My quest to try all of the different Sam's Hot Dogs locations takes me to some interesting places – namely gas stations. To be fair, there are some gas stations that indeed have great food. So, off to Cross lanes, I ventured.



I ordered a hotdog with mild chili, mustard, onions and slaw on an English-style bun. A traditional West Virginia-style hotdog is not on an English style bun, but I find them to be one of life's little delights. how did this one stack up? I like onions, but this one had way too much. The chili and slaw are both fine, and the English bun may have been a bit too toasted. But all in all, a decent dog.



Grade: B

Skyline Drive-In is a dive that is most famously known for a musician who died just outside the building.



"Years of back pain, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse severely compromised [Hank] Williams' health, and at the age of 29, Williams suffered from heart failure and died suddenly in the back seat of a car near Oak Hill, West Virginia, en route to a concert in Canton, Ohio, on New Year's Day 1953," according to Wikipedia.



Nonetheless, I visited with my friend Hannah to get a bite to eat. The first thing I noticed was that smoking is still permitted here, which I was not anticipating. The odor permeates the air, the fabrics, everything inside.



The interior is a mishmash of storage, dining space, and random items that didn't have a better place to go. But, it's a bar. It's a local dive that also has some food.



The menu features, hotdogs, fried appetizers, barbecue, wings and the like.



We started with some mozzarella sticks, which were OK. they didn't have that super hot stringy cheese; instead, the breading was a little thick and bland.



I had two hotdogs with onions and ketchup. These were OK, but the bun could have been steamed or warmed or something so it wasn't as dry. I also topped my side of fries with chili, cheese, sour cream, and jalapeños. these toppings dwarfed the crinkle cut fries, but the flavor combo is tried in. Higher quality ingredients could take this to the next level, though.



Grade: C

Kuya Union Coffee is a new coffee roaster based in the mid-Ohio Valley. From their social profiles:

"Kuya Union Coffee sources it's premium beans from around the world. Our bags of ORGANIC COFFEE is one bean source and not a blend so providing maximum flavor. The beans are roasted right before we bag and shipped to you immediately in order to give you ultimate freshness. This is not stale, blended coffee that has been sitting on a store shelf for several weeks. Each cup of coffee is a fresh and flavorful event of your day."

"Be the Dragon of your own story. What’s the Dream? Kuya means eldest brother in the Tagalog language. (Filipino). A title that is bestowed to those to lead by example and look out for the younger ones and commit to helping take care of the elders.

Fighting suicide and mental illness begins with caring enough to recognize when a brother or sister may need someone to talk to who genuinely cares. What a great thing to do over a cup of awesome coffee with your favorite cigar."

"In the Filipino language (Tagalog), Kuya is a way to address an older or eldest brother or even an older male relative. “Hi Kuya Joe, how are you today?” Often times the title comes with a feeling of responsibility of not only looking out for those younger than you but also serving and respecting your elders.

One of the hopes of KUYA Union Coffee is to inspire and encourage leaders to work together in improving the well being of those around them. Whether it’s bringing hope to someone who is feeling lost or helping another go after their dream.

Coffee not only gives you the energy to start a new day but it also can be the reason for people to get together and share what’s going on in their lives."

Before Kuya Union Coffee, the brand was "Dragonetti Coffee," which donated a portion of its proceeds to suicide prevention.

Tokyo Teriyaki Chicken is a Japanese themed fast casual restaurant in the food court at Meadowbrook Mall in Bridgeport. I didn't come here with the highest expectations, but I love Asian food of all sorts, so I can usually find some redeeming qualities. But, my teriyaki shrimp was a plate of cold and hard lo mein noodles with a few pieces of overcooked shrimp. No sauce, no veggies. No flavor.



Grade: D

I recently traveled out to the small town of Arnoldsburg, and found a few hidden foodie gems along the way.



Faith Filled Donuts is a small, locally owned sweets shop located in Arnoldsburg.



While donuts are clearly their specialty, they also offer breakfast items, lunch items and desserts like rock candy, cupcakes, chocolate-covered strawberries, cookies, fudge and more.



I tried a jelly-filled one, one topped with sprinkles and cream-filled ones. they each seem like they had maybe sat out for a little while, which I understand when you're in a small town, it's not going to be busy constantly. So, the texture was a little lacking but there were some nice flavors there.

Grade: B