Eataly has a few locations: Chicago, New York City, LA and Boston. I was first introduced to this concept in Chicago, and then I stumbled upon the Boston location by chance.

So, I walked in and the first section I saw was coffee at Lavazza. When it's cold and rainy, I can think of no better solution than a hot beverage. I ordered a hot chocolate, which was delicious.

Boasting over 120 years of history, Lavazza was created by the tenacious and intuitive Luigi Lavazza, the first to create coffee blends from beans of different origins. In 1895, he acquired a small grocery store in the heart of Turin. The location is still open today, while the company has grown to be the symbol of Italian espresso worldwide. Lavazza shares Eataly’s passion for quality. Our caffè offers a wide menu of Lavazza’s traditional Italian espresso-based drinks, American coffee drinks, and housemade pastries for an authentic “colazione all’italiana,” or Italian breakfast. 

Then, venturing upstairs, there are tons of small counters and open shops that have all sorts of specialty goods: seafood, meat, cheese, breads, cooking utensils, produce, oils, just literally anything you can think of.

And this Boston store is huge! It's so beautiful, and if I lived locally, I would definitely be buying lots of delicious items here.

I wish there was a market like this nearby. I do love the farmers market, but this takes it up a few notches.

They even have prepared foods in addition to ingredients so you can eat AND shop.

Best of both worlds.

It has always been strange that the University City lacks a craft beer festival. The ideal craft beer consumer - young, college-educated - is found all over Morgantown, yet a craft beer festival had not made its way to town. Until now.

The Cabin Fever Craft Beer Festival is North Central West Virginia's premier craft beer festival. I was fortunate enough to receive an invite, and I brought along Bill to check it out.

Held at Mylan Park, this festival brought in breweries from all over the state. Major players like Berkeley Springs Brewing Company, Big Timber Brewing Company, Brew Keepers, Brewstel, Chestnut Brew Works, Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company, Lost River Brewing Company, Morgantown Brewing Company, Parkersburg Brewing Company, Pubstomper Brewing Company and Sophisticated Hound were all there.

I tried nearly 20 different beers (!), and I was particularly excited to try Parkersburg Brewing Company and Sophisticated Hound Brewing for the first time ever. I also hadn't tried any of the brews from Brewstel. That was really cool. It was crazy busy, and it sold out by mid-afternoon with 1,300 people through the doors! Also got to meet Charles Brockway from Brilliant Stream; check out his post about the event here.

Bolded are the ones I was able to try:

Berkeley Springs Brewing Company (Berkeley Springs)

• Mountain Man Marzen
• Hellish Winter IPA
• Old Oak Stout
• Vienna Calling
• Warm Springs Pale Ale
• Lovers Leap IPA

Big Timber Brewing Company (Elkins)

• Blonde Ale: Light, Zesty, Brigh, 4% ABV
• Logger Lager Pils: Noble, Crisp, Dry 5.2% ABV
• Pale Ale: Refreshing, Floral, Clean, 5.2% ABV
• IPA: Familiar, Fresh, Piney 6.5% ABV
• Porter: Chocolate, Coffee, Balanced 6.5% ABV
• Double Bit IPA: Bold, Juicy, Deceptive 8% ABV
• Frost Notch Winter Ale: Smoky, Warming, Malty 7.6% ABV

Well, a rainy day calls for a hot beverage - whether that's a coffee, cocoa or hot chocolate.

Zagat named L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates as having one of the best hot chocolates in the country. So, I made it a point to stop at the L.A Burdick in Boston.

Started in New York, before relocating to New Hampshire and expanding from there, this French-style confectionery makes some of the most coveted chocolates in the Northeast. One of the signatures is the dark shaved chocolate (available for mail-order). It’s a mix of three to four dark chocolates from South America and the Caribbean, generally warmed with 2% milk. However, you can go as fat as you want — whole and skim are offered, as well.

So, I walked in and immediately saw the beautiful, expensive chocolate boxes lining the walls. Beautiful wooden floors, gold-striped walls, and perfectly crafted chocolates, bonbons macarons and other delicacies.

And, I went to the counter to order my "drinking chocolate." It's a Burdick Blend Dark Chocolate, so it's a bit more bitter than I am used to. But so velvetty smooth. I almost feel like it's in the middle of the spectrum between coffee and hot chocolate - without the espresso, of course.  But, the flavor was right on point.



Grade: A

So, I woke up in Boston, intent on exploring a bit while Kaitlynn was at work. Harvard Square isn't too far, so I set off on my way to that area to sight-see, shop and, of course, eat. My first stop was Crema Cafe to fuel up.

Crema Cafe is a cute, trendy cafe that was bustling with people dressed far better than me. It was inspired by neighborhood cafes with freshly baked pastries and perfectly steamed cappuccinos around the world.

History: All of our pastries are made from scratch daily using traditional techniques. Our pastry collection combines classic favorites with our own signature creations. Whichever pastry you’re craving, at Crema it will always be just-out-of-the-oven perfection. Pair it with a latte poured with love by one of our talented baristas, and you’ve got yourself the breakfast of champions. As the day carries on, we roll out an array of freshly made desserts (including our famous cupcakes!) and a lunch menu full of hot-off-the-press sandwiches with house-roasted meats, inventive spreads, many homemade breads and seasonal soups that change daily. 

Crema has bloomed into something all its own, but our initial intentions are still at its core. From the beginning, local customers responded to Crema as their neighborhood cafe, and tourists came in and delighted in finding this buzzing local spot – it was exactly the reaction we’d dreamed of. Every time we see someone new excited to discover Crema we remember exactly why we opened. We hope Crema leaves you with a smile; whether it’s the smile from the person making a sandwich, the one from a new friend at the communal table, or the smile you feel across your own face as you take the first sip of your morning coffee. 

So, I ordered at the counter a Golden Crema, which is a latte with honey and cinnamon. It seemed like a house specialty, so I went with it. You could really taste the cinnamon in this, but the honey flavor wasn't overwhelming. It wasn't super sweet, which was just perfect for this day. It was pouring outside, and I was about a mile from the apartment so I had to pick up an umbrella at a CVS. I was mostly soaked by that point, but I sat at a high top, sipping on this latte, as the caffeine coursed through my veins, warming me up.

And a few minutes later, the bagel I ordered - asiago with herb cream cheese - was up. Perfectly toasted with a nice veggie cream cheese on top. Little bits of pepper added some texture to the cream cheese, and I enjoyed. I indulged. It was this lovely moment of serenity - so much so that I even forgot for a moment how my simple jeans and flats getup did not fit in with the business casual. Oh well.

Grade: A

After a long drive, we were exhausted once we finally hit Boston. So, we called for pizza. What else is a millennial to do?

Kaitlynn ordered from Venus Pizza & Grill. They actually had a good bit more on their menu - like subs, wraps, burgers, fried chicken, pasta, gyros, kabobs and more. Because they had pizza in their name, I went with that theme and got a calzone. It was cheese and spinach and mushroom, and I wanted to get chicken inside but I couldn't figure out that option.

So, it was huge. It was a large pie folder over and cut into segments (that's a first), but I think they put at least three pounds of spinach in there. SO much. And, that made it a bit watery. That definitely didn't stop me from eating it - it was pretty average. My problem is that I tend to think literally everything in Boston is amazing because I've had such amazing food here. But this was pretty average. I think I might try the regular pizza if we do this in the future.

Grade: C