Keens Steakhouse is one of the oldest steakhouses in New York City. It is known for its collection of 50,000 clay smoking pipes, which patrons could store here to avoid breaking them during transportation - making it one of the largest collections in the world. The restaurant is also famous for their renowned mutton chops.



The restaurant was founded in 1885 by Albert Keen in Herald Square, what was then the Theater District and is the only surviving establishment of that district.



The old-school steakhouse has old English decor and dimly lit dining areas. Complimentary bread and butter is served to begin the meal, which helped whet the appetite.

The menu features USDA Prime steaks that are then dry-aged on site. USDA Prime is the highest grade of beef that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can give to meat. It's known for being juicy, flavorful, and tender with good marbling, and is often served in restaurants rather than stores. The USDA has eight grades of beef, but the first three are: prime, choice, and select. USDA Choice is the second-highest grade, with less marbling than Prime but still flavorful and tender cuts. USDA Select is leaner than Choice and more uniform in quality.



I ordered the prime filet, which is undoubtedly one of the most tender cuts of meat you can get. Some may say less flavor, but I prefer the subtlety and texture. It was served with boiled baby potatoes, which were fine. I miss the classic rich steakhouse sides, but the simplicity fit with my dish. Tasty and classic.



Grade: A

Southern Table is located just north of New York City, but the premise of the restaurant is their take on southern food.



"At Southern Table, we sought to create a unique dining experience in Westchester, New York by introducing an inventive take on Southern cuisine. Our commitment to using only farm-fresh ingredients in our Southern-inspired dishes is what sets us apart. We take great pride in delivering classic Southern cooking and true Southern hospitality to our valued guests," reads the website.



My group of coworkers at the time and I ordered a few different dishes here a while at a conference nearby. We mixed and matched and split a few different things.



We enjoyed some eggrolls, biscuits, sliders and pretzels.



The brie stuffed pretzel was probably my favorite of the bunch; it was served with fig jam. So you got the salty and the sweet and the creamy all in one.



The pulled pork sliders didn't have much in the way of toppings, which I think could have taken them up to the next level.



The Mexican spring rolls had corn, black beans, etc. These were nice and crisp, but I have had tastier versions of this dish elsewhere.



The biscuits were fine; there's a very fine line between good and slightly dry. I like mine moist and full of cheese.



We also ordered a few desserts.



I went for a s'mores themed one, which featured a bittersweet chocolate but perfectly toasted marshmallow.



I was told the layered carrot cake was excellent.



Grade: B

Sam's Hot Dog Stand has over 45 locations in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Georgia. The basics of every Sam's location includes beef hotdogs, steamed buns, and their chili – mild or spicy. Some locations will add specialties like pork barbecue sandwiches, fries or other sides. On my quest to visit every West Virginia location, I stopped at the Ripley one and ordered my standard hotdog on steamed bun with chili slaw, mustard, and onions. The assembly of this hotdog was ultimately its downfall; the chili on the bottom subbed through the bun and left it falling apart in my hand. I also wish the mustard was below the slaw to help keep it all together. Flavor, though, was pretty standard minus the mustard playing a starring role because it was right on top. Grade: B

The Mountain State Art & Craft Fair is a wonderful multiday festival near Ripley that showcases artisans, trades, food and more. Here are some of the food-related vendors who participated:

Angie's What's Poppin' Shop, The Boba Bus, DARN Good Candies, Ellison's Mountain Heritage Nursery, Fruits De La Rose / Oldham Sugarworks, Hill & Holler Herbal Company, Howe Sweet It Is, Legacy Foods, Mountain Top Fudge Factory, Mrs. Mel's LLC, Nana's Kitchen, The Noshery, Ronk Family Maple Syrup, Sassy Gals Gourmet Treats, Stone Road Vineyards, Sugar Bottom Farm, The Sweeter Side of the Feud Winery, The Twisted Sister and Uncle Bunk's LLC.


THE JERKY HUT
Definitely want to check out the teriyaki flavor.


REX'S CALZONES LLC
They served Pepperoni & Cheese Calzone, Everything Calzone, Steak Calzone, Soft drinks & Bottled Water. I ordered a pepperoni & cheese calzone and was fairly impressed. The dough was soft, the chunks of pepperoni inside were ample and cheese coated the interior. Greasy, but not overly.


THE DONUTMAN
They offef a dozen mini donuts; I went for just the plane. But I would have loved a vanilla or caramel dipping sauce. They were very soft and lightly sweet.


STUFFED: GOOD FOOD
They have a variety of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Italian, Ham, Buffalo Chicken, Appalachian (with bacon jam), Chicken Bacon Ranch, Pepperoni Rolls with side of marinara dipping sauce. I went for the buffalo chicken, grilled cheese cheese. there were nice hunks of white meat, chicken, but I wish there was more buffalo sauce and oozy, cheesy cheese.


LANHAM ENTERPRISES
Shaved ice is always nice on 90° day.


SYCAMORE SWEETS
Smoothies, Bagels (bacon, sausage/egg), Chicken/ Tuna Salad Sandwich, Cupcake/Brownies, Pepperoni Rolls. I got a tres leches cake. It was a nice dessert, but it was not nearly as moist as I would like a tres leches.


MAIN SQUEEZE
Fresh squeezed lemonade and lemonade with assorted flavors. The lemonade was more on the tart side, but the giant container kept me hydrated for the day.


JAW'S BBQ!
Jaws pulled pork sandwich, Jaws pulled pork dinner, Jaws pulled pork Nacho deluxe, Jaws Hog Hides, Unks Lemon Shake-ups, Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, Jaws Noodles. I enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich, which was already soft up and tossed with slaw. I liked that it was already perfectly moist and flavorful with that sauce.


STACI'S SALES LLC (Monie's Sweet Things)
Cotton candy, Candy Apples, Caramel Apples, Popcorn, Caramel Corn & Flavored Popcorn, Soft drinks, Slushies. All the classic fair foods I got a bag of cotton candy to take home because it's a you don't get many places. It was interesting to me that the middle flavor was banana; that's not something I recall.


S&S CONCESSIONS
Bloomin Onions, Polish & Italian Sausages, Philly Chicken, Philly Steak, Corn Dogs, Fries, Funnel Cakes, Lemonade, Sweet Tea. This place had by far the longest line, so I wanted to get something quick and simple. I got a corndog, which says fair to me because you don't often get them elsewhere. I like that they seemed freshly made based on texture.


JARHEAD FARMS
Pear Syrup, Pear Jelly, Marionberry Syrup, Red Fruit Syrup, Red Fruits Jam, Blue Damson Plum Syrup, Blackberry Syrup. They had lots of delicious looking jams, jellies and apple butter.

Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald created Levain Bakery in 1995. One day, they created an ultimate chocolate chip walnut cookie to give them energy while exercising. They sold a batch in their bakery, and they flew off the shelves - creating an iconic cookie. An icon was born.

"We take our name from the French word for the natural leavening agent made of flour, water and wild yeasts: Levain. In the United States, a levain is more commonly known as a sourdough starter. While Levain Bakery is now best known for the six-ounce cookies, Pam and Connie started their business making artisanal breads for restaurants around New York City. We love that our name continues to honor those roots."



Chocolate Chip Walnut - The cookie that started it all; the signature Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie is crispy on the outside with a satisfyingly thick and gooey center. Every bite is packed with semi-sweet chocolate chips and chunks of walnuts.

I had to try this one because it is a New York staple. But, I do not love semi sweet chocolate chips because they read very bitter to me so, take those out, and I would love this cookie.



Grade: B