It's rare I make stops in Beckley anymore, but on the way back from Lewisburg, our tummies were rumbling.

Pasquale Mira's is well-known in the area for some of the best Italian food. We were seated in an terrace area, with views outside. It was cute.

The menu had classic American Italian pasta dishes: spaghetti lasagna, ziti, ravioli, manicotti, eggplant parmesan. Oh, and my favorite - jumbo shells.

But first, a salad with their housemade dressing.

Blah. Some iceberg lettuce with may two or three small, tasteless pieces of tomato all soaked in the the dressing. I don't really know why people seem to be fond of this. Boring.

They brought out a basket of cold bread that was ... well, bread. Nothing too special there.

Okay, but onto the shells, florentine actually. I also ordered a side of meatballs because I was curious. I tried them first.

Not bad, actually. They crumble easily - they were well-seasoned, though. And I liked the marinara sauce. Not super powerful and hearty, but like a better-seasoned basic sauce.

The shells weren't bad, either. You can't really go wrong when there's a blanket of melted cheese atop some pasta. I do wish there had been a bit more filling inside the actual shells with more flavor. It kind of all blends together, but a little bit more seasoning. Maybe another kind of cheese. But still, overall good. Slightly above average.

Grade: B

The Irish Pub was voted as one of the best southern bars by Southern Living. Pretty cool, right? I definitely wanted to fit in a visit - even if only briefly. We went in for a quick snack so I could get a little of the experience.

Well, it seems they were having some sort of quasi-private event. There weren't any signs or anything, but there were some balloons on the floor over near the bar area and, for some reason, Disney songs were blaring. We kept our distance and sat near the front to not interrupt whatever gathering was going on.



A waitress came over to us and gave us a menu. She was sweet, so I figured we were OK. Since we were just in for a snack, I ordered the "Big Soft Pretzel," kind of excited for something a little different. It said it was an Israeli recipe - a delicious, sesame seed sprinkled snack.

This was different and definitely interesting!

Ice cream was tasty! I definitely need to get back to try their pepperoni roll, though, as I hear that is even better!

Grade: B

Lewisburg continued to amaze me with really hip, delicious, local restaurants in Stella's Tea House.

This sweet little place has an outdoor dining area and an elegant, but fun, interior. Gorgeous goblets for our waters (filled with Blenko pitchers), and light pastels color the drapes and artwork on the walls.

We happened to have time for Stella's on Sunday, when they were serving their Sunday brunch.

There were so many great options, but I couldn't get over the crab & avocado eggs benedict. I mean, can you pass that up? It's a combination of everything great: toasted muffin topped with poached eggs, fresh avocado, lump crab, hollandaise AND served with a side of fresh fruit.


I looooved this. It was just a perfect brunch meal. Fresh eggs and avocado and crab meat all with a little tang. A nice sweetness with the fruit. Well-rounded.


Grade: A

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