Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company has been on the West Virginia beer scene for just about a year at this point. I remember them launching the Wild Trail Pale Ale and Mothman Black IPA at a "tap takeover" at Apothecary and thinking it was fantastic.

I stopped by their taproom in Lewisburg to get a drink and take some home, too! I had a hard time finding the taproom at first - it's essentially just an open garage. Not much signage. Go out the road of the airport and follow the small signs. Once you turn right with the warehouses, go to the very last one. Walk inside. Have beer.

It's only open Thursday through Saturday, so be careful! 4-9 Thursday and Friday, 2-9 Saturday.

I've had their Mothman and Wild Trail, so I wanted to try something different. Not sure I'd be able to get their Weizenbock or Kolsch anywhere else, so I went for a glass of the Weizenbock. I'm super glad I did because it was delicious! I ended up getting a growler of it to take home!

I read about When Pigs Fly Barbeque on the 101 Unique Places to Dine in WV list, and since I was in Fairlea for the State Fair, I made it my dinner for the first night.


When Pigs Fy Barbeque features, you guessed it, barbeque. The inside looks like your typical mom and pop BBQ shop - some mismatched place settings, with a bit of country comfort.




They have pulled pork sandwiches, pulled chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese, ribs and more. I Because I wasn't for sure, I asked if the plate, which comes with two sides, was a sandwich or if it was just the mound of pulled pork. It was the mound of meat, so I opted for the sandwich, add a side of macaroni and cheese and a water. My total came to $14, which I thought was hefty - but I was unsure how much that side was on its own, so I didn't question it.

I went over to the cart on the side to help myself to all the different sauces: Cropduster (honey mustard), Spitfire (hot and spicy), First Flight (Eatern Carolina vinegar), Wingwalker (honey bbq) and Flybaby (mild and tangy). In the process, I got super sticky because apparently people don't know how to handle sauce bottles. I also filled my cup from the water dispenser, though it wasn't cooled.

When they brought my meal out, I was super confused. It was the platter. But if it was the platter, it should have came with two sides - and it only had one, the macaroni and cheese I ordered. I sheepishly said I wanted the sandwich, and she was happy to comply and fix the order. Very kind. Before long, I had my sandwich. But the sandwich was supposed to come with a pickle and chips - plus my macaroni and cheese on the side. The pickle was MIA, but I wasn't concerned. It was at this time, she realized I was only drinking water, too, so she ended up refunding me $2. So, I guess my total was $12, which makes more sense. Aside from some of the ordering hiccups, the folks working were totally great.

The sandwich was indeed good. A TON of pulled pork, and it had a good flavor. The macaroni and cheese was not super cheesy or creamy. It was more soupy. As for the sauces - the honey bbq and the mild and tangy ones were my favorite!

Grade: B

While many of us enjoy dining out without regard to specific ingredients or restrictions, many others must navigate menus with caution, careful to avoid any potential dangers. Those could be in the form of dietary restrictions, food allergies or religious restrictions. I recommend a few area restaurants to folks visiting to help accommodate these needs.

Dietary Restrictions: This includes folks who are vegetarian (ovo-eggs, lacto-dairy, lacto-ovo-eggs and dairy), vegan, pescatarian and raw vegan.

