I've only been to one Highway 55 location, and that was in downtown Huntington. But Barboursville recently opened its own, and I went to check it out.



The first thing I realized is that this location has a drive-thru! I didn't even know this restaurant had drive thrus. But here we are.



After looking over the menu, I decided to try a few different things: an Orangeade - as opposed to a lemonade - a shrimp po'boy and also half fries/half rings.



The Orangeade is so good. I feel like we should make "ades" for every fruit. Can I get a grapeade please?



The po'boy was pretty good. I ended up picking off the tomato (even though I love tomato), it didn't quite "go." But the sauce was good, and together, it was like a comfort food. And the half onion rings and half fries gives you the best of both worlds!

We're finishing up the Sam's Hot Dog tour in West Virginia. I have just a few left, and Huntington was up next.



The hot dogs are already great - we know that. And this spot had a bit more of an expanded menu. So I wanted to try something else. Something that still shows off their chili sauce. Taco In a Bag it is. I don't know the last time I had one of these, but something about the combination of Fritos, chili, sour cream, jalapeños and onions was magic in my mouth.



Grade: B

When something is named the "West Virginia Pizza Company," my interest is immediately piqued. It's as though this is the definitive pizza place for the state.



After I initially saw it, I tried to visit a few different times, but they were never open.



That was, until my last trip to Lavalette. I saw the "open" sign lit up, and I immediately pulled into the lot. There was a pick up truck backed right up to the entrance, which made it hard to get inside. I figured it was somebody who just didn't know how to park, but it was instead someone working inside.



Once I was inside, it seemed like it wasn't open to the public. The interior had kids' toys strewn about, and it could use a deep scrub. I was informed that it had been closed for a while and recently reopened.



They handed me a menu, and I ordered a "pizza bread." I waited and passed the time on my phone until my order was ready.



This sandwich was actually really, really good. It had a thick, sweet marinara sauce, melty cheese and mushrooms that could've cooked a minute or two longer. The bread was coated in butter and parmesan and had a perfect crisp. Very tasty.


Grade: C

We're making our way through all of the Sam's Hot Dog stand locations in West Virginia, this time in Kenova.

This one has a drive-thru, which is always convenient. And the menu is a good bit more expansive. Nonetheless, I had to get a standard hot dog to compare. And, as always, it's solid with chili, slaw, mustard and onions.

But it made me think about how this whole thing got started. And, I didn't realize it took off with some help of Rocco Muriale in Ceredo.



The Story of Sam's:

Frank Lucente grew up in a small town in West Virginia. As a young boy, Frank often enjoyed spicy chili dogs at the town hot dog stand. Even as he grew older and moved away, Frank would always stop in for a hot dog on his visits home. Years later, the town stand closed and Frank was forced to look elsewhere to satisfy his craving. He went to see the owner of the old stand to convince him to pass on the recipe. But the owner refused saying he would "take it to the grave".

Denied, Frank soon discovered that the original recipe for the chili sauce belonged to an elderly woman still living in his hometown. For years she had been cooking up the sauce and selling it at her church bazaar. According to her, the stand owner had changed the recipe over the years but the woman gladly provided the original recipe.

Frank recruited his business partner and good friend Rocco Muriale to help invent an even better chili sauce recipe. The chef at the popular Rocco's Ristorante, Rocco spent several months cooking up batches of chili sauce. After six months, he had the perfect recipe! In 1983 wanting to share the delicious invention with the public, Frank and Rocco opened the first Sam's Hotdog Stand in Huntington, West Virginia....ending the search for the perfect hot dog.

Grade: B

Davis' Place is more of a bar than grill, in my opinion, but nonetheless, I've heard good things about the food so when I found myself in Huntington recently, I put in a to-go order.



The menu has fried appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and wraps.



Because it's a bar, I figured wings would be a great way to go. So I ordered boneless BBQ, as well as an order of "fried cheese" - but that has now been replaced with regular mozzarella sticks.



The wings were okay. The sauce didn't have enough flavor for my liking - but not bad. The mozzarella sticks were okay, too. Package marinara and standard taste.


Grade: C