The Myrtle Beach area is probably the most common vacation spot for West Virginians.



In fact, some folks call it the "56th county" of West Virginia because of how many Mountaineers you'll find there. 



So, it only makes sense that there's a pepperoni roll outpost nearby so that folks can still get their fix."
That's where D'Annunzio's Bakery comes in. 



The Clarksburg bakery offers bread, pepperoni rolls, and those same versions can be found at this Longs, S.C., bakery by the same name. My understanding is that it's a family member who opened the South Carolina location.



Were the pepperoni rolls just as good? They sure were. A very bready roll - but classic. 



They also had some products I've not seen at the Clarksburg spot that are bit more adventuruous - like apple raisin bread and cranberry walnut bread. They even had Oliverio's peppers to top your favorite Italian dishes with.

Grade: A

Crafts of Coal is taking over St. Albans. What started as an ice cream truck has now expanded into a storefront on Olde Main.



The shop focuses on ice cream - and a ton of different flavors of it. There is seating, but it's not very comfortable or large. 



In fact, there were so many, I couldn't choose. I always struggle whether I want to go the fruity route or the caramel route - and they rarely go well together. Which is why their "flight" option is perfect for people like me. 



Banana Pudding - banana pudding ice cream swirled with marshmallow creme and vanilla cookies
Blueberry Muffin - blueberry muffin ice cream, chocolate covered waffle cones and blueberries
Carolina Peach - peach flavored ice cream
Lime Daiquiri Sorbet - lime flavored sorbet
Smoky Mountain Toffee - toffee ice cream swirled with whiskey sauce and chunks of Heath car
Turtle Trail - sea salt caramel ice cream, caramel swirl, chocolate-caramel candies



On this day, my favorites were the lime sorbet - usually not one I'd go for! But it was refreshing and flavorful. I also was a big fan of the sea salt caramel - but of course. What are your favs?

Grade: A

I remember when smoothie bowls or acai bowls became really popular a few years ago. I drove to Fayetteville - the closest crunchiest town - to try one and just thought it was the most refreshing thing. Fast forward a few years later, and these types of cafes are springing up more frequently - most recently as Fruition Bowls and Brews in Morgantown. 



This new restaurant is a secondary location to its Waynesburg, PA, spot. They offer smoothies, bowls, coffee, specialty toasts and other snacks.

The interior is bright and trendy, while also having a darker accent wall and tables. It feels clean. And healthy.



I ordered the peanut butter & jelly smoothie: banana, blackberry, blueberry, almond milk and house-made peanut butter. I was hoping for a pb&j sandwich vibe, but it kinda fell flat. It was just a bit bland - not overly sweet or nutty or flavorful. Not bad; I just wanted more. 



I also went with an avocado toast complete with multigrain toast, everything seasoning, freshly sliced avocado, and red pepper flakes. Plus I added feta cheese. And, it was really yummy. It was creamy and a little funky and very satisfying. Definitely add the feta if you are a feta fan. Just be prepared for feta to fall everywhere - your shirt, your car, your phone. Worth it.



Grade: A

Dog Haus Biergarten is a chain that focuses on hot dogs with a German vibe. 



They just opened a Barboursville location, so I went out of my way one day to check it out. And lots of other folks had the same idea because it was quite busy. The interior is pretty straightforward - lots of high-top seating and basic art. 



All of their dogs, sausages and burgers are served on grilled King's Hawaiian rolls. They have some unique creations - some California-inspired, some Texas-inspired, some Mexican-inspired, etc. 



I went with a to-go order: Old Town - smoked bacon wrapped dog, caramelized onions, chipotle aoili, pickled jalapenos and cotija cheese. I also ordered a cheeseburger slider, mini corn dog and chili cheese tots. 



Let's start with my absolute favorite - this little cheeseburger slider. It has mayo, white American cheese and caramelized onions. It's so simple but perfectly executed.



I wish I would've ordered 5 more of these sliders.



The mini corndog was OK - just a bit too *much* for me - too much breading, too greasy, not my jam. 



The hot dog was good. It's not the traditional hot dog experience, but it's like a whole other flavor experience completely. There's a little sweet, a little funk, a little heat and a good quality dog. 



Finally, the tots. I love that they separated out the chili and cheese for the to-go order so they didn't get all soggy. I self administered too much chili, I think, but I enjoyed the cheese and especially the scallions. 



Grade: A

When I somehow found myself in Elizabeth, I was looking for a caffeine fix and found it at Roots to Wings. 



This home is lovely on the outside and filled with decor and other items inside. But winding around to the back, there's a coffee bar. 



They have a ton of specialty espresso drinks - and many with caramel, which you know is my weakness. 



I went with a salted caramel frozen coffee, which I could tell they don't do a whole lot. It was a bit of a process, and I felt kinda bad ordering it. The texture was a bit off - a little chunky/icy in some spots, but the flavor was fine. It gave me a kick of energy, either way. 

Grade: B

My latest column ran in the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

A bright bushel of red apples may include a Honeycrisp, RubyFrost, Cosmic Crisp, Gala, Fuji, Jazz, Pink Lady or even a Red Delicious.

