Poke has made its way to Charleston!



Bar 101 has a few poke options on its lunch menu - the poke bowl with tuna or salmon, or a tuna poke salad.



This is the tuna poke bowl! Have you tried it yet?

Ramp season is special for a number of reasons, but especially one: RAMPARONI ROLLS.



That's right: pepperoni rolls with ramps. There are a few spots around the state that add ramps to this bakery special, and I've been slowly making my way to all of them.



The Donut Shop in Buckhannon, known for pioneering the ground pepperoni movement, simply signals the beginning of the season with a sign on their board that says "ramparoni rolls."



They serve four different kinds of ramparoni rolls: a regular pepperoni roll with ramps, a hot pepper cheese pepperoni roll with ramps, a mozzarella cheese pepperoni roll with ramps, and an American cheese pepperoni roll with ramps. Above is a regular with ramps baked right in.



For the rolls with cheese, the side is split open and hunks of cheese are added in. Above and below are the hot pepper cheese ramparoni roll.



Something about the spice of the pepperoni and the garlicky onion is a beautiful combo.



Here's a pepperoni roll split with mozzarella cheese added.



And, finally, here's the one split open with slices of thick American cheese.

Which is your fav?

Have you ever heard of a heavenwich from Lil Bit of Heaven Cupcakes? It's homemade cookies with buttercream in between. This WV-themed dessert had escaped me until recently. But I had to try it because it is ~Almost Heaven~. This was a peanut butter chocolate one!

Starbucks has done it again with a limited-time offer of a ~fancy~ frappuccino.

The Crystal Ball Frappuccino is "A mystical, swirling peach infusion topped with peach flavored whipped cream, turquoise sprinkles and one of three different candy gems that reveal your fortune (not even your barista knows what your future holds). Order, gaze, then all will be told. And while we can't predict what your gems will reveal, we can tell you this drink is only here for a few short days."

What this means is they make the drink, the barista has three opaque shakers with different colored sprinkles, respectively. One has purple (magic), one has blue (adventure) and one has green (luck). The barista doesn't know which color you'll get until they sprinkle it (or they intentionally keep track of which is which).

I always get excited with these limited time offers - like the Unicorn Frappuccino, the Zombie Frappuccino, and the Christmas Tree Frappuccino - because what if it's the best thing ever and it's only around for a few days? You could miss it.

For the record, I got purple so ~magic~. I could use some magic in my life. And the flavor? Definitely peachy-tasting. One of my favorites so far. Have you tried it? If not, better get to it. Today's your last day.

Vandalia Donut Company has only two flavors per season, and the new winter flavors are Winterberry and Gingerbread Lane.



Winterberry - buttermilk cake donut covered in an orange zest cream cheese glaze and topped with a homemade brown sugar ginger cranberry sauce.



Gingerbread Lane - Homestead Creamery eggnog whipped cream, gingerbread caramel & crushed gingersnaps

My boyfriend loves donuts, and I braved the snow to get some of these gingerbread donuts, which were around for just one day.

I'm usually focused on scoping out the new restaurants, rather than paying attention to current specials going on at already established restaurants. And sure, many bars have weekly specials. But restaurants join in the fun, too. Here are some great ones. Let me know others in the comments below!

MONDAY
Black Bear Burritos - Maniac Monday special for $5. Bring in a ticket stub from any Mountaineer athletic event or West Virginia Black Bears baseball game to receive any menu item from the "Special Guests" section for five bucks.
The Wine Bar at Vintner Valley - Happy Hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Half off features: beer, wines by the glass, single mixer cocktails and pizzas.
Tropics - 25 cent wings
Ali Baba's - half-priced Mediterranean platter

TUESDAY
Table 9 - 1 Burger, 1 Bourbon, 1 Beer for $15. Each Tuesday, Table 9 crafts a special, house-ground burger with creative toppings. Order it along with a bourbon and a beer for $15.
Black Bear Burritos - Burritos and Brews for $15. Choose a "Special Guest" menu item and two West Virginia craft beers.
123 Pleasant Street - Taco Tuesday at Atomic Grill. Atomic Grill's satellite location at 123 Pleasant Street offers tacos from 5 p.m. to midnight with $3 pints of craft beers.
Mario's Fishbowl - Wing Day. Get a dozen wings and one large domestic fishbowl for $8.95. Pick your flavor - mild, medium, hot garlic, honey bbq, blazin' teriyaki, cowboy ranch, Greek and sweet chile habanero.
The Wine Bar at Vintner Valley - Happy Hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Half off features: beer, wines by the glass, single mixer cocktails and pizzas.
The Vintage Room - Half price select appetizers.
Fat Daddy's - Taco Tuesday. $1 to $2.50 tacos.

WEDNESDAY
Bartini - $2 sliders. Choose from meatball sliders, reuben sliders, buffalo chicken sliders and more.
Mario's Fishbowl - Philly and a fishbowl for $9. Also, Worm of the Week drawing at 8 p.m.
The Wine Bar at Vintner Valley - Happy Hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Half off features: beer, wines by the glass, single mixer cocktails and pizzas.
The Vintage Room - $7 select pizzas and 2-4-1 martinis.

THURSDAY
Black Bear Burritos - Burritos and Brews for $15. Choose a "Special Guest" menu item and two West Virginia craft beers.
Mario's Fishbowl - Two loaded hotdogs and a domestic draft for $8.
The Wine Bar at Vintner Valley - Happy Hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Half off features: beer, wines by the glass, single mixer cocktails and pizzas.
Bartini - Tuscan Tuesdays with all pastas half off until 8 p.m. and bottles of wine 25 percent off.
The Vintage Room - Homemade pastas served with a side salad and garlic bread for $15 and half-price bottles of wine under $75.

FRIDAY
Black Bear Burritos - New specials available at both Evansdale and Downtown locations.
The Backdoor - $5 Happy Hour Buffet. I've actually never been to this one (bucket list item?), but it boasts an all-you-can-eat buffet including pizza, wings, meatballs, pasta salad and veggie trays.
Sports Page - Happy Hour wing buffet from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

SUNDAY
Sports Page - .35 cent wings.
The Wine Bar at Vintner Valley - Happy Hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Half off features: beer, wines by the glass, single mixer cocktails and pizzas.

DAILY SPECIALS
Tailpipes - Tailpipes offers a daily special burger.
Atomic Grill - Atomic Grill offers a daily special meal.

I'm usually focused on scoping out the new restaurants, rather than paying attention to current specials going on at already established restaurants (cue idea for next blog post). But there are a few weekly specials at restaurants that deserve some attention. Table 9's 1 Burger, 1 Bourbon, 1 Beer (hey George Thorogood) is one.

Table 9 features a weekly burger special every Tuesday that comes with a bourbon and a beer for a total of $15. Each week's house ground burger features something new. The one photographed up top is fresh, local beef, swiss cheese, bacon, fried egg, pickled onions, lettuce, tomato, garlic aioli on brioche with a side of fries.



Sher, local food photographer extraordinaire, never misses a Burger Tuesday. Take a look through some of the great burgers that have been offered as part of this special!

Burger w/ Red Onion Compote, Sweet Potato Planks, Mushroom Port Reduction, and Swiss
Ranchero Burger - Fire Roasted Veggies, Zucchini, Squash, Peppers, Onion, Cheddar, and Creme Fraiche


BBQ Pulled Chicken Burger with Cheddar, and Slaw