If I had to pick some of my favorite foods in the world, they'd probably be sushi, caramel, ice cream, s'mores, Chinese food, macaroni and cheese, lasagna ... and more sushi. RL and I are always on the hunt for some good sushi, so while in Vienna, we stopped at Tokyo, which boasts thai, sushi and hibachi.

We were there, literally, as soon as it opened, so it was empty. We were quickly served miso soup, which is always eh to me. Looking over the menu, I skipped straight to the specialty rolls section to see what kind of trouble we could get ourselves into.

Side note: I completely missed out on the special rolls written on the white board - lobster, godzilla both sounded good. But I didn't see them until it was too late.

We ended up ordering a Tokyo Roll (fried shimp tempura, spicy tuna, avocado, spicy mayo and eel sauce) and a Yum-Yum Roll (fried crabstick, cream cheese, cucumber, avocado, topped with crabstick, crunchy, spicy mayo and eel sauce). We also got a side of hibachi noodles because yum.

Noodles were fine; they only gave us the "yum yum" sauce and not the other. But that's OK. I should've opted for some veggies in there so there was a textural difference. Still good.

The sushi, which I didn't realize, was all fried. I was thinking there were just fried pieces inside. But, that's my bad. The Tokyo roll is quite large, making it a bit difficult to eat, but flavors are good. But I liked the Yum-Yum Roll better. The fried part wasn't overwhelming since there were a lot of other ingredients happening. The spicy mayo and eel sauce can make anything better, I think. Add some cream cheese and crab or shrimp - and you have a delicious combo. It may not even be considered sushi anymore, but it's pretty tasty.

Grade: B

I think I've arrived at a very important realization: I'm kinda over flat, thin New York-style slices. Blasphemy, right? Meh. Those large, droopy slices are a dime a dozen. Give me that crunch that can hold up that mound of sauce and cheese as it makes its way to my mouth.

That brings me to The Pizza Place, the beloved pizza shop in Parkersburg. There are actually two locations; the Dudley Avenue one I visited previously. So, it was time to check out what Southside had to offer.

The building has glass windows in lieu of walls, with a central ordering area and tables that spill around the space. I just ordered two pieces of thick pepperoni pizza that were boxed up right in front of me. We probably spent about five minutes from the time we entered the restaurant to when we had pizza in hand, ready to go.

Southside does it right; Dudley Avenue does it right, too. I don't know if one is better than the other, but I know that I love both. I love the thick, crunchy crust that gives way to pools of tangy tomato sauce, a blanket of melted mozzarella and a ton of crisp little pepperonis. It's just good - and that's not just nostalgia speaking. That's straight from my tastebuds.

Grade: A

Vienna is to Parkersburg as Granville is to Morgantown. I think. I kinda considered Vienna just a small suburb of Parkersburg, but I think its time to do right by it by recognizing it as its own city. Yep.


RL and I recently went to a new BBQ joint in Vienna called Smokin' BBQ and wings. I always love some good southern comfort food (did someone say mac & cheese?), so I was SO. DOWN. If you're here to dine in, they will seat you; otherwise, it looks like you order at the front counter.

There's a good bit of seating here all in a sort-of down-home BBQ joint feel. The menu spans pulled pork and brisket to ribs and chicken. They were out of the pulled pork tots (because they didn't sell enough -- what?!). But. we made up our minds pretty quickly on what we wanted: The Lil' Sampler Platter. That comes with 1/4 lb. brisket, 1/4 lb. pulled pork, 1/4 chicken, 2 bone ribs, 1 side (mac & cheese for me duh) and a roll or sweet corn cake (we went with sweet corn cake).

Sauces on the table included a hot and sweet, a sweet and mild, a regular and something else that I can't remember.