But if you find a glittering yellow apple amongst the sea of rouge, there’s a pretty good chance it’s a Golden Delicious apple – which originated right here in West Virginia.

The Golden Delicious apple was discovered in 1912 in Clay County by Anderson Mullins and can now be found across the world in orchards, farmers’ markets and grocery stores.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree Its story started on a steep hillside towering over Porters Creek in Bomont, W.Va.

The Golden Delicious is described as a “chance seedling,” according to the West Virginia Encyclopedia, and is believed to have sprouted from a seed carried by bird or other animal because there was no other yellow fruit growing in the family orchard.

The apple is thought to be related to the Grimes Golden, another popular variety from the Mountain State that originated in the early 1800s in Brooke County and grew from a seed planted by Johnny Appleseed, according to legend.

The sweet, yellow Golden Delicious apple was first named “Mullins's Yellow Seedling and Annit apple.” Mullins sent three of the apples to Stark Brothers Nursery, one of the largest mail-order nurseries, in Missouri with a note that read: “I am sending you a small box of apples for inspection by mail. They are off a seedling tree in my orchard. The tree is such a nice tree and bears such fine apples. We like them so well that we think them all most as good as Delicious. No one here has any thing like it. The apples are so rich that they will make apple butter without sugar. Please try them and write and tell me what you think of them.”

Paul Stark, of Stark Brothers Nursery, traveled to the area after the promising taste of the apple and purchased the tree, property and propagation rights for $5,000.

He erected a fence and took a bundle of cuttings to graft the tree in the company’s orchard. The nursery then began marketing the apple as the Golden Delicious and as a companion to their Red Delicious apple in 1914. The apple was an instant hit.

By 1918, Stark had to turn down hundreds of orders because he could not produce enough supply to match the nationwide demand, according to Clio. By 1921, the Golden Delicious apple became the leading variety of apple tree both in the United States and abroad, according to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 7 in 1995 that named it the official state fruit of West Virginia.

Additionally, the resolution noted that the apple had been planted on every continent in the world and close to 200 billion pounds of Golden Delicious apples are grown annually in the United States.

How ‘bout them apples?

The original tree lived to produce Golden Delicious apples for nearly 50 years until it died in the 1950s. A historical marker is located nearby the spot that indicates the history. The famous apple continues to be celebrated each fall at the Clay County Golden Delicious Festival.

This year will mark 110 years from the Golden Delicious’ discovery in Clay County. And, on Feb. 20, this Appalachian specialty will have been our state fruit for 27 years. There’s no better time to reflect on its impact, not only locally, but globally.

There’s no better way to celebrate this fact than baking a delicious apple pie with local apples. Or make apple butter. Or try apple bacon pancakes.

When The Pitch opened at Shawnee Sports Complex, it made headlines. 



People were excited about another restaurant concept from Chef Paul Smith.



They had a fun, upscale bar food motif.



And, they have a unique beer filling system that carries Stumptown Ales - arguably one of West Virginia's most beloved breweries. 



And now, The Pitch has a franchised location that just opened in Kanawha City. Sara and I went to check it out, and despite arrive one minute before they opened, we were four down on the waiting list. It has been super busy. But once we were seated, things moved pretty quickly. I went for the "cornfused" appetizer, which has sweet potato tots and corn fritters (like a southwest corn) and chicken "wings," which are just strips. If you're in the mood for bar food that is a notch above the rest, you won't be disappointed. Nothing too crazy, but standard items with just a twist, solid flavors and a fun atmosphere makes for a good time.

Grade: A

There are still a couple more Gino's locations in Huntington that I need to try, but I recently marked "Walnut Hills" off my list. 



My favorite item is the pepperoni bites - so good. Topped with delicious garlic-parm and warm so the cheese oozes, these little bites are so poppable.



I was also excited to see they have breaded mushrooms - another favorite guilty pleasure. I waited a bit too long to eat these so they became a bit cool, but I still loved them - especially dipped in a horseradish saucee.

Grade: A

The Village Wine Shop is a charming shop that has, of course, wine, but also a ton of other little goodies, too.



They have gourmet olive oil, cheese, jams, honey and more. And, there are definitely samples! 



In fact, when I was there, I had a delicious bellini and ended up buying a whole bottle.



I was also very happy to see both nice, artisan products as well as local ones, too. Like a nice little selection of local honey.

Have you been?

Tootsie's Place is a small bakery and coffee shop in White Sulphur Springs.



From mini cupcakes and muffins to Italian sodas and lattes, Tootsie's has a fairly small selection but hits all the favorites. 



That's evident from the traffic jam inside - lots of folks were excited to gets their hands on some caffeinated or sweet treats. 



I ordered a hot chocolate, as well as a mini strawberry cupcake, mini blueberry muffin and mini vanilla cupcake. There was a bit of a mix-up, so I ended up getting a mini chocolate cupcake, as well.



The hot chocolate was a regular hot chocolate - just like one from Swiss Miss. The cupcakes were good, though. They were moist, light in flavor, and the decor even gave some textural variation. The muffin had a nice little sugar crust. They were all good.



I hope to check them out again and find some different flavors! Something to spice things up.



Grade: B