• Ali Baba's - Ali Baba's offers vegetarian items, including veggie dolmas, tabbouleh, baba ghannouj, tahini, falafel pita, falafel platter and hummus.
• Black Bear Burritos - Black Bear not only accommodates vegetarian options, but it integrates them right into their meals. You'll often see a burrito that offers chicken and bacon, and they easily sub it out for "tofu and fakin'." They also have garden tofu chili, a TLT (tofu, lettuce tomato), and the "Cherise," which is their vegetarian version of the reuben with tofu and carrots in place of the turkey. They have a dedicated grill for vegetarian food.
• Blue Moose Cafe - Blue Moose Cafe offers primarily all-natural, vegetarian meals in addition to lots of coffee drinks. Their menu items include bagels, gazpacho, fruit salad, granola bowls, hummus plates, hummus wraps and salads.
• Chaang Thai - Chaang Thai has a specific section addressing both vegetarian and vegan concerns. All of their curry dishes are 100 percent vegetarian. Any item ordered with the vegetarian version will have tofu. Most items can be made vegetarian, but ask for no egg, no fish sauce and no main sauce (contains oyster sauce). Curries would be vegan if asked for the vegetarian version so there's no coconut milk. Also, some vegan appetizers are available, but some sauces have fish/oyster sauce in them so check with the waiter.
• Clutch Wings - Clutch Wings offers tofu wings. You can get them in all the same sauces that the regular and boneless wings are offered in, which include buffalo, old bay, pb&j, sweet chili and mango habanero.
• Eat'n Park - Eat'n Park has a vegetarian menu, which includes fried appetizer items, breakfast items, gardenburger, grilled cheese, and salads.
• Los Mariachis - Los Mariachis has a vegetarian menu, which includes bean burritos, spinach enchiladas, potato burritos, chalupas, and quesadillas.
• Mother India - Mother India offers vegetarian dishes, including channa masala, paneer and vegetable korma. All spices used are natural. There are rice-based dishes that can be made without the meat components.
• Real Juice Bar and Cafe - The Real Juice Bar offers non-GMO and organic options and fresh juice and smoothies. They offer a number of house-made items like bagels, nut mylks, chia fruit spreads, protein bombs and roast coffee.
• Saffron - Vegetarian items are available, such as channa masala, vegetable kurma, paneer tikka masala, kadai paneer, dal makhni, baingan bharta, malai kofta, yellow dal, bhindi masala, mutter paneer, vegetable jalfrezi, channa saag, palak panner/aloo, krahi aloo gobi and shahi paneer.
• Taziki's - Taziki's offers a vegetarian menu, which includes hummus, greek salad, basmati rice, hummus, greek salad gyro, pasta salad, spicy pimento cheese, dolmades, grilled veggie gyro, and more.
• Terra Cafe - Terra Cafe has a vegetarian-friendly menu with multiple options catering to the vegetarian crowd. For example, they offer a black bean burger served on toasted pita with lettuce, tomato, avocado, hot sauce and cilantro-lime creme fraiche. They also have a thai peanut wrap that can be served with tofu, a veggie reuben and many salad options, including a quinoa and lentil chop. 

Food Allergies: This includes folks who have an allergen to items, such as peanut, dairy, egg, wheat, gluten, soy, fish and shellfish.

• Chaang Thai - Chaang Thai has a number of gluten-free options, including fresh rolls, chicken wings, pad thai, stir fry, and desserts.
• Eat'n Park - Eat'n Park has a special menu for Celiac Disease.
• Terra Cafe - Terra Cafe has gluten-free bread available for all their sandwiches.

Religious Restrictions: This includes folks who avoid certain foods for religious reasons. For example, this includes Catholics who avoid meat on Fridays of Advent and on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. It also includes Muslims, who avoid pork, and the Jewish, who follow a kosher diet.

• Gulf Grocery - Halal meat is available.
• Jasmine Grill - Halal meat is available.
• Kassar's Food & Gifts - Halal meat is available.
• Saffron - Saffron serves 100 percent halal meat and gluten-free food.

If you have any restaurants to add or comments, please let me know! I'd love to have an evolving list to use as a resource.

Listen, ice cream wasn't part of the plan. I already had hotdogs and some deep-fried cheese balls, but when an ice cream place is just a few steps away ... who am I to deny fate?

Dairy King sells hotdogs, pork bbq, pepperoni rolls, nachos and a chicken salad sandwich in addition to all the delicious ice cream: cones, shakes, sundaes and "snowflakes." Snowflakes, which are like blizzards, can come in banana split, banana wafer, blackberry cobbler, Butterfinger, cookie dough, Heath, M&M, Oreo, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Reese's Pieces, Snickers and strawberry shortcake.

I ordered a small Reese's Peanut Butter Cup snowflake. A whole cup of vanilla ice cream blended with chocolate and peanut butter? Just yes. You already know this is bangin'.

And we visited the International Mother's Day Shrine, while we were there!



Grade: A