I have visited Sugar Shenanigans in a few different capacities: their original location, an expanded location, and now their newest move. This candy shop is the closest thing that the Kanawha Valley has to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Some of my favorite purchases include those peelable gummy candies. There are so many different types of fruit here: mango, pineapple, peach, grape, orange, lemon, etc. I also love the international candy bars, specifically Cadbury from the UK:

Cadbury Twirl – Two chocolate fingers made of delicate, flaky milk chocolate

Cadbury Wispa – Aerated chocolate with a bubbly texture inside a smooth chocolate shell

Cadbury Flake – Extremely crumbly folded chocolate layers (famously used in ice cream cones)

Cadbury Crunchie – A honeycomb toffee center coated in milk chocolate

Cadbury Double Decker – Layers of chewy nougat and crispy cereal covered in chocolate

Cadbury Curly Wurly – Thin lattice of caramel coated in chocolate, known for its long twisted shape

Cadbury Picnic – A chunky mix of peanuts, caramel, nougat, biscuit, and puffed rice in chocolate I picked up a variety of sweets to take home with me:

Haribo Maoam - A chewy fruit candy stick that’s very soft and taffy-like. It’s intensely sweet with bold artificial fruit flavor and the texture of a stretchy Starburst.

Mackintosh’s Creamy Toffee - A classic British chewy toffee. It’s buttery, rich, and dense with a slow melt that sticks pleasantly to your teeth. Joyva Joys (Chocolate Covered Jelly) - A chocolate-coated fruit jelly bar similar to a chocolate-covered gummy. The center is bright, sweet jelly with a thin milk-chocolate shell.

Nestlé Mirage - A Canadian chocolate bar made from aerated milk chocolate. It’s light and bubbly inside, giving it a delicate, melt-fast texture similar to a Wispa or Aero.

Annabelle Candy Company Rocky Road - A thick bar packed with marshmallow and roasted cashews, all held together with chocolate. It’s chewy, crunchy, and very sweet.

Chase Candy Company Cherry Mash - A Midwestern classic with a soft cherry fondant center surrounded by chopped peanuts and chocolate. It tastes like cherry cordial mixed with a peanut cluster. I also picked up a Universal Yums box for Sweden. I used to have a subscription for these but canceled it after I felt like the value wasn't there. But after trying all these Swedish goodies, I fell back in love and restarted my subscription. Have you seen those viral fruit pastries all over the internet? Also known as "tromp l'oeil" (French for 'deceive the eye'), the desserts are fruit-shaped mousse cakes with a hard, crunchy white chocolate shell, fruit filling and a cake base. Sugar Shenanigans had those, too! I tried raspberry, mango, lemon & Ferrero Rocher. What's your favorite purchase from here?

Cattlemen’s Roadhouse is a casual steakhouse restaurant the Nitro area; it is not affiliated with the CattlemAn's Roadhouse chain based in Kentucky. It features a large wooden bar area encircled with high-back red chairs. The dining area has booths and tables, wood-tone finishes and classic American steakhouse décor. I started with "Roadhouse Rolls" and cinnamon butter. Wonderful and warm. I ordered the "Roadhouse filet" medium - "our most tender and flavorful cut. seasoned and grilled to order." Plus sides of green beans and macaroni & cheese.

The steak is mild, with a simple seasoning that lets the meat’s natural flavor come through; cooked medium, it’s tender with a soft, pink center and a lightly charred exterior. The green beans are straightforward and savory. The macaroni & cheese is creamy and comforting, leaning more toward classic diner-style than sharp or complex. Grade: B

Sugar Shenanigans is a local candy and sweets shop currently located in Nitro.



It became very popular when it began offering Dubai bars, which are chocolate bars filled with creamy pistachio and crispy kataifi pastry (shredded phyllo dough, used in Middle Eastern desserts) and was made popular via TikTok.



The shop carries many more trendy candies made popular by social media, as well as some made by other local vendors.



Here are some of those:



Sunrise Bakery - fudge.



Cerealsly Delicious - various flavors of chex mix.



Rise Appalachia - donuts.



Others include M&M Farms and Kara's Sweet Treats.



Some of my favorite purchases include a sweet advent calendar, with a different treat each day.



I also made my own chocolate bar here, which was not only fun, but also delicious.



And this isn't the only place you can get their goodies.



The business also has an outpost at Go-Mart Ballpark. They are open every night of Light The Night, and they even have some different selections here. Soon, they'll be moving into yet another new location. So, another excuse for me to check it out!

