Every cool town needs a cool coffee shop. Charleston has Taylor Books. Princeton has Sister's Coffee House. Morgantown doesn't really have that BUT Lewisburg does. With The Wild Bean.

This little hipster coffee shop offers everything the quintessential coffee joint requires: local art, great coffee, some food and local products. Coffee menu has organic, fairtrade, bird-friendly and rain forest allliance options. They have hot and ice espresso, teas, fruit smoothies, tea lattes, ice teas and more.

Their breakfast has burritos, egg scrambles, breakfast sandwiches and granola - complete with free range eggs from local farmers and house-made bagels and baked goods. Vegetarian and vegan-friendly options. Lunch has wraps, avocado melts and burgers.

First up, I ordered a smoothie. You can basically get whatever fruit you want, so I opted for strawberry, banana and mango.

This was good. It just tasted fresh. Plus I liked that I wasn't forced into some generic pre-selected choices of fruits. Chose what I want, right there, and it was made just for me. Tasty.

For food, I went with their breakfast burrito, which had scrambled eggs, potato, cheese, bacon, and sour cream in a tortilla.

This sounds amazing, and it was pretty good. Things were fresh - just a little dull. More spices? My only real gripe is that I wish it had more sour cream (or any, at all - I think mine may have been lacking) or some more salsa. Both of these really would've amped up the flavor and helped bring all those elements together. Or even more cheese? I just wanted more. Still, not bad.


Grade: B

While in the area, I really wanted to figure out a way to make a stop at The Greenbrier. It's oftentimes the shining star of WV - well-known for elegant, extravagance and hosting some very famous guests.


The only thing we could really do quickly and cheaply (well, as cheap as you'll get here --- $16) is afternoon tea. Each day, afternoon tea is served in the main dining room from 4-4:45 p.m. The Springhouse Entertainers do a small little dance in the beginning and then bring out trays of cookies to the main table.

It's not as intimate as I was expecting. It's like a mad rush to the cookies, and they keep replenishing throughout the time.  but pretty much the whole time stays busy with folks trying to nab the most cookies. I got a handful, which were pretty tasty. A macaroon-type cookie was by far my fav - lightly sweet and crisp.

Off to the side, they have both hot tea and iced tea.

And it's all set in the absolutely beautiful hotel with vibrant patterns and colors, huge chandeliers and light music playing. Most people were wearing the resort casual dress - with sport shirts, sweaters, jackets, dress slacks and walking shorts.

It's cool they continue this tradition, which has been a staple since the 1930s. I only wish that maybe there was a small tea pot and tray of cookies per table rather than the more impersonal, everybody-rush-to-the-table method.

When we went to pay - it's part of hotel guests' package - we couldn't figure out how to do so. And when we inquired, they actually said it's on the house. Super cool.

Grade: B

I'm glad I didn't walk out of Livery Tavern as soon as I entered. Because I sure wanted to.

We had a reservation for The Livery, but we were running late, and the service on my phone was questionable. When we showed up, we noted we were late for our reservation and apologized. The person who greeted us didn't seem pleased we were late and was trying to figure out what to do with us. Then another person came over to help and mentioned we were late, again, and then just said to act like we didn't have a reservation because it was easier for them to seat us. I sighed, we apologized again, and then for a THIRD time, we were chastised for being late by another worker. I was beyond furious at this point. And embarrassed. We were late, we apologized, the place wasn't busy anyway, it was just for two people, so why bring it up three separate times? Just seat me and let me spend my money in your restaurant.

Inside, it is quite nice. White linen tablecloths, dim lighting, dark woods.

Once we were finally seated, our own server came out and was quite pleasant, thankfully. He diffused the situation. I ordered a glass of wine - something white and sweet and delicious - and perused the menu.

We decided to go with wine, appetizers and desserts. My favorite three courses.

To start with, we ordered the cheese board. It said local cheeses and seasonal fruit.

