call “The Finale.” At this event, children and gift shop staff rip open the packages and play with items from the gift shop. The kids can compete in a number of games including slinky races, gyroscope battles, and bouncy ball contests. What a fun way to end your visit!

If your child still hasn’t gotten enough science, the Clay Center also offers birthday party specials. You have your choice of the basic package or the deluxe package. The basic package includes a private party room, gallery admission for up to 10 children (one parent per child is also included), a 10% discount at the BB&T Little Shop of Wonders, and a free gallery admission pass for each child to be used at a future visit. This package is $50 for members and $75 for non-members. The deluxe birthday package includes everything in the basic package, plus a private (age-appropriate) science demonstration and a special Clay Center gift for the birthday child. The price for this package is $100 for members and $150 for non-members.

As you can see, the Clay Center has designed a good portion of their programs to entertain and teach children. It is rare to find an establishment that can offer so many activities to adults while at the same time, completely catering to children. I would recommend a visit to anyone with children of any age who is looking for something different to do, whether they are just looking to get out of the house, expand their minds, or burn off some of that never-ending energy.

pictures

Ok - I must be dumb, but I can't figure out how to use the picture site to upload. It's asking for money is that right?

Ribs by Cathy McAlister

Quest for the Best Ribs Ends North


In all honesty, I love ribs. In fact, my love affair with ribs began a few years ago when I was traveling on business in the northern panhandle of the state. Prior to that day, I had never tasted pork baby back ribs – I was a complete rib virgin. However, that all changed the day I stumbled into a little roadside rib joint in Weirton, WV called DJ’s Ribs. This little place located at 380 Three Springs Drive is a local favorite. The place looked and smelled like it had something wonderful waiting on the other side of the door, and it did. Sparks flew, and my taste buds exploded when I took my first bite of baby back ribs. I had never tasted anything so delicious, moist and tender. I was hooked, but Weirton is a four hour drive from Charleston, so it was then I began my search or quest as it turns out to find a worthy equivalent closer to home. So, you are invited to follow me on my journey to find the best ribs in the Kanawha Valley.

Before we get started, there are a few things you first must understand about ribs. When I speak of ribs, I am talking about pork ribs, though in some areas beef ribs are in favor. I will stick with pork ribs for this occasion. There are three basic types of ribs. First, there are spare ribs. Spare ribs come from the underbelly and side of the pig. Next, there are baby back ribs, my personal favorite, which are cut from the side/belly and will usually have the brisket bone attached. Another good rib type is the loin back rib. This particular cut takes less time to cook and is generally the most expensive type of rib. Lastly, many people like a St. Louis style sparerib as well as a country style sparerib. These types of ribs are cut from the pork shoulder and can be quite delicious, but my love has always been and will continue to be good ole’ baby back ribs.

There are a number of ways to prepare good ribs. Slow smoking is the preferred method, and rubbing the ribs with spices and sauces can also add to their appeal. Ribs are amenable to all kinds of seasoning. Here are a few of the more popular styles:

Texas Style: Rub with lots of black pepper and finish with jalapeno flavor sauce.
Memphis Style: Rub containing garlic and onion powder, white pepper, seasoned pepper, chili powder, cumin, brown sugar and paprika. (Could be hot with all the peppers.) Mop with apple cider.
Southern Comfort Style: Rub contains paprika, garlic powder, seasoned salt, dry mustard, oregano and chili powder. Finishing sauce, mild with molasses and bourbon.

Next there are a variety of different barbecue sauces. They come in many flavors, styles and types. Most everyone is familiar with the thick, sweet sauces that line the shelves of grocery stores. However there is so much more to barbecue sauce than that. From thin, vinegar sauces to thick, tomato sauces to mustard based sauces there is something for everyone. It also depends in what area of the country you live in. Southerners tend to prefer the traditional, vinegar based sauce, while Texans like a thicker tomato based sauce. I feel it is important to understand and experiment with the many different types of ribs and the various rubs and sauces that jazz them up. So, if you are now ready, let’s find the best ribs the valley has to offer. Off we go!

It is truly a shame that Joey’s, a local rib joint, has gone out of business. Joey’s who used to be located next to the Charleston Civic Center in downtown Charleston, offered thick, loin cut ribs cooked to perfection. While they were loin back and not my favorite baby back ribs, Joey’s came in at a close second. However, since they are no longer in the running, we must keep searching.

Ruby Tuesday’s located in Barboursville, WV has a pretty good offering. Their baby back ribs prove to be tender, sweet and moist. However, I learned the hard way that they are not always spot on, so let’s move on.

Famous Dave’s, located in both Charleston and Barboursville is certainly in the running. With a name like “Famous Dave’s” one is lead to believe the place is famous for their ribs and quality, right? While they were okay, neither their St. Louis style nor their baby back ribs hit my sweet spot. Let’s keep moving. My elusive dream continues.

Several local restaurants such as: Chili’s, the Long Horn, and the Fifth Quarter dish up baby back ribs that are not bad and all of them are similar in taste and texture. While Jen’s BBQ located directly across campus offers tasty vinegar based baby back ribs, they still don’t stack up to DJ’s - the ribs that seemingly cannot be matched anywhere else. I’m about to give up, I’m kicking rocks.

