I've been trying my best to make it to all the various breweries, wineries, distilleries ... and now cideries in the state!

West Virginia has two ciders: Hawk Knob and Swilled Dog.

I made my way to Hawk Knob some time ago, but Swilled Dog is a bit further from me so it took me a while.

Located in Franklin, Swilled Dog Hard Cider has a huge facility.

The large wooden bar area, the pool tables, the tables - there's a ton of space here for groups or parties.

We sat at the bar and tried a little bit of everything.

Literally.

Pineapple, caramel apple, mango ginger and root beer were just some of the unique flavors.

Have you been here?

Sam's Hot Dog Stand has locations all over, and the most recent one I checked out was in Marmet.

This location is interestingly at the top of this little perch and you have to ring a little buzzer to get inside.

I ordered two hot dogs with chili, slaw, mustard and onions on grilled buns. I know the traditional West Virginia-style hot dog poo-poos English-style buns, but it's hard to deny they're tasty.


Yum! Have you been here?

This past weekend, I went to the Nicholas County Potato Festival, and there were potatoes everywhere!

Not only to eat.

But to decorate!

Have you ever been?

St. Marys has this absolutely adorable ice cream truck, which churns out ice cream, as well as coffee, cookies and other goodies.

Scoops features some unique flavors like Lemon Crunch and Blueberry Pomegranate.

So, of course I had to try both of those. Wow!

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?

There's a new spot on the East End that is not far from my home.

Jeff's Curbside is brand-new and located in the I Am U space on the corner of Ruffner and Washington streets.

He's serving up some craveworthy dishes, including one that is making a splash: cajun chicken pasta from Cagney's (apparently a Charleston legend) that has fettucine tossed with diced tomatoes, seasoned chicken, cajun spices and heavy cream. Its topped with parmesan cheese and chives and served with garlic toast and a garden salad.

He's brand new, so I think the menu will expand and the curbside services will be available in the future (so no having to run in!). But for now, it's still very tasty! This portion held me over til dinner - and then some!

I'm also curious about the location - I read it serves soul food. Does anyone know about this?

Another day, another new drive-in!

And since we talk about food here, let's talk snacks.

At Meadow Bridge Drive-In, they have yummy concessions.

I tried a Rocky Road candy for the first time - which has chocolate coated marshmallow with cashews.

And, then, I got a personal pizza!

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?

There's a new coffee shop smack dab in the center of the Vienna mall.

Leaf & Bean Tea & Coffee serves espresso, coffee, frozen drinks and teas.

There are also some snacks, like pepperoni rolls!

I ordered their "caramel cloud" frappe, which was one of their best sellers!

Small-town dairies are my favorite. And Winfield Dairy Freeze is no exception.

The Dairy Freeze has burgers, BBQ sandwiches, hot dogs, and other sandwiches. Plus a variety of fried sides like potato skins, french fries, onion rings, fried mushrooms, broccoli bites and more.

But the real star for me, as always, is the ice cream. They have a version of the blizzard called "Kandy Koolers."

I went through the drive-thru (!!) and ordered a medium Oreo Kandy Kooler.

The medium is not only huge, but there are real, huge chunks of Oreo in it! I can't wait to try the other flavors.