Honey Baked Ham has always been an afterthought for me. I don't think I have ever intentionally sought out this restaurant; I have only had it as part of a catering order or because it was the only option. But that all changed recently.



Maybe Gen Z is more hip to hidden gems, because several younger coworkers have proclaimed their enjoyment of said restaurant. So, I made an intentional decision to check out the Charleston location.

While it is a chain, there aren't many locations in West Virginia. They are best known for their full-size hams, which are ideal for holiday dinners. But they also serve sandwiches for lunch.



I ordered a ham salad sandwich with a side of the broccoli bliss salad and potato salad. The sandwich comes with lettuce and tomato on multigrain bread.



The sandwich was actually really tasty. The ham salad is sweet, but in a complementary, salty, porky way. The broccoli salad added some nice crunch, but, of course, was also sweet. And the potato salad was a nice salty, creamy addition.

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this meal. It is a bit on the pricier side for a chain, but it is something different, and I appreciate that.



Grade: A

All of a sudden, there are 1 billion chicken tender restaurants in Morgantown. I may be exaggerating a little bit, but I may as well check them out. Layne's Chicken Fingers is the first one on my list to visit.



"Hatched in 1994 Layne's is Famous for our Hand Breaded Chicken Tenders, Golden Crinkle-Cut Fries, Texas Toast, Gourmet Milk Shakes and Layne's Sauce," reads the website.



I tried the standard chicken fingers, fries and special sauce. The chicken fingers are good quality white meat with a thick fried breading. they do come in a spicy version, which probably would've had more flavor. The special flavor is relegated to the sauce, which the signature is a standard ketchup-mayo blend. The fries are thick and very potato-y. I like mine thin and super crispy. But they were fine. There was also a slice of Texas toast - I would love if this came with a really cool butter. This whole meal was fine. It wasn't super exciting or different, but it was solid and probably is ideal for families with kids who don't want big bold flavors, but instead want mild reliability.



Grade: B

West Virginia is woefully lacking when it comes to bagels. So, when I travel, bagels are often at the top of my list to seek out during breakfast. On one of my most recent travels, I didn't even need to wait til my destination to get my bagel fix. Right at the Pittsburgh airport was Bruegger's Bagels.



"Everyone knows that New York City is the home of the best-tasting, most authentic bagels anywhere. So when the idea for Bruegger’s was born in 1983, the first thing we did was head for the Big Apple.

We learned the time-honored, traditional methods that had made New York famous for bagels such as kettle-cooking the bagels before baking them in a real stone hearth oven. We spent two and a half years working with a professional bagel baker to perfect our recipe and process. Then we set off on our mission to introduce the authentic taste of New York-style bagels to the rest of America.

Our neighboring state played an important role, too. Real, made-in-Vermont cream cheese provides the smooth, delicious foundation for a dozen unique blends you’ll find only in our bakeries. From Onion & Chive to Jalapeño to Bacon Scallion, there’s a spread to complement every bagel — and fulfill every craving.

Now in our 35th year, Bruegger’s Bagels operates nearly 260 bakeries nationwide. Our menu has grown to include sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, garden-fresh salads, hearty soups, desserts and custom-roasted coffee — but the essence of Bruegger’s hasn’t changed. We’re still committed to serving genuine, New York-style bagels and real, made-in-Vermont cream cheese," reads the website.



I love a lox bagel with cream cheese, capers, and red onion. Your seatmate might not appreciate it, but the combo is just *chef's kiss*. Bruegger's version on this particular visit was OK. I don't love the tomato on it because it's usually a bit lifeless and mealy. The bread and salmon were both good, though. It was still a treat to me.

There are a few things in life better than pasta. I have made my love for macaroni and cheese well-known, but I love pastas and all shapes and forms and topped in different sauces. That's why the fast-casual restaurant Noodles & Company caught my attention.



This chain restaurant is primarily found in larger metro areas, so I don't believe there is a location in West Virginia. I happened upon this location while in Virginia with my friend Kayla.

The menu features international and American noodle dishes, as well as soups, salads, and pasta: mac & cheese, spaghetti, pad Thai, roasted garlic creamy tortellini, Japanese pan noodles, chicken parmesan, and more.



I wanted to try everything, but I landed on the roasted garlic cream tortelloni: Cheese-filled tortelloni in light roasted garlic & onion cream sauce with zucchini, mushrooms and spinach finished with MontAmoré cheese and parsley. I also ordered some of the Korean barbecue meatballs, which are sweet and spicy with gochujang.



