Whistle Stop Cafe is a charming downtown Grafton café and coffee shop serving specialty coffees, teas, smoothies, baked goods and daily lunch items like soups, sandwiches and salads. The interior of Whistle Stop Cafe feels comfortable and familiar. Soft lighting, mismatched tables, and cozy seating give the space a lived-in charm, while small details and local touches nod to Grafton’s railroad roots. They serve hot, iced and frozen coffee drinks alongside smoothies and specialty espresso favorites, plus breakfast sandwiches and sweet morning staples like yogurt, muffins, scones and cinnamon rolls. Lunch features fresh sandwiches and rotating specials, and there are always grab-and-go treats like cookies, pretzels and popcorn to round it out. One of my favorite drinks is a frozen hot chocolate. I know it's a bit of a misnomer, but it blends rich cocoa with a wonderfully light, icy texture. Next up was a berry muffin. It had a fresh, natural berry flavor that was pleasantly tart. The crumb was tender and slightly dense. The tartness of the berries balanced the sweetness. I had a breakfast bagel with sausage, egg & American cheese. The only thing missed was a sauce to bring it all together for me. What's your favorite thing to get here? Grade: B

Every town should have at least one good local pizza joint. In Grafton, it's Capri Pizza Parlor. It’s a modest, no-frills restaurant with an old-school interior and straightforward menu: pizza, hoagies and salads. I ordered a small cheese pizza, which had a semi-thick - but crisp - crust. It was topped with a generous layer of melty mozzarella that stretches beautifully and delivers that classic, creamy cheesiness without being overly salty. Simple and comforting, though I would've loved some more zip in the sauce. Grade: B

Gump’s IGA is a locally owned neighborhood grocery store in Grafton. It operates as part of the regional IGA (Independent Grocers Alliance) network, which allows independently owned stores to offer national brands while maintaining a small-town, community-focused feel. They off a full range of everyday grocery staples including fresh produce, meat and deli items, dairy, frozen foods, pantry essentials, and household necessities typical of a neighborhood supermarket. Their deli makes pepperoni rolls that are popular and have been recommended to me several times. So, it was time. They offer pepperoni rolls both individually wrapped and in six packs. There's mozzarella and hot pepper cheese, at least on the day that I visited. I grabbed a hot pepper cheese one, because I enjoy the little extra spice. And, it wasn't bad. Deli pepperoni rolls tend to have thicker, drier bread in my experience. I like mine to be pretty moist and the interior to be thick with filling. Grade: B

The 2nd Annual Grafton Monster Festival was held this weekend to celebrate all things Grafton Monster, featuring movies, music, speakers, vendors, and more. I spent some time perusing trinkets and knickknacks before finding some tasty bites. Buds Freeze Dried Candy has "Candy, Snacks, Vegetable and Proteins for every customers needs." I took home some freeze-dried gummy bears, but I was intrigued by the vegetables, and they even have meat on their website. Sugar Wave Bakery brought some cookies, and I opted for a lemon one. Did anyone else attend? What did you think?

Jerry's Restaurant & Lounge is a mainstay in Grafton with its homestyle food. They have a parking lot out front, a pick-up window and plenty of indoor dining.



Their menu features items like fried appetizers, salads, soups, sandwiches, hoagiess, burgers, pasta and other plated entrees.



When I was visiting, it was a busy day in town, and they were only serving a limited menu. That nixed most of the entrees and many of the sandwiches. 



I placed an order to pick up and drove up to the curbside window. I went with their meatball and cheese hoagie. While you can opt to add in peppers and onions, I went with just the classic mozzarella topping. 



The sandwich was OK. The meatballs I think needed some more seasoning, as did the sauce. It wasn't bad; it just could use a bit more love. It's probably a good middle-of-the-road sandwich for folks who don't want it too sweet or too spicy or too acidic. I just want more. 



Grade: C

Grafton has the nation's longest running, continuous Memorial Day parade in the nation. This year marked the 154th annual parade, and I made a day trip up to check it out. While there, I had to get my grub on.



Olde Town Donuts, which operates out of Jerry's Restaurant, serves up standard and specialty donuts -- and they were open on Memorial Day. AND BONUS - they had both a tent set up outside and the drive-thru open. Win-win.



So, I put in an order for a half-dozen via Facebook messenger and made my way (very slowly) across town (maybe employing questionable traffic choices to get around parade traffic).



I went with strawberry, maple, s'mores, pb&j, cherry cheesecake and lemon pie. It could have been the combination of the spirit of the community event or these donuts being the first thing I ate all day - but these were really tasty. The donut itself tasted fresh with cinnamon and sugar. The toppings were plentiful - and reminded me of the mini donuts you might find from Peace, Love & Little Donuts. But, these are full sized with all the indulgent varieties. Which would you pick?



Grade: A

Espresso Yourself Coffee House in Grafton has been on my to-try list for quite some time.

But it was only recently that I was able to make it there.

This coffee shop has all sorts of drinks - hot or cold, as well as snacks like cookies, pastries and more.

While here, I ordered a simple latte with caramel.


So tasty!

At the end of summer, I made my way to Tygart Lake State Park to ride the Princess Cruise on the lake.


It was so fun!


And, I learned a lot about the area.


And, when it as over, I went to The Lodge for a bite to eat.


I started with a house salad with French dressing. It was filled with carrots, red onion, cucumbers and tomatoes.


And then for my main meal, I had fried crab cakes and mashed potatoes. Talk about comfort food. I've never seen crab cakes balled up like this before, but they sure were tasty.


Have you been?