Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em BBQ is located right in Black Sheep Harley-Davidson.

The BBQ restaurant has a diner-esque vibe and is located in its own section of the building. So I walked briefly through the showroom and made it to the restaurant.

After seating myself, I looked over the menu and decided on the pulled pork sandwich platter with potato salad and macaroni & cheese.

After just a few moments, my dish was served piping hot. It was a decent plate of BBQ - standard. The BBQ I chose was regular, and it had just a tiny bit of kick to it. The potato salad and mac & cheese's flavor fell a bit flat. Not bad, not too exciting.


Grade: B

Everything old becomes new again!

What was once China Gourmet has rebranded and changed its name to PJ Loyal Buffet, which prompted me to make another visit. 

China Gourmet wasn't my favorite local Chinese buffet, so I was interested to see what PJ Loyal Buffet offered.

Walking inside, it looks much the same. There is sushi and a Mongolian stir fried station directly ahead.

There are some options to the left and to the right of that.

The left was more salad and fruit.

And then the bulk of the entrees are to the right and include standard options - general tso's chicken, coconut chicken, beef and broccoli,  etc.

Even though I went right during lunch rush, there were a good bit of items running low. Though, I did see them often replacing trays.

Some of my favorites included their seafood bake and any sort of sweet and sour chicken. Nothing too different, but decent.

Grade: B

Barboursville is home to some hidden gems, including Sweet & Sassy bakery.

The bakery is fairly nondescript, save for a sign outside that says the name of the bakery. I walked in through the gate and knocked on the front door. After I was welcomed inside, I walked to the left and saw the small shop.

The case was stocked with fresh cupcakes: confetti, white wedding, strawberry, chocolate mint and more.

So three cupcakes caught my eye: the strawberry, the confetti and the white wedding.

The strawberry was my favorite - super fresh and fruity and moist. The other two were more similar. But all tasty.

Grade: B

The long-awaited Filipino restaurant on Cantley Drive in Charleston has opened.

Barkadas features Philippine island staples, as well as blends of Spanish, United States and Southeast Asian influences into meals.

"Barkadas" is "Filipino street slang meaning a group of friends getting together, which in turn is how the restaurant was developed. It all started by four friends getting together and deciding to collaborate to build a new concept for Charleston, West Virginia. Our goal is to be the most customer centric restaurant in the area and reinventing the neighborhood pub & restaurant." One of my friends and local chef extraordinaire Paul Smith is at the helm of this new restaurant.

Located at the bottom of Cantley Drive near Dominoes, Barkadas is a medium-sized space that has been chocked full since the day it announced its grand opening. So full, in fact, that the parking lot was packed and customers were parking along the road.

The interior features beautiful dark-hued hardwoods, greenery, recessed lighting and metal fixtures and chairs that give off an industrial vibe. It's modern, but cozy, and has a very cool vibe. When I opened the doors, there was a hostess immediately there to greet me and seat me. I spent some time looking over the menu, which includes fried spam, nachos, bao buns, burritos, burgers, and more.

For starters, I ordered lumpia. What's that?  Lumpia - Six, crispy Filipino style pork egg rolls. Served with house pickled veggies and dipping sauces. My former coworker's mother used to make these for us, and I still crave them. So good. These lumpia were perfectly crisp and delicious. Plus that dipping sauce? Perfection.

Then, I ordered a few bao buns. Bao Buns - Soft, pillowy, steamed buns with your choice of filling: Glazed Pork Belly and Chicken Karaage. I love bao buns and I don't know of any other place in town you can get them. The buns were perfectly steamed, the crisp meat and colorful veggies all blended beautifully. The Chicken Karaage was my favorite here.



Finally, I ordered an Adobo Bowl - Avocado, scallion, tomato, pickled onion. I got mine with pancit noodles - very thin rice noodles.

Tucked away in a One Stop gas station in Kanawha City, Hotdogs R Us is a bare bones hot dog stop.

They serve hot dogs, sides of chips, and a few canned sodas. That's it - and just a single sign to indicate that it is a hot dog shop.


I ordered two hotdogs, chips and a drink for $7. One hot dog had ketchup, while the other had chili, slaw, mustard and onions.



At first, I wasn't impressed. They were a little sloppy looking. But after a bite or two of the West Virginia dog, I took a liking to the chili - which was very dark and slightly sweet. The slaw was nice and finely chopped. Overall, a pretty good dog - if not a bit too many toppings.

Grade: B