My friends from out of town were driving through the area, so we stopped along their way for a bite to eat and found ourselves at The Barnyard BBQ in Milton.

This is actually the third (and final!) location of theirs I've tried. They have a fun, kitschy barnyard theme so there are pig and cow decorations sprinkled throughout. 

The menu has wings, sandwiches, pizza, BBQ and homestyle dinners, too.

But I decided to mix things up a little bit. I made a combo of an appetizer and the BBQ: Pulled pork cheese fries with onion, nacho cheese, sour cream and ranch.

They serve up three different kinds of BBQ: a vinegar-style, a mustard-based and a sweet and tangy. I slathered the latter two on my fries and went to town.

All around, pretty average. What's your favorite thing here?

The Winter Blues Farmers Market has returned to Charleston, and I was like a kid in a candy store.



From seed catalogs and packets to ready-to-eat foods, there were dozens of vendors selling a little bit of everything.



Some of my favorites included samples from Custard Stand chili, popcorn and fresh veggies.



But I went home with some maple candies from Frostmore Farm.



Which, by the way, is delicious.



And, I purchased some lavender room spray from Lens Creek Lavender - what a cool little place!



What did you find?

Napoli's is a local pizza, pasta and sub chain in the Mid-Ohio Valley with a few locations in West Virginia. I've been wanting to try them for quite some time, but I only recently got around to doing so.

And in fact, it was Christmas evening when I was driving through the area that I had a hankering for pizza.

After calling in a pizza, I arrived at the Ohio Avenue location, thanked the guys for working that day and waited for my pie to be done. Once it was, I was on my way; pizza as my passenger.

The Sicilian pie is fluffy, but with a crisp crust. It's a beautiful combination. A nice layer of stringy cheese, mushrooms and a nice slightly sweet sauce. It made for a good pizza.

What should I try next?

Dragon Palace is a Chinese restaurant in Weirton off of Penco Road. On Christmas, my parents and I decided to try a new tradition of no-mess, no-stress Chinese food.

After looking over a menu I found online, I called in a few different orders of items that I thought sounded good and headed up north to pick them up.

The space, while I didn't eat-in, was really cute. It was decorated for the holidays and looked welcoming. I'd gladly return and eat in.


So here's some of what I ordered: Sesame Noodles. These were a simple appetizer. A light lo mein with a bit of sweet.

And then there were a few orders of crab rangoons - no sauce - but nice and creamy.

Peking chicken was boneless white meat chicken with a sweet and spicy BBQ-esque sauce and cooked onions. Very tasty.


A crowd favorite was the walnut chicken, which had a creamy coconut-esque sauce and breaded white meat chicken, pineapples and walnuts.

Plus, I got an order of "Crystal Shrimp," which was breaded and tossed in a sweet brown sauce with carrots, pea pods and onions. Delish.

Finally, vegetable lo mein was stocked with corn, carrots, peas, broccoli and more. YUM.

Who will be joining me?

You're invited to our premiere fundraising event benefiting people in need in our community.

Enjoy a tapas-style gourmet dining experience prepared by over 15 local celebrity chefs using food typically found in our food pantry.

Help Covenant House eradicate hunger, homelessness, and create well-being in Charleston and the greater Kanawha Valley. Don't wait to register! Reservations are only available online in advance at https://wvcovenanthouse.org/chefs-challenge-2020/, this event always sells out, so make your reservation today!