Grafton has the nation's longest running, continuous Memorial Day parade in the nation. This year marked the 154th annual parade, and I made a day trip up to check it out. While there, I had to get my grub on.



Olde Town Donuts, which operates out of Jerry's Restaurant, serves up standard and specialty donuts -- and they were open on Memorial Day. AND BONUS - they had both a tent set up outside and the drive-thru open. Win-win.



So, I put in an order for a half-dozen via Facebook messenger and made my way (very slowly) across town (maybe employing questionable traffic choices to get around parade traffic).



I went with strawberry, maple, s'mores, pb&j, cherry cheesecake and lemon pie. It could have been the combination of the spirit of the community event or these donuts being the first thing I ate all day - but these were really tasty. The donut itself tasted fresh with cinnamon and sugar. The toppings were plentiful - and reminded me of the mini donuts you might find from Peace, Love & Little Donuts. But, these are full sized with all the indulgent varieties. Which would you pick?



Grade: A

Tudor's in Milton was damaged in 2019 after a fire. So, when I was doing my Tudor's tour, they weren't on the list. But they recently rebuilt in the same area and reopened their drive thru. 



So, of course I needed to check them off my list - we can just leave one location out there that I haven't visited. While in the area, I went through the drive-thru.



It's clear this location is bright and shiny and new. The drive thru space is a little odd - you can't get to it from the parking lot; you have to turn on the side to get to it. It wasn't exactly intuitive for me - but navigation never is. 



My latest kick, as you probably know, is the Politician - bologna, egg and cheese on a biscuit. This was a solid version, too. It was huge, the proportions were good and the cheese was the perfect state where it was lightly melting all over everything. It was tasty.

Grade: A

Marilyn's of Morgantown is a new restaurant in Morgantown - but it's not a new restaurant concept completely. 



"Marilyn’s of Morgantown is the second location for John, Jim, & Allen. The space has been completely redesigned with a warm inviting décor, an expanded larger kitchen with fresh pasta stations, beautiful new event space, & a new patio with a built-in fire pit off of the original glass room. The Morgantown location boasts a gorgeous stone & granite bar. The warm cherry wood of the back bar perfectly accentuates the many top shelf libations that sit upon it. The bar is surrounded by high definition sound & 75” HDtvs from every seat making it the perfect location to catch the Mountaineers on game day. The Fireplace Room is cozy & inviting & always a little warmer in winter when the fire is burning. The Glass Room is a favorite for personal events or a quiet evening under the stars especially when the doors open to the new patio & the flames are lit in the stunning 10 foot fire feature. While the food at both locations is amazingly delicious the vibe at the second location was made just for Morgantown." SOURCE



Located in Northpointe Plaza, the restaurant decor seems upscale, but it still has a sports bar feel to it. There is a beautiful bar and outdoor dining, but there are also large TVs with whatever sporting event is on. 



The menu is creative, with options like buffalo chicken arancini, blackened shrimp burger, strawberry basil scallops, and more. I would love to have each and every one of those items, but I went with a delicious pasta dish:



Imported pici pasta from Florence, Italy, tossed in a rich D.O.P. dolce gorgonzola porcini mushroom cream with roasted cremini mushrooms. Topped with shaved Parmesan reggiano, cracked black pepper, black truffle oil drizzle, & then finished with fresh parsley. This was rich but tangy and so satisfying. It's one of those dishes that makes me think I could be a vegetarian, no problem. Because it's so flavorful. With a side of fresh garlic bread, the meal was complete.



Grade: A

Sip Downtown Brasserie has existed in a few different incarnations, and the most recent location change I hope is the final version because this place has nailed it. 



The wine and whiskey bar has expanded from a small space to a large, gorgeous restaurant with an inventive menu and an impeccable whiskey and wine list. 



To start off my evening, I ordered a sweet white wine flight. 



The Sweet Tooth consists of Bornos - Frizzante Verdejo (Rueda, Spain), Fritz Zimmer - Riesling (Mosel, Germany), Vietti - Moscato D'Asti (Piedmont, Italy). 



They are light and sweet and floral and very fruity. If you want your wine to be nearly as sweet as your apple juice, this is the one for you. I like sweet, so this was perfect. But depending on my mood - and meal - I go for a more dry white or red. 



First up was a cheese board. Dawn and I both got one with all the different cheeses so we could try it all (or maybe because I really wanted to try it all and Dawn is a good sport). Along with a selection of crackers, nuts, cornichons, toast and dried fruit, we sampled these cheeses:



- Mahon Reserva (Spain) Firm & slightly sharp with a paprika and oil flavored rind, made from cow's milk
- Manchego (La Mancha, Spain) A popular Spanish cheese, made from sheep's milk with a firm texture
- Beemster Extra Aged Gouda (Northern Holland) Cow's milk cheese, aged 18 months
- Whiskey Cheddar (Ireland) Kerrygold aged cheddar with Irish whiskey, made from cow's milk
- Dorothea (Holland) A unique and creamy goat gouda with basil oil and potato skins Mountain
- Gorgonzola (Italy) Delightful cow's milk blue cheese with a gentle sharpness



I could seriously live on plates like this. If I stopped here, I would've been in heaven still. But, it did get better. I ordered the housemade crab cakes (two 4 oz) with blanched asparagus and creamy sriracha remoulade sauce. 



It's a smaller portion, but it's worth it to me. Better quality ingredients and higher-end dishes with attention to flavor and detail are far more attractive to me than a giant portion of something that's just OK. This was great.



