There's a new shop in Huntington that is home to fresh meat and seafood, gourmet food items and perfect gifts for just about anyone.



The Butcher Shop, located next to Christopher's Eats, is a small space with this really lovely wooden exterior that has carvings of a cow, pig and chicken. 



Inside, you'll find all sorts of goodies. There are charcuterie essentials like cheese knives and markers.



There are also some West Virginia glasses and a wide selection of pasta. 



There is cheese, crackers and make-your-own-cocktail kits.



Condiments like jams and jellies and pickled vegetables are available.



And, there are sweets too - caramels, marshmallows, truffles.



There are two small coolers - one with beef and another with seafood. 



I'm unclear if they butcher in the traditional sense - if they break down cuts of meat or if people can have them do so - it seemed like the items they had were packaged from different companies. 



But the one thing I saw that didn't have another company's label on it was the crab cakes, so I was sure to get a package of those. 



And, I also got some "cheese straws," some caramels, some marshmallows, a candy bar, a giant peanut butter cup, pimento cheese popcorn, truffle crackers and butter toffee peanuts.



If I had to describe this shop to someone, I would say they that they carry a lot of regional speciality foods (not many local ones) that could make up the ultimate charcuterie board. 



So far, everything I've tasted has been so good. After a quick fry, the crab cakes had a lovely golden brown crust and lots of shredded crab. 



The pimento popcorn, which is from Asheville, N.C., was like a cheddar popcorn with a little spice. A nice, fun little twist. 



Have you been here? Let me know what you got in the comments!

During a trip to Fayetteville - when it was a touch warmer - my friend Bri and I stopped at Wild Art & Wonderful Things. 



This lovely shop has some amazing local art and products. I ended up scooping up some West Virginia-themed coasters, and one of which is a puzzle. I am also dying for one of these topographic maps. Just stunning. 



And, to top it off, they also have kombucha. I'm always a little weird about kombucha, I think, because I don't understand it. I lowkey wonder if it's gonna upset my tummy because "bacteria," but I know there is good bacteria!! Someone tell me why I shouldn't worry about this.



But, all of that aside - this was tasty! It was so summery with that little bit of sour and it made me actually enjoy the flavor - which can't always be said. I would drink this just for fun! Have you been here?

Forgive me for not getting a photo of the outside of the building - because it's one of those places that you've probably driven by in Parkersburg but may have not set food inside. George's Place is located near the mall in Parkersburg and is a family-friendly bar that features some Mediterranean dishes. 



The interior looked pretty standard for a bar & grill, though I was only inside for a few minutes to pick up my to-go order. Let's dive in, shall we? We are starting with grape leaves stuffed with rice and ground beef and served with a side of yogurt. Grape leaves definitely have a bit of a sour flavor that I have come to love - but paired with that yogurt? Delish.



Then, I went to another extreme for dinner - stuffed shells. But first, a quick salad with fresh spring greens, cut tomatoes and red onion. Solid for a complimentary salad.



And then there is some garlic bread that was a bit sad, but it tasted fine nonetheless. 



Now, the entree. This was a bit different from what I am used to. The shells were stuffed with chicken, veggies, tomatoes, onion, mozzarella and marinara. I typically have some sort of ricotta and mozzarella mixture inside, but this was okay. I would've loved some more punches of flavor - maybe something like fresh herbs and getting that creaminess from the cheese. Still a decent dish for a bit different take on it.

Grade: B

 Who doesn't love cheese?!



Located in Martinsburg, Shepherd's Whey Creamery produces fine artisan goat milk cheese. I've actually wanted to visit this place, because how cute are goats?! Plus, there aren't a tonnn of places to find the cheese. And I figured getting it right from the source would be best. But, COVID-19 of course has thrown a wrench in things ... AND THEN I actually discovered some along one of my adventures.



While at Hawk Knob in the Lewisburg area, I noticed they had a few different types of goat cheese from Shepherd's Whey Creamery in the fridge. So, I bought both types I saw - an asiago and "Winter's End." 

ALPSIAGO: The newest cheese to our line up is our Alpine Style Cheese Alpsiago. This cheese inspired by the Italian Cheese: Asiago, is aged 12 months and is made in a large 16 pound wheel. This cheese has a unique texture and flavor that is unlike any of our other varieties. It has a bit warm and tangy flavor this cheese has become a favorite at our markets and here at the farm.

WINTER'S END: Winter’s End is a Shepherd’s Whey original. Steeped in beer from a local micro brewery at hooping and ages 5-9 months. It is a dryer sharp nutty cheese with a flavor similar to a Parmesan.

Have you tried either?

There are no lengths I'm not willing to go to in order to try a new (to me) restaurant. Such is the case when I had a craving for Chinese food, but I could only justify it if I could produce new content for my blog. And since I've tried all the Chinese restaurants in the Charleston area, I was led to Montgomery.



China House Xiu Hunan is the only, I believe, Chinese restaurant in Montgomery, so it has the market cornered. It was previously named Potamkin and has had decent reviews over the years. During COVID-19, they do not have indoor dining, so it looked more like it was used for storage and it had dim lighting. 



