Holy Smokes BBQ in Ceredo has made a name for itself for being pretty dang tasty. It took me a minute to get over to the area, but I finally did.

And while they have BBQ in their name, they also have a ton of other enticing options on their menu, like burgers, philly cheesesteaks, and meatloaf. On this overcast day, I asked what soups they had. The conversation went something like this:

Server: White bean, chicken tortilla and chicken & dumpling.
Me: I'll take chicken & dumpling.
Server: Do you want the two sides with it - green beans and potatoes?
Me: With soup?
Server: Well, we call it soup.
We stare at each other. The girls laugh to one another. I say OK to end this awkward transaction.

What I got was a plate of chicken and dumplings - which was very good. I loved the dumplings, the gravy, the potatoes and the roll. It was a very strange interaction.
 
Grade: A

Have you heard of the indoor gun range/restaurant combo in Huntington? It's called Bare Arms Indoor Range, and the accompanying restaurant is Bombshell Burgers & BBQ.

Sara and I decided if we were going to visit, we might as well try our hand at the gun range, too. So, we donned our ear protection and eye protection and headed inside to with a box full of ammo for a .380

We both had our own targets and did OK. I think if needed, we could hit our targets. We just probably don't want to be too far away.

After an hour or so, we were ready to get our grub on.

So, we headed next door and had a seat while we looked over the menu, which features BBQ, burgers, pizzas, salads, tacos and sandwiches.

Ultimately, I went with a "Juicy Lucy" burger and a side of corn fritters.

The burger was stuffed with Swiss cheese, topped with grilled mushrooms, lettuce, tomato and onion.

The corn fritters were closer to large cornbread triangles.

Both were decent. I wish there was actually some cheese in the center, rather than melting out. And more seasoning would've helped.

Sara ordered an antipasto salad, which was "A selection of fresh greens, onions, tomatoes, pepperoni, ham, black olives, banana peppers, shredded mozzarella cheese with a house vinaigrette dressing and topped with fresh hot pork rinds."



Overall, not bad. Definitely a different atmosphere and something different from the regular meal out.

Grade: C

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em BBQ is located right in Black Sheep Harley-Davidson.

The BBQ restaurant has a diner-esque vibe and is located in its own section of the building. So I walked briefly through the showroom and made it to the restaurant.

After seating myself, I looked over the menu and decided on the pulled pork sandwich platter with potato salad and macaroni & cheese.

After just a few moments, my dish was served piping hot. It was a decent plate of BBQ - standard. The BBQ I chose was regular, and it had just a tiny bit of kick to it. The potato salad and mac & cheese's flavor fell a bit flat. Not bad, not too exciting.


Grade: B

Rounding out my trio of brand-new BBQ spots in Charleston is Smoked Up, Sauced Out.

Located in South Charleston, this restaurant replaced Lem's Meat Varnish - but it is still selling their sauces. 


It is takeout only, which I didn't realize, so make sure you have somewhere to go to chow down on your lunch.

For my entree, I went with pulled pork nachos and got sides of the tangy gold, and sweet & smokey BBQ. I think putting the actual BBQ on this will make it a bit saucier and delicious, but this was still solid. I wouldn't hate the cheese to be melted and more sour cream. But not bad.

Grade: B

All of a sudden, there's an influx of BBQ into Charleston. I mentioned the new counter service spot in the mall. And, now, there's Danny's BBQ Stand - from the former mayor of Charleston.

Located on Quarrier Street, the restaurant is plastered with momentos and memories from Danny and seats a handful of tables.


The menu features ribs, BBQ sandwiches, salads and a couple sides. It's a small menu that's reasonably priced.

The ribs appear to be the best-seller so far, so I ordered those, with sides of baked beans and cole slaw. I'm typically not a baked beans fan, but I wasn't sure of another side and decided to give it a go.

The meal was plated right in front of me, and I was on my way back to the office to dig in. 

Ribs aren't typically my BBQ of choice. But these... were really good. They were so tender that I could use my fork - and not get messy. The BBQ was smoky and just a touch sweet.

The baked beans were surprisingly good, too. Maybe I'm just becoming accustomed to them. The slaw was standard.

Though I know some folks are either excited considering the former mayors politics or not so much, I just wanted to check out the food. And I think you might like it, too.

Smokin' Barnyard is a new restaurant in the food court at the Charleston mall. Serving up bbq staples, the restaurant features chicken, brisket, pulled pork and burgers.

While on my lunch break, I stopped by to check it out. It wasn't too busy, but it was clear they were still getting the hang of things. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich with slaw. I must have missed the BBQ sauce, so mine was a bit dry - save for the cole slaw.

Overall, the sandwich was fairly average with a mixture of fatty pieces and meat. Next time, I'll be sure to hunt down the BBQ.

Grade: C

My friends from out of town were driving through the area, so we stopped along their way for a bite to eat and found ourselves at The Barnyard BBQ in Milton.

This is actually the third (and final!) location of theirs I've tried. They have a fun, kitschy barnyard theme so there are pig and cow decorations sprinkled throughout. 

The menu has wings, sandwiches, pizza, BBQ and homestyle dinners, too.

But I decided to mix things up a little bit. I made a combo of an appetizer and the BBQ: Pulled pork cheese fries with onion, nacho cheese, sour cream and ranch.

They serve up three different kinds of BBQ: a vinegar-style, a mustard-based and a sweet and tangy. I slathered the latter two on my fries and went to town.

All around, pretty average. What's your favorite thing here?

It's always fun to discover a new restaurant - for me, at least. And on one of my most recent trips to Morgantown, I stumbled upon Uncle Mike's Bar-B-Que.

Located in Westover, this BBQ restaurant once started as a hot dog cart - called Summertime Hot Dogs - and has now expanded to include pulled pork, brisket, smoked kielbasa - and hot dogs.

While I do love pulled pork, I think you can almost get a better feel for a place by trying the brisket because it requires a certain finesse. So I went with a brisket platter with sides of Mike's Mountain Man Beans and potato salad (forgot my cornbread, so I'll have to try that next time).


The flavor of the brisket was great. There were some burnt end pieces of bark, which were nice. Admittedly, the owner said the trainees need a bit more work with slicing the brisket. But as long as it tastes good, I'm happy. And those pork & beans had a bit of heat, but they were good. The potato salad was tasty, too, though those carrots are a bit crunchier than I'd like. Overall, a good plate.

Barnyard BBQ has three restaurants in the area: Cross Lanes, Hurricane and Milton. I visited the first. This is my second. And the third is still on my list.

Well,  I had ordered ahead and picked up - but took in all the crazy scenery while here.

It's certainly a fun environment with neon signs, giant roosters, and other creative decorations all around.

But I ordered corn fritters, pulled pork sandwich and sides of potato salad and cole slaw.

Just look at this place.



Have you been here?