We're making our way through all of the Sam's Hot Dog stand locations in West Virginia, this time in Kenova.

This one has a drive-thru, which is always convenient. And the menu is a good bit more expansive. Nonetheless, I had to get a standard hot dog to compare. And, as always, it's solid with chili, slaw, mustard and onions.

But it made me think about how this whole thing got started. And, I didn't realize it took off with some help of Rocco Muriale in Ceredo.



The Story of Sam's:

Frank Lucente grew up in a small town in West Virginia. As a young boy, Frank often enjoyed spicy chili dogs at the town hot dog stand. Even as he grew older and moved away, Frank would always stop in for a hot dog on his visits home. Years later, the town stand closed and Frank was forced to look elsewhere to satisfy his craving. He went to see the owner of the old stand to convince him to pass on the recipe. But the owner refused saying he would "take it to the grave".

Denied, Frank soon discovered that the original recipe for the chili sauce belonged to an elderly woman still living in his hometown. For years she had been cooking up the sauce and selling it at her church bazaar. According to her, the stand owner had changed the recipe over the years but the woman gladly provided the original recipe.

Frank recruited his business partner and good friend Rocco Muriale to help invent an even better chili sauce recipe. The chef at the popular Rocco's Ristorante, Rocco spent several months cooking up batches of chili sauce. After six months, he had the perfect recipe! In 1983 wanting to share the delicious invention with the public, Frank and Rocco opened the first Sam's Hotdog Stand in Huntington, West Virginia....ending the search for the perfect hot dog.

Grade: B

Davis' Place is more of a bar than grill, in my opinion, but nonetheless, I've heard good things about the food so when I found myself in Huntington recently, I put in a to-go order.



The menu has fried appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and wraps.



Because it's a bar, I figured wings would be a great way to go. So I ordered boneless BBQ, as well as an order of "fried cheese" - but that has now been replaced with regular mozzarella sticks.



The wings were okay. The sauce didn't have enough flavor for my liking - but not bad. The mozzarella sticks were okay, too. Package marinara and standard taste.


Grade: C

Schlafly Beer is known as the original St. Louis beer.



"As the founder of the craft movement in the backyard of the world's largest brewer, we began hand-brewing authentic beers in 1991 and continue the commitment today as the original locally-owned independent craft brewery in Missouri."



The Taproom was just a few blocks away, so my coworkers and I made our way over for dinner.



But first, beer. I started with a sampler of some of their beers: sour, cider, boomerang, hefeweizen, and white lager. I enjoyed all of these, actually. But the cider and sour were my favorites.



 For my main meal, I struggled to choose just one thing. So, I ordered the fries as an appetizer that came with spicy ketchup, green peppercorn, truffle aioli. I, as predicated, fell in love with the truffle aioli.



And I decided on the Jagerschnitzel ~ crisp pork loin cutlet, rich mushroom-bacon sauce, mashed potatoes. This gigantic portion could have lasted me a few days. But the flavors were all there - the rich mushroom sauce, paired with the crisp pork loin and some creamy potatoes. Delish.
 

Maggie O'Brien's is an Irish pub that just so happened to be next door to my hotel while in St. Louis. So, it made for the perfect place to destress and unwind after a busy day.



While there, I opted for a drink, but I can't go anywhere without sampling some of the fare.



The menu has items like St. Louis' famous "toasted ravioli," plus salads, chicken tenders, pizza and ribs.



But since we're in an Irish pub, I wanted to find something with an Irish flair.



O'Kaci's Reuben Rolls • $9.99 - Hand Rolled Right here at Maggie's Corned Beef, Swiss Cheese and Sauerkraut. Served with a side of Thousand Island.



And I'll admit - most of these waited until the next day because I was full. But, for the few bites I had while hot and fresh were great. A mild sauerkraut and finely chopped corn beef were perfectly paired with oozing swiss cheese.

We know Sam's Hot Dogs has a solid, standard hot dog.



And at the Barboursville Sam's location, that was an option. Along with pork BBQ, burgers and fries.



On this day, none of those were cutting it. Instead, I opted for a corndog. A corndog is usually reserved for a special occasion for me - a carnival, an amusement park, etc. But this day felt special enough.



And, it was good. I won't bore you with my deep thoughts on this culinary delight. But, it had a nice crisp on the outside and the sweetness with the hot dog just makes me think of every fair I've ever been to. No culinary miracle but definitely a pleasant treat.