If you don't already know, I wrote a book on pepperoni rolls about 7 years ago. As a result, I have a lot of conversations about pepperoni rolls. My favorites, other people's favorites. And a common one that comes up often is the local gas station. That's because a lot of them are homemade. That's the case at E-Z Stop in Pineville. this is a large round roll that is served warm. Usually I do not get hung up on it being warm or cold, but in this case, the cheese gets all melted and makes it perfect. It was a good portion of pepperoni – not too much, not too little. And it was moist inside with a little sauce. Not grease. Not too dry. this is one of the best pepperoni rolls in recent memory.

Grade: A

Since our quarantine began, I learned that taking a roadtrip allows me to explore - solo - so I don't go crazy staying in my apartment. A recent adventure took me to southern West Virginia, and while there, I decided to check out some of the local Tudor's locations to mark them off my list. Up first: Pineville.



Since only the drive thru is open, I pulled up and checked out the menu to see if there were any newcomers. Instead, it was the standard biscuits that I expected. If you take a look at the left panel on this menu board, I'm slowly making my way through all the named biscuits. This time, it's the Peppi.



The Peppi is Tudor's version of a pepperoni roll - pepperoni and cheese. Kinda. I've had a version of this before that I was not a fan of, but I really enjoyed this version. The biscuit was hot and fresh, and the pepperoni was warm with oozing cheese. Solid contender.

Grade: B

There aren't many drive-ins left in West Virginia. Maybe that's why I have a fascination with them. They're like these remaining artifacts from a different time, still preserved in areas.


On a recent trip to McDowell County, I drove through Pineville in Wyoming County. In addition to the area being known recently for a "documentary," Wyoming County is also home to the Pinnacle Drive-In.

While I discovered that you can remain in your car in the parking lot and a carhop will come out to you, I didn't realize that. So, we went inside. There are only a few tables inside, but a few cars had been waited on outside. That's clearly the preferred method here.

The menu has sandwiches - BBQ, grilled cheese, ham - as well as specialty sandwiches - pizza submarines, giant cheeseburgers, Italian submarines. Plus dinners, seafood dinners, soups, salads. It's pretty run of the mill. Their big-sellers are the hotdogs or the "submarine," which is turkey salad, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and cranberry sauce. That sandwich sounds a lot like another in the nearby area. Scott, my coworker, ordered that. But I went with the hotdogs.


The weenie wonks over at the West Virginia Hot Dog Blog have a more comprehensive look at the hotdogs, but I'll do my best here. I LOVED the buns - which are these buttered and grilled. They are definitely more bun for your hotdog, but they hold up well with all the toppings. I ordered chili, slaw, mustard and onions, but my slaw was nowhere to be found. I didn't realize this until later because I was super hungry (and late), so I didn't want to fuss.

I liked the flavor of the chili (not so much a sauce), and I liked their own little spin on the hotdog. It was more filling, and the bun had a little crisp, which I liked. Overall, I think it was pretty good. I think slaw could've taken this up a notch. Pinnacle is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed Sundays.

Grade: B