One of West Virginia's most iconic restaurants has reopened.



Secret Sandwich Society, located in Fayetteville, experienced a devastating fire several years ago that required rebuilding from the ground up. And now, they're back and better than ever.



Known for their creative takes on sandwiches and salads named after presidents and first ladies, Secret Sandwich Society has increased its space inside and outside to accommodate even more folks. It's a pretty popular place, so that is welcome news.



While this is my first visit to the restaurant since it has rebuilt, I had been to the previous restaurant many times. So, I have a good idea of some of my favorites on the menu. Though, truly, you can't go wrong.



I ordered the TRUMAN - turkey, peach jam, blue cheese spread & crispy onions on a toasted potato roll. The turkey was tender and flavorful, perfectly balanced by the unexpected sweetness of the peach jam. That little hit of fruitiness played so well with the blue cheese spread, which added a tangy, creamy bite without overpowering. And let’s talk about those crispy onions - they brought the perfect crunch and just the right amount of savory to round everything out. All of it came together on a potato roll that was soft yet sturdy enough to hold up to the layers of flavor. It’s sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy all in one bite - definitely not your average turkey sandwich. I’d order it again in a heartbeat.



Plus a side of parmesan truffle fries with a trio of dipping sauces: Roasted Garlic Mayo, Homemade spiced Ketchup and some pimento cheese for good measure. The roasted garlic mayo was rich and velvety with a mellow garlicky kick, the homemade spiced ketchup had just the right amount of heat and sweetness, and the pimento cheese - as always - was creamy, tangy, and totally perfect. If you’re a fry lover, this is the kind of side that makes the meal.



If you haven't been, what are you waiting for?



Grade: A

I recently attended an event that was catered by Hungry Bear Catering in Fayetteville. While the offerings were fairly simple - a sandwich, salad and cookie - I was impressed with the freshness of the components. Simple, but enjoyable. The salad had a base of cabbage, which I was a huge fan of. The cookie could have used more love, as it was a bit dry. Grade: B

Before it gets too cold, I gotta talk about one of my favorite foods once more: ice cream.



The Stache has long been Fayetteville's resident go-to ice cream shop. However, they moved locations fairly recently so I thought it was due time to visit them again.



They offer a variety of Hershey's ice cream flavors. The Blue Moon flavor tastes like "blue." and there is always a sorbet of some sort, which is nice and refreshing. on this particularly hot day, I went for lemon and strawberry sorbet.



There is really nothing better than sitting on their deck, watching Fayetteville buzz about, and enjoying a super cold super sweet treat. The folks here are always kind, the treats are always delicious, and I appreciate the vibe they contribute to the community.



Grade: A

I recently had the opportunity to judge Taste of Bridge Day, which was an incredible experience. I had some delicious food alongside my fellow judges:

- Main Corpse Podcast hosts Matt King and Kelsey Woods
- WV Food Guy Steven Keith
- Fellow WV Culinary Team Columnist Joy Marr
- Hilltop Coffee Owner Suzie Wiseman - WV broadcast media legend Bob Brunner

Here's what we had:





ACE: LOST PADDLE WOOD FIRED PIZZA
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- Street Corn Pizza



ANGELO'S ITALIAN SAUSAGE
- Italian Sausage Bowl Served with peppers, onions and cheese











BLACK BEAR BAKERY
- Pepperoni Roll
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Roll
- Cinnamon Roll
- Banana Pudding







CHETTY'S PUB
- Pimento Hushpuppies Served with Jalapeno Aioli and Pimento Cheese.
- Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese
- Housemade Brownie topped with Butterscotch Ice Cream





DON RIZO MEXICAN KITCHEN & CANTINA
- Quesabirria Taco with console and street corn
-Vanilla Cheesecake with Anejo caramel





HANDLE BAR & KITCHEN AT ARROWHEAD BIKE FARM
- Enduro WV Beer Brat Medallions covered in peppers, onions and curry ketchup
- WV Beer Brat Medallions covered in chili, onions, Cole slaw and spicy brown mustard





KOBE ASIAN FUSION
- Surf ’N Turf: Tempura lobster, asparagus, cream cheese, topped with filet mignon, lobster, eel sauce, scallions and black tobiko
- Red curry with shrimp or chicken and steamed rice







SMOKEY'S ON THE GORGE
- Smokey's Signature Candied Bacon
- New Orleans Inspired Smoked Gumbo Served with Dirty Rice
- Banana Bread Pudding Served with Bourbon Banana Anglaise (this was one of my favorite bites of the day. Simple but delish)







TAMARACK MARKETPLACE
- Elote cornbread - Mexican street corn cornbread with tajin lime butter
- Smoked Turkey Slider with apple butter BBQ sauce
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with maple cream cheese frosting



THE CORNER GAS 'N GRILL
- Cinnamon Bread Pudding With Vanilla Bean Sauce
- Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding (these were both incredible. I would order this again, hands down)







THE TAKE OUT
- Sushi bowl with seasoned rice, salmon, tuna, crab, avocado, edamame, cucumbers, carrots and scallions with sweet soy glaze, sriracha aioli, and crispy fried onions
- Southeast Wok-Fried shrimp covered with garlic aioli, sweet soy sauce and bacon bits
- Date Bite - Date Stuffed with Spiced Peanut Butter Smothered with Dark Chocolate and Crushed Peanuts



TWISTED SISTERZ BBQ
- Soul Taco with greens, macaroni & cheese and pork



WV BEEF JERKY
- Spicy Buffalo style or original peppered
And, the winners are:

Best Appetizer: Smokey’s pimento hushpuppies with jalapeno aioli
Best Entree: The Take Out's sushi bowl
Best Dessert: Smokey’s banana bread pudding
People's Choice: Chetty's
Highest Sales: Chetty's

One of my newest favorite restaurants in West Virginia isn't a restaurant at all. It's a food truck. Country Thai on Wheels is the modern reincarnation of the previous Country Thai restaurant in the area. Pornsawan Jumpated posts on her Facebook where her food truck is going to be each day, and she usually sells at lunch time until she's sold out for the day.



She usually offeres a handful of items each day, but you can never go wrong with anything that's on the menu. Here are just a few of the items she has offered recently:

Chicken curry with potatoes (Masaman curry)
Spring rolls
Dumplings
Pad Thai
Chicken Panang
Jalapeño Rice balls
Chicken Satay
Sweet & Sour Ribs



On the day I visited, I got a combo of pad thai, chicken curry and a spring roll. It was the perfect combination of home-cooked comfort food with fun, new interesting flavors. I also love that you get to try a little bit of everything as part of a whole meal. Don't sleep on this delicious food.



Grade: A