Rio Grande #9 is a casual Mexican restaurant in Hurricane's Putnam Village shopping area. The restaurant offers an extensive menu of Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes, ranging from tacos and enchiladas to fajitas, burritos and specialty platters. In addition to familiar combination dinners, the menu features dishes such as quesa-birria tacos, chorizo-filled burritos and molcajete, along with a selection of seafood and vegetarian options. I ordered the "Special Melisa," which includes one cheese quesadilla with shredded chicken served with rice and sour cream salad. The quesadilla was filled with shredded chicken and melted cheese, making for a fairly standard dish that was satisfying but not particularly memorable. Grade: B

Sips-N-Trips by MTA is a loaded tea shop slash travel agency in Hurricane. I'll be very honest -- I don't really "get" loaded tea. But, I am also not the target demographic. I don't seek out high protein or collagen-boosting or any addidtives in my drinks or food. In fact, it freaks me out a bit. I guess I'd prefer it just be ... pure? But I wanted to try it out. There are a billion different flavor combinations, which seems to be the hallmark of these shops. I went with a concoction of cherry and peach and some other flavors, plus vitamins, minerals and caffeine. No sugar. And that's the one part that threw me a bit - the artificial sweetener taste is not my favorite. Grade: C

The Valley Collective is a boutique retail shop located in Putnam Village at 499 Putnam Village Drive in Hurricane, West Virginia, featuring gifts, home décor, apparel, and products from local makers. There are a number of vendors, including: KM Designs, Soblit Refinished LLC, Appalachian Kind, Mountain Sisters Creations, A Little Hint of Home LLC, Taes Hidden Treasures, David Hager Photography, Missy’s Makings, Em’s Creations, Chef’s Signature, Kaitlyn’s Handmade Haven, BamBillow Co., Hylen Homemade, Blissful Creations, Y’allternative Revival, Fuzzy & MommaBear, KG Keychains, K-Bell Kreations, We B Fryin Snacks, Penny Blue Co., Her Corner Studio, Wild Wick Candle Co., Mountain Mini Bows, Morg’s Jewelry, Element 304, Most of Every Mile, Mother Fudger, Cheryl Tolley, Golden Hoop by Chaos & Co., Shamrock Custom Laser Engraving, Highland Blu, The Willy Nilly Pilla Factory, DyeDuo WV, Death’s Head Leatherworks, Two Peas in a Tee, Burnin’ Bills Engraving, Sugar Hive Cookies, Olive Branch Mercantile, Made With TLC, Jeannie’s Wreaths, Jennifer Gallagher Art and Sharon’s Original Oil Paintings. In addition, many were also food producers. Eslick Acres - freeze-dried candies Pops by Rachel - cake pops Pursenelly Yours Gifts - hard candies Sugar Hive Cookies Handmade hy Courtney Ardoin - sugar cookie Momma Bear's - Cajun Seasoning Grandma Stacey's Kitchen - seasoned salts Have you been?

King's Kitchen is a local restaurant and smoke shop located in both Cross Lanes and Hurricane.



In Hurricane, King's Kitchen has a whole dining area with dedicated menu that features wings, burgers, bowls and fried apps.



I ordered a number of things to try, staring with boneless wings. These were actually more so cut up chicken tenders. But the sweet, salty sauce was pretty tasty.



Then, I tried the cornmeal crusted fried green tomatoes with spring mixed and balsamic vinaigrette. I loved the vinaigrette here that added a bit of punch here, isntead of a more creamy remoulade.



We also tried the chicken southwest egg roll with spinach, black beans and corn served with spicy ranch. The outer wrapper crackled a bit more than it should have - so it was crumbling a bit before biting into it. But, the filling was flavorful.



Finally, my favorite bite was the honey hot cheese bites - lightly coated in crispy crushed pretzel and filled wiht a cheese blend tossed in hot honey over spring mix. The creamy cheesy inside with the crunchy outside - plus savory and sweet. This had me written all over it.



Grade: B

The West Virginia Cupcake Festival returned to Hurricane this weekend and brought out cupcake, vendors, food trucks and more. There were plenty of new-to-me cupcake makers like Bentley Cupcakes, Cakes by Meagan, Christal's Kitchen, The Cupcake Ranch, Betti's Sweet Treats and more. I tried Batters Up Cupcakes & Cakes' pineapple upside down cupcake, which was more just like the cupcake top. It was like a poppable little bite of sweet deliciousness. I also stopped at Sweet Bliss Bakery, where I purchased a brownie and pepperoni roll. The fudgey brownie was the best kind, and the pepperoni roll wasn't bad.