I had heard rumors, even elaborate stories about a rib shack up interstate I79 just off the Clendenin exit called Almost Heaven BBQ. I heard this place served ribs that are smoked to absolute perfection. I heard the pit master was a local boy who had learned the technique while working in Texas. I heard a voice in my head say head north. So, I decided to check this place out. Located at 134 Spencer Road about 2 miles off the interstate, I found a small “hole in the wall” that I could have been missed had I blinked my eyes. But, there is was – a small little gray building sitting on top of a gravel parking lot that was packed with cars. A large pink pig windsock blew in the wind. It was crowded. I was forced to drive past, turn around and make a second attempt at a landing. Once I pulled onto the parking lot, and made my way to the tiny porch, I was greeted and welcomed by total strangers, all waiting on their own rib delight. So, I boldly walked up to the small window to place my order. The aroma hit me square in the face, causing nose to twitch and my mouth to water. My heart was pounding with anticipation. A peek inside that tiny window revealed the cleanest work space I think I had ever seen. I patiently waited on my order – making small talk with strangers and old acquaintances. Behind the building I could see the smoke rise from the huge smokers that were slowing cooking those mouth watering baby back and St. Louis style ribs. It was at that exact moment, a rainbow appeared. The glare from my newly found pot of gold blinded me. I remember thinking to myself - could it be I had finally found my “Holy Grail”? The aroma was driving me crazy, the anticipation made my knees quiver. I could not wait one minute longer. I tore into those baby back ribs like I had never tasted them before. It was then that I knew my long search was over.

A full rack of baby back ribs at Almost Heaven BBQ will cost you $17.00. They are large, so be prepared for a challenge. The side dishes are all homemade and are equally as good. Almost Heaven BBQ offers only take-out, as there is no indoor seating, just outdoor picnic tables. Almost Heaven BBQ lives up to their name. However, they are only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday’s. Additionally, they sell out quickly, so get there early. Oh – one final tip….call ahead and ask them to save you a rack. See you on the porch, I’ll be waiting beside the pink pig!

Article~

Short of word minimum, but honestly I stretched it out as best I could without filling it full of meaningless rambling. There was less going on with theater this summer than I anticipated.

Everyone Could Use Some Drama


(working title, I kind of hate it, could use suggestions)

Tired of fighting the crowds on Friday and Saturday nights at the movie theater? This May and June, why not try something new? For around the same price as a trip to the movies, you can enjoy some live-action drama and laughs by attending one of the many theatrical events going on in and around the Kanawha Valley. Whether you fancy a magic show or a musical comedy, the theater groups in our area have something to offer for everyone, and can reasonably balance into anyone’s budget.

Charleston’s own Kanawha Players, one of the oldest amateur theater companies in the country, will be performing Jeremy Eisler’s Courting Disaster on May 27, 28, and 29 at 8 P.M., and May 30 at 2 P.M. at the Kanawha Players Theater. This musical comedy, directed by Kelly Strom, pokes fun at the judges, layers, and litigators of the law system. Tickets for adults are $16, while tickets for children ages 17 and under are $10.

The players will also be performing The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by Jess Borgeson, Adam Long, and Daniel Singeron from June 4-6 as well as June 11-12 at 8 P.M. This parody of Shakespeare’s plays is widely popular among college campuses and has achieved worldwide success in a variety of languages. For anyone who’s ever had to trudge through Hamlet or Macbeth, this play is sure to make you smile. Tickets prices are also $16 for adults and $10 for children 17 and under.

The Charleston Light Opera Guild, known for its excellence in producing musicals for the Kanawha Valley, also has a couple of shows this summer. The ever-popular Gypsy will be performed on May 7-9, 14-15, and 21-22 at 7:30 P.M. at the Charleston Civic Center Little Theater. Gypsy, referred to as “the greatest American musical” by critics and writers, is based on the 1957 memoirs of the famous striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee. The show features the popular musical numbers “Let Me Entertain You” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” The original Broadway production starred Ethel Merman as Rose, the overbearing stage mother who pushes her daughter, Louise (based on Gypsy Rose Lee) to success. Other Broadway revivals starred Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, and Bernadette Peters. Tickets are available at the Civic Center Box Office.

The Guild will also be performing Barnum as a featured FestiVALL event this June. This “marvelous, magical circus musical” follows the career of the famous showman from the year 1835 to when he joined James A. Bailey to form the Greatest Show on Earth. Cy Coleman wrote the music for the original Broadway production, and Nina Pasinetti is directing for the Light Opera Guild. Performances will be at the Civic Center Little Theater on June 19, 25, and 26 at 8 P.M., as well as June 20 and 27 at 3:00 P.M. And be sure to look for the Guild’s productions of the love-rock musical Hair this summer, as well as Dreamgirls scheduled for this fall.

The Clay Center’s Broadway in Charleston series also has a few shows to offer in the coming months. It will cost a little more money, but the entertainment will be well worth it. David Copperfield will be in town performing David Copperfield: An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion on Sunday, May 16 at 5:30 and 8 P.M. Prepare to be amazed, as this event will take the audience on a journey of wishes and dreams through the power of illusion.

Later in the month, on Sunday, May 23 at 2 P.M., the Clay Center will be presenting the musical Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, based on the Academy-Award winning animated film. Don’t miss this classic story, filled with enchantment and spectacle, and featuring beloved songs such as “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.”

Finally, if you don’t mind traveling a bit, The Jackson County Players will be performing Jan de Hartog’s The Fourposter on June 4-6 at the Alpine Theater in Ripley. This small, heartfelt play focuses on a married couple’s milestones through 35 years of marriage, including with the consummation of their marriage, the birth of their first child, their daughter’s wedding, moving out of their home and passing it on to another newlywed couple. This Tony-award winning comedy first opened in 1951 starring Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, and was adapted in 1966 by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt for their musical I Do! I Do!

For tickets, or more information on any of these events, please visit these websites:

The Kanawha Players: http://www.kanawhaplayers.org/

The Charleston Light Opera Guild: http://www.charlestonlightoperaguild.org/

The Clay Center: http://www.theclaycenter.org/

The Jackson County Players: http://jacksoncountyplayers.com/