My Saturday was going to start off in an epic way - a visit to Melt. We arrived just a few minutes early, so we traversed a giant snow mountain and stopped in Campbell's Sweet Factory first for some treats.

The store has floor to ceiling covered in popcorn, fresh made candies, chocolates and more.

The cases held so many goodies, I can't even describe - turtle cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes, peanut butter cups, chocolate-covered pretzels, and so much more.

I had to get a buckeye, because Ohio. And I had to get the salted caramel cup because it's impossible for me to pass that up.

Buckeyes are delicious. I didn't realize they were an Ohio thing until, like, two years ago. We always had them in grocery stores and stuff. But that may be because I grew up near Ohio? Not sure.

The caramel cup was also good, but not light and delicate.The cup took some power to bite through. All in all, I'm not sure you can give a candy store a low grade.

Grade: A  

I had read many, many good things about the Greenhouse Tavern in Cleveland. So, when I visited last weekend, it was my first stop as soon as I entered the city borders.

The restaurant is hip, with bicycles hanging from the walls and an eclectic, antique feel. So, yes, I loved it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The menu is unique with some "firsts" or appetizers. "Seconds" include crispy chicken wings confit, foie gras steamed clams and pork ramen. "Thirds" are seared market fish, bucket of tabasco chicken, pig head, pan fried pork chop saltimbocca. Plus burgers like a lamb, rib steak or beef tartar.






















I had read about their crispy chicken wings, so I went with that. They're roasted with jalapeno, lemon juice, scallion and garlic.

When they came out, they were presented as a unique dish with scallions and garlic topping them. They were pretty crispy, and the bones just fell right out. But as far as flavor, the lemon juice dominated. Everything just tasted super acidic, and there wasn't much layering or depth here.

Or maybe I had gotten my hopes up.

Anyway, dessert was next, and a buttered popcorn pot de creme could not possibly sound any better.

It was small, but delicious. A thick layer of caramel with just a touch of sea salt gave way to the vanilla custard underneath. Very faint hints of buttered popcorn shined through, but it was enough to get a taste.

Overall - the atmosphere as fun, the chicken wings were hyped up a bit more than I thought they should be. The dessert was creamy and delicious.

Grade: B 

D'Annunzios is another well-known pepperoni roll bakery in Clarksburg. Well, they also have bread, of course. But I was here for the pepperoni rolls.

I'm not sure if I just hit it at the right time, but there was only a person or two in front of me. I made it up to the counter quickly and was able to get my bag of pepperoni rolls in a few minutes and be on my merry way.

The first thing I noticed was that this was a bit more "branded." My day job is spilling over into my blogging, I think. But the bags had their logos, instead of the customer's name scrawled on them.


The pepperoni rolls were actual bun shapes - not flat like Tomaro's - and also had cubed sticks of pepperoni inside. D'Annunzio's is less spicy than Tomaro's. A fluffy, hot pepperoni roll is a treat.

I don't want to pick favorites, but I think I may have liked this one a little better. But, try for yourself and let me know.

Grade: A

North Central West Virginia is home to the pepperoni roll. Fairmont's Country Club Bakery is credited with founding the pepperoni roll. Though, two bakeries in Clarksburg are keeping up the tradition. One of those is Tomaro's Bakery.

Natalie Tennant is definitely Team Tomaro's and has passed out these pepperoni rolls at events and touts them whenever she can. Tomaro's is known as one of THE bakeries for pepperoni rolls. So, I did a mini pepperoni roll tour and woke up early on a Sunday to check them out.

Yes, Sunday. Tomaro's is open Monday 8-5, Tuesday closed, Wednesday-Friday 8-5, Saturday closed, Sunday 8-1. So, Sunday was really my best option. A lot of other people had the same idea.

I found parking along the street in front of the building. The turnover in this spot was pretty quick - people were entering empty-handed and leaving with bags full of bakery goodies.

I went inside the building - but not too far. It was packed with people waiting for the fresh pepperoni rolls out of the oven. People were inside chit-chatting, obviously knowing each other or have grown up together. I mostly tried to awkwardly stay out of the way when new people came in through the door.

Finally, my name was called, and a white bag holding two hot pepperoni rolls was handed off to me. I took them to my car and immediately had to try one. There's something special about a hot pepperoni roll right out of the oven. Tomaro's are more flat on the tops and bottoms with a slightly spicey stick pepperoni. It's a pillowy soft texture with a nice bite inside.

The pepperoni roll is a part of our culture, and it doesn't get much better than a freshly baked one from one of the best bakeries in the area.  If you haven't, give them a try.

Grade:A 

Soul Brothers Chicken & Seafood, located at 236 Walnut Street, recently opened as the town's only true soul food restaurant. The restaurant is another endeavor in part by Ray Glymph, the young entrepreneur who also has a hand in 4th & Goal, Morgantown Taco Truck and Liquid Lounge.

Soul Brothers has been pretty active on social media, ramping up excitement for their grand opening. So, when they announced a soft opening, I gathered up my coworkers and headed there. We were the first people in line.

It's in the former "Are U Hungry/Sandwich U" location on Walnut Street. Walk up to the counter, read over the menu on the TV screen and choose your meal. They have a "soul wrap," which is a chicken wrap, chicken and waffles, chicken strips, shrimp meal, fish meal, po-boys and more. Plus a ton of sides, like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, collard greens, red beans and rice, yams, biscuits, cornbread and more.

I ordered the 3 piece chicken strips meal with macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes as my two sides. Oh, and a brownie. They have a few desserts made at the counter. It also came with two sauces. They have a ton of sauces to choose from - ranch, buffalo, garlic parmesan, soul sauce, sweet baby rays BBQ, Franks Red hot, Carolina tangy BBQ.

I got a BBQ and the garlic parmesan. My food was out pretty quickly; I think the chicken strips may have been just made and were ready to go. A coworker ordered the wings and had to wait a bit on his. But we were able to pick up our meals at the pick up side along with some plastic forks, claimed a booth and dug in while watching the TVs around the restaurant.

The chicken has a nice peppery flavor, and I alternated between the BBQ and garlic parmesan sauces, but ultimately stuck with the BBQ. It was pretty good. The macaroni and cheese was also tasty - very soft but a tiny bit of crunchy breadcrumbs on top, and I love that the mashed potatoes had the skin in there for flavor. The truth is, this is the kind of food I would love to live on. It's hot, crunchy, creamy and comforting. I love that there are a ton of sides, and I really want to try the fish soon because I've yet to see a decent fish sandwich in town.

Coworkers liked their wings, collard greens and fries, too.

My brownie was super rich and soft. I wouldn't have minded a little crisped edges, to be honest. But that's just personal preference.

My only real negative is I wish the refills were accessible to customers. I'm not going to bother the workers to refill my cup because they're busy, and that's annoying.

I know Dirty Bird across the street is another option folks find for soul food. They do have decent chicken there, but I just liked this place. It felt homey and comfortable. And, I know people will be mad I got boneless chicken strips. Well, suck it. It was delicious. I LOVE having a ton of sauces to mix up and choose what I'm feeling that day. I LOVE the tons of sides and wish I could've tried them all. They're making fried food and comfy sides. And I don't hate it.

Grade: A