Truckin' Cheesy has a concept that's close to my heart: Eat. All. The. Cheese.



They started out as a food truck, and I visited them a couple years ago. But, they recently opened a brick-and-mortar location in Huntington that I was excited to try.  



When I went, they were still observing some social distancing measures and doing mostly takeout. But the interior is cool with cheesy graphics making it look like cheese is dripping down the walls. I ordered the Super Cheesy Sampler, which comes with a cheese quesadilla, grilled cheese sandwich, cheese nachos and cheese fries. I mean, talk about a cheesy heaven. I should have stopped here, but I didn't.



I also ordered the Kujo Tacos, because I can't get over using the grilled cheese sandwiches as a vessel for more food, not just as a meal on its own. This has two grilled cheese sandwiches folder in half and loaded with taco beef, lettuce, tomato, onion and sour cream. This can get soggy and unwieldy - but undeniably tasty.

Grade: A

Burgers & Bites is a new downtown Morgantown restaurant serving standard burgers and some fried sides. 



Located on Walnut Street, Burgers & Bites is a straightforward burger joint without a lot of frills. The space has been a number of businesses in the past, and it's sandwiches among college bars and nightclubs so its hours into the late weekend nights reflect that. 



Inside, there's a counter area and a dozen or so tables with chairs. It's a bit haphazard, but fine. The menu has a "build your own" burger section that includes options for burger (beef, turkey, beyond), cheese (American, cheddar, pepper jack and swiss), and toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, jalapeno, ketchup, mustard, mayo, bbq, buffalo). Then, there are some extra like sauteed mushrooms or fried egg. 



The other menu items include fried appetizers, wings, tender and ice cream. 



I happened to win a "Free Burger Friday" so my basic burger was free - I added American, tomato, onion, ketchup and mayo to it. And a strawberry milkshake - really, this is a perfect lunch. 



The burger was good - more on the well-done side and a thinner patty. But good! I would love to see some "signature" burgers that the restaurant creates that are especially good combos. There are a lot of good places to get burgers in the area, so it's nice to have something that makes you stand out. 



My friend Lisa also ordered hot pepper cheese balls, and mmm they were good. Overall, a decent burger, a good shake and very tasty hot pepper cheese balls.

Grade: B

The Beckley area has lots of great gems that pop up now and then. I recently made a trip out here to check out a few bakeries, the first of which was Kenzie's Kakes. 



The location is a bit difficult to find - it's attached to a preschool/church, and there is a single pink sign and door denoting the entrance. There weren't any windows or anything, so we weren't sure what we may walk into once we opened the door.



What we found was a crowd of hungry patrons waiting to get their hands on the latest sweet treat. 



The space is small - just displays for the goodies and a checkout counter - but it's packed with desserts.

 
From cupcakes to cake balls, the bakery has a variety of treats. 



There are a ton of different varieties of cupcakes - like ones topped with peeps that I had to try since this was around Easter.



I also ordered a caramel vanilla, because I could eat caramel off of anything.



And then the one that I ended up really enjoying was a summery lemon blueberry that tasted like sunshine. 



I also ordered a few cake balls, because I just love these. Not the dry ones you sometimes find - but the ones that are super moist inside with icing and delivers the perfect bite of happiness. 



Just take a look at these photos - there is a nice variety here. Probably a dozen different flavors of cupcakes and more. 



But I haven't even gotten to my absolute favorite treat I picked up. 



Do you see it? Can you spot it?



It's that Snickers brownie. 



Woooo lord. Imagine this: A chewy, chocolatey brownie topped with layers of chocolate and caramel and then crunchy nut clusters on top. It was glorious. I just nibbled on it for days because it's enough sugar to satisfy any sweet tooth.



Grade: A

Have you heard of Anthrasyte Coffee?

If not, let me share with your their mission statement, so to speak:

"Born in the Appalachian Mountains, Anthrasyte Coffee is a social enterprise with a love of Coffee and a deep passion for the outdoors. Especially in our home state of West Virginia where world class offerings of hiking trails, rock climbing, white water rafting and skiing is often overshadowed by many of the social and economic challenges the state is encountering.

Ultimately, the Anthrasyte Coffee family is driven to create an outdoor brand that ignites the spark that becomes a wildfire of change and opportunities in the lives of West Virginians.

Each bag purchased of Anthrasyte Coffee will enable us to donate funds to key issue areas in West Virginia. This would include but not limited to: The Opioid Crisis, Economic Development, Mental Illness, Literacy, and Sustainable Drinking Water"

They're currently roasting in Pittsburgh, though that may change in the future. I have this "Lovely Day" blend, which smells so good and is sure to make your day a lovely one.

Have you tried them yet? Learn more here.

Gigi's Pepperoni Rolls is a new home-based pepperoni roll bakery in Huntington. I've seen them on social, and they recently won the Williamson's Pepperoni Roll Festival. So, I reached out on a day I knew I'd be in Huntington to see if I could pick up their pepperoni rolls anywhere. While they weren't out selling, they did agree to meet me to drop off an order (so nice!). 



The first thing to note is that these are small, two-bite size pepperoni rolls. So you're not going to order just one (like I mistakenly tried to do). Instead, you order a dozen. These small pockets are filled with a couple slices of pepperoni, some cheese and dusted with parmesan. I really like the bread, which is light enough but has just enough bite. Not too dry or too greasy. I wouldn't hate more cheese so you get to sink some tooth into it, rather than it just kinda coating the interior. But overall, solid pepperoni roll!

Grade: A