I tried these spots around downtown on Saturday at lunch.
Chef Sennet's Candlelight Cafe - Not sure why a place that closes at 2pm is called "Candlelight", but that is neither here nor there. This place replaces Shantell's. They have been open for six months. It is mostly breakfast, hot and cold sandwiches and salads. I had their Bird's Nest for $8. It is basically a toad in a hole (eggs inside bread). This one had two fried eggs inside a challah bread (listed as sour dough) ham sandwich that is grilled and topped with cheddar. It was fine. Way too costly on the calorie front. The challah really soaked up the butter. I probably would have gone in a different direction if I knew it wasn't sour dough. It is rich enough. It needs the contrast of the sour flavor. The ham was piled up generously. They say it is smoked. It tasted like a good quality Virginia ham. The cheddar was superfluous. The eggs were a little under cooked. It also came with a side choice. I chose home fries. They were excellent. Baked and then fried. Crispy deliciousness. And they gave me twice what a normal man requires. I brought in a coupon for a free drink (they only charge $1.50 anyway). They gave me a refill AND a to go cup. And that is the vibe here. Very generous. Very accommodating. I heard them work on several "custom" jobs for whine-y customers. And they didn't exhibit any push back. I love the place. The building. They left it as it was. For the same price you pay at any dingy cafe or diner, you can get extra effort and a better environment here. It's on Sanford Ave (the last road you can turn right on) off 1st St. The most expensive thing is just over ten dollars and it comes with steak. I did notice that they are a little disorganized. You'd think they were open for just six days not six months. Part of that is because the owner and one support cook do all the cooking. It was kind of funny watching the "chaos" though. Don't let that turn you off. everything I saw going out looked good. It was about half full at noon.
Fuel BBQ - This was the real reason I ventured down here. It is aside (actually part of) The Alley bar on S. Park Ave. I had 4oz of brisket (with cornbread) for $7 and three ribs (1/4 slab) for $8. They were ok. A tad too smokey and bark-y. If I had to guess, the brisket was dry rubbed with salt and black pepper AND finished with a wet rub. The ribs were probably done similarly with the only difference being a teryaki inclusion in the wet rub. I can't tell you what wood they used. They probably didn't wrap the meat (in paper or foil). My guess as to where they went wrong would be with the smoker. Not enough ventilation or the rack is too close to the heat source and they cooked it a tad too long or at too high a temperature. No one probably administered to it during a long section of the night and the heat fluctuated (probably down) and they added too much wood too fast when they looked after it in the morning. Close to being good though. It seems like they are willing to do the "slow" part. Just a little overpowering. The ribs tasted a little like teryaki jerky. The corn bread was good. A little dense, but, it seemed home made. They also plied me with three types of hot sauces they were tinkering with. One was a very syrupy, black hot sauce. One (house) was a fruity, semi-sweet (maybe orange rind), pulp-y sauce. One was a fruity, peppery, non-pulp-y hot sauce. Good for them for trying. And that is important. They seem to be trying. A little more trial and error and they will be next in line after 4 Rivers in this area. They have been open for three months. They also serve chicken and pork and sides. The place looks nice. It looks like an old time-y gas station used to be here. They tore down the wall to The Alley and you can move back and forth.
Palate Coffee Brewery - I just bought a coffee here for $2 to report on the change. It was a craft beer place the last time I was here. I guess that was over a year ago because that is how long they have been open. It's mostly just coffee. It is across from Fuel.
Smiling Bison is in the spot that was home to that overrated cook whose last stab was an Italian place named after his mother. I forget what it was called. It's in the center of town. Buster's moved from near Shantell's to where West End something or other bar was. Down the street. Closer to 1st. They were building out a new brewery space on that street (Sanford Ave). I think that is all the news from Sanford.
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