The pulled pork was my favorite, with a nice flavor and tenderness. The brisket was lacking a bit of a smoke flavor, according to RL, which I'd have to agree with. The ribs were good and messy, and the chicken was pretty moist. I slathered mine mostly with the sweet and mild sauce, so everything ended up tasting pretty good. The mac & cheese could have had some more flavor; it was a bit mild. But I loved the sweet corn cakes.

It wasn't the best BBQ I've ever had, but it was pretty good. 7/10, would visit again.



Grade: B

I recently bought some brown local eggs from Red Barn Farm at the Morgantown Farmers Market - and they were good! The owner was kind enough to sell me just a half dozen (a whole dozen is just too many for me), so I was tickled. Have you tried anything from Red Barn Farm?

Oak Grove Greenhouse is a vendor at the Morgantown Farmers Market that is based out of Grafton. They bring annuals and perennial flowers, vegetable plants, herbs, hanging flowers and ferns to the market.

I got my new little succulent, Audrey, there. Precious, right?

If you wanna visit, here are directions, as per their Facebook: Six miles North from Grafton Walmart then right on Oak Grove Road 3/4 mile then Left on Dogwood Lane go 1/4 mile and your there! Coming from Morgantown go approximately four miles past Taylor Monongalia County Line then Left on Oak Grove Road, 3/4 mile up Oak Grove and left on Dogwood Lane, go 1/4 mile and your there!

I recently visited J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works in Malden for a larger story I'm working on. Salt, you ask? Yes. West Virginia has a history with salt due to the ancient ocean trapped beneath the Appalachian Mountains in the Kanawha Valley. J.Q. Dickinson is actually ran by a seventh-generation salt-making family.

I had the opportunity to talk with Nancy and learn a bit about her story. She didn't intend to get into salt, but when her family history trade was revived, she realized her calling. She resurrected the industry and has really helped catapult J.Q. Dickinson into a household name in West Virginia. The beautiful finishing salt has evolved into popcorn salt, smoked salt, ramp salt, grinding salt, and more.

They've done partnerships with other folks - like Holl's Chocolates. Most recently, I was able to taste a salted caramel! Delicious.

If you think all salt is the same, you need to check this out. They even host dinners that I'm hoping to try for the first time this summer.

Sugar Pie Bakery is located in Kanawha City and serves up cake balls, macaroons, cookies, stuffed cookies, cinnamon chip pecan scones, brownie bombs, and more.

They also have daily specials. On this particular day, it was white chocolate Oreo and Elvis. Yes, please.

The white chocolate Oreo had a hunk of Hershey's Cookies & Cream atop a tasty cake. It had a bit more texture to it; it wasn't airy smooth. But I liked it.

The Elvis had a peanut butter center and a pile of chocolate frosting. Tasty.

The service was a bit of a cluster. People who had orders in and were picking them up seemed to have trouble: Things missing, things done incorrectly, etc.

Tasty cupcakes, though it seems service could use a bit more work. But, for just walking in and grabbing a few treats - no problems!



Grade: B

A few new restaurants have popped up in Charleston recently, with Olive Tree Cafe receiving the most praise. This Mediterranean meets American restaurant features everything from shawarma and falafel to Philly cheesesteaks and hot dogs.


The cafe is charming. It has a good bit of seating, a deli with fresh meats and cheeses, a Pepsi Spire machine (!!) and other packaged goods for purchase.

Up at the counter, I ordered the Olive Tree Shawarma because it's one of their signature sandwiches: marinated, slow roasted steak with garlic sauce, shredded pickles, onion, tomato and tahini in a pita. I also got a side of the Olive Tree Pasta Salad.

After a short wait, my meal was delivered. The shawarma wasn't so much wrapped, as it was reliant upon the paper to keep it together, which proved problematic when I need to peel it away. And although there was too much lettuce, the flavors of both the tender meat and the garlic sauce was pretty tasty. A few grizzly bits, but overall - pretty good.

The pasta salad was billed as: Al dente cavatappi topped with the perfect blend of veggies and spices with a little bite. I found it a bit underwhelming, unfortunately. Not bad, just not a ton of flavor and lacking the veggies and spices I was looking forward to.

