The Handle Bar + Kitchen sits at Arrowhead Bike Farm just outside Fayetteville. It’s part restaurant, part biergarten and part post-adventure hangout. The restaurant opens into a biergarten with picnic tables and a fire pit, giving it more of a hangout feel than a traditional restaurant and making it particularly well suited for groups. The menu takes a similarly unfussy approach, with everything from burgers and sandwiches to tacos, brats, fried snacks and a few options for people looking for something beyond the usual bar food. The drink list leans heavily into craft beer, with rotating selections and plenty of West Virginia breweries represented, including Freefolk Brewing, Greenbrier Valley Brewing and Hawk Knob. I ordered the SWEET CHIPOTLE BRIE BURGER - 6oz smashed seasoned beef burger, caramelized onions, lettuce, melted brie cheese with a sweet berry chipotle sauce served on a sweet brioche bun. Plus a side of house fries. The brie brings a rich, creamy element, while the berry-chipotle sauce gives the burger sweetness with a little smoky heat, and the caramelized onions reinforce that sweet-savory profile. Have you been? Grade: B

Tequila Taco Bar opened in Fayetteville in 2025 as a casual Mexican restaurant with a bar. The inside is bright, colorful and full of fun Mexican-inspired touches, with artwork and pops of color everywhere you look. It feels festive and lively without being too over-the-top, and definitely adds to the fun of sitting down for tacos and a margarita. The menu features tacos alongside posole, fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, chimichangas, nachos, taco salads, vegetarian options and a kids’ menu. We started with chips & salsa, which were perfectly serviceable. They also serve a creamy white dipping sauce that was tangy and cool. The Camarones Hawaiianos had large shrimp cooked with grilled onions, mushrooms and pineapple topped with cheese dip, served with rice and house salad. Sweet & savory - but a bit one-note texture wise. Grade: B

Did you know there's a Tomato Fest in Fairmont that's been going on for nearly 20 years?



Neither did I. But once I found out, I needed to see it.



The 2026 Tomato Festival was Saturday, August 15, on Monroe Street in downtown Fairmont, as part of the Hometown Market. Main Street Fairmont puts it on in partnership with the Marion County Master Gardeners.



My first stop was at Loving WV, which is a wonderful little West Virginia goods shop.



Here, I picked up a bottle of Zhoni Sauce and jar of cherry-zucchini jam from Kat's Kitchen.



Outside, there were dozens of local vendors and artisans, with food and entertainment.



Bluebird Bakery



Richardson Family Farm



Mal's Produce



Kettle Pop Co.





WV Weird & Wonderful
I picked up the "Veggie Man" blend here, which includes dehydrated veggies.





Herron's Farmers' Market
Have you heard of quince butter? I hadn't, but I am going to find out!







Bricks and Slabs Bakehouse
A razzleberry pie and a smoked pepperoni roll were delish.







CL Cakery
A cinnamon roll-style pepperoni roll.







Rhodes Bakery
A tomato cupcake and a tomato basil croissant.





Tap Truck WVa
Vineyard Blush Special with tomato, strawberry and basil.







Gigi's Sweets and Treats
A brownie with peanut butter



Charmed & Wick'd Apothecary



My favorite part, though, was the tomato-tasting/competition, with local growers submitting tomatoes for judging. The competition has categories for things such as biggest, best-tasting and most unusual tomatoes. And it's free!

Summerfest is a four-day end-of-summer festival centered around the South Charleston Mound. The event is family-oriented with live music every night, local food vendors and a children’s zone. Food vendors they had available included: Off the Hook, Just Drinks, Charleston Police Auxilary, Holy O's, Zul's, SC Women's Club, Gettin Piggy With It and R&B Concessions. MAD Concessions was at the top of my list to check out. I went with one of their frozen mocktails because it was blazing hot this day, and that sounded super refreshing. I did the "Lava Flow," which was coconut and strawberry. I was thinking it would be lemonade, as I'm not the biggest coconut fan. But with the two flavors mixed together, it was just kinda like a whole new flavor that I enjoyed. Just around the corner was Wild 'N Wonderful Rolls. These pepperoni roll bosses make a mean pepperoni roll, amongst other rolls. And their most recent special caused quite the stir. The "Appalachian Aloha" has pineapple in it, and boy do people have opinions about that. I tried it, and I don't think it's bad. Would you try it?