This rainy day has me reminiscing about a comforting meal I had recently in Huntington at the Gumbo Stop Cafe.



The cajun and creole restaurant is located at Heritage Station and helps fill a gap in our culinary scene, which I really appreciate. Serving po'boys, jambalaya, etouffee and more, the restaurant has so many tempting offerings that it's tough to choose just one.



It's a really small space, but bright with color and smiling faces. There are only a handful of tables in here, so takeout is a safe bet. I went with the muffuletta sandwich, which has layers of pistachio-mortadella, spicy capicola, genoa salami, mozzarella, provolone, house olive salad, on sesame seed Gambino's Italian bread. 



When I had the original sandwich in New Orleans, I fell in love. So I was excited to get a version locally. And, I think it holds up pretty well! The original version was almost like compressed - there's no empty space in that sandwich. Every bit is smashed down and full of flavor. This sandwich was a touch fluffier, which makes it a bit more difficult to get a bite of all the flavors at once. BUT, that's an easily solved problem: unhinge your jaw. Quality meats, ample olive salad and a good bread make this sandwich sing. I was happy. 



I also ordered some jambalaya. The top was much soupier than I expected, but once I dug my spoon down below the surface to get some of the rice and andouille sausage, mmm-mmm was it flavorful. I mixed it all up so all those juices helped moisten the rice. Scallions make everything better. 



They even have delicious desserts. No banana pudding on this day - but an incredible (pineapple?) cake with strawberries and whipped cream was juuuust delish. 



Go, and go now.

Grade: A

There are still a couple more Gino's locations in Huntington that I need to try, but I recently marked "Walnut Hills" off my list. 



My favorite item is the pepperoni bites - so good. Topped with delicious garlic-parm and warm so the cheese oozes, these little bites are so poppable.



I was also excited to see they have breaded mushrooms - another favorite guilty pleasure. I waited a bit too long to eat these so they became a bit cool, but I still loved them - especially dipped in a horseradish saucee.

Grade: A

The Bodimers Country Store is a locally owned deli and bakery that sells Amish food goods and local hand crafted goods.



They also take pie, cookie, and tart orders.



And, there is also a lunch special of your choice of a sandwich, pizza, or cheese fries.



I did a little bit of shopping to just pick up some quick snacks. 



The roasted red pepper dip I picked up was fab-u-lous. It was like whipped and had a nice red pepper flavor that was a bit earthy but also sweet. I had bagel chips with it, and it was great.



I also had a container of pasta salad, which was tasty. When I was visiting, they did not have a lunch special, but there were still lots of other grab-and-go items if you're looking for a quick bite - plus lots of other ingredients to make delicious meals.



Have you been?

Rio Grande is a popular name for a Mexican restaurant - so much so that there are two in Huntington alone.



I recently visited the 4th Avenue location while in the area and in need of a quick bite. I placed an order online and arrived when it was due to be ready. Unfortunately, the woman working informed me there was some error, so they didn't receive it and just started working on it when I arrived.



So, I sat inside and waited some more while the order was delivered to the kitchen and fired. After some time, my dish came out. The waitress went to fill my drink... but kept looking at it... which made me uneasy. Then, she said she thought they mixed up some of the drinks - I said it was fine and to just give me a coke instead. And then, there was no plasticware to go... which made for an interesting way to eat lunch. 



So the burrito California Burrito is a flour tortilla with grilled steak, french fries, pico de gallo and cheese. And, it was okay. The interior needed crispy fries for some texture, but it was instead all mush and all tasted of oil. I dumped cheese dip on it, which can solve all things. But, I think I'll try the other location next time.

Grade: C

The Market is one of my favorite spots in Huntington. Often, I'll get a drink from one place, do a little work on my laptop, get a snack at another place, do a little work on my laptop, and so on. You get the idea.



So when there's a new restaurant in the market, I'm excited.



The Wing Place opened up within the last several months and is pretty straight-forward: They have wings. And fries. And onion rings. And funnel cake fries. But that's it.