I was happy with my pasta dish, which did not have the beautiful al dente pasta that you might expect with a sit-down restaurant, but it also wasn't totally void of texture. It was somewhere in-between. The sauce was rich and creamy, but a bit too thin. The meatballs were not my favorite, as that texture was more difficult for me to get over. More on the spicier side than the sweet side, which surprised me. Overall, a fun find.

Wawa is an American chain of convenience stores and gas stationa in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Florida that has a cult following.



We have Sheetz loyalists. The West has Buc-ee's. And the Northeast has Wawa. What makes places like this special? For starters, they have both grab-and-go food, as well as made-to-order food.



At Wawa, they have breakfast, subs/hoagies, salads, bowls, soups, sides, snacks and ice cream. I ordered an Italian hoagie. I love a cold Italian hoagie from a convenience store. It's actually one of my all-time favorite sandwiches.



Fun fact: "Our Logo: "Wawa" is a Native American word for the Canada Goose that was found in the Delaware Valley over 100 years ago. Our original Dairy farm was built on land located in a rural section of Pennsylvania called Wawa. That's why we use the goose on Wawa's corporate logo."



A classic white sub bun with ham, salami, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, vinaigrette. Get outta here. Classic cold cut sandwich for a reason. It's yummy.



Grab a bag of chips, candy and a drink, and you have a standard gas station meal considered elite in some circles (mine). Have you been?

"Frisch's Big Boy is a regional Big Boy restaurant chain with headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. For many years a Big Boy franchisee, in 2001, Frisch's became the exclusive owner of the Big Boy trademark in Indiana, Kentucky, and most of Ohio and Tennessee, and is no longer affiliated with Big Boy Restaurant Group ... Frisch's is the oldest, longest surviving regional Big Boy operator, excluding Bob's Big Boy in California, which was the original Big Boy restaurant and franchisor," according to Wikipedia.



I remember there being a Big Boy restaurant near me growing up in the Northern Panhandle. I remember liking the statue outside, so the restauranr has always been fascinating to me. I don't know that I have seen any Big Boy locations left in West Virginia, but when I was traveling, I did find one in Ohio that I wanted to check out. The cluster of Big Boy restaurants in this area were all owned by one franchisee, who did things his own way.



"His double-deck Big Boy hamburger was slightly different than Wian's. Dave Frisch also created his own Big Boy character: a thinner boy with reddish or blond hair, wearing striped rather than checkered overalls, presented in a running or skipping pose," according to Wikipedia.

"Most Frisch's Big Boy restaurants still display statues from this design, albeit usually repainted with brown hair and checkered overalls. In 2017 a redesigned statue resembling the West Coast Big Boy was introduced."



The Big Boy is essentially the first Big Mac - a double-decker burger with a special sauce. Though, thd burger served at Frisch's is slightly different than those at other Big Boy restaurants. The original Big Boy hamburgers had mayonnaise and red relish. Frisch later replaced these with tartar sauce and added dill pickles in his version ... "The use of tartar sauce on Frisch's Big Boy hamburgers wasn't simply a matter of taste. Frisch recognized the use of a single combined condiment was simpler and faster. Later the Big Boy system adopted the idea, using the combined form of red relish and mayonnaise, commonly known as thousand island dressing, on Big Boy hamburgers."



So, I ordered the big boy cheeseburger, which came with two thin beef patties placed on a three-layer bun with lettuce, a slice of American cheese, and thousand island dressing. It was great! This dressing-burger combo is clearly a winning one because many restaurants have adopted the concept. A little sweet, a little tang. It adds a special zip to a burger. Mac & cheese and a strawberry shake completed this meal, and both were top notch.

The collective of Charleston has lost its ever-loving mind when it comes to Crumbl Cookies. Weeks after it opened, there were still lines out the door at all times of day and night. When they finally opened online carryout orders available in the next day or two, I placed an order for a party box. That is 12 cookies for those counting.

If you're not familiar with Crumbl Cookies, it is a national chain that features large cookies in a handful of flavors that rotate each week. Last week when I visited these were the options available:

- HONEY CAKE FT. TEDDY GRAHAMS®
- CHOCOLATE MALLOW CUPCAKE
- PEANUT BUTTER FEATURING SNICKERS®
- CLASSIC PINK SUGAR
- MILK CHOCOLATE CHIP



My favorite of the bunch was the peanut butter cookie that had a Snickers topping. it wasn't as cloying as I thought it could be because that peanut butter cookie served as a good base. The others were OK, but I've had some better ones locally. They are a bit pricey, so I'm curious what folks think.

Dutch Bros Coffee is a popular coffee shop mainly with locations more west. While I was in Phoenix, I stopped a few times to try a few different drinks. The drive-thru chain always had a line wrapped around the building.