So, overall I think this place is fine. I liked my shawarma, but I wasn't blown away. I think the pasta salad was fine. I like the little space, and I'm not sure how I feel about it seeming to have a bit of a mixed vision. But, I think I'll just have to try some more to see.

Grade: B

We THOUGHT our day in Pittsburgh was complete. We came, we ate, we played and we were ready to go. And, we were traveling through Pennsylvania, heading back home when this brilliant beam of light shot through the sky like it was calling to us: "Chocolate Factory."

I mean. How could we ignore that. The exterior was precious, with candy-striped poles, playful fluorescent lights and just the most quaint looking place to perch. We passed it, talked about how badly we needed to go, turned around in the middle of the highway and made it back 10 minuets before closing.

I realize this is late, but I didn't plan to stay in there long. I wanted to buy a couple treats and head out. Unfortunately, they already had all the windows covered up with the individual chocolates, and even as we walked in, they continued to blanket up things around us. I was looking at this row of candies, and a lady came in behind me and threw a blanket on it. Way to make your customers feel welcome. A better way would've been a reminder that they close in 10 minutes but would be happy to serve us anything behind the blankets.

I still picked up a box of chocolates, and I had a caramel bar. The caramel bar was pretty good, though the chocolates were a gift, so I didn't try those. Had it been a bit more welcoming environment, I think we probably would've dropped a bit more money -- all before the place even closed. We were in and out within 5 minutes - still five minutes before they were scheduled to close.

Grade: B

For our last meal in Pittsburgh, Butcher And The Rye was up.

We didn't have reservations, and we couldn't be there as soon as they opened for dinner at 5 p.m. -- because we were busy waiting in line for ANOTHER restaurant to open. So, as soon as I was seated at Tako (literally next door to Butcher And The Rye with a walkway connecting the two - same owner) and waiting for my food to arrive, I called Butcher And The Rye to see if they would have ANYTHING available for dinner that evening. Somehow, luckily, they had an opening at 5:45 p.m. It was currently 5 p.m., but we made it.

Our reservation was for a "non-traditional" seating space, which means it was upstairs in the lounge area, where I essentially sat on a couch and we had another ottoman as a chair. It was comfortable, but a bit odd for a meal. It's also quite dark upstairs and a bit more of a whiskey bar feel. The rest of the restaurant has a very cool rustic feel, with butcher paper denoting the specials. Oil lanterns. Chandeliers of antlers. Antique doorknobs. Just super cool.

The menu has delicacies like bone marrow with oxtail jam, dry aged tartare, mussels, and Sunday gravy. I honed in on my absolute favorites: Mac N Cheese - taleggio, fontina, goat cheese, cheddar and parmesan; and S'Mores - bourbon marshmallow, chocolate rope, brown butter fried ice cream, and graham cracker soil. I was setting up this restaurant to win from the get-go.

Mac & cheese, in my mind, can unite worlds and solve wars. It's the best thing - besides ice cream. This had a nice panko crust hiding shells enveloped in a beautiful cheesy blend. This mac & cheese may have been one of the best I've ever had. And considering I was so full and still wanted to eat this, that's saying something.

Ah, and the s'mores. That ice cream was to. die. for. The marshmallow divine. And the graham cracker topped it all off. I didn't love the chocolate because it was a bit bitter, but the ice cream more than made up for it.

Despite it being the last place I visited, it may be my absolute favorite - because, really, what more do you need in life than mac & cheese and s'mores?


Grade: A

Daystar Farm, located in Nestorville, is another new vendor to me at the Morgantown Farmers Market. Recently, they've had some bunches of asparagus and tomato plants!

According to their Facebook, they are a family farm involved in raising livestock and produce. They are all natural and sell at the Philippi Farmers Market, as well.

Did you have a chance to snag anything from them?