Fresh Start Market Co. is a market in Summersville that has plants, veggies, value-added products and more in a small space.
They opened just before the pandemic began and had to pivot quite a bit.
But they're open and busy - at least when I visited.
They have a lot of different things to purchase.
Whether you want lavender or apples, Fresh Start Market Co. had it.
They even have honey.
And corn - which is early in the season.
There's also tons of flowers!
So many goodies.
What have you purchased here?
A wood-fired taco cart named "Polecat" has entered the Fayetteville food scene. Most recently, I was able to stop by Bridge Brew Works to check them out.
Their menu is fairly small: chicken, shrimp, cauliflower or sweet potato tacos. Plus spanish fried rice and elote.
I went for a shrimp taco, which has fire-grilled shrimp, queso fresco, Alabama slaw, avocado crema and tajin, which is a spice blend of lime, salt and chili peppers. Plus spanish rice and elote.
Let's start with the taco: It was bangin'. It was full of fresh, bold flavors, beautiful texture and some nice wood smoke. The spanish rice was a bit dry and not too notable, but the elote - good lord. A whole piece of delicious corn on the cob, covered in queso fresco, slathered in a mayo cream sauce and lots of cilantro. I'm glad no one saw me destroying this, because it was not a pretty sight - but it as delicious.
Grade: A
Every time I go to the Eastern Panhandle, there's a plethora of new restaurants for me to try. Well, new to me, at least.
That's the case with The Country Cafe Restaurant. It's been around for years, but I only recently discovered it on my last trip to Harpers Ferry.
The space is homey with wooden floors, country decor and personal touches.
The menu features breakfast items like eggs, bacon, potatoes, and one you don't always see: fresh donuts. They make these in vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter and cinnamon sugar. I ordered a half dozen of the peanut butter ones to sample and take along with me for the rest of the day's travels.
Look how absolutely adorable these mini donuts are! You can tell they're homemade because they're not totally uniform, but made with love. They were tasty - if not just a touch oily - but sugary sweet to hit that craving.
Grade: B
A meal with a view - that's the idea behind a new Huntington restaurant that's on the river, literally.
Pier One Landing has opened in the former "Schooners" location at the Guyandotte Marina. The barge had been unused for about 8 years before the owner of Fly In Cafe wanted to add another unique eatery to his repertoire.
The floating restaurant has parking right near the walkway, which brings you down to sea level. Dawn and I went during opening weekend, and they were staffed to the max in anticipation of a big crowd. We were seated quickly and took to looking out on the river. It was a drizzly, misty day, but it was still fun to watch the river and occasional boat.
The interior boasts an upscale sea theme, and the food isn't far off from that, too. The menu isn't huge, but it has a few standards - fish sandwich, fried oysters, mahi mahi tacos. I am intrigued by the lobster roll - but sans slaw. And the lobster mac will definitely be on my to-try list.
For this first visit, though, I wanted to try the signature favorite: Pier One Big Fish - fried fish sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cheese and tartar sauce on a bun. I really love a good, fresh fish sandwich. But, they're not easy to come by. I've found that many restaurants in the area will serve those frozen, minced fish pieces if it's not their specialty. So, I was very excited about this.
The sandwich is large and in charge. The fried piece of fish was hanging off the edges of the bun. It was beautifully crispy golden that gave way to flaky white fish. Not too oily, not too crusted - a very nice cook on the fish. I took away half the lettuce and added more tartar sauce and *chef's kiss* I had a solid fish sandwich. A side of onion rings paired well - though I wish they had hushpuppies with honey butter. MMMmmm. Tell me what you're going to try!
Grade: A
A new BBQ joint opened up in Winfield, and Dawn and I made our way over there to check it out.
Mo Betta BBQ, located at 12474 Winfield Road, sells pork, chicken, beef and brisket. You can purchase them by the pound - and they're listed at market price, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine - but you can also get the BBQ as part of a combo, sandwich or platter.
I went with a platter so that I could get two sides, which is often my favorite part of BBQ! Brisket, loaded potato salad and macaroni & cheese. Plus a garlic parmesan cornbread muffin and honey BBQ sauce on the side.
The potato salad was great - it had lots of flavor with a little bit of kick. The mac & cheese was average - but thick and creamy. The brisket was good, though I would have preferred fewer fatty pieces and more bark. But that's personal preference.
They also have some desserts that look amazing, but we didn't partake on this visit. Have you been?
Grade: B
Nitro is home to the 24-hour Tudor's Biscuit World, so I had high hopes for its Gino's location. And, while it's not open 24 hours, it did not disappoint.
On the menu for this day was a small pizza with mushrooms - which was great. The crust had some crisp on it - and not the soft, soggy bottom that often happens.
And the wings! The golden BBQ with a homemade blue cheese was delicious. This was one of the best renditions I've had. A little tang, a little sweet, and then that zip with the blue cheese. Delish.
Grade: A
For me, Sutton is rarely a destination but rather a drive-through location. But when I found myself driving through and starving - but wanting to find a local restaurant - I made a stop at Luzaders 3 Girls Diner.
This diner - named after the husband, wife and two daughters - is located right off the exit in a mixed-use building. Simply go to the last door on the right side of the building and you'll enter the ground-level restaurant.
Inside, it kind of looks like an old-school banquet hall. It's one large room with a bunch of tables, and there were three older couples eating silently. The entire restaurant was very, very quiet.
I had found a menu online and put in a pick-up order to be ready by the time I arrived. The menu features breakfast all day and homestyle dishes. I ordered the hot turkey dinner with sides of potato salad and macaroni & cheese.
The turkey was tender, with a few fatty pieces, but it was more dark meat and saturated in gravy. The mac & cheese was my favorite part of the meal - it had some extra ooey gooey cheese that kicked it up a notch. The potato salad had some good flavor, though it was bit more watery than I love.
The mashed potatoes were homemade with a dark gravy - I would've loved a lighter gravy, but not bad nonetheless.
And, finally, the whole meal came with rolls and butter. Overall, it was a decent meal to fill your belly.
Grade: C
Grafton has the nation's longest running, continuous Memorial Day parade in the nation. This year marked the 154th annual parade, and I made a day trip up to check it out. While there, I had to get my grub on.
Olde Town Donuts, which operates out of Jerry's Restaurant, serves up standard and specialty donuts -- and they were open on Memorial Day. AND BONUS - they had both a tent set up outside and the drive-thru open. Win-win.
So, I put in an order for a half-dozen via Facebook messenger and made my way (very slowly) across town (maybe employing questionable traffic choices to get around parade traffic).
I went with strawberry, maple, s'mores, pb&j, cherry cheesecake and lemon pie. It could have been the combination of the spirit of the community event or these donuts being the first thing I ate all day - but these were really tasty. The donut itself tasted fresh with cinnamon and sugar. The toppings were plentiful - and reminded me of the mini donuts you might find from Peace, Love & Little Donuts. But, these are full sized with all the indulgent varieties. Which would you pick?
Grade: A
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