Guess how many Gino's locations I have left to visit? About a dozen. So, let's dig in to the Montgomery location.



If you're not familiar, Gino's is s local chain that specializes in pizza and pasta dishes. It is often found coupled with Tudor's Biscuit World locations - but doesn't have quite the same fan following. Alas, I decided during the pandemic that I wanted to try all the different locations, which are primarily located through southern West Virginia.  



I went with my favorite Gino's item this time: The Calzone. And as soon as I got it and it smelled of fresh baked bread, I knew we were in business. Look at that parmesan melting into the top? Heavenly. Tons of sauce (maybe a touch too much), tons of cheese and mushrooms - my perfect palate. And, enough for leftovers for the next day!

Grade: A

Rio Grande is a popular name for a Mexican restaurant - so much so that there are two in Huntington alone.



I recently visited the 4th Avenue location while in the area and in need of a quick bite. I placed an order online and arrived when it was due to be ready. Unfortunately, the woman working informed me there was some error, so they didn't receive it and just started working on it when I arrived.



So, I sat inside and waited some more while the order was delivered to the kitchen and fired. After some time, my dish came out. The waitress went to fill my drink... but kept looking at it... which made me uneasy. Then, she said she thought they mixed up some of the drinks - I said it was fine and to just give me a coke instead. And then, there was no plasticware to go... which made for an interesting way to eat lunch. 



So the burrito California Burrito is a flour tortilla with grilled steak, french fries, pico de gallo and cheese. And, it was okay. The interior needed crispy fries for some texture, but it was instead all mush and all tasted of oil. I dumped cheese dip on it, which can solve all things. But, I think I'll try the other location next time.

Grade: C

The Market is one of my favorite spots in Huntington. Often, I'll get a drink from one place, do a little work on my laptop, get a snack at another place, do a little work on my laptop, and so on. You get the idea.



So when there's a new restaurant in the market, I'm excited.



The Wing Place opened up within the last several months and is pretty straight-forward: They have wings. And fries. And onion rings. And funnel cake fries. But that's it.



They do have a variety of sauces, which all sounded good. I went with 6 boneless parmesan garlic and 6 boneless Carolina gold. The parmesan garlic was too dry for me. I just needed a bit more of the ~sauce~ so its not hard to choke down. The bbq, though, was tasty. The sweet, tangy wing with a dip in blue cheese adds some funk and makes for a great bite.



Grade: B

Jollibee is, I think, the best fast food restaurant.



It is a Filipino restaurant that has locations sprinkled throughout the United States, and I was excited to learn of a location nearby in Arizona when I was visiting my friends Kaitee and Josh.



Let's start with easily the most adorable mascot: this little jolly bee - get it? This little buddy is so cute; it has its own dance illustrated on the walls. 



So, the interior is like any other fast food set-up. You order at the counter, await your number and pick up your food. Then, you can pick a booth or table to enjoy it. 



The food ranges from fried chicken buckets to burgers to spaghetti to palabok fiesta, which is a traditional Filipino noodle dish covered in garlic sauce, sauteed pork, shrimp and egg.



"Among the establishment's best sellers are the Yumburger,[17] the house hamburger first introduced during their early days of operation; the Chickenjoy,[18] a fried chicken meal introduced in the 1980s which comes in both regular and spicy versions; and Jolly Spaghetti, a Filipino sweet-style interpretation of spaghetti, which is being advertised as "the meatiest, cheesiest spaghetti". (The Jolly Spaghetti resembles that of Italian spaghetti, with its blanket of ragù, but under the ground beef are pieces of hot dog and ham.)[15]" 



Let's start with that Yumburger - it's a fairly small burger with their signature dressing and cheese on a fresh bun. That special sauce is kinda like a mayo/ketchup combo that gives it a creamy, sweet kick. It was tasty and just whet my appetite. Because there's more coming.



The spaghetti! It was sweet! It had hot dogs! It reminds me of something I would have made growing up - all the standard ingredients in an Appalachian household. I like this better than 90% of other spaghettis I've ever had. Typically I prefer a different noodle for a pasta dish. This was great and fun and tasty, and I love that it's from a fast food restaurant.



Finally, the palabok fiesta. While it may not photograph the best, it wasn't wanting for flavor. It had just a couple tiny shrimp, slices of hardboiled egg and a chunky sauce that had a little tang, a little sweet and a little bit of heat. It was such a nice, flavorful dish for a fast food restaurant. 



At this point, I was beyond stuffed. But Kaitee got an ube pie that I needed to take a small bite of. Think McDonald's apple pies - but ube! Ube is a purple yam that's sweet and made sweeter when it's in pie. Not to mention, it's bright purple. Delish and fun.



My takeaway: If you are near a Jollibee - go! I don't grade fast food chains. But, I think my endorsement speaks for itself.

A friend shared a post from Sweet Treats By Annie on Facebook, and the scrumptious looking cinnamon rolls, small cakes and peanut butter bites captured my attention.



I messaged Annie and put in an order for a dozen cookie dough bites. What I was really excited about, though, is that she offered sugar cookie dough bites. Typically, you only find chocolate chip cookie dough. And I hate chocolate chip cookies - so these are perfect. 



Let me say - these are RICH. I can't really eat a whole one at once. I take a bite or two and come back to it later. Are they super tasty though? Absolutely. Get yourself some sweet, local treats.