And to finish off the meal, I ordered a caramel popcorn cotton candy. How often do you get to have cotton candy?! And at a restaurant? Never. What a lovely, novel treat. 

If you're looking for a good whiskey and wine list, an upscale environment and delish food, you've come to the right place.

Grade: A

Charleston's favorite donut shop is back open - in a brand new brick-and-mortar location.



Vandalia Donut Co., which had a food truck two years ago in the area, can now be found on Tennessee Avenue in the trendy Elk City neighborhood dishing out delicious donuts under a slightly different name - The Vandalia Co. 



Right now, they're still in a soft opening phase where there is no dine-in and they're open Thursday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Expanded hours and a new menu is coming this summer. 



When I visited, there were three donut flavors: The Number 42 - Scratch-made buttermilk donut rolled in cinnamon sugar. Why the name? It took 42 tries to get it right. 



Hummingbird Cake Donut - The Number 42 with pineapple, whipped cream cheese, toasted pecan, and coconut drizzled with salted caramel banana cream sauce.



Nutella Crunch - The Number 42 topped with whipped Nutella cream, drizzled with Nutella ganache and sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts. 

I think you can tell from the photos alone that these were dee-lish-ous. But the 42 is just a classic and it's the basis for all their specialty ones. The hummingbird just screamed spring to me. And the Nutella? *chef's kiss* - so good. I already can't wait for the next specialty flavors - and to just hang out here.



EDIT 11/06/21: I finally was able to enjoy some of the lunch items they have - like this greek salad grain bowl. It was SO good. It had couscous, kalamata olives, cucumbers, spring mix, hummus, taziki, pita, a delicious lemon vinaigrette, tomatoes and feta. It was full of texture and flavor and so, so good.



Grade: A

Pressed Coffee House is a new-ish coffee shop in St. Marys that offers everything from create-your-own cold brew and smoothies to chai and lattes.



On this particular day, they had a little pop up with Rollin' In The Dough, so I was excited to try two local businesses all in one place. 



The shop is small, but cute. The counter has beautiful subway tile and a wooden top. Green plants dot the space. The menu isn't huge, but it's fairly customizable. I went with a s'mores latte, because of course I did. Chocolate, Toasted Marshmallows, and a hint of Cinnamon - classic flavors. I also ordered a banana nut muffin so I could try one of their own baked goods. All in all, it was a lovely little breakfast. And helps fulfill a need in this area.



The pop-up shop for cookies was also nice. I ordered a cookie there, and it was decorated beautifully and typical of the harder sugar cookies that are presented beautifully.



Finally, I took my goodies will me on a slow drive to Middle Island to take in the sights and see what animals I could spot!



Have you been to any of these places?



Grade: A 

I really love the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and when I'm able to make a trip out that way, I try to make the most of it. And, that often means cramming in as many restaurant visits as possible. One that I knew I wanted to make room for was Kelley Farm Kitchen.



This Harpers Ferry restaurant has been receiving a good bit of attention for its all-vegan menu - like Yelp Community's top 100 places to eat in 2021. They came in at #1. That's a pretty big honor! And, I can see why it received the honor. I called the restaurant just as soon as it opened, and it already had about an hour wait for lunch. That's OK. I put in an order at the window, left, and came back when it was ready to be picked up. 



The menu has items like ramen bowls, soups, chili, salads, subs, hoagies, brats, tacos, sandwiches, burgers, breakfast - and it's all vegan. I'm not a carnivore, by a long shot. But I do love me some cheese and butter and cream, etc. 



I ordered the "Creamy coconut ramen bowl" with zero spice, and it has a house-made broth paired with coconut milk, sliced baby portabellos and served with fresh organic greens, purple cabbage, carrot and green onion. This was different, but I can appreciate it. It's not the rich flavor I come to enjoy when dining out, but it's more light, fresh and still filling. I respect that it's filling a need - and the customer service was beyond top-notch, and the outdoor dining provide the perfect backdrop. Check it out for something different.



Grade: A

If you're like me, you may be familiar with Rocas in Charleston, but did you know Nitro has a location too (and Virginia, too!)?



I am a fan of the Rocas location in Charleston, so I was interested in trying the Nitro location with my friend Sara. One thing I have really come to enjoy is the creamy white sauce they bring out along with the salsa and chips. It's sweet, creamy, a little tangy, and wholly unexpected. 



Here's my strategy for most things in life: search out the cheese dip. So, when I came across "Arroz con Camarones" with grilled shrimp, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and rice ALL topped with cheese dip, I ordered it before I finished reading the remainder of the menu. 



Listen, you can't really go wrong in my book if the dish is covered in queso - yes, even seafood. Creamy, salty, savory delicious. Little crunch with the bell peppers and soft rice. Makes for a tasty meal.

Grade: A

For some reason, I really enjoy the short drive from Charleston to Point Pleasant. It's a scenic trip with some rolling hills, farmland and small communities.



Along that drive, there's a small red building known as Farm Fresh Favorites in front of a larger farm space. 



They offer an assortment of beef, pork and lamb, as well as jellies, jams, eggs, deli meats and cheeses. Plus, they also have sandwiches you can get made right from the deli case. That includes a pulled pork bbq, chicken salad, club sandwich (ham, turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato), turkey lovers (oven roasted or cajun, with cheese, lettuce or tomato), roast beef sandwich (provolone, lettuce and tomato) and hot dogs. 



So I went with a club sandwich with turkey, ham, tomato, mayo and cheddar. It's a good ol' fashioned sandwich that isn't trying to be anything more than it is. A simple deli sandwich that is both satisfying, simple and delicious - and stacked high with ingredients.



Grade: A