When there is ice cream, I will, in fact, travel. And, a while back, I headed over to St. Albans to check out the Crafts of the Coal ice cream truck. While they're currently done for the season, they are doing pints to order! I wanted to be sure to share a little about them before I forgot (and as I'm slowly making my way through my blog backlog).



They had been sitting up next to Crawford Field in St. Albans, dishing out cold treats on warm days. The menu had fairly standard ice cream options like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. But the "WV Pothole" seemed to be their specialty with chocolate ice cream, black-tar fudge and chunks of chocolate asphalt. Sara had this and seemed to enjoy it. 



That might be a bit of chocolate overload for me, so I went with cookie dough and added Butterfinger pieces on top of it! Why not? Combining cookies and peanut butter and crunchies made for a unique, but delicious, combo. 



What would your concoction be?

Grade: A 

There's something about summer that screams shaved ice. We know it's nothing more than ice and some sugary flavoring, but it's light and sweet and cold and perfect for sunshiney days.



Becky's Tasty Treats, located in St. Albans behind the car wash, offers just that. Look for the brightly colored food truck, and you'll find yourself in the right place.



There are a bunch of flavors, but, to me, it was all about the photo. I asked for a rainbow. They were out of blueberry, but raspberry, lemon and lime came through. Ice cold, sweet and a special treat. Fun.

Grade: A

Cozumel has a restaurant location in Charleston and in St. Albans. Since I already enjoy the former, it was time to try the latter. And there's something about quarantine that has had me craving queso like no other.

After calling in a carryout order, I arrived about 15 minutes later and went inside to retrieve my food. I smelled the deliciousness all the way home and couldn't wait to unveil these two unique dishes.



First, "Cozumel Pasta." Delicious combination of Grilled Shrimp and Chicken cooked with Onions and Mushrooms on a bed of Penne Pasta. Smothered with our homemade Cheese Sauce. I've never seen pasta at a Mexican restaurant, so this piqued my interest. The penne noodles were soft, covered in queso and topped with shrimp, chicken, mushrooms and onion. Tasty.



And also "Hambalaya." Delicious spicy mixture of Rice prepared with Grilled Shrimp, Grilled Chicken, Smoked Sausage, Bell Peppers, and Onions. I've also never seen jambalaya on a Mexican restaurant menu. This one had some heat and more veggies and meat than rice. Still good.



Oh, and how can I forget chips and salsa. No meal is complete without it.



Grade: B

It's time to head to the second St. Albans Tudor's location. This one, located along MacCorkle Avenue, was next on my list.



Here, I ordered a Mickey. The mickey has Canadian bacon, melted cheese and egg.



This is the first one in my series that has the "melted cheese," which is more liquid than the others. It tastes more artificial to me. But, I do like the Canadian bacon - something different. Maybe this with the regular cheese would be a win for me?

There are two Tudor's Biscuit World locations in St. Albans. First, I went to the Main Street location. And, I'm working my way through all the locations, as well as all the different types of biscuits.



On today's menu, I went for the Mary B. The Mary B has bacon, egg, and cheese.



I prefer sausage to bacon typically (gasp!), so the Ron is more up my alley. But the Mary B has a very similar taste profile - love the melty cheese and the egg used. Plus that buttery biscuit. The bacon is just a bit soft and greasy.

A new, beautiful Mediterranean restaurant opened in St. Albans. And, wouldn't you know, I found myself there the very first day they were open.

Mediterranean Breeze is a family-owned restaurant serving authentic Mediterranean food along with brick oven pizzas, burgers and other American dishes. They have a full bar, seasonal outdoor seating and access for boaters for to-go orders.

The menu is pretty varied. So, it's perfect for families who might have picky eaters. Because while there are some great Mediterranean dishes like shawarma and falafel, you can still get pizza, burgers and sandwiches.


I actually ordered a Sicilian Roll as an appetizer. It has homemade dough stuffed with pepperoni and cheese, topped with garlic parmesan and served with marinara sauce. Plus onion rings on the side. The sandwich was a bit heavy on the dough, but flavors were there.

Then, I ordered the Manaeesh Pie, which is a cheese pie with herbs. I've never heard of it, so I was excited to try something new. And, it was essentially like a pie of cheese sticks. I maybe, sorta dipped the slices into my leftover marinara. And it was, chef's kiss, perfecto.

The Red Line Diner, located in St. Albans, has a classic '50s vibe and serves burgers, pizza and pasta.


The interior is very retro, with checkerboard floor, Betty Boop awaiting your entrance and boomerang laminate countertops.


After looking over the menu for a bit, Dawn and I went up to the front to place our orders.


To start, I ordered a strawberry milkshake (which had hunks of strawberry!).


And then I put in an order for cheesy breadsticks (this is necessary for any pasta dish).


For my entree, I ordered the stuffed shells with a pink sauce. That always hits the spot!

Dwight's is a well-known restaurant in St. Albans.

Known for its homestyle cuisine, this restaurant is a mom and pop spot that is much beloved.

I recently met a self-proclaimed hot dog connoisseur who told me Bammy's has the best hot dogs in the Kanawha Valley.

That's a bold statement, considering I follow all the recommendations of my friends over at The West Virginia Hot Dog Blog very carefully.

Nonetheless I made my way over to St. Albans to check on this claim.

I pulled up, thinking it was initially a bar. But it's actually quite spacious inside.

I ordered two hot dogs on grilled buns with chili, slaw, mustard and onions.

The hot dogs were tasty. But I'll leave it to the folks at the WV Hot Dog Blog to go into the finer details. What do you think?

The Grind is a restaurant and gaming spot in St. Albans. And by gaming, I'm talking D&D, Magic the Gathering, and other tabletop games.

The restaurant features items like BBQ sandwiches, burgers, and a few entrees (steak, chicken, etc.) It's a small menu with some variety.

I visited as soon as they opened one day, so I had the whole place to myself.

I wanted something unique from the menu, and the item that sounded the most fun to me was "Red and White Crispy Ravioli." It's crispy fried ravioli served with both alfredo and marina sauce, so I decided to give that a go.

First, though, was a house salad with French dressing. 

And, this was actually a neat concept. If you're not sure if you're in the mood for a white sauce or red sauce, you can get both at once here. Have you been yet?