West Virginia is lacking when it comes to good delis. But with the new Stelli Delicatessen, Huntington is looking to change that. 



The turquoise blue storefront has pops of dark blue and gold, which give it this almost Gatsby-esque vibe. 



The interior is simple, but clean and comfortable. There are a handful of tables for dine in, but lots of folks seem to get carry out, as well.



The menu changes regularly and is displayed on a large chalkboard behind the counter. Some standards have been the turkey panini with gouda and turmeric chicken salad. I went for the Club, which was a special at the time but is now on the main menu: turkey, ham, bacon, sharp cheddar, lettuce, tomato, mayo on wheat. 



You may not be able to tell from the photo, but this is a large sandwich filled to the brim with ingredients - all fresh. I love a good club sandwich, and this fell into that category. Straightforward, but executed perfectly in the simplicity of the ingredients. 



I had about half, then dove into my warm potato salad with dijon bacon dressing. If you're not a big mayo potato salad person, this is a perfect option because it's tangier, has more texture and is delicious.



I also ordered a side of orzo salad, which had kalamata olives, feta, red onion and greens. I saved this one for later, but it's the perfect filling-but-light side. So good.



And, I cannot go without mentioning the house onion dip. I tell you what - I didn't know how MUCH better house onion dip is than regular ol' onion dip from the grocery store. But, it's much, much better. I was obsessed and actually ate all my house chips, too. 

The menu has expanded to include a corn salad, small plates, hot dogs and more. I can't wait to go back.

Grade: A

You're probably familiar with the pizza and spaghetti available at Gino's locations throughout West Virginia. But, have you been to the location in Kenova? If not, you need to.



This Gino's serves fried chicken - really good fried chicken, actually. I placed an order to pick up, went through the drive through, and my three-piece dinner box was ready.



The three-piece dinner box comes with a breast, leg and wing or a thigh, leg and wing plus potato wedges and cole slaw. You can also get 12 pieces, boneless wings, chicken tenders and more. This isn't some day-old convenience store chicken or super greasy fast food chicken. It is like old-school, homemade from someone's mama fried chicken. Super crispy, super moist, super flavorful. I'm not even a huge fried chicken fan because it' usually is too greasy or not worth the effort. This, this was delish.

Grade: A

Truckin' Cheesy has a concept that's close to my heart: Eat. All. The. Cheese.



They started out as a food truck, and I visited them a couple years ago. But, they recently opened a brick-and-mortar location in Huntington that I was excited to try.  



When I went, they were still observing some social distancing measures and doing mostly takeout. But the interior is cool with cheesy graphics making it look like cheese is dripping down the walls. I ordered the Super Cheesy Sampler, which comes with a cheese quesadilla, grilled cheese sandwich, cheese nachos and cheese fries. I mean, talk about a cheesy heaven. I should have stopped here, but I didn't.



I also ordered the Kujo Tacos, because I can't get over using the grilled cheese sandwiches as a vessel for more food, not just as a meal on its own. This has two grilled cheese sandwiches folder in half and loaded with taco beef, lettuce, tomato, onion and sour cream. This can get soggy and unwieldy - but undeniably tasty.

Grade: A

Burgers & Bites is a new downtown Morgantown restaurant serving standard burgers and some fried sides. 



Located on Walnut Street, Burgers & Bites is a straightforward burger joint without a lot of frills. The space has been a number of businesses in the past, and it's sandwiches among college bars and nightclubs so its hours into the late weekend nights reflect that. 



Inside, there's a counter area and a dozen or so tables with chairs. It's a bit haphazard, but fine. The menu has a "build your own" burger section that includes options for burger (beef, turkey, beyond), cheese (American, cheddar, pepper jack and swiss), and toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, jalapeno, ketchup, mustard, mayo, bbq, buffalo). Then, there are some extra like sauteed mushrooms or fried egg. 



The other menu items include fried appetizers, wings, tender and ice cream. 



I happened to win a "Free Burger Friday" so my basic burger was free - I added American, tomato, onion, ketchup and mayo to it. And a strawberry milkshake - really, this is a perfect lunch. 



The burger was good - more on the well-done side and a thinner patty. But good! I would love to see some "signature" burgers that the restaurant creates that are especially good combos. There are a lot of good places to get burgers in the area, so it's nice to have something that makes you stand out. 



My friend Lisa also ordered hot pepper cheese balls, and mmm they were good. Overall, a decent burger, a good shake and very tasty hot pepper cheese balls.

Grade: B

The Beckley area has lots of great gems that pop up now and then. I recently made a trip out here to check out a few bakeries, the first of which was Kenzie's Kakes. 



The location is a bit difficult to find - it's attached to a preschool/church, and there is a single pink sign and door denoting the entrance. There weren't any windows or anything, so we weren't sure what we may walk into once we opened the door.



What we found was a crowd of hungry patrons waiting to get their hands on the latest sweet treat. 



The space is small - just displays for the goodies and a checkout counter - but it's packed with desserts.

 
From cupcakes to cake balls, the bakery has a variety of treats. 



There are a ton of different varieties of cupcakes - like ones topped with peeps that I had to try since this was around Easter.



I also ordered a caramel vanilla, because I could eat caramel off of anything.



And then the one that I ended up really enjoying was a summery lemon blueberry that tasted like sunshine. 



I also ordered a few cake balls, because I just love these. Not the dry ones you sometimes find - but the ones that are super moist inside with icing and delivers the perfect bite of happiness. 



Just take a look at these photos - there is a nice variety here. Probably a dozen different flavors of cupcakes and more. 



But I haven't even gotten to my absolute favorite treat I picked up. 



Do you see it? Can you spot it?



It's that Snickers brownie. 



Woooo lord. Imagine this: A chewy, chocolatey brownie topped with layers of chocolate and caramel and then crunchy nut clusters on top. It was glorious. I just nibbled on it for days because it's enough sugar to satisfy any sweet tooth.



Grade: A