I think I've arrived at a very important realization: I'm kinda over flat, thin New York-style slices. Blasphemy, right? Meh. Those large, droopy slices are a dime a dozen. Give me that crunch that can hold up that mound of sauce and cheese as it makes its way to my mouth.

That brings me to The Pizza Place, the beloved pizza shop in Parkersburg. There are actually two locations; the Dudley Avenue one I visited previously. So, it was time to check out what Southside had to offer.

The building has glass windows in lieu of walls, with a central ordering area and tables that spill around the space. I just ordered two pieces of thick pepperoni pizza that were boxed up right in front of me. We probably spent about five minutes from the time we entered the restaurant to when we had pizza in hand, ready to go.

Southside does it right; Dudley Avenue does it right, too. I don't know if one is better than the other, but I know that I love both. I love the thick, crunchy crust that gives way to pools of tangy tomato sauce, a blanket of melted mozzarella and a ton of crisp little pepperonis. It's just good - and that's not just nostalgia speaking. That's straight from my tastebuds.

Grade: A

Vienna is to Parkersburg as Granville is to Morgantown. I think. I kinda considered Vienna just a small suburb of Parkersburg, but I think its time to do right by it by recognizing it as its own city. Yep.


RL and I recently went to a new BBQ joint in Vienna called Smokin' BBQ and wings. I always love some good southern comfort food (did someone say mac & cheese?), so I was SO. DOWN. If you're here to dine in, they will seat you; otherwise, it looks like you order at the front counter.

There's a good bit of seating here all in a sort-of down-home BBQ joint feel. The menu spans pulled pork and brisket to ribs and chicken. They were out of the pulled pork tots (because they didn't sell enough -- what?!). But. we made up our minds pretty quickly on what we wanted: The Lil' Sampler Platter. That comes with 1/4 lb. brisket, 1/4 lb. pulled pork, 1/4 chicken, 2 bone ribs, 1 side (mac & cheese for me duh) and a roll or sweet corn cake (we went with sweet corn cake).

Sauces on the table included a hot and sweet, a sweet and mild, a regular and something else that I can't remember.

The pulled pork was my favorite, with a nice flavor and tenderness. The brisket was lacking a bit of a smoke flavor, according to RL, which I'd have to agree with. The ribs were good and messy, and the chicken was pretty moist. I slathered mine mostly with the sweet and mild sauce, so everything ended up tasting pretty good. The mac & cheese could have had some more flavor; it was a bit mild. But I loved the sweet corn cakes.

It wasn't the best BBQ I've ever had, but it was pretty good. 7/10, would visit again.



Grade: B

I recently bought some brown local eggs from Red Barn Farm at the Morgantown Farmers Market - and they were good! The owner was kind enough to sell me just a half dozen (a whole dozen is just too many for me), so I was tickled. Have you tried anything from Red Barn Farm?

Oak Grove Greenhouse is a vendor at the Morgantown Farmers Market that is based out of Grafton. They bring annuals and perennial flowers, vegetable plants, herbs, hanging flowers and ferns to the market.

I got my new little succulent, Audrey, there. Precious, right?

If you wanna visit, here are directions, as per their Facebook: Six miles North from Grafton Walmart then right on Oak Grove Road 3/4 mile then Left on Dogwood Lane go 1/4 mile and your there! Coming from Morgantown go approximately four miles past Taylor Monongalia County Line then Left on Oak Grove Road, 3/4 mile up Oak Grove and left on Dogwood Lane, go 1/4 mile and your there!

I recently visited J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works in Malden for a larger story I'm working on. Salt, you ask? Yes. West Virginia has a history with salt due to the ancient ocean trapped beneath the Appalachian Mountains in the Kanawha Valley. J.Q. Dickinson is actually ran by a seventh-generation salt-making family.

I had the opportunity to talk with Nancy and learn a bit about her story. She didn't intend to get into salt, but when her family history trade was revived, she realized her calling. She resurrected the industry and has really helped catapult J.Q. Dickinson into a household name in West Virginia. The beautiful finishing salt has evolved into popcorn salt, smoked salt, ramp salt, grinding salt, and more.

They've done partnerships with other folks - like Holl's Chocolates. Most recently, I was able to taste a salted caramel! Delicious.

If you think all salt is the same, you need to check this out. They even host dinners that I'm hoping to try for the first time this summer.