Hilltop Coffee is one of the coolest coffee shops I've visited in recent memory.



Located in Crab Orchard, Hilltop Coffee is situated inside 'the offices at Orchard Park' which is the former Crab Orchard Elementary School and the location of Vaught Neurology.



Once you enter the coffee shop itself, it has a really cool vibe with edison bulbs, chalkboard, subway tiles - very trendy.



They offer espresso drinks, blended drinks and a unique selection of snacks and treats.



They even have coffee from White Oak Bee Company roasted in White Oak, West Virginia.



I ordered a delicious red velvet frappuccino, which was not overly sweet and had a delicious light creme flavor. 



Have you been?

Grade: A

I am always attracted to new experiences, new foods, new places to mark off my bucket list of life. So, when I stumbled upon "WV Russian Bakery" operated by a woman in Crab Orchard, I knew I wanted to try it as soon as possible.

Elizaveta Clay, a Russian native, is a baker of Russian (and other) cakes famous throughout the world. In the dessert shop you can order cakes, mini cakes, cupcakes, and other delicious desserts. I ordered a Medovik, which is a honey cake. It was tasty - and very natural tasting. It wasn't chocked full of sugary icing and artificial flavors. It was light - if not a bit sour - and good.

Some background: The founder, Merle Berkshire, was a big fan of frozen custard and would always seek out those shops whenever he would travel:

“I have always believed custard is the Mercedes of ice cream. It has a small amount of egg in it, which makes it richer and smoother and creamier. It really is premium ice cream,” Merle said in WV Living.

And as time went on, frozen custard went out of style, but there was a resurgence again in 2000. It was then when he looked to get into the business. He opened a small custard stand at his gift shop in Pipestem and then moved to the three main locations: Princeton, Beckley and Crab Orchard.

The buildings are outfitted in a retro style, complete with black-and-white checkered borders and tablecloths and neon signs. The menu reflects this style: sundaes, milkshakes, banana splits, and custard swirls - in addition to hot dogs, BBQ and grilled cheese sandwiches. One of the cooler features is that these shops actually have a rotating flavor of the week, which is always tasty.

I was en route to another location, so I only went through the drive-thru. I ordered a caramel milkshake to divert from the cone I had last time. First off, it's caramel. So, that's already a win in my book. But, this was seriously good! The roasty sweet flavor was very tasty - much better than the cones I've had here. I don't think I'll ever go back. Milkshakes fo lyfe.



Grade: A

Daniel Vineyards, located in Crab Orchard, is a winery I first learned about while at one of the wine festivals in the state. When I saw the sign for the winery driving back from a day of skiing, it was a god-send. What could be better than a glass of wine to pair with sore muscles and a chilly day?



The property is beautiful. Winding up the hill are the vineyards, and the stone building looks as though it could be the perfect venue for parties. Just picturesque.



The main building is large, and it looked as though they just had a paint and sip recently, as canvases and easels were pushed off to the side.


We made quick use of our time tried all the wines they had available: 2010 Esprit, 2013 Esprit, 2012 White and 2012 Pink were what we started with. My favorite was the 2012 white - a semi-dry white blend of Seyval, Chardonel and Esprit grapes. The red 2008 St. Vincent was good - similar to a merlot. Plus there were two dessert wines: blackberry and 2008 port. The blackberry is a top seller, so I had to get one of those.

Daniel Vineyards is a beautiful place with a handful of very tasty wines. If you're in the area, definitely give 'em a try.