New Huntington restaurant 9th St. Diner has an old-town feel. The diner is fairly small with some counter seating, booth seating and random memorabilia on the walls. 



They serve up breakfast and lunch - and recently added dinner. The menu focuses on fries, breakfast, salads, burgers and soup. The dinner options are TBD. 



Breakfast food is not my favorite - sometimes I'm in the mood for it. But usually, I'd rather have dinner for breakfast than breakfast for dinner. So the hamburger jumped out to me - which can be topped with cheese, bacon or eggs.



I went with a burger topped with cheese, and wanted onion, ketchup and mayo but added those at home. I think those are my ideal, go-to toppings on any burger. I like a tomato, but they're so often watery and mealy. And lettuce is just too unwieldy. Ketchup adds some sweetness Mayo adds some creaminess. Onion adds some crunch. It's the perfect trifecta. And cheese is always necessary.



So let's talk about this burger. It is thin and cooked on the flat top so it gets nice and ever so slightly crunchy on the outside, which I love. And with that perfectly melted cheese, it makes for the perfect proportions. The bread is homemade and fluffy and really tasty ... but I don't know that it's the best burger bun. It's soft and not super hearty to stand up to a greasy burger. I really enjoyed them both - maybe not together. 



I also went with a side of potato salad, which was okay. Overall, it was a decent meal, and I'm excited to see what they'll offer for dinner.

Grade: B

Huntington is home to a few Gino's locations, and the most recent one I tried is on Washington Avenue. This spot, unlike many, is stand-alone restaurant without a connection to a Tudor's. 



The Huntington locations have some slightly different options, as they have a different owner. So, I always enjoy trying something I don't always see - like this chicken parmesan. It is pretty much the homestyle spaghetti with lots of mozzarella and chicken bits sprinkled on top. I wouldn't have hated a giant breaded chicken cutlet, but it was still a not bad and filling meal. Some chunks of peppers and onions makes the sauce feel homemade, and anything covered in cheese can't be too bad.

Grade: B

In terms of unique locations, the Fly In Cafe in Huntington ranks pretty highly. There aren't many places you can enjoy a drink or dinner and watch skydivers land nearby.



The restaurant is situated on the Robert Newlon Airpark, so the name of the restaurant draws on that feature and the fact that you may catch a glimpse of small aircraft taking off or landing.



After a bit of an adventure to find the restaurant, I walked inside to discover World War II and aviation memorabilia decorating the walls, the ceiling painted like the sky and small toy planes hanging above my head. 



The menu has some cute headings like "take-offs" and "parachute parts." There is a good bit of seafood on the menu, like fried oysters, peel & eat shrimp, crab cakes and more. 



I ordered the coconut shrimp with a side of carrots and fried green tomatoes. A bit random, but that's my doing - I love all these things, so why not together? 



The coconut shrimp had shreds of coconut in the breading, but it wasn't enough to combat the oily flavor of the fryer. They were just a bit over-fried, over oily, and a sauce would be nice to help cut through some of it. The carrots did provide a bit of a sweet solace. 



Grade: B

China House in Huntington is a bit nondescript, aside from the large letters outside the strip mall space. 



They offer a buffet, but I went ahead and placed a to-go order while passing through the area. 



I ordered a whole bunch of things to try - let's check them out. 



They were out of the "chicken balls," which I was excited to try. But, the other things were all pretty tasty. 



Thankfully, my boyfriend helped me finish off these items.



The eggroll was pretty average - a lot of filler, not a ton of flavor. Lots of cabbage.



The honey chicken - one of my favs - was a bit chewier than my preference, but the sauce was sweet and a bit tangy. 



The crab cheese rangoons were good - a bit lighter in color than typical. Not a deep rich, golden fried color. 



Finally, we had lobster fried rice. I really enjoy a fresh fried rice, but often when ordering it, it's fried in old oil and just permeates the entire dish. This was somewhere inbetween that. Not bad, but a bit heavy on the oil flavor. 

Grade: B

The Club Inn Between Bar & Grill in Huntington is your standard bar & grill. 



"The bar and grill was opened in 1978 by two brothers who were attending Marshall University. Tired of standing in line to enter bars, the brothers decided to open their own. In 2006 the brothers moved to a larger location, and today they continue to work seven days a week! They have become one of the oldest bar & grills in West Virginia! Lunch served Monday-Friday 11am-2pm." (Visit Huntington)



I went here for lunch to check it out. It's definitely a local watering hole where most folks are regulars, but I was welcomed all the same. The menu has some sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers and a few specials. I went for a cheeseburger with tomato, onion and mayo.



