Huntington is very good at confusing me with its Tex-Mex restaurants. There is El Ranchito, which I've never been to. And there is also Ranchito Bar & Grill, which I recently visited.



This particular restaurant has a bright, fun interior and quite a few interesting menu items - like taco de lengua, or steamed beef tongue. While I didn't go in that direction, I did order a few different things to sample.



I was excited to see Elote Mexicano - A traditional Mexican street food: A corn on the cob smothered in mayonnaise, grated cheese and chili powder. If you add mayo to anything, it's usually better.



But I also got the Esquites - Smoky, sweet, spicy and tangy esquites are the off-the cob version of elotes with mayonnaise, grated cheese, chili powder and a dash of lime. All the flavor, none of the mess.



I tried a single taco al pastor - grilled pork with pineapple & homemade marinated salsa. The salty/sweet combo is always a win for me.



Finally, we split some TAQUITOS MEXICANOS - Two beef and two chicken taquitos deep fried and topped with cheese dip. These ended up not being as crisp as I had hoped, but I'm always down to dip something in cheese dip.



I liked the variety here and some of the more unique offerings. I would like some even more punched up flavor. But, solid meal.



Grade: B

I recently stopped at the Great Chinese Buffet in Moundsville - but not for the buffet. Rather, I ordered takeout. Buffets are hard for me to swallow in a post-Covid world. But, I do love the variety you can get out of buffet.



I tried the General Tso's Shrimp, which is not something you see everywhere. I really like the idea of this because I'm not a huge fan of the quality of chicken in this particular dish, but the breading on the shrimp was just overwhelming. It was mostly soft breading covered in sauce, which made it soggy. There was virtually no actual shrimp.



Chicken with peanut sauce was interesting. It ate a little dry and slightly bland, but if the flavors were punched up, this would have been great.



The wontons may have been my favorite part of dinner; they are reliably crunchy and creamy at the same time. Plus, this is one of my favorite shapes because you get a ton of filling.



Grade: B

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.