It was amazing. Six different kinds of cheeses - bleu cheese, goat cheese, gouda cheese, herb cheeses - just a perfect combination of creamy textures with more pungent bites and creative ones.

Plus crostini that was a perfect vehicle for the main star - yet flavorful itself. Plus some finely sliced fruit - apples, strawberries, blackberries. Then there were sundried tomatoes. Everything was just so good.



And the dessert. One of the best I've ever had. Just a great combination of fluffy cake with meringue and whipped cream and fresh berries. I was stuffed but couldn't stop eating this. It was great.

While the service was questionable, the food was outstanding. If Food & Friends had my favorite entree in Lewisburg, my favorite wine, appetizer and dessert definitely goes to the Livery Tavern.

By all means, if you go, make a reservation and don't dare be late. 

Grade: A

Food & Friends delivered one of my favorite desserts at the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival - and one of my favorite meals during my weekend stay. Located along Washington Street, despite being a busy area, the restaurant had ample (free!) parking along the street - boy, what a draw that is. The outside was sweet looking, with some shrubbery and a wooden sign.

Inside, we were quickly ushered to a large table upon our reservation, and we scanned the mouth-watering menu.


First served was a small, fresh-baked loaf in a terracotta pot - fluffy. Butter. Tasty.

We ordered the harbor crab dip, which is a mixture of blue crab, cream cheese, and spices served with garlic bruschetta. Brittany already knew she loved this; I didn't have any idea how much I'd love it. It was light, but indulgent. Creamy and tangy.

Soup came with my entree, so french onion it was. To be honest, I've had better french onion. This one fell a little flat for me. Heavy - the cheese had already hardened in the soup instead of lightly flowing through. Just OK.

My main entree was the Napoleon - wild-caught shrimp, fresh scallops, choice of pasta (I chose penne) and alfredo or scampi sauce (I chose alfredo).

This was actually better than I even thought it would be. Alfredo is sometimes hit or miss with me, but this was delicious. A few large chunks of seafood (I can always go for more), but a super creamy and decadent sauce with some fresh parmesan on top of the noodles. A few slices of garlic bread topped it off. Carbs on carbs on carbs makes for a happy Candace.

Check them out on Food Network, too.

Grade: A

I would love to visit all the wineries in the state one day. I have Forks of Cheat Winery and Heston marked off. Lewisburg provided me with one more opportunity: Watts Roost Vineyard. I actually tried this one for the first time at a Wine and Jazz festival in Morgantown with an ex-boyfriend. We liked Watts Roost Vineyard's Sweet Charlotte one so much we purchased a bottle, got an order of chocolate-covered strawberries and sat underneath a tree, finishing off the bottle. Ah, memories.



Finding ourselves in Lewisburg for the weekend, Brittany and I decided a wine tasting would be a perfect little getaway for an hour or so. Watts Roost Vineyard is located back a country road on a farm. This particular day was beautiful, and I could've spent hours on their porch if we had the time. The woman conducting the tastings was amazing. Super personable, chatty and relatable.

As two newly single girls, I think she imparted more wisdom on us than she will ever know. I, still, three weeks later, replay some of her words of advice on life, love and friends. It was one of those moments where it seemed like we were meant to visit her, at that time, on that day, and hear what she had to say.


It was only $4 to taste any wine we wanted - which was all of them. Plus the souvenir wine glass! Just right up at the counter - plus she gives you some palate cleansers inbetween tastings (chocolate anyone?). AND she tells you all the great recipes you could make WITH the wine. Just, awesome. All of their semi-sweet and sweet whites were great. I knew I liked Sweet Charlotte, but I also found another I was fond of: Sweet Lucie, which is their sweetest wine. I bought a bottle for just $10 and was on my way.

This would be perfect for a girl's trip or a couple's trip for just a few hours. The lake and area are gorgeous, serene, relaxing ... I'd love to buy a bottle and just drink out on the porch while watching the animals. If you're in the area, it's a must.