The burger was decent - it was a bit cold so my cheese didn't really melt. But the veggies were fresh, and it tasted fine. Nothing too notable - either positive or negative. Really, my favorite part of the visit was the history of the place with the memorabilia on the walls and the local vibe. What's your favorite dish here?



Grade: B

After trying just about everything on Gino's menu, I can easily declare that the pepperoni bites are my favorite item.



However, only the Huntington-area locations offer them. So when it was time to finally try out the Barboursville location, I was more than excited to order my pepperoni bites.



These poppable delights are full of pepperoni and topped with romano and garlic butter. They're so good... until they're not. Unfortunately, these ones were baked through the middle and I found myself chewing on raw dough. So, my tummy wasn't happy with that - and I threw the remainder away. Sometimes it's just an off night - or even just an off hour - but this wasn't my favorite rendition. Off to the next location. 



Grade: C

The Corner Hoagies & Hops in downtown Huntington draws inspiration from classic Huntington landmarks. 



While it's in a nice modern space with large windows, greenery and long bar, it is serving up some classic sandwiches with cool local names and beer from local breweries. 



The restaurant is located in the former Highway 55 Burgers & Shakes space, but has a fresh vibe.



I ordered a few different things so I could get a good taste. To start, I tried the spicy feta, which was my favorite item I ordered. It has the little bit of creamy funkiness from the feta with a good bit of heat. And it is a very generous portion.



Next up: Let's try the sandwich. I ordered the "scoreboard," which has turkey, swiss, greens, tomato, onion, avocado, and garlic aioli on a hoagie. I was really hoping the garlic aioli would pack a bit of a punch of flavor, because without that, it's just kind of a standard sandwich. Nothing wrong, but nothing super exciting either. And thick white raw onion was a bit overpowering. There are a lot of yummy things I want to try next though - like maybe a hoagie with pork belly, spicy curry mayo, and balsamic glaze. Yum.



Both the potato salad and the pickles were fine for me. I think the potato salad needs more seasoning, and the pickles maybe a bit more time to absorb flavor. 



Grade: B

There are so many incredible businesses in West Virginia - especially in the food arena. I love going to The Wild Ramp in Huntington to not only check out the outdoor farmers, but also see the vendor goods inside (and each some goodies from the kitchen!). 



There are so many good products out there, I wanted to share some of my recent haul, including these hot sauces from Native Eats.



Holy Cross Monastery is a traditional, English-speaking men's monastic community of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, located in Wayne, WV. They make soaps and other products for sale! I also got some of this Panforte to try, which is like a spice cake with fruit. 



It was interesting.



Ooh and Appalachian Botanical Co. has lovely lavender that you can put in a dresser drawer to keep all your clothes smelling fresh.



They also have their own honey and salt. 



Sneak peek of some of the delicious things that come out of Harvest Kitchen.



This kitchen inside The Wild Ramp uses food from local vendors to create some delicious meals. 



Scragglepop is a kettlecorn business that can be seen at events, stores and elsewhere in the area. They have a bunch of different flavors, but the traditional was available at the Wild Ramp, and I was excited to bring some home. 



Wired Possum Coffee is a new coffee roaster in Hurricane, and I always like to collect some beans from local roasters. They roast in small batches and create interesting flavors.



Meet the Roaster: Our roaster, Daniel Schumacher, discovered his love of coffee while working the graveyard shift in 2006. Going to his favorite coffee shop in the evening before work helped put him in the right mindset for getting his job done well. Over time he’s visited shops and roasteries around the country, appreciating the craftsmanship and attention to detail they each bring from the bean to the cup. Upon moving to Hurricane in early 2020, Daniel decided to take his passion to the next level by opening Wired Possum Coffee.



Just a few more odds and ends - Toms Creek Smoked Chipotle Maple Syrup. This Wayne family farm grows produce in the summer and makes maple syrup in the winter.



Cedar Run Farm Maple Syrup is really popular in the area; In addition to their syrup, they also grow Christmas trees! Finally, Sugar Bottom Farm produces honey - plus other home and body products. 

What are your favorite finds?