Coffee With A Twist is a Christian-based coffee shop that features pretzels on Main Avenue.



They offer a variety of beverages, including lattes, mochas, chais, smoothies, dirty sodas and more.



Food options include pepperoni rolls, pretzels, hamwiches and more.



On my visit, I did a plain pretzel and a blondie to drink. Both serviceable. Decent flavor, but no extra *pop* to make it stand out.



Have you been?



Grade: B

Bake My Day is a macaron shop in Nitro. I've enjoyed macarons from Bake My Day prior to them having a storefront, so I knew I was in for a treat.



"We don’t just have macarons! Stop by for a cup of coffee, check out our huge free selection of used books, and browse goods and wares from local WV vendors! We also host monthly beginner crochet classes, have macaron making parties, live music, a monthly plant swap, arts and crafts events, and much more! We’re a great place if you want to come hang out with friends, find a quiet place to work on your laptop or have a meeting, and we even host private parties!" reads the website.



French macarons are an art, and they are a practice in precision. So, I'm always impressed when people can get that perfectly chewy interior. Signature flavors here include chocolate, bananas foster, caramel macchiato, coconut, cookies & cream, dreamsicle, funfetti, lavender lemonade, lemon, peanut butter & jelly, pistachio, strawberry, plus plenty more seasonal flavors.



I have enjoyed peanut butter & jelly, funfetti and cookies & cream most recently. Just a slight crisp and then chewy interior. Plus feet (the little edges) are key to good ones.



This shop also carries other goodies from home bakers, like Tastes Like Heaven cotton candy. Doesn't cotton candy just always feel like a treat? I'm used to only enjoying it at special events so this makes everything feel a bit more special.



Grade: A

Shima's Family Restaurant is a unique, creative restaurant that features classuc homestyle dishes in addition to "oriental" dishes that have Asian inspiration.



I have ordered takeout from them when they were in a prior location, so I decided to dine in at their newest space on Bank Street in Nitro. It's a fairly narrow and long space with corrugated steel walls. It almost has a diner vibe, but the atmosphere certainly feels comfy.



I ordered the "Chef Special," which lists the description as simply whatever the chef decides to cook up. Sold. I was asked my preferred spice level, and I responded, "none essentially" and, they took it from there. The next thing I know, I receive a beautiful plate full of a variety of delicious bites.



Egg roll. Crab puff. Wings. Chicken lo mein. It was like a variety platter from Heaven, and every single bite was delicious. From sweet and savory to more sour and umami, the flavors of the dish hit all the points, and it was like all the best parts of a buffet. It was a surprise, it was fun to try, and it was all so good.



Grade: A

There's a new restaurant in Nitro that is serving up some monster portions. 1st Place Cafe is a small spot at the corner of 1st and 2nd avenues with dark windows with a handful of parking spots out front.



The interior has maybe a dozen tables sprinkled throughout the space, a couple TVs and the singular neon menu board that lists the options for the day. 



As soon as I walked in, the kinda gentleman running the show that day came out to explain each individual menu item to me - and he did so for each group that walked in. The menu boiled down to burgers, a chicken sandwich and a hot dog that all came with a heaping pile of fries. Drinks are extra.



I went with a cheeseburger, which he had explained is not just ground chuck - but sirloin. I also added a side of the blue cheese sauce he mentioned was developed as part of the chicken sandwich. But, I thought it could be a great dipping sauce for those fries. 



After a short wait, my order was up, and I whisked it away to the car to hurriedly unwrap my meal. The burger was wrapped in paper with a pick in the center to keep it all together. I'm not joking when I say I think this is the largest burger I've ever had in my life. Initially, I thought I could eat it while driving to my next errand. But upon seeing the size, there was no physical way that was going to happen.



Let me try to break it down - the burger is very wide. It's a two-handed experience at best, a fork-and-knife experience more likely. It has a large fluffy bun and a salad's worth of lettuce, tomato, onion and fresh pickle atop a hefty burger patty. There's cheese and mayo and mustard and ketchup and they are not skimpy on any of those ingredients. They combine to make a tangy sauce that just dripped with every bite. It was fresh and flavorful and like a tasty backyard BBQ burger on steroids. 



The fries are softer with a ton of seasonings - including a cajun spice that gives it a little kick. I wouldn't hate mine being more crisp, but the flavor is still good. I enjoyed dipping mine in the blue cheese dressing. This could easily be two meals - but I'm not judging if it's one.



Grade: A