It's not so much of a restaurant (and doesn't sell many food products), but Lucky Johnson General Store does sell coffee and some snacks. So, that's good enough for me.

This shop is the cutest with tons of West Virginia themed goodies to snag. And their coffee is locally roasted, organic and fair trade and can be purchased by the bag and brewed fresh. And, if you're lucky, you might snag a vegetarian/vegan snack.

Grab a delicious coffee, browse this sweet shop and get a cool piece to take home.

Lost River Brewing Company is actually located in Wardensville along this very cute stretch of shops. I don't know that I have ever had a Lost River beer before, so I had no idea what to expect. And, as soon as I walked in, I was impressed.

First of all, this place is beautiful. There's a huge bar with wooden stools, large dark wooden beams down the center, tall tables and decorative lighting that makes it feel warm, yet sleek. Plus, paper on the tables with crayons.

The menu is also incredibly diverse. They serve everything from salmon tartare to a jumbo soft pretzel. Bison meatloaf. Chicago hot dogs. If I were to run a restaurant, it would be the same way - just all of my favorite things in one place (ice cream, sushi, queso, pasta carbonara).

I didn't want to stuff myself too full because of the various stops we had planned during this day, so I instead ordered an appetizer of macaroni and cheese, a cup of the Maryland Style Crab soup and a side of hush puppies. Plus, of course, samples of each of the beers.

Let's start with the macaroni and cheese. It was a cup full of cheesy cavatappi noodles with caramelized shallots, cheddar and feta. Delicious.

The soup had these giant hunks of white crab meat and tons of veggies. Additional optional Old Bay on the rim. Definitely received the seal of approval from my Maryland native friend.

And the hushpuppies. Light, flavorful and so, so good.

Onto the beer. Easy enough: All of these were delicious. From a dark coffee beer to a lighter hoppy beer, they were all on point.

So, go. Go eat everything on the menu. Go drink all of the beers. Tell them they're your favorite. They'll probably like that. Enjoy.

Grade: A

The small community of Lost River has an impressive showing on the 101 Most Unique Places to Dine in WV list - about three in the area. So, I planned a day trip with Lisa to cross off as many as I could. First up was Lost River Grill. 

This motel, bed & breakfast, restaurant combo had me a little lost at first, when Apple Maps erroneously instructed me to turn right, but returning back to that main road and just traveling a little further got me right back on track.

We arrived pretty early in the day, so breakfast was still being served. The Lost River Grill has your typical eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes up for grabs. And, of course, I went for "West Virginia's Texas French Toast" for two reasons: 1. I obvi love French toast and 2. It has West Virginia right in the name. How can you go wrong? I also ordered sausage patties on the side.

The French toast, overall, wasn't bad. There were six small triangles topped with powdered sugar that turns into a translucent glob of sugar when syrup drenches the plate. At first, I was totally into it. I started shoving forkfuls into my mouth.

I started to get a sort of almost musty taste? I'm wondering if the powdered sugar has hung around too long. Either way, it wasn't super pleasant. But, the sausage patties were so killer. I pushed the French toast off to the side (what remained of it at least) and focused my efforts on that sausage.

Step 1: Cut piece of sausage.
Step 2: Dip in all the syrup.
Step 3: Enjoy.

But, before we could leave, I had to check out that dessert case. One piece of pie had a pie crust, with a chocolate mouse and then a whipped cream with peanut butter cups. Yessss.

Overall, the French toast was a just a bit off, the sausage was very good, and the dessert was even better. A welcoming place with speedy service in the an area where there's not a ton going on was a pleasant surprise.



Grade: C

I love a good West Virginia festival. It's a taste of a small town with local traditions and the kindest people you'll ever meet. As I slowly make my rounds to some of the most notable West Virginia festivals, I want to share just a bit about them.

Lisa and I traveled to Pickens for the West Virginia Maple Syrup Festival. It was cold, quite a bit of a drive, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Luckily, when I get a crazy idea to just head hours south, without cell phone service, just to see what it's like --- I have a few friends crazy enough to join me.

This is a fairly small festival, but it's clear everyone in the entire area comes out to see it. There was a large grassy area for parking, but it sort of became a mud pit by the time we arrived. I found a spot on a shoulder and headed to the first stop: pancake feed!

For just $7.50, you get all-you-can-eat pancakes. Want a sausage patty? Just .50 more. So, of course I added a sausage patty. Paid at the front, moved through the line for my first serving of pancakes (either regular or buckwheat) and sausage, and then found a seat at the long tables lining the hall.

I don't know why these were so good. BUT THEY WERE SO GOOD. The pancakes were small, but fluffy and delicious. And that maple syrup was to die for.

There is milk on the tables, and volunteers walk around filling water glasses and passing out additional servings of pancakes. I may have eaten like five pancakes. They were so good.

After the pancake feed, we walked around and visited with the vendors. There's a building that had a few kinds of maple syrup and maple candies for sale. There were also performances at the Opera House, which was way cool.

I definitely think it's something to try once and mark it off your bucket list. And, also, take home some real delicious maple syrup.

Class II Wheatwater paired with Asparagus and goat cheese terrine w/ charred citrus.
I know Lauren loves a terrine, and they're always super beautiful. This was no exception. The goat cheese was delicious and mild (my favorite kind of goat cheese). The citrus just gave a slightly sweet flavor to the mixed greens - which pairs perfectly with the Class II Wheatwater that is a light beer brewed with orange peel.

Photo by Sher Yip

Second course:
Nate's Nut Brown paired with Almond fried English peas with espresso balsamic reduction and shaved chocolate.
The coating on these pea pods were super tasty, but I struggled a bit with the pods being stringy. I resolved to push each pea out, grab a bite of the coating and a nibble of chocolate for a very tasty trifecta. Also to note: Nate's Nut Brown is possibly my favorite beer ever, so the chocolate pairing was delish.

Photo by Sher Yip

Third course:
Halleck Pale Ale paired with Turkey lemongrass lollipops with spicy plum BBQ sauce.
I was really looking forward to these "lollipops," and the flavors were on point. The savory turkey and the spicy plum BBQ (and those tiny candies) paired together made for that perfect sweet/savory combo. I kind of wanted them warmer to help those flavors even more, but they were super tasty as is. The Halleck - probably the brewery's most popular beer - is hoppy but without being too bitter. It could probz go well with anything.

Fourth course:
South Park Porter paired with the 3 Way Beef Burger, of breaded brisket as the bun, local beef liver patty, and beef liver pate with gremolata sauce.
This is a whole lotta cow on one plate. That brisket was pretty damn tasty dipped into that gremolata sauce (which is a herb condiment of lemon zest, garlic and parsley). The beef patty had some great seasoning, and even the pate added a little something something. The South Park Porter is a heavier beer - fitting for the course.

Fifth course:
Entish Ale paired with Trout and Fiddlehead chips with tartar sauce of quail eggs and currants.
I think this may have been my favorite course. The fish was cooked beautifully. The fiddleheads had only a slight flavor, but they also acted as a vehicle for this amazing tartar sauce. Seriously. So good. And the currants! Probably my new favorite thing. The Entish Ale is a new English-style Old Ale beer brewed with authentic English malted barley and yeast.

Photo by Sher Yip

Sixth course: