You may have heard of Granny's Kitchen through their growing social presence. There is no storefront (though you can snag some at local markets), so I ordered some via Facebook messenger and drove up to Parkersburg to pick them up.

Granny has a number of varieties available, and they switch out. But on this particular day, I was able to try a Turtle - my favorite! It was chocolate and pecans and had these ribbons of soft caramel yummm.



Then there is Midnight Snack - milk chocolate base swirled with Lay’s potato chips & Chex Mix. Plus pumpkin, birthday cake, raspberry chocolate and this peanut butter and jam one that was mind-blowing.

They were all delicious, and because there are all sorts of different varieties that swap out, I have so many more I need to try! 

Travel + ice cream are two of my favorite things. So, I combined the two recently during a trip to Vienna to check out the Frostee Shoppe Too.



The small drive-through shop has more than just ice cream, though: hot dogs, nachos, pretzels and pulled pork BBQ, as well. 



I started off with ice cream and went with a turtle frostee flurry - chocolate, caramel and pecans. I oddly loved that the mix-ins aren't completely blended so there was a chunky texture with some chocolate-heavy bites and pecan-heavy bites for variation.



Then, I went with a soft pretzel with cheese. I'm not sure if I developed like a sensitivity to salt or what, but I cannot deal with this much salt on a pretzel. It just takes over. So I brushed a good bit off, dunked it in cheese and it was all hunky-dory.



And I got two hot dogs, too. One plain with ketchup and a "junkyard dog," which had "everything imaginable." It was pretty much chili, ketchup, mustard, onion and relish. Not bad, but with so many toppings, you barely get any of the hotdog itself.

Grade: B

One of my favorite new-ish stores in West Virginia is the Blue Ridge Bee Company in Princeton.



"Blue Ridge Bee Company is based in the heart of the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia. When we started hearing of the mass honey bee die-off we became interested in saving this valuable creature. After much studying, we started our honey operation in 2014 and have expanded each year since.



In December 2019, we opened our store on Mercer Street in the Grassroots District. We came to this district with a vision of opening a store that was reminiscent of an old-timey general store, selling local bread, meats, honey, jewelry, soap, and more, while also supplying customers with beekeeping equipment and training. Our main goal is to teach people to keep bees properly, helping them thrive throughout the year and rebuild the bee populations."



This lovely storefront, in addition to selling a wide variety of local honey, has so many local goods. There are old-fashioned candies,  local breads and baked goods an even ice cream.



Of course, I had to try the honey - but specifically the WV Wildflower honey. You may think that all honey tastes the same, but when you try a few, you can notice the floral notes or woody notes or whatever type it may be.



One really cool thing they also have here is a line of canned specialty goods under their brand name. Chow chow, dilly beans, jams, jellies, relish - I love these items because they have that Appalachian twist and are not always something you can find in a grocery store. 



In addition to getting some of the name brand products (which are all delicious!), I went for some other local ones, like this Moonstruck Maple Syrup. Which is SO tasty.



This makes me think... I need to do a whole list on WV honey and maple syrups. 



Have you been here before? 

There's a certain void that a smoothie can fill. It's light and refreshing and can be more healthy or more indulgent depending on the ingredients.



At the mall in Barboursville, there's a new smoothie spot: Green Revolution. They have smoothies, smoothie bowls, salads and avocado toast. Many of the options have some feel-good, healthy ingredients. 



I went for a strawberry-banana smoothie - a pretty standard, solid option at most smoothie places. This one was made with yogurt and no added sugar, so it still had the same great flavor without the additional sweetness.



Does that make it a bit more bland? Maybe. Does it make it more guilt-free? Yes. And they even have a paper straw to be environment-friendly. But, man, it sure does get yummy and difficult to use after a bit.



Have you been? I'm curious about the avocado toast! 

Grade: B

We're back in Milton for dinner time! But, this isn't country, homecooking. Instead, it's a bit higher end cuisine at The Venetian Restaurant. 



The Venetian Restaurant is one part of The Venetian Estate, which also includes an event venue and pub. I've previously been to the pub, which is nice but more casual.



When Dawn and I came to check it out, there was a bit of confusion on whether we would be able to join or not because we didn't have a reservation. So we waited for a bit and then were guided to a table in a room off to the left near a wine cabinet. 



The space here really is lovely. It's like a classic home with lots of lovely touches. The service didn't necessarily match the ambiance, though. It was a little hectic and unorganized, but once we finally had a server it was smooth sailing. We started off with some rolls and butter. A little chilly so it was tough to spread, but tasty nonetheless.



