Sam's Hot Dog Stand is a hot dog stand that has locations throughout southern West Virginia.


So, of course, I now have a goal to visit every location.



So, I made my way to some in the area. The first was the location in Alum Creek. It's located in an Exxon and features other options like burgers, corn dogs and even BBQ. But I went with a classic hot dog - chili, slaw, mustard. onions on an English bun. All in all, pretty tasty.

Here's another Tudor's location off my checklist: Barboursville.



Just a quick drive-thru at this one - to get the new blackberry biscuit. This one was missing the granola on top - and the cream - but still had that super sweet, delicious blackberry sauce.

Hillbilly Hotdogs is a kitschy hotdog tourist attraction that capitalizes on hillbilly stereotypes - outhouses, broken-down school buses, etc.

I've been here a handful of times, and they have some creative hot dogs. But one that has been on my to-try list for some time is The Homewrecker. It's 15 inches of jalapeños, sautèed, peppers and onions, nacho cheese, habenero, chili sauce, mustard, slaw, lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheese, piled high on a 1-pound all beef weenie in a big 'ol bun!

You can do this as a challenge and eat the whole thing in 12 minutes for a T-shirt, and the man besides us complete it, which was fun to watch. But for Sara and I, just trying it was good enough. I took a few bites - but honestly, that hot dog was not my favorite. Hot dogs were not meant to be consumed in a giant hunk. Because the flavor was not great. The toppings were fine. But I think, in all, we maybe ate 1/4 of this.

Have you tried it?

Holy Smokes BBQ in Ceredo has made a name for itself for being pretty dang tasty. It took me a minute to get over to the area, but I finally did.

And while they have BBQ in their name, they also have a ton of other enticing options on their menu, like burgers, philly cheesesteaks, and meatloaf. On this overcast day, I asked what soups they had. The conversation went something like this:

Server: White bean, chicken tortilla and chicken & dumpling.
Me: I'll take chicken & dumpling.
Server: Do you want the two sides with it - green beans and potatoes?
Me: With soup?
Server: Well, we call it soup.
We stare at each other. The girls laugh to one another. I say OK to end this awkward transaction.

What I got was a plate of chicken and dumplings - which was very good. I loved the dumplings, the gravy, the potatoes and the roll. It was a very strange interaction.
 
Grade: A

1010 Coffee Shop is located inside Huntington Cycle & Sport. They have limited hours, so I've struggled to make it here while they're open - until recently!

The inside is not huge, but it's decked out with bikes and a small coffee counter to the left. The menu features basics like coffee, tea, latte, espresso shot and then you can make your own flavors with syrups.

So, I kept it simple with a caramel latte, which was heavier on the caramel side - which I love. Perfect and such great, kind folks at this place.

Grade: A