The vanilla cone dipped in butterscotch from Dairy Queen is back. It's a limited time, fall-inspired treat that ya gotta try!

It's that time for pumpkin spice donuts at Krispy Kreme. This year, they have a pumpkin spice donut with a cream cheese filling, a pumpkin spice donut and a pumpkin spice cake donut. Which ones have you tried?

McDonald's has released a new menu line: Worldwide Favorites.

The four new menu items represent different countries and are available for a limited time in America.

Here are the four:

• Stroopwafel McFlurry (The Netherlands): Our creamy vanilla soft serve, mixed with a rich caramel swirl, featuring authentic chopped Dutch Daelmans Stroopwafel caramel waffle cookie pieces. Cookies and soft serve? Yes please.

• Grand McExtreme Bacon Burger (Spain): A quarter pound* of 100 percent fresh beef** topped with thick cut Applewood smoked bacon, smoky McBacon Sauce, real Gouda cheese and slivered onions served on a freshly toasted sesame seed bun.

• Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich (Canada): Made with a grilled or crispy all white meat, juicy and tender chicken, the Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich is topped with tomato & herb sauce, creamy mozzarella cheese, slivered onions, fresh lettuce and sliced Roma tomatoes served on a freshly toasted artisan roll.

• Cheesy Bacon Fries (Australia): Look familiar? That’s right, Cheesy Bacon Fries are back! After such a positive customer reaction to Australia’s Cheesy Bacon Fries in the U.S., they’re taking a victory lap. Don’t miss our World Famous Fries topped with real cheddar cheese sauce and chopped Applewood Smoked bacon.

The stroopwafel mcflurry is my favorite - because ice cream always wins. But I also really enjoyed the tomato mozzarella chicken sandwich!

Jimmy John's came out with a new sandwich: The Frenchie.




Introducing the Frenchie. A delicious combination of all-natural* salami and capicola, hand-sliced provolone and salted butter on a baguette. Inspired by France. Made by Jimmy John's. Grab one to go for a limited time. *All-Natural: No artificial ingredients. Minimally processed. See www.jimmyjohns.com for details.

It's ramp season!

And for many of us, that means ramp dinners, ramparoni rolls .... and ramp burgers. At least at Ridge View BBQ.

For the third year in a row, the BBQ restaurant has served their ramp burger to excited crowds who line up early in the morning to get the first one of the year.

The burger is topped with a pimento cheese with bacon and ramps. And, you can "ramp up" any other item - like I did with fries.

The burger comes topped with the ramp & bacon pimento cheese, as well as lettuce, tomato and pickle.

And, you get a cool little souvenir cup.

And here are the fries with the "ramp it up" on the side.

What are your thoughts on ramps?

Have you had the special yet?

Have you tried this new pizza yet?

The seasonal Street Corn Pie is ,ade with corn, tajin and fresh jalapeños, finished with parmesan, lime, cilantro, scallions and chipotle crema. It's now available at all Pies & Pints locations!

Gotta try it!

When I went to Frank's Pastry Shop previously, I asked what their most popular donut was. They told me it was their pumpkin donut, but it's seasonal. So I marked it on my calendar for a return visit. And, it was worth it! This pumpkin donut is thick, cake-like but with a delicious sugary icing on top. Mmm Mmm.

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