They do have a variety of sauces, which all sounded good. I went with 6 boneless parmesan garlic and 6 boneless Carolina gold. The parmesan garlic was too dry for me. I just needed a bit more of the ~sauce~ so its not hard to choke down. The bbq, though, was tasty. The sweet, tangy wing with a dip in blue cheese adds some funk and makes for a great bite.



Grade: B

New Huntington restaurant 9th St. Diner has an old-town feel. The diner is fairly small with some counter seating, booth seating and random memorabilia on the walls. 



They serve up breakfast and lunch - and recently added dinner. The menu focuses on fries, breakfast, salads, burgers and soup. The dinner options are TBD. 



Breakfast food is not my favorite - sometimes I'm in the mood for it. But usually, I'd rather have dinner for breakfast than breakfast for dinner. So the hamburger jumped out to me - which can be topped with cheese, bacon or eggs.



I went with a burger topped with cheese, and wanted onion, ketchup and mayo but added those at home. I think those are my ideal, go-to toppings on any burger. I like a tomato, but they're so often watery and mealy. And lettuce is just too unwieldy. Ketchup adds some sweetness Mayo adds some creaminess. Onion adds some crunch. It's the perfect trifecta. And cheese is always necessary.



So let's talk about this burger. It is thin and cooked on the flat top so it gets nice and ever so slightly crunchy on the outside, which I love. And with that perfectly melted cheese, it makes for the perfect proportions. The bread is homemade and fluffy and really tasty ... but I don't know that it's the best burger bun. It's soft and not super hearty to stand up to a greasy burger. I really enjoyed them both - maybe not together. 



I also went with a side of potato salad, which was okay. Overall, it was a decent meal, and I'm excited to see what they'll offer for dinner.

Grade: B

Huntington is home to a few Gino's locations, and the most recent one I tried is on Washington Avenue. This spot, unlike many, is stand-alone restaurant without a connection to a Tudor's. 



The Huntington locations have some slightly different options, as they have a different owner. So, I always enjoy trying something I don't always see - like this chicken parmesan. It is pretty much the homestyle spaghetti with lots of mozzarella and chicken bits sprinkled on top. I wouldn't have hated a giant breaded chicken cutlet, but it was still a not bad and filling meal. Some chunks of peppers and onions makes the sauce feel homemade, and anything covered in cheese can't be too bad.

Grade: B

In terms of unique locations, the Fly In Cafe in Huntington ranks pretty highly. There aren't many places you can enjoy a drink or dinner and watch skydivers land nearby.



The restaurant is situated on the Robert Newlon Airpark, so the name of the restaurant draws on that feature and the fact that you may catch a glimpse of small aircraft taking off or landing.



After a bit of an adventure to find the restaurant, I walked inside to discover World War II and aviation memorabilia decorating the walls, the ceiling painted like the sky and small toy planes hanging above my head. 



The menu has some cute headings like "take-offs" and "parachute parts." There is a good bit of seafood on the menu, like fried oysters, peel & eat shrimp, crab cakes and more. 



I ordered the coconut shrimp with a side of carrots and fried green tomatoes. A bit random, but that's my doing - I love all these things, so why not together? 



The coconut shrimp had shreds of coconut in the breading, but it wasn't enough to combat the oily flavor of the fryer. They were just a bit over-fried, over oily, and a sauce would be nice to help cut through some of it. The carrots did provide a bit of a sweet solace. 



Grade: B

China House in Huntington is a bit nondescript, aside from the large letters outside the strip mall space. 



They offer a buffet, but I went ahead and placed a to-go order while passing through the area. 



I ordered a whole bunch of things to try - let's check them out. 



They were out of the "chicken balls," which I was excited to try. But, the other things were all pretty tasty. 



Thankfully, my boyfriend helped me finish off these items.



The eggroll was pretty average - a lot of filler, not a ton of flavor. Lots of cabbage.



The honey chicken - one of my favs - was a bit chewier than my preference, but the sauce was sweet and a bit tangy. 



The crab cheese rangoons were good - a bit lighter in color than typical. Not a deep rich, golden fried color. 



Finally, we had lobster fried rice. I really enjoy a fresh fried rice, but often when ordering it, it's fried in old oil and just permeates the entire dish. This was somewhere inbetween that. Not bad, but a bit heavy on the oil flavor. 

Grade: B