I had put in an order online, and when I got there, they said it was ready. But then I waited another 15 minutes or so. Once I got my bag stuffed full of food, I sped home (not literally, in case there are any cops reading) to try it out.



Let's start with the pad thai. This is one of my favorite dishes, but I just have not found a good version in the Kanawha Valley. It's a bit bland, the texture overall is just a bit mushy, and I'm looking for the nutty, sweet, chewy dish I love. And this just wasn't it. 



Next up, I tried honey chicken. I probably ate the most of this - it has the sweet tangy flavor of a General Tso or Crispy Chicken entree you might expect. It's not all white meat, though, which I was hoping for. I also don't think this one exactly agreed with my tummy.



Finally, we also tried the coconut shrimp. The coconut sauce came on the side, which was nice. But the breading for the shrimp was soft and mushy. So, I tried to pick off most of that and just dip the shrimp in the sauce. It wasn't too bad that way.



This place did have a few different items - like a crab eggroll. This had a stick of crab in the middle and like stuffing filling up the remainder. I really liked it. 



Then, of course I had to try whatever a cheese eggroll is. And, it's essentially the cream cheese in crab rangoons enveloped in a spring roll wrapped. I liked it!



And to top things off, I tried the crab rangoons. I think I liked the eggroll one better, because the rangoons are super hard around the fried edges. But the filling - always good.

Grade: C

Gino's Pizza and Spaghetti House has a number of locations throughout West Virginia, and while they may not be quite as ubiquitous as Tudor's, they're probably not far off. In fact, they're usually attached to one another.



The locations do vary slightly from one to the other. Some have independent owners (I believe), which means they can switch up some of the menu items. In this case, I went for a calzone with cheese and mushrooms. You can see it's a litttleeee extra done, especially on the bottom. And I would not have hated some more filling, but I still ate every bite. 

Grade: B

Camp Virgil Tate is a 4H Camp in Charleston that also hosts a variety of events, like meetings, retreats, and even weddings. 



They have partnered with Turnrow Appalachian Farm Collective to provide some of their delicious baked goods for sale. They have pepperoni rolls, pierogis, quiche, and breadsticks available. So, I put in an order for some pierogis and pepperoni rolls. Unfortunately, the pierogis were delivered to a different location, so I didn't get those. BUT, I did get the pepperoni rolls!



These are packed full of pepperoni and cheese - no giant air pocket here. They're dense and have this garlic herb butter sort of wash, and they are pretty tasty. Have you tried?

General Steak & Seafood, located on Quarrier Street, is like an expanded version of Joe's Fish Market.



The once-fish market now has a meat counter, as well, and the famous Yugoslavian Fish Stew is still a staple.



So, walking in, you have a fresh seafood counter to the right. A meat counter - all sourced from Buzz - to the left. And a few cooler items straight ahead. 

Folks here are super attentive and willing to help. I had no idea what I wanted to get, really, so I looked up and down the coolers a bit. I have to give a shoutout to Becca for being the absolute best. She immediately welcomed me as soon as I walked in (so I wasn't standing there awkwardly trying to figure things out), she let me have some time to browse, she was right there when I had questions and helped me pick out the best filets. Plus, I think there's something to be said for seeing another woman there - it's comforting when I was the only other woman there.



I ultimately went with the filet mignon (how can you say no when seeing these beauties??), plus some crab cakes, then crab dip and tartar sauce. Becca gave me a tip for the crab dip - while you CAN enjoy it cold, try it warmed up with some hot bubbly cheese on top. Yum. Everything was delish.



Grade: A

I think it's important that every town has at least one solid pizza joint.



And, it's usually the tiny, little, hidden pizza joint that has the best pizza.



So, I'm always on the hunt for good pizza when traveling.



Parkersburg is no stranger to pizza, but now that I've hit up the most popular places, it's time to check out some of the more off-the-radar spots, like DM's Pizza Shop. Which, I think, stands for Donnie Mozzarella's. 

You may have heard of Belknap Dough Company when they were a large, black food truck doling out hot pizza pies. But now, you can get those same delicious pizzas all the time on Main Street in Hurricane. 



Dawn and I visited the brick-and-mortar location, which is a lovely space with dark wooden floors and a window into the kitchen that has a wood-fired pizza oven as a centerpiece. 



The menu features a pepperoni roll, charcuterie trays, salads and, of course, pizza. Cheese, pepperoni, sausage, margherita, bianca, Hurricane haze and "Main Street Pepperoni" are the pizza options.



There were a few things that captured my attention. First, I started with the pepperoni roll. Is there anything better than that cheese pull? Yes, a hot, stringy cheese pull that is enveloped in pepperoni and covered in a golden brown dough. 



I love a good caprese salad. This was perhaps less of a salad and more kababs. Cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and balsamic reduction drizzled over the skewers made for a delicious, fresh bite. 



And for pizza - the one that stuck out to me was the "Main Street Pepperoni" because it's the most different: San Marzano red sauce, pepperoni, ricotta and hot honey drizzle. Fresh ricotta is one of my favorite pizza toppings - and the hot honey drizzle was perfect on the crust to give it some ooomf. What is your favorite pie here?



Grade: A