"The Putnam Farmers Market was established in 2009. All of our vendors are local, within a 50 mile radius or from West Virginia. You'll find in-season produce, locally raised meat, farm fresh eggs, home baked goods, local honey, fresh flowers, berries, handmade jewelry and crafts, and so much more from local farmers and artisans! Find something new every Saturday!"



The Putnam Farmers Market is held every Saturday from May through October. I stopped by a while back to check out all the vendors.



Here's a sampling of some vendors I've visited there:

Hope’s Harvest Farm, LLC - potatoes, tomatoes, beets, greens and more.

Amandus Family Farm - Family of four raising pigs, chickens, & goats through rotational grazing & pasture based principles.

Mountain State Fungi - Mushrooms



The Potager - tomatoes, peppers, berries and more.

Sycamore Farms & Primitives - pies, blueberry muffins, strawberry bread, garlic pull apart bread, yeast bread and rolls, cinnamon rolls and more.

WeeGreens - microgreens



Hammett Family Farm - eggs

G & G Heritage Farm - Pepperoni Rolls Mozzarella, Pepper Jack, Smoked Gruyere and Gouda, and Scorpion Gruyere and Gouda, Jams, Pineapple Upside-down Cake, Everything Bagel Seasoned Cashews and Focaccia Bread

Vibrant Mountain Lady - eggs



Crago Country Farm - plants, bread, cookies

Vine & Branches Family Farm - sunflowers, bouquets

L&L Produce - eggs, fresh strawberries, strawberry muffins, brownies



LeJa Produce - Honey, Garlic Scapes, Choi, Kale, Collards, Asparagus, Onions, Apple Butter, Zucchini Bread, Cobbler (Blackberry, Peach), Jam (Blackberry, Peach)

Fox Run Metal Works - metal yard art

Feather Ridge Farm - eggs, quail eggs, whole chicken, and freeze dried candies!

Roo’s Flower Coop - flowers

Cooper's Cottage - microbakery

The Ugly Cupcake - microbakery

Katie's Country Kitchen - baked goods

Payne's Produce - produce

Kyndall's Kitchen - baked goods

Mountain State Farm - meat

Sergio's Cucina Italiana & Steaks is a newer restaurant in Hurricane that I visited with two of my closest friends, Elena and Amanda, when it first opened.



This restaurant is one of several from the namesake owner, who also owns the Guadalajara restaurants. But, the specialty for this location is specifically Italian fare and steaks. And I had set my sights on Italian.



I started with a minestrone soup, which I wasn't crazy about. But the warm breadsticks with parmesan were fluffy and buttery.



I built my own trio with the following:

Meat lasagna - layers of hearty ground beef, creamy ricotta, and Parmesan cheese, all nestled between sheets of pasta and smothered in rich tomato sauce and baked to perfection.

Chicken parmesan - breaded chicken cutlet served over a bed of spaghetti pasta and topped with rich marinara sauce.

Fettuccine rosa - A delectable blend of marinara and house-made Alfredo sauce tossed with fettuccine, served with tender chicken.



The meal was so comforting and filling - it's impossible not to enjoy it. The flavors were not anything I haven't had before, but they were tasty. Carbs are my love language.



Grade: A

Main Street Creamery is a '50s themed diner in Hurricane that serves up burgers, shakes and more. Inside, it is decorated like an old-fashioned diner, complete with themed decor on the walls. Their version of an ice cream blended with candy pieces is called a hurricane. I thought it was funny to have a hurricane in Hurricane. So I went with the pecan pie hurricane, which include pecans, caramel and graham cracker. I fully believe that graham cracker is an underrated ice cream topping, so I certainly enjoyed this. It was definitely on the thick side though. I also tried their Smashburger, which comes with a half-pound patty, lettuce, pickle, and smash sauce. Plus, a side of onion rings. The meal was good. The burger, I wish, was a bit thinner so it got crispy on the edges. But not bad. The onion rings are homemade and huge, and that can be hard to find. Grade: B

I think I'm at the peak of my pizza fandom. Detroit-style, New York-style, artisan, make-your-own, etc. Fuel Counter allows me to combine a few of those options.



I visited the express location in Hurricane that recently shuttered and created my own pizza with fresh mozzarella, ricotta, arugula, beets, pears, prosciutto and a balsamic glaze. I'm no chef, but man did I put together a tasty pie.



I loved the different components and how they played together. The sweet balanced the salty. The tang balanced the savory. I may have went a touch overboard with too many toppings - making for a pretty hefty slice. But worth it.



Grade: A