Mama Roma Pizzeria and Restaurant in Buckhannon is an Italian-American restaurant complete with a character tossing pizza on the window and red/white checkered tablecloths inside. 



"Mama Roma Pizzeria and Restaurant is a place where you can simply relax and enjoy the company of your favorite people while enjoying traditional Italian food at its best. Our team is pleased to welcome you – and honored to serve you. We know many of you by name and view all of our customers as family. Nothing brings us greater joy than sharing the tradition of good food and hospitality with our guests while sharing experiences and making memories!"



The menu features pizza, pasta, subs and a whole host of entrees categorized by their protein. The menu is pretty huge, and I can't imagine someone not finding something that caught their fancy - chicken marsala, sausage cacciatore, veal scallopine piccata, eggplant rollatini, and so many more. 



If pressed, I think one of my favorite pasta shapes is rigatoni, which is what I was drawn to on the menu. I went with the rigatoni with vodka sauce - their house pink sauce (which is usually their red marinara and white combined). 



So, I was loaded up with my entree, a soup and a side of garlic bread.



First, I enjoyed a simple soup - a minestrone with carrots, onion and more.



Not bad - nothing too notable, but not offensive either.



The garlic bread was tasty - I loved the soft rolls, though they did get a biiit too dark on some portions.



And now for the main attraction - the largest portion of rigatoni I've ever been served. I enjoyed the sauce - a little sweet, a little acidic, lots of good flavor. The rigatoni were a nice al dente, so not so soft they just lost all texture. But, regarding texture, I would've loved maybe some veggies or something to break up the carbs. I could've added chicken or sausage, but I wasn't feeling it on this day. In retrospect, it would help with that mouthfeel. 



All in all, a fairly decent meal that is comforting and filling. 

Grade: B

Buc-ees is a gas station. But, it is, without a doubt, the best gas station I have ever been to.



They are only located in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Florida.



First of all, I saw billboards - some maybe 100 miles away - before I saw the gas station. They built up anticipation and highlighted all the features of this place and all included this cute little beaver. 



I don't remember which city I even was in when I first visited Buc-ees. But, I immediately fell in love. 



It is the largest gas station I've ever seen. It's like a Sheetz but on steroids. The one I visited, I swear, must have had close to 100 different pumps. 



And, then, you go inside. 



They have clothing, souvenirs, super clean restrooms, and food - lots of food. 



They have grab-and-go stations that have meat/cheese packages, fruit cups, etc. Then, there are jerky, bakery and fudge counters. Plus tacos, lunch items and even packaged & branded Buc-ees goods. 



A few that I was attracted to were "kolaches," (kuh-la-chees) - which are bread, meat and cheese. Kinda like a pepperoni roll!



They had sausage, cheese and jalapeno versions, which were really good. The bread was sweet, while the spicy and savory inside made for a perfect roadtrip snack.



They also had sweet, fruit-filled versions that I was sure to try. Plus, some Buc-ees branded sweets and beaver nuggets - which are like a kettle corn version of a cheese puff.



Have you been?



Let me know your favorites! 

Merry Land Express in Beckley is a Chinese restaurant that serves up standard Chinese-American fare.



The menu does have some interesting items that you might not see everywhere like fried bananas sesame balls and even curry chicken.



They do have a buffet available but I opted for some takeout options.



The first thing that we started out with was the fried cheese wontons which are always go to for me because they are delicious and each place does them just a little bit differently. I think that I'm the only person who doesn't love the actual fried portion of the wonton so I really appreciate the foldover style as opposed to pinched style because I feel like you get more filling. These were good but I do miss the crab that is often found in other wontons. The egg rolls were standard and had a lot of cabbage filling.



I also ordered the sesame shrimp, which is shrimp, breaded and fried, covered in a spicy, sweet sauce with sesame seeds on top. I have been avoiding chicken that tends to be stringy or chewy because it's just not sitting well with me lately. But shrimp kind of avoids those issues. I do wish that there was a little bit less breading. because that can overtake the flavor. But otherwise, I still enjoyed this dish. I liked the sauce. And I really like the little bit of texture that the sesame seeds add.

Grade: B

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Beer Mustard from Crookeed Condiments: These mustards are made in Asheville, NC from local Highland Brewing Company Beers and whole mustard seeds. They are delicious on sandwiches, added to dressings and marinades, or served with your favorite charcuterie items. The Saint Terese's Ale has a touch of horseradish, the Oatmeal Porter has a rich, full bodied flavor, and the Gaelic Ale has a touch of sweetness.

Kettle Corn from Scragglepop: Founded in Huntington, West Virginia. This sweet, salty, and crunchy popcorn pairs the simple ingredients of salt, sugar, and oil perfectly to create a treat for your sweet tooth!

Dried Mushrooms from Hernshaw Farms: George Patterson started Hernshaw Farms in 2018 using reclaimed mine land. His business has been very successful. These dried varieties are delicious and are great to have in the pantry to add flavor to your meals. Rehydrate in stock and add to soups, stews, and sauces. Three varieties: Lions Mane, Oysters, or a mushroom Medley, which include Lions Mane, Oyster and Shiitake.

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Chocolate Caramels from Postre: From pure organic cane sugar to locally sourced cream and organic cultured butter, every bit of caramel that leaves our kitchen is proudly hand-crafted using traditional methods and the purest ingredients.

... Plus a soap I need to open!

Teriyaki Madness is a chain restaurant that has just recently launched two locations in West Virginia. There is one in Fairmont and another opening in Beckley.



But the Barboursville location just opened, and I was excited to check it out - because as you know, Asian flavors are some of my favorites.



I first became really interested in chicken teriyaki when I was visiting the Pacific Northwest. Chicken teriyaki is charbroiled chicken thighs in a sweet soy sauce and usually paired with some veggies and rice.



It is super common in the cities and can be found in all sorts of shops. And, here, you can't really find anything quite like that. But a good chicken teriyaki is a perfect late night snack or couldn't even be a healthy meal.



Teriyaki Madness is a chain restaurant that features chicken teriyaki, of course, but also eggrolls, wontons, fried rice and other goodies. First I ordered some fried rice, but the texture was a bit too mushy for me. I think it steaming inside the container didn't do it any favors. So, I switched gears and opted for the chicken eggroll, which was pretty tasty. It paired with a nice little sweet sauce and the texture was not lacking



We also ordered some of the cheese wontons, which were fairly small and pretty crispy so there wasn't a ton of filling inside, but I still enjoy the flavor and might order the larger size next time.



Finally, the main entrée was a bowl of sautéed veggies, white rice, and both teriyaki steak and chicken. I really enjoyed the steak and the chicken, and it was super filling. And I really enjoyed the white rice to go with this; I think that it helps the flavor of the proteins stand out while adding just a nice little textural component. I generally really like the veggies that accompany a dish like this, but in this case they were not super flavorful and did not seem super fresh. So I think a little bit more seasoning could really help out in this case. Overall not a bad meal and one that could definitely satisfy a craving in a pinch.

Grade: B