Driving toward Summersville, I passed Drennen Dairy Bar, and it's exactly the kind of place I love to find: cute, small, & local.



On this hot day, I was ready for ice cream. They call their blizzards "storms," and the cookie dough was speaking to me.



Here, they don't do the small little balls of cookie dough. No, they scoops giant hunks from a tub and mix it in. The result being a half cookie dough-half ice cream concoction that is all delicious.

Donut Connection is a chain, but it's not widespread through West Virginia and there are just a few locations in the southern part of the state: two in Huntington, two in Charleston and two in Beckley.

This is the second Charleston location I've visited, and I do like that they have a drive-thru and a nice assortment of donuts.

I got a dozen to take back to the office, which included: caramel apple, pumpkin, iced pumpkin, glazed, german chocolate, samoa, chocolate chip, jelly filled, strawberries & cream, sprinkle and cream-filled.

This was in the fall, so the specialty donuts were my favorites.

Taste of India is a grocery store in downtown Charleston.



I love local groceries, especially ones that cater to delicious cuisines.



The shelves had an assortment of different goods.



And there were some foods I recognized, though not sure I'd be able to pull off cooking them on my own!



Have you been?



Let me know in the comments below!

On a day off from work, I wanted to treat myself to Chinese but wanted to try a new location.

China Star is located just a few minutes away in Dunbar, and they offer a buffet as well as take-out orders.


I went for the "crispy chicken" combination dish, as well as an order of cheese wontons.

It also came with an eggroll!

Not too shabby. What's your favorite dish here?

Saucy Jo Hillbilly Hot Sauce is a local hot sauce that has "layers of flavor" with a unique twist.

James Kozak was culinary trained at the Culinary Institute of America, the World’s premier culinary college located in Hyde Park, NY. Jim has over 25 years of cooking experience including positions of head chef and sous chef at exquisite establishments such as Retro Bistro and Le Chantecler in Boulder, Colarado. Jim has done it all from baking, to sushi, to throwing pies at his own pizza shop.

Now Jim is the founder of SaucyJoLLC. A dedicated strongman and crossfit enthusisast, Jim plans to take his sauces and prepared foods to a new level to help everyone lead a healthy lifestyle (SOURCE).

Have you tried it?