Walking down the street in Shepherdstown, it was a beautiful day where shops were opening their doors and letting the sunlight tumble in. One of those shops was Grapes & Grains Gourmet.

This wine shop is lovely - walls filled to the brim with bottles, a special section for locals and even a wine tasting/cheese pairing.

Grapes and Grains Gourmet opened its doors March 2006. The owner of the store, Cheryl Gallery, started off with twelve different bottles of wine and the inventory has been growing ever since. We have a broad selection of wines from all over the world.  

With an inventory of over 2,100 different labels, we are positive we can find something you would enjoy. We have selections within all price ranges – from $4 to $200. Every Saturday, from 1-7 pm, we have wine tastings featuring affordable wines, cheeses and crackers we know you will enjoy.   

Our exceptional selection of over 800 beers can be bought by the case, the 6 or 4 packs, or by the single. The store’s very popular wall of beer where you can make your own 6 pack is a delight to beer lovers. 
Our exceptional selection of over 800 beers can be bought by the case, the 6 or 4 packs, or by the single. The store’s very popular wall of beer where you can make your own 6 pack is a delight to beer lovers. 

The “gourmet” in Grapes & Grains Gourmet is our outstanding selection of cheeses, crackers, chocolates and other food items that can enhance your enjoyment of our wines and beers.  

We at Grapes & Grains enjoy providing your personal service, like free gift wrapping. Subscribe to our weekly emails to keep up to date with our weekly tastings, beer of the month and other store happenings. Our knowledgeable and approachable staff looks forward to assisting you in making your selections.

If you're a wine lover, make your way to Grapes & Grains for a great selection.

Have you been? What's been your favorite purchase?

Blue Moon Cafe is a sweet little cafe with a sprawling outdoor seating area. The menu features sandwiches, salads, quiche, soups and desserts.

I immediately started looking at the sandwiches, and there are so many - and lots of vegan options, as well. Some of the ones I was deciding between are:

The Pilgrim | $9
maple lawn free range smoked turkey breast oven heated with brie on a ciabatta roll & topped with our cranberry aioli

The Gobbler. | $9
local free range turkey, bacon, provolone and Russian dressing heated on a kaiser roll

The Apple-acian | $8
baked granny smith apple, brie cheese, red onion and dijon mustard on ciabatta bread

Meatball Hoagie | $9
succulent meatballs and marina baked in our oven with mozzarella on a baguette

Triple B | $10
our chubby with brie, bacon, French fried onions, lettuce, tomato, & mayo with fries (ADD ON)
Chicken breast | $3 Smoked Turkey | $ 3 Avocado | $2

Lost Dog Coffee is weird. In a college-kid-going-through-growing-pains way. It's a hangout for artists, hippies, rockers and college students. There are political statements - possibly offensive - all over the walls, and odd little chachkies cluttering up the space.

But they know their coffee and tea.

I ordered their Sinderella's Supper, which was just described as ice caramel heaven. I'll take it. I don't even know what was in it, but I know it was delicious, and I ingested more caffeine from that drink than I typically do in an entire month.

It's a fancy little thing, and I'm not sure why they don't have iced to-go cups, but I ended up drinking it like this for our ride back to Morgantown.





I like this place. I think there's a certain group that it would turn off, and I don't think they care one bit. Which makes me like it even more.

Grade: B

As soon as I got back from New York, I had to turn around for a work assignment and head to Shepherdstown. I actually love traveling for work - and especially to cute cities in West Virginia that have good food!

I was doing a story on the farmers market, and needed to find a drink/restroom nearby. Fortunately, the Sweet Shop Bakery is just around the corner. Mmm pastries!

I got a blueberry muffin and a bottled shirley temple. The muffin was good - a little dense. Could have been fluffier. But I loved the actual blueberries and the nice atmosphere. Overall, a nice little pick-me-up and a cute shop!

Grade: B

Shepherdstown is home to a number of fantastic restaurants, so it was tough to narrow down the options. If only there were more meals in the day.



The Press Room stood out to me on name alone. Some quick research finds that the restaurant is in the former Independent Building, which house the local newspaper's printing press. The owner named the restaurant in honor of the building's history.


The Press Room has a comfortable, yet classy interior with exposed brick walls and lovely finishes. They have a menu outside the building so you can look over to see if anything strikes your fancy that evening. On this visit, appetizers like house pate, mushrooms stuffed with Italian sausage and mussels with white wine tomato and spinach were available. There are delicious soups and salads on the menu: sweet corn and clam chowder, oyster stew, gorgonzola custard salad, and roasted beet salad, amongst others.

We started out with some bread and butter, which wasn't much of note.

My main entree was grilled sea scallops, with a wild mushroom risotto, green beans and a side of pickled red onion and sweet peppers. I loved these. They were smooth, buttery, and I loved the addition of the mushroom risotto. A little bit more of a sear would have been fine, but the deep earthy flavors of the risotto were perfect with the fresh seafood, and the sweet onion and peppers were a perfect addition.

Tony ordered a grilled hanger steak, which he wasn't crazy about, but found it good enough.

And dessert, oh my god. A brownie with vanilla ice cream, caramel, whipped cream. Easily one of my most favorite desserts.

I might be biased with the history of the building, but between my delicious meal and the lovely atmosphere, I'm very happy this was my selection for dinner the one night I had in Shepherdstown.

Grade: A

While on a trip to Shepherdstown, I stayed overnight at the Bavarian Inn. In addition to the European chalets being absolutely beautiful, comfortable and luxurious, the inn also offers some delicious German and American fare. Before heading out for a day full of adventure, I went to the dining room for breakfast.



The menu ranges from traditional eggs, bacon and potato breakfasts to a charcuterie plate of chilled meats and cheeses. There are West Virginia buckwheat flapjacks, corned beef hash and chipped beef in cream. But first, biscuits, butter and jelly - which were perfectly fluffy and crumbly. Yaaasss. This reminds me of my grandma's, when she would bake some biscuits and pull out a bunch of different jellies, and that was our snack. Delicious.








I ordered Nova Scotia Salmon served with a bagel, onion, cream cheese and capers. This quickly moved up beside French toast as my favorite breakfast of all time - right behind my dad's homemade French toast (nothing beats that, c'mon, it tastes like memories of childhood slumber parties and tons of maple syrup).

The smoked salmon was folded into a rosette, and it was a lovely presentation. For those who don't order bagel and lox often, this probably seems weird. But I swear it's so good (and this one was particularly very good). Slather a toasted bagel with the cream cheese, layer the smoked salmon, sprinkle some red onions and add just a few capers. I wouldn't have minded some tomato, but it didn't need it.

It's perfect. It's absolutely perfect. It's a nice savory and filling breakfast with protein. You have the crisp from the bagel, the creamy cheese, the silky smooth salmon, crunchy onions. The added fruit (plus an unpictured fruit cup (I didn't know it already cam with fruit)) added a touch of sweetness. All around, it is very well-rounded and tasty. Plus I loved staying at this location.

I've also heard their Sunday brunch is to die for. $33, but I would venture to guess it's worth it. That will have to wait for next time.

Grade: A