They have coffee drinks, fruity drinks, teas, energy drinks and snacks, too. I first tried a frozen strawberry lemonade, which was beautifully tart and sweet, too. I also tried the Caramelizer - a blended caramel mocha. This was equally as tasty if you're going for the roasty, caffeinated pick-me-up.



Grade: A

While I generally try to visit restaurants that are locally owned, I do get excited when I find a regional chain restaurant or even one that just isn't available locally so that I can try it out. That is the case with Del Taco.



Del taco can be found in many states, but West Virginia isn't one of them. They are in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington. So when I made a recent road trip and needed a quick bite to eat near a Del Taco, I stopped to get a Tex-Mex fix.



The menu is fairly similar to other restaurants of this type: soft tacos, quesadillas, nachos, burritos and hard tacos. I did not take the best photo here, but I was excited to see a crispy fish taco because that's not one common on the menu at Taco Bell or other local chains. So it had shredded cabbage beer battered fish, pico de gallo and a sauce. I don't need to do an official review here because many people are probably already familiar with this restaurant, but I did enjoy my taco. You can see here that there is not a ton of fish, but I do prefer cabbage to lettuce on a soft taco so that was great and the sauce added a little extra oomph. Not bad for a fast food taco especially one offering fish as an option.

I’ve never been to a Church’s Chicken until this past year. There aren’t any - to my knowledge - in West Virginia, and while traveling, I like to try local places. 



But I found myself hungry in the southern part of the country and a Church’s nearby. The fast food chicken company features fried chicken, chicken strips, chicken sandwiches and sides like fries, corn, okra, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes and cole slaw. Bonus: banana pudding! 



I ordered a simple chicken tender box with honey biscuits and jalapeño poppers. I was mostly thinking about what could be the least messy to consume while driving. 



So, my major takeaways were this: The strips were not super moist, and the batter was not especially crisp. But was it a solid tender I’d be happy to chow dow on? Without a doubt. Biscuit was a bit too dry, and the jalapeño poppers were fine. 



I think folks gravitate toward whatever chicken chain they grew up with - whether that’s Popeyes or KFC or Raising Canes or what have you. For my money, Dairy Queen has my favorite chicken strip basket. 

Jollibee is, I think, the best fast food restaurant.



It is a Filipino restaurant that has locations sprinkled throughout the United States, and I was excited to learn of a location nearby in Arizona when I was visiting my friends Kaitee and Josh.



Let's start with easily the most adorable mascot: this little jolly bee - get it? This little buddy is so cute; it has its own dance illustrated on the walls. 



So, the interior is like any other fast food set-up. You order at the counter, await your number and pick up your food. Then, you can pick a booth or table to enjoy it. 



The food ranges from fried chicken buckets to burgers to spaghetti to palabok fiesta, which is a traditional Filipino noodle dish covered in garlic sauce, sauteed pork, shrimp and egg.



"Among the establishment's best sellers are the Yumburger,[17] the house hamburger first introduced during their early days of operation; the Chickenjoy,[18] a fried chicken meal introduced in the 1980s which comes in both regular and spicy versions; and Jolly Spaghetti, a Filipino sweet-style interpretation of spaghetti, which is being advertised as "the meatiest, cheesiest spaghetti". (The Jolly Spaghetti resembles that of Italian spaghetti, with its blanket of ragù, but under the ground beef are pieces of hot dog and ham.)[15]" 



Let's start with that Yumburger - it's a fairly small burger with their signature dressing and cheese on a fresh bun. That special sauce is kinda like a mayo/ketchup combo that gives it a creamy, sweet kick. It was tasty and just whet my appetite. Because there's more coming.



The spaghetti! It was sweet! It had hot dogs! It reminds me of something I would have made growing up - all the standard ingredients in an Appalachian household. I like this better than 90% of other spaghettis I've ever had. Typically I prefer a different noodle for a pasta dish. This was great and fun and tasty, and I love that it's from a fast food restaurant.



Finally, the palabok fiesta. While it may not photograph the best, it wasn't wanting for flavor. It had just a couple tiny shrimp, slices of hardboiled egg and a chunky sauce that had a little tang, a little sweet and a little bit of heat. It was such a nice, flavorful dish for a fast food restaurant. 



At this point, I was beyond stuffed. But Kaitee got an ube pie that I needed to take a small bite of. Think McDonald's apple pies - but ube! Ube is a purple yam that's sweet and made sweeter when it's in pie. Not to mention, it's bright purple. Delish and fun.



My takeaway: If you are near a Jollibee - go! I don't grade fast food chains. But, I think my endorsement speaks for itself.