Thai Fusion in Barboursville offers "delicious, authentic Asian cuisine created by master chefs and served with a smile."



The menu is wide and varied, so I picked a few of my favorite dishes listed across the various categories: appetizer, entree & sushi.



Crab Rangoon (5) - Crispy wonton wrappers filled with cream cheese and crab mixture, served with sweet and sour sauce. These were a great version - a lighter fry, which saved the roof of my mouth and the integrity of the mixture inside.



Sweet and Sour Chicken - Stir fry with bell pepper, onion, pineapple and carrot. The Thai version of this dish has a thin sweet-and-sour sauce and usually a sort of shredded chicken. It is so craveable.



Lobster Tail Roll - tempura, avocado, cream cheese, eel sauce. this was quite the presentation. It was built with lobster tails, but the flavor profile was a familiar favorite. Creamy, a little sweet, crunchy. All fresh.



Grade: A

"In 1924, Benjamin Tillman “Pop” Byrd, Sr., at the age of 28, began baking his famous Scotch Oatmeal cookies in beautiful Savannah Georgia. He had a small bakery downtown near City Market and delivered the fresh cookies to stores around town in his Model T Ford. Typically, the cookies were sold out of large glass jars at ‘2 for a penny’. Pop’s cookies quickly became a favorite among locals and several more items were added to the bakery lineup, but nothing was as unique or as popular as the Scotch Oatmeal cookie. As the business grew, Pop decided to move the bakery closer to home on the outskirts of town, a little community called Sandfly. In 1929, he converted a tin-sided barn into a larger bakery which he lovingly named 'Byrd’s Famous Cookies,'" reads the website.



Byrd's Famous Cookies still bakes their traditional family recipes in small batches, with the highest quality ingredients. Their shop offers a collection of southern delicacies and gifts.



They offer an extensive variety of flavors and options. From their famous Key Lime Coolers to their classic Chocolate Chip cookies, they have it all. Almond shortbread, cinnamon sugar and "Cookie's Cookie" - Love our classic Scotch Oatmeal Cookie? To celebrate of our 100th anniversary in 2024, we created a fun take on our original Scotch Oatmeal Cookie and added a punch of creamy butterscotch chips and indulgent dark chocolate.



I went for Salted Caramel Cookies - Golden crisps that will leave you hootin' and a'hollerin for more. Crammed with buttery caramel morsels and a pinch of sea salt.



These crispy little bites were buttery and sweet. Kind of addicting!



Grade: A

One of West Virginia's most iconic restaurants has reopened.



Secret Sandwich Society, located in Fayetteville, experienced a devastating fire several years ago that required rebuilding from the ground up. And now, they're back and better than ever.



Known for their creative takes on sandwiches and salads named after presidents and first ladies, Secret Sandwich Society has increased its space inside and outside to accommodate even more folks. It's a pretty popular place, so that is welcome news.



While this is my first visit to the restaurant since it has rebuilt, I had been to the previous restaurant many times. So, I have a good idea of some of my favorites on the menu. Though, truly, you can't go wrong.



I ordered the TRUMAN - turkey, peach jam, blue cheese spread & crispy onions on a toasted potato roll. The turkey was tender and flavorful, perfectly balanced by the unexpected sweetness of the peach jam. That little hit of fruitiness played so well with the blue cheese spread, which added a tangy, creamy bite without overpowering. And let’s talk about those crispy onions - they brought the perfect crunch and just the right amount of savory to round everything out. All of it came together on a potato roll that was soft yet sturdy enough to hold up to the layers of flavor. It’s sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy all in one bite - definitely not your average turkey sandwich. I’d order it again in a heartbeat.



Plus a side of parmesan truffle fries with a trio of dipping sauces: Roasted Garlic Mayo, Homemade spiced Ketchup and some pimento cheese for good measure. The roasted garlic mayo was rich and velvety with a mellow garlicky kick, the homemade spiced ketchup had just the right amount of heat and sweetness, and the pimento cheese - as always - was creamy, tangy, and totally perfect. If you’re a fry lover, this is the kind of side that makes the meal.



If you haven't been, what are you waiting for?



Grade: A

"Located inside the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the iconic Indian Pueblo Kitchen offers guests an unforgettable Indigenous dining experience that showcases our creative, Native American culinary artistry and celebrated Pueblo hospitality. Indian Pueblo Kitchen is owned and operated by New Mexico’s 19 Pueblos and proudly features the flavors of our Native communities in homemade stews, fresh breads, bakery items and savory sauces. Our creations are inspired by historical Pueblo traditions and recipes and utilize ingredients such as red and green chile, blue corn, and our harvest of fresh local produce and spices. At IPK, each dish is prepared with care by a team of Pueblo heritage. Our staff’s culinary talents, passion, and traditions are part of the rich cultural experience that guests from around the world enjoy when they visit the IPCC," reads the website.



