Dave's Hot Dogs in the Barboursville Mall serves up, of course, hot dogs but also ice cream!

So I got one with chili, slaw, mustard and onions.

And a milk & cookies milkshake.

Have you been?

There's a coffee shop slash thrift shop in Sissonville called Bargains & Brews.

The entire shop is dedicated to clothes and other goods.

Except the front counter, which makes coffee drinks.

I went for a frozen caramel coffee - because it's me - and took a look around.

Have you been here before?

The Barboursville Mall has a variety of options in the food court, one of which is China Max Asian Cuisine.

The food court spot has standard Americanized Chinese food offerings: sweet & sour chicken, General Tso's chicken, lo mein, crab rangoons, etc.

You can get a few different offerings (up to three) over steamed rice, fried rice or lo mein.

I went with General Tso's chicken, as well as sweet & sour chicken.

Which is your favorite combo?

Los Primos in Cross Lanes has a "Taco Box" promotion, and it didn't take long for me to realize I needed it in my life.

When my friend Kaitlynn was in town, we made a trip to Cross Lanes for dinner.

The Taco Box comes with 16 tacos, three dips, and chips.

Salsa, queso and "mario dip," which has herbs, onions and meat.

This may be a bit much for three people, but we definitely put a dent in it.

The Barboursville Mall is full of food options, from Chick-fil-A to rolled ice cream.

I recently went to do some shopping, and while there, I grabbed a bite to eat.

Cosimos Pizza is a pizza shop that has a number of pizzas available, as well as baked rolls, salads, pasta, and subs.

I ordered a pepperoni roll and a side of pasta salad. It hit the spot. The pepperoni roll had a nice crisp crust on the bottom with tons of oozing cheese. A side of marinara for dipping. And, pasta salad is always one of my favorites.

Local favorite Cali Tacos moved to Nitro recently, so I figured that would be a good time to revisit.

Previously, I visited when they were in St. Albans, so I was excited to try it again.

My friend Tom and I looked over the menu as we snacked on chips and salsa.

And, we ordered a side of queso because you have to have queso.

And, we also ordered some Mexican Street Corn - which was more citrusy than I've had before.

For my entree, I went with the Santa Cruz Quesadilla, which was filled with shrimp, lump crab meat, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes. Plus sides of rice and a small salad.

Tom went with this gigantic burrito covered in queso - which looked delicious.

What's your favorite thing here?

Perhaps the most popular DiCarlo's location is no longer a DiCarlo's.

The Elm Grove DiCarlo's is now named Patsy's Pizza, to pay homage to the longtime owner.

It's the same pizza - just a new name.

And, I do think it's one of the best (second only to Wellsburg's). It's old school - call in to place your order and get a ticket number, then when you go, you will still wait a while til your ticket is called. No checks or cards. Just pizza. But the best pizza you'll ever taste.

The Barboursville Mall is one of my favorites - not only because they have an Old Navy, but they have a lot of options in the Food Court that are more local.

One I've tried recently is Hibachi Master, which is made-to-order hibachi food. I went with teriyaki chicken, which came with vegetables and fried rice. Yum! Have you been?

Melange Cafe is a unique restaurant offering coffee and tacos - what a great combination.


The cafe grew out of their Atlas Building location and opened a new spot at 700 Virginia Street East. The Atlas location is currently closed, but I believe the intention is to open it back up as a grab & go option.

The new space is large with tons of windows and natural light, so it becomes inviting.

Looking over the menu, I was tempted by the waffles but ultimately decided on a taco combo.

I went with one steak and one pork taco, a side of Spanish rice and 2 mini muffins.

The tacos are more small, street tacos with options of white onion, cilantro, salsa verde and queso fresco as toppings.

And, though I didn't get coffee on this day, I did get something to drink.

On their beverage menu is a list of bubble teas.

And I had to get an original, which came loaded with boba.

All in all, a tasty lunch!