Dawn ordered a few appetizers as her main meal, which she was generous to let me sample. First, soft pretzels and beer cheese. I really enjoyed the flavor, though the cheese texture was a bit grainy and began to separate. 



The meatballs were different ... the ground beef had a little funk to it - not necessarily in a bad way. But almost gamey. And the sauce was sweet with a twang. I appreciate that this was a little different, but not necessarily to my tastes.



But for my appetizer, I went with these little beef wellingtons. I've never had beef wellington before, so I was excited for this. They were like mini, savory, tender pieces of beef enrobed in puff pastry with a thick gravy for dipping. It was very savory, and I would've loved like a sour cream or something light and creamy as a relief from the savory.



My entree was scallops and grits. It looked  a little sparse, but still had some great flavors. The scallops were a bit smaller than the giant ones you may see elsewhere, but they had a very light sear and slight sweetness.



Finally, dinner was a bourbon butter cake. It was a pretty dense, almost cornbread like slice topped with ice cream and berries. It wasn't very sweet - most of that came from the berries and ice cream. But I enjoyed it.

Grade: B

 
Here's this month's J.Q. Dickinson Appalachian Mercantile Box. 



This month includes coffee, a coffee scoop, bbq sauce, rib rub, lavender mist, and honey.

Princeton is consistently improving and adding all kinds of new, fun things. One of those new things is Totally Glazed, a donut shop on Mercer Street. 



The shop has a sorta retro vibe with the awning and then some graffiti art. Brick walls lay the way for bright, white counters full of donuts. FULL OF DONUTS.



As I perused all the different flavors, I matched the chalkboard menu on the wall with the options in front of me. Lemon Glazed. Oreo. Peanut Butter. Pumpkin.

They also have donut holes - or BITES - with cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, peanut butter, maple bacon, and more. 



Since I wanted to try out a bunch of different flavors, I went for a half dozen with six different options.



But here's some delish donut p0rn for you adore.



Peanut butter! Maple pecan!



Pumpkin! Fruity pebbles!

 

And here's my final six: peanut butter, pumpkin, cookies & cream, maple pecan, fruity pebbles and I think regular glazed. I think it's a bit tough to mess up a donut. And these were good. Not especially different, but good, solid and reliable.

Grade: B

Milton is home to a few small, country restaurants, including the Skillet. They serve up dishes like meatloaf, pork chops, burgers, beans & cornbread, and more. 



In a departure from my regular go-tos, I ordered a hot bologna sandwich. Hot, in this case, refers to the temperature and not the spice level. I got it with lettuce, tomato and mayo. It came with fries and a fried pickle.



This is a pretty standard sandwich - but each of these simple components makes up something tasty all together. The sandwich had a fairly thick slab of bologna, and the toppings were fine. I would've loved to see a special sauce or something that puts their own spin on it. I did enjoy the side of fried pickle - you don't see that every day. Plus, it was nice and crunchy. 

Grade: B

An off-the-beaten-path burger joint with a wrestling theme: It's what's for dinner.



Squared Circle Burgers is a new wrestling-themed burger restaurant on Campbell's Creek Drive. The space itself is what you might expect - some basic tables and chairs with wrestling belts and memorabilia on the walls. 



The menu focuses, of course, on burgers: 

The Lariat – $8.00
(1/3 pound beef, cheese, BBQ sauce, ranch, onion rings, and bacon on Texas toast)

The Bruiser – $8.75
(1/2 pound beef, cheese, burger slaw, pickles, and ketchup between two grilled cheese sandwiches)

American Dream – $9.00
(1/3 pound beef, cheese, bacon, fries, and a fried egg on Texas toast)

Latino Heat – $8.25
(1/3 pound beef, cheese, Jalapeno slices, and burger slaw)

F.B.I. – $8.00
(1/3 pound beef, provolone cheese, three mozzarella sticks, marinara, and tomato on Texas toast)

The Macho Man – $8.50
(1/3 pound beef, muenster cheese, honey mustard, crispy onions, lettuce, and tomato)

The Samartino – $8.00
(1/3 pound beef, provolone cheese, fried pepperoni, marinara, and parmesan cheese)



I ended up going for "The Bruiser," because it's a burger between two grilled cheese sandwiches! It comes with 1/2 lb. beef, cheese, burger slaw, pickles and ketchup. 



Dawn and I got our sandwiches to go and ate outside the restaurant to enjoy our meals. And, I enjoyed this far more than just a "shtick" - these flavors really worked together. This big, messy, cheesy burger was balanced with a cool, tangy slaw and that light, buttery toasted bread pulled it all together. I'm here for it.



Grade: A