I started with a Pueblo Stew with fry bread. I opted for the Red Chile Beef Bone Posole, which was very beef forward.



For my main entree, I went with Monte Cristo - Pueblo oven bread battered and deep fried with Swiss and cheddar cheese, roasted turkey, and ham. Plated on red chile infused raspberry preserves and triple berries. Lovely.



Pueblo potato salad was a bit different than a typical potato salad, but I didn't hate it.



Mostly, I just felt really lucky to be able to enjoy this cuisine. This isn't something that is mainstream in my region, so it was exciting to be able to experience a bit of this culture through food.



Grade: A

Everything is bigger in Texas, so they say, right? That's the case with 72 oz. steak that can be found at The Big Texan Steak Ranch & Brewery in Amarillo, Texas.



"In 1960, R. J. “Bob” Lee opened The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo Texas on Route 66, the “Mother Road”. It’s distinctive architecture soon became recognized across the Mother Road as a good stopping place for great steaks grilled over an open flame. The Big Texan is famous for the FREE 72oz steak challenge, which includes eating a salad, baked potato, shrimp cocktail and 72 ounces of beef!" reads the website.



Everything about this place is larger than life. The decor, the personalities, the menu. It's a bit of a spectacle and quite entertaining if you've been driving across the endless Texas landscape for days. At this point, I certainl had a Big Texan appetite.



"The Big Texan feeds almost half a million people each year from all over the world. It has been featured in countless TV shows, movies, magazines, and newspapers throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia. Countless movies and sit-coms have featured or parodied the World Famous FREE 72-oz. steak dinner (if eaten in 1 hour)," reads the website.



I wasn't leaving this place without a steak of my own. Not a 72 oz. one, but a perfectly reasonable 10 oz. filet.



Actually, it was served as two 5-ounce filets, plus two sides, rolls and butter.



I opted for macaroni & cheese, as well as green chili cream corn.



Plus a fruit punch, because that is one of the ultimates in beverages.



The steak was really good. I asked for medium, and it was done perfectly. That might be a perk to making hundreds - thousands? - of steaks every day. Warm, pink center. Moist. Delicious. And, you know how folks always say - if it's a good enough steak, you don't need sauce. I am firmly sinking my heals in the fact that simply everythign is better with sauce. A really great steak? Even better with some A1.



The mac & cheese and green chili cream corn were both solid. Nothing too out-of-the-box here, but a good straightforward version. The cream corn did have a bit of a kick to it, which I enjoyed.



Would you put this on your roadtrip itinerary?



Grade: A

Starvin' Arvin's is a restaurant on the West End of Huntington that features comfort food in a fast environment.



Think spaghetti with meat sauce, pot roast with vegetables, open faced roast beef sandwich -- all at a place with a pick-up window. Is this a dream?



I enjoyed chicken & dumplings - hand-pulled rotisserie chicken immersed in a rich, savory chicken gravy with fluffy dumplings for a comforting, homestyle meal. Soul satisfying.



Mac & cheese - this was okay. A little bland for me. Give me some more flavor.



Meatloaf - a classic blend of seasoned ground beef and pork, baked to a savory finish and topped with a sweet and tangy glaze. Nostalgic favorite for me.



All washed down with a fresh strawberry lemonade, which hit the spot. Delicious.



Grade: A

Sergio's Cucina Italiana & Steaks is a newer restaurant in Hurricane that I visited with two of my closest friends, Elena and Amanda, when it first opened.



This restaurant is one of several from the namesake owner, who also owns the Guadalajara restaurants. But, the specialty for this location is specifically Italian fare and steaks. And I had set my sights on Italian.



I started with a minestrone soup, which I wasn't crazy about. But the warm breadsticks with parmesan were fluffy and buttery.



I built my own trio with the following:

Meat lasagna - layers of hearty ground beef, creamy ricotta, and Parmesan cheese, all nestled between sheets of pasta and smothered in rich tomato sauce and baked to perfection.

Chicken parmesan - breaded chicken cutlet served over a bed of spaghetti pasta and topped with rich marinara sauce.

Fettuccine rosa - A delectable blend of marinara and house-made Alfredo sauce tossed with fettuccine, served with tender chicken.



The meal was so comforting and filling - it's impossible not to enjoy it. The flavors were not anything I haven't had before, but they were tasty. Carbs are my love language.



Grade: A