Previously, I have written about Girl Scout Cookies and my love for them. That love has only grown now that I work with the organization. I seek out Girl Scout Cookie flavored foods - like ice cream or coffee - and gobble them up every chance I get.

One of the coolest things about Girl Scout Cookies is that there are actually two separate bakeries that supply the cookies, and they each have their own versions of the classics. Depending on which cookie your area's council chooses, those are the ones sold locally. For example, Girl Scouts of Black Diamond uses Little Brownie Bakery so all the troops within this 61-county region sell Little Brownie cookies.

The other bakery is ABC, and many other councils go with this bakery to sell their cookies. It's just up to preference. But the fun thing is that the cookies are all just slightly different. Have you ever wondered why you've seen Samoas called Caramel Delites - or the other way around? This is why.

The top photo is all the cookies from Little Brownie Bakery. The second photo is all the cookies from ABC Bakery. Locally, I can order Little Brownie, but I also scored a link to an online order card from a Girl Scout selling ABC cookies, so I ordered one of each. So, let's compare, shall we?

Little Brownie has: Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos, Trefoils, Lemon-Ups, Girl Scout S'mores and Toffee-tastic.

ABC has: Caramel deLites, Thanks-a-lot, Lemonades, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Shortbread, Girl Scout S'mores, Thin Mints and Caramel Chocolate Chip.

The Showdown:

Caramel DeLites (ABC) - Vanilla cookies topped with caramel, sprinkled with toasted coconut, and laced with chocolaty stripes vs. Samoa (Little Brownie) - Crisp cookies with caramel, coconut, and dark chocolaty strips




Thin Mints (ABC) - Crispy chocolate wafers dipped in a mint chocolaty coating. vs. Thin Mints (Little Brownie) - Crisp chocolaty cookies made with natural oil of peppermint. 




Peanut Butter Patties (ABC) - Crispy vanilla cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating vs. Tagalongs (Little Brownie) - Crispy cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating.
 


Peanut Butter Sandwich (ABC) - Crisp and crunchy oatmeal cookies with creamy peanut butter filling vs. Do-si-dos (Little Brownie) - Oatmeal sandwich cookies with peanut butter filling.

 


Shortbread (ABC) - Traditional shortbread cookies vs. Trefoils (Little Brownie) - Delicate tasting shortbread that is delightfully simple and satisfying.



Lemonades (ABC) - Savory slices of shortbread with a refreshingly tangy lemon-flavored icing vs. Lemon-Ups (Little Brownie) - Crispy lemon cookies baked with inspiring messages to life your spirits.





Girl Scout S'mores (ABC) - Crispy graham cookies double-dipped in yummy creme icing and finished with a scrumptious chocolaty coating vs. Girl Scout S'mores (Little Brownie) - Graham sandwich cookies with chocolate and marshmallowy filling.

 

Caramel Chocolate Chip (ABC) - Rich caramel, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a hint of sea salt in a chewy, gluten-free cookie vs. Toffee-tastic (Little Brownie) - Rich, buttery cookies with sweet, crunchy toffee bits. These are each bakery's gluten-free option - also note that ABC has a pouch bag!




Thanks-a-lot (ABC) - Shortbread cookies dipped in rich fudge and topped with an embossed thank you message in one of 5 languages. ABC has one more cookie than Little Brownie.

This blog is in no way reflective of my employer or the opinions of the organization. Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer

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.