After trying just about everything on Gino's menu, I can easily declare that the pepperoni bites are my favorite item.



However, only the Huntington-area locations offer them. So when it was time to finally try out the Barboursville location, I was more than excited to order my pepperoni bites.



These poppable delights are full of pepperoni and topped with romano and garlic butter. They're so good... until they're not. Unfortunately, these ones were baked through the middle and I found myself chewing on raw dough. So, my tummy wasn't happy with that - and I threw the remainder away. Sometimes it's just an off night - or even just an off hour - but this wasn't my favorite rendition. Off to the next location. 



Grade: C

Here is my latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

You might be from Appalachia if you keep leftover bacon grease at room temperature in a glass Garfield mug from McDonald’s on your stove. Or maybe that was just me growing up.

Those leftover bacon grease drippings — which can be stored up to a month without refrigeration — are culinary gold. And they’re the star of one Appalachian salad that’s sure to stick to your ribs.

Wilted lettuce, or killed lettuce, or even ‘kilt’ lettuce, is typically a spring staple when home gardens begin producing beautiful greens.

But it’s also a perfect seasonal transition dish — like at the end of summer when you want to enjoy the last of the fresh veggies while the weather is shifting into cool, cozy mode.

This bacon grease and green leaf lettuce is simple. Fry up some bacon (or dig into your stash), drizzle the hot bacon grease drippings over a bowl of fresh picked lettuce and let the liquid swine crispies wilt — or kill — the lettuce lightly.

You can add green onions, crumbled up bacon, hard-boiled eggs or even red wine vinegar to the dressing to round it out, but it’s tasty even in its most simplistic version. James Beard, in “American Cookery,” writes that a wilted lettuce salad is “one of the oldest and probably the most functional of salads.

It can be made with nearly any type of greens and needs so few ingredients that it could be prepared en route in the covered wagon, in camp, or in the most primitive house.”

The Wall Street Journal named wilted lettuce “America’s Most Satisfying Salad” in a 2018 article that also praised the Appalachian salad for making a generous meal that lends itself to “endless improvisation.”

While the origins of the simple salad are obscure, Appalachia certainly took to it and continues to celebrate it.

The dish integrates with our culinary traditions easily — making use of something available and stretching that ingredient as far as it can go. Appalachia is known for its resolve and its ingenuity is evident throughout the region’s culinary history.

Through dishes like this, Appalachians help keep food history and food traditions alive — even when they’re kilt.

Another day, another Gino's. This time - we're in Marmet.



Marmet is actually not all that far from me, so this is one of my "local" Gino's spots. Like most others, it's attached to a Tudor's Biscuit World, and I was thankful to see this one had a drive-thru (I've discovered a few that haven't!). 



First up is an antipasto salad. Under that generous layer of mozzarella is some cold iceberg, cold cuts, peppers and olives. It was so cold - maybe in the fridge for a while? - that I actually let it set out for a bit before digging in. I do like the assortment of different toppings.



And the pizza - it's growing on me! The small makes a nice single-serving, and I like the slightly sweet sauce. I just wish I could get the bottom crisper. Otherwise, not too shabby.

Grade: B

Phat Daddy's on Da Tracks is an open-air BBQ joint located on the West Side of Charleston that is Black owned. They're still in their opening phase, but they are serving consistently so my friend and coworker Hannah and I went to check it out.



The restaurant has been sharing their progress vis their Facebook page - from a simple structure to a more sprawling space brightly colored in red and yellow. 



At the register, there is a menu, which consists of items like philly cheesesteak (chopped cheese), fried fish sandwiches, steak or shrimp bowls (which have a baked potato and broccoli), plus more traditional BBQ items like brisket and ribs are coming soon.



I ordered a "chopped cheese," macaroni & cheese, and tater tots. I usually don't got for a philly cheesesteak, because I've had many that are full of fat or gristle or lack flavor and are full of grease. Let me be clear: This "chopped cheese" is one of the best I've had. Every single bite was full of flavor - tender meat, creamy cheese, perfect bread, and some texture from peppers and onions. You have got to try it.



The mac & cheese was good - it was more like milky, rather than cheesy? So very creamy and peppery. Different, but tasty. And the tater tots were standard - I'd love to kick them up with a cheese sauce or something.



Go support them and fill your belly with yummy food.

Grade: A

This month's J.Q. Dickinson Appalachian Mercantile subscription may be one of my favorites yet. Why? Well, I immediately started using 4 of the products as soon as I opened it. The bourbon beef jerky, pretzels and creamy mustard became my dinner, while I lit the candle for some ambiance. 



Here's what we got this month:

Multi-grain pretzels: Don't settle for 1 Grain when you can have 7 in these hearty multi-grain "Splits". All-natural, quality baked goodness. Unique homestyle baking process precisely matures the pretzel dough and then bakes it to split-open perfection from Reading, Pennsylvania.

Bourbon beef jerky: Made with North Carolina double malt bourbon. Subtle flavors with a touch of molasses & a sweet black pepper finish. Produce in Conover North Carolina.

Coffee: Taylor Coffee is an artisan coffee roasting company that is locally owned and operated in Charleston, WV. The medium grind cinnamon dulce is a deliciously sweet way to start the day.

Mustard: Sweet, hot, creamy, and delicious this mustard can be used as a traditional condiment or a dipping sauce. Each batch from Athens, Ohio is made with the highest quality ingredients. Available in Famous Kream and Golden Ale

Cherry Spreader: This beautiful cherry spreader is the perfect match to our cherry butter dish but can also be used with cheeses. It will quickly become a favorite utensil in your kitchen. 7" Made by Matt Thomas of ThomasWork in Shock, WV

Votive Candle: Made of beeswax from Smokey Ridge Apiary 

This mustard - the famous Kream - is like my favorite kind of mustard. It's a little hot, it's sweet, it has a consistency of like honey. It's really good - and perfect to dip pretzels into. I'll be buying it again.

Also Taylor Coffee! I had never heard of it, and I love trying every new coffee roasted in West Virginia. So, this was quite the treat. Here's some more on them:

Taylor Coffee is an artisan coffee roasting company with a mission to bring elevated coffee experiences and local profit by selling and serving locally roasted coffee.

A locally owned and operated West Virginia business, we sprung from Taylor Books, the wonderfully eclectic Independent Bookstore/ Cafe/ Art Gallery/ Underground Theater founded in 1995 by Ann Taylor Saville.

David, our VP of Flavor and Roaster is Ann’s oldest child. He brought artisan, locally roasted coffee to Charleston in 1997 as the original roaster for Taylor Books.

David’s 30+ years of coffee expertise began in Los Angeles, CA and continues to grow. Now he is developing an apprenticeship program for West Virginians to participate in this booming industry.

We donate to Cafe Appalachia in support of their beautiful mission : enjoy Taylor Coffee there and help them support WV families !

Newly located at Boulevard Tower, a nationally registered historic building, Taylor Coffee will serve Charleston as an elegant, private indoor & garden setting, providing special occasions such as wine, local beer and coffee tastings, weekend brunch and events supporting local catering and businesses as we recover together from the pandemic and bring prosperity back to our lives.