Prime Station is a bar and grill in Cross Lanes that features appetizers, sandwiches and a few pasta dishes on their menu.


I called in an order for a sampler platter so I could try a few different things.



I went for bang bang shrimp, honey bbq boneless wings, and loaded fries - which were substituted because of a few other items being out of stock.


What's your favorite item here?

Pipestem is home to a well-known local restaurant: Brandon's BBQ and Grille.


Set in a wooded area, the backdrop for this log cabin-esque restaurant sets the tone.


They do have BBQ dishes, but they also have a variety of others they're known for - like their crab cakes.


There's this cute display with all kinds of piggies.


And it feels like you're inside a sort-of log cabin with exposed beams and wood floors, tables, chairs and accents.


For my meal, I went with the crab cake dinner with mashed potatoes and mac & cheese.

Barnyard BBQ has three locations in the Metro Valley area: Cross Lanes, Teays Valley and Milton.

The BBQ place has pulled pork, brisket, as well as items like pizza, and other entrees.


For my entree, I went with a brisket platter, which came with two sides.

I chose vegetable pasta salad and macaroni & cheese as my sides. It also came with a little corn hushpuppy.

Have you been here?

One of my all-time favorite products ever, J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works, launched a new subscription service called the Appalachian Mercantile.

And I signed up for a monthly subscription box.



"Sign up for our mercantile subscription box and receive a carefully curated selection of Appalachian artisan products monthly. Each box varies with seasonal foods, crafts and home & bath items from Appalachia. You'll learn about each artisan and, a recipe is included. Enjoy this for yourself or give it to someone special as a unique gift. Your card will be charged monthly. You can cancel at any time!"

Look at this incredible box of goodies!

After a ton of fair food, I was looking for something a little lighter: Enter Fujiyama.



The restaurant is not huge, but quite a few folks were dining on the day I visited.



The menu features hibachi dinners, as well as a sushi menu.



A very extensive sushi menu.



In fact, there's a whole separate menu just for additional sushi rolls.



I started with a salad with ginger dressing.



Then my two rolls: The Pink Lady and the West Virginia

The Elements at The Quarrier Diner is the latest incarnation of the restaurant.





It features an interesting menu focusing on earth, wind, fire and water.



And in the basement, there's a more bar-like atmosphere called The Boiler Room.



My friend Sara and I went to check it out.



The menu features their burgers, as well as a few sandwiches.



I went with the "Boiler Room," which has lettuce, tomato, onion, pimento cheese and burger sauce.



Have you tried their burgers yet?

Connie's Hot Dogs is a small hot dog truck that occasionally parks outside of Encova in downtown Charleston and sells delicious hot dogs.



She supplies fresh slaw and chili for a tasty hot dog. Have you tried them yet?

DiCarlo's Pizza was actually started in Steubenville, so it made sense to come try one of the original locations.

The slices have long shreds of mozzarella and pretty crispy crust - very similar to the other locations I've tried in Ohio.

Do you have a favorite location?

There's a new distillery in town.


Mountain State Distillery is producing whiskey at the corner of Virginia and Kanawha Boulevard.



This is such a cool location, and I love the addition of mountain booze to the area.



When I visited, Jeff was on his second batch of his whiskey.


But at the time, he was getting ready to start moonshine, too.



He had been making his own for some time, and he decided to share it with all of us.



Have you had a chance to try it yet?

Adventures Grill Food Truck is a new food truck that sits in downtown Charleston mid-week, dishing out Mediterranean food and more.

Their rough schedule: Tuesday at Laidley tower, Wednesday and Thursday United Bank on Laidley and Virginia Street. They also own Fairways Bar & Grill in Hurricane.

So I stopped by to get lunch: a chicken quesadilla with sour cream and salsa, as well as two grape leaves.



Have you been?