Crabby Patti's is a seafood gem tucked inside landlocked West Virginia. This restaurant, which is only open Tuesday through Saturday from 5-9 p.m., is easily the best food I've had in Ripley (from the whole two restaurants I've been to there).

My friend RL arrived at the restaurant before me, Veronica and Courtney. And he had already ordered appetizers of fried pickles and calamari. The calamari was so, so good! The best calamari I've ever had; it wasn't these small rings. It was a breaded calamari steak (which is the body of the squid) served with marinara, and it wasn't chewy like so many others I've had. So good.

Next up was my salad, which was small and simple, but fresh. Key.

I ordered the Maryland lump crab cake with sides of rice and creamed spinach. OK, the creamed spinach was a mistake. For some reason, it sounded better than its reality. But the crab cake was sooo much better than what I had expected. Giant pieces of lump crab meat with the perfect amount of spices formed into this ball that was fried.

It gets even better. A piece of peanut butter pie is probably one of the best ways to end a night. This giant slice was the perfect sweet ending I wanted. Creamy, a nice peanut butter crust and little bits of chocolate on top. OMGah good.

Da Vinci's Restaurant is located just a bit north of Parkersburg in Williamstown and is known for delicious Italian fare. I stopped here for lunch recently with Veronica and communications superstar Jacque.


We started off with a fried ravioli appetizer, which was prettyyyy tasty. Deep-fried beef and cheese raviolis dipped in marinara sauce can't really go wrong.

Next up: a small spinach salad. Hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, red onions, mozzarella cheese, bacon and hot bacon dressing. Not bad.

And, finally, the main course: A half meatball sub with chips. The meatballs here were fine, but the cheese kinda of congealed to the top bun (instead of nice and melty down the meatballs) and had so many of these onions that were slightly soft/slightly crunchy and just a bit too pungent for my palate. I pulled the long threads of onion from the mass of cheese in an attempt to help. But it was a bit of a lost cause. Rather, I just ate the meatballs out of the sub - which were pretty good.

Overall - looks to be some decent dishes on this menu, but I'd avoid the meatball sub next time.

Grade: C

Someone upstairs is doing me a solid by finally opening a DiCarlo's in North Central West Virginia. I've heard that yeas ago, Morgantown had one and it didn't do well. But now, Fairmont is the newest city to boast this perfect pizza place.

And, if you've spent any time on this blog - at all - you know that DiCarlo's has my heart. You can call it nostalgia; I'll call it damn good pizza. I then decided I wanted to visit all the West Virginia locations. And, I have. Fairmont, of course, would be no exception.

I reached out to ask DiCarlo's, though, about the subtle differences between locations. It turns out each location is independent, franchised or family run.

@Candace07 @dicarlospizza
Sadly, no. Although we come from the same origin, some locations are independent, franchised, or family run.

— DiCarlo's Pizza (@DiCarlos_Pizza) February 4, 2016

@Candace07 @dicarlospizza
All operate with similar products as to stay true to the original recipe. Fairmont will most like Wheeling.

— DiCarlo's Pizza (@DiCarlos_Pizza) February 4, 2016

I walked into the restaurant just days after opening to a still-training staff and a bit of confusion. Pepperoni rolls were on the counter, and they also offer calzones, wings, fries, and breadsticks.

I placed an order for two pieces with mushrooms. A bit later, I was handed a box lid folded over, encasing two pieces of culinary gold. The first thing I noticed was the finely shredded mozzarella cheese. And the mushrooms were underneath. Because I went so early in the day, I'm not sure the oven was hot enough or maybe it's just a result of a new place, but the crust could've been a bit more crisp. But, it's a good piece of pizza. Quality ingredients and the perfect blend of flavors; what more could you want?

Grade: A

CJ's Italian Kitchen was originally planned for a lovely lunch. I had a nice, planned out weekend, and this restaurant threw a wrench in my plans/ruined my life when they closed for lunch unexpectedly. Instead, I had to settle for a quick stop after dinner just for dessert.


Fortunately, dessert is right up front in the case when you walk into the restaurant.

There were CJ's Italian Kitchen desserts, as well as desserts from a nearby bakery, The Village Cakery.

I ordered a piece of the lemon cream cake from CJ's to go. I think part of the problem of having slices already portioned out is that the cake gets dried out. That was the case here. Sure, it tastes like a lemony cloud. But some more moisture in the cake layers would take this up a notch.

Grade: B

Lynn's Self Serve in Elkins is a gas station -- but it's not just any gas station! It has a growler fill station. How cool is that?

In 2015, after the passing of Senate Bill 273, this local gas station/convenience store began offering an eight-tap growler station that features local and seasonal beers. The growlers, which are available for a one-time fee of $4.59 (for a 32 ounce) and $4.99 (for a 64 ounce) in addition to the beer, uses a system that keeps beer fresh for 45 days.

I love that not only does offering craft beer gift this shop a leg up, it helps gain exposure for some local breweries.