Crafts of Coal is a local ice cream shop with several locations around the Kanawha Valley. The original concept was a food truck in St. Albans, before moving to a brick-and-mortar location in the same town. Then, they expanded to Sissonville and, most recently, Dunbar. So, I stopped at the Dunbar location to get my ice cream fix. I opted for a "Turtle Trail" cone: SEA-SALT CARAMEL ICE CREAM AND SALTY CARAMEL SWIRL. WITH CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL TURTLES SWIMMING ABOUT. The generous scoop was rich and satisfying. Creamy, a little salty and 100% indulgent. 10/10 would order again. Pro-tip: Get a cup to avoid a melty mess. And while the ice cream shop isn't known for savory bites, I got a simple hot dog with ketchup and onion that hit the spot. Grade: A

Cool Beans is a mobile coffee bar -- and so much more: teas, lemonade, and food like fried pies, funky spuds and biscuit bites. I ordered a cherry lemonade, which was flavorful, and it had these fun circular ice cubes. For a snack, I ordered the sweet corny niblets, which are like fried pieces of corn on the cob. With some southern spices & honey. This was tasty but stickyyy. Have you tried them? Grade: B

Egusi & fufu is a super popular West African dish that’s been blowing up on TikTok lately. It’s made with fufu -- a soft, stretchy dough usually from cassava -- and paired with egusi soup, a thick, hearty mix made from ground melon seeds, leafy greens, spices, and meat or fish. The soup is rich and flavorful, and you eat it by grabbing a bit of fufu with your fingers and dipping it in.



Theoo's African Cuisine serves up authentic African meals right from Dunbar. Egusi and fufu are on that lineup, as well as jollof rice and plantains. The egusi soup is thick and hearty, with ground melon seeds giving it a nutty depth, while tender chicken and leafy greens add layers of flavor. Watch for bones! The fufu, with its mashed potato-like texture, doesn’t have much flavor on its own - but that’s the point - it’s the perfect blank canvas to scoop up the soup and let those spices shine.

I saw 9290, LLC posted on Facebook that they were going to be serving up dinner plates today.

Because they are primarily a catering business, I hadn't had a chance to try much from them.

So, I jumped at the opportunity and placed an order for fried chicken, sweet mac & cheese, potato salad, honey cornbread & water. All for $17. The fried chicken was nice and crispy, but it was a bit difficult to bite through to the meat without ripping all the skin off in one go. The mac & cheese was a little sweet, which is my favorite. I could have eaten an entire box full of that. The potato salad had sweet pickles/relish, which is not my favorite. And the cornbread was OK, but the entire edge of mine was burnt so I tossed that part of it all in all, a nice comfort food meal perfect for a Sunday. Grade: B

The Dunbar Critter Dinner has been held for decades (yes, critter dinner), and I was so happy to finally attend this year. 



Held at the Dunbar Recreation Center, the dinner is available for a $5 donation or 5 nonperishable items that go to the Dunbar Food Pantry. A unique experience, a good cause, and a meal? Sign me up.



I truly wasn't prepared for the turnout. I arrived a half hour before the dinner started, and there was already a line wrapped around the building, and the parking area was nearly full. It would be another hour before I would make it to the front of the line inside to see what was on the menu. 



Here's what was on the dinner line: crawdads with corn and sausage, ground bison, elk stew, rabbit gravy, camel, yak, boar, alligator, Rocky Mountain oysters, venison, turkey, pork - plus mashed potatoes, green beans, pinto beans, cornbread, rolls, etc. 



My favorite was probably the rabbit gravy - it had a good, light flavor and since it was a gravy, it wasn't dry like some other game meats can be.



I tried a little bit of everything, but for some reason, the crawdads bother me because I just remember using them as bait to fish. It's weird.



Honestly, if you've had a frozen dinner salisbury steak meal, many of these meats aren't too far from that. Maybe a bit different texture or stronger flavor, but nothing totally out of left field.



Is there anything here you wouldn't try?



Or anything you would really like to try?

Shawnee Park recently played host to this year's Ribfest. Last year, I went the rib route. But this year, there were a few other vendors I was interested in checking out.



Nellita's Cocina - She had empanadas for sale: bbq chicken or pork. I went with the chicken, and it was delicious. Seriously good. The outside was crispy - but not oily - and the inside as moist and flavorful.



Next up is Mountain State Italian Ice. It's like a creamier version of shaved ice with a fruity flavor. 



I went with cherry, and it was a biiiig serving. And perfect for a warm day. 



Have you had Italian ice? 



My last treat for the day was Holy O's. I had just missed out on their last pepperoni roll.



But I wasn't too disappointed to get donuts instead. 



I went for six, topped with caramel. These mini donuts that are topped with something and eaten with a fork are trendy these days. I do like that they're a bit easier to eat, but I miss the slight crisp on the outside giving away to a fluffy interior. Still, can't go wrong with this sweet treat.

Cakes & Plates in Dunbar offers cakes to order and daily plates for takeout only. It's quite a range from custom cakes to seafood boils. 



I was keeping an eye on their Facebook page and waiting for a day that had some offerings I was interested in. That's what shrimp and grits was posted, and I was sold.



The space, while it has a set-up for events or dining it, it is takeout only from the kitchen. I got the shrimp and grits, as well as some strawberry cheesecake nachos. 



I've had this dish in a lot of places, so I know what I like. And, this rendition of shrimp and grits was just lacking a little bit of flavor. It was thick, and grits really need some salt and spice to keep me coming back. I did like the corn and tomatoes to offer some textural difference. It wasn't bad, but some heavier handed seasoning could really punch it up.



The strawberry cheesecake nachos had a bit of a texture faux pas with some parts of the cheesecake mixture a bit too gloopy and others a bit gritty. But, cream cheese and strawberries and cheesecake - the flavors are there.

Grade: B

Charleston Celebrity Chef Paul Smith has had a hand in opening up another new local restaurant that is receiving rave reviews.



He is one part of the team who recently opened Barkadas, and now The Pitch at Shawnee Sports Complex in Dunbar is a whole new direction.



Themed with baseball decor, The Pitch carries this theme throughout the menu - but with a bit of elevation. You'll find wings, burgers and fries alongside corn fritters with sweet potato tots with a scallion crema and pulled pork.



My first choice was the "Pepperoni Balls," which I thought would be like little cheese bites with bits of pepperoni. Oh, no, no. These are large - baseball sized - deep-fried pepperoni rolls with piping hot cheese inside and served with a side of marinara. Very tasty.



Just. look. at. that. cheese.



And, underestimating how filling my appetizer would be, I already had ordered a pizza - a Detroit-style pizza. Lefty's in Morgantown turned me onto Detroit-style, and I'm a big fan. This isn't quite the same, but good in its own right.



Grade: A

Los Agaves has a few locations in West Virginia: Charleston, Parkersburg and Dunbar.



And, you know, every so often, you get a craving for some Mexican food. The majority of these restaurants in the area have a very similar menu, so I had an idea of what I wanted already (I.e. something covered in cheese).



First up - Fiesta Rolls. Think eggrolls but with black beans and cheese. Plus some special dipping sauce. These had a good flavor, but I do wish they were a bit crisper (again, problems with takeout).



For the main meal, we split up two things. The Yolandas - which were enchiladas and the Burrito Tampico, which had mushrooms.



The enchiladas were the winner here. Flavorful, moist. And lots of cheese.



The burrito wasn't bad, but the mushrooms were overcooked. And I love me some mushrooms, but these lifeless, charred bits were not it.

Grade: B