By Brooke A. Brown

When one thinks of having lunch in Charleston, several places immediately come to mind: Blossom Deli, First Watch, Graziano’s, Rio Grande, Sam’s Hot Dogs, Sitar of India, Tidewater… the list is certainly familiar to fellow downtown laborers. There’s a place, however, that is oft forgotten, and probably for good reason considering its location. But the promise of free parking, not to mention really good food, might be enough to bring it to the forefront of the “what’s for lunch?” debate.

The Charleston Marriott has pretty much always housed restaurants that serve good food, but one was typically high-end and pricey (Tarragon Room) while the other offered a simpler menu and severely dated environs (Allie’s American Grille). All that has changed with the phasing out/closing of the former and renovation/relaunch of the latter as the Whitewater Grille.

Out with the old and in with the New River/Gauley River-themed decor – it’s a lodge-y amalgamation of wood and stone, not to mention a completely revamped bar. Photos of whitewater rafters hang on the wall, as do kayaks, paddles and other such paraphernalia. It certainly feels like a restaurant that should be in a West Virginia hotel, as opposed to one you’d find in, say, Dayton.

Lunch at the Whitewater Grille features a lot of the same things you can find variations of at other local eateries, only all at one convenient location: deli sandwiches and burgers, soups and salads, seafood and pasta, so on and so forth. It’s one of those menus that’s ideally suited for, well, everyone! The Whitewater Grille also presents a daily buffet (the two Tuesday’s on which I’ve dined there offered up a ‘build your own taco’ bar).

Now I usually test a “new” place by ordering the cheeseburger (my most cherished and favorite food of all time), and that was no different on my first trip to the Whitewater Grille. Their version instantly became one of my local favorites as it was prepared with much care and attention. It was as a good burger should be: thick, juicy and well-seasoned with a nice slab of melted cheddar cheese. A nice twist was the use of a ciabatta roll instead of the traditional ho-hum bun. And instead of the run-of-the-mill fries, which are available, I opted for the sweet potato variety. They’re surely a frozen, not-fresh-cut fry, but their thin and crispy sweetness was a nice complement to the savory meat sandwich. I left nothing for the kitchen’s disposal to dispose.

My table-mates enjoyed their lunches – a turkey wrap and tortilla soup here and a reuben with a side of slaw over there – and all agreed that we’d “found” a new place to frequent. The food, atmosphere and service is top-notch. And if you can remember to bring in your parking card from the Marriott’s garage, the folks at the Whitewater Grille will gladly validate.

IF YOU GO: Whitewater Grille, Charleston Marriott Town Center, 200 Lee Street, Charleston, W.Va., (304)-353-3636

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 at 4:42 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.