BootLeg Distilling is a distillery located in Martinsburg - all the way over in the Eastern Panhandle. I was fortunate to stop by to check out their offerings. But first, a little background:

"You can call us the 'farm-to-table' of distilling. We are a family owned and operated distillery created from a pole barn (essentially a steel barn with support poles). This handcrafted facility was constructed by the unique skills and devoted hands of owner/founder Brad Armel. Being nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains allows you to enjoy our spirits in an atmosphere with nature. We pride ourselves on manufacturing quality spirits. We use grains from local farmers, while also using limestone filtered water. This considerably increases the quality of our premium spirits – aged rum, bourbon, and corn whiskey, with moonshine coming soon. Creating a new-school taste for the old-school drink. This taste is developed through filtering and blending all-natural, locally sourced flavor profiles of smooth/sweet aromas. We can’t give it all away online, so come visit us to learn more. Our distinct process is not just a craft, but a passion. It is our pleasure to produce spirits from our distillery for you to enjoy with friends and family at your table or at ours. Brad and Lucia Armel welcome you to BootLeg Distilling. We’re a family business looking to put a smile on people’s faces by sharing our passion of distilling.



They offer rums in unique flavors - like strawberries & lemon and sweet cinnamon. They have corn whiskey and bourbon whiskey. I had to try the sweet cinnamon - because a local version of Fireball sounds delish. And it is! Smooth, spicy and a great base for cocktails.



It deserves a space on my bar cart and on your shelf, too. Have you been yet?

Hot Dog Hut in Philipi is a hometown restaurant that features, you guessed it, hot dogs.



But they do have more than just hot dogs; they also have meatball sandwiches, pepperoni rolls, sloppy joes, and more.



The space is actually quite large and has some cute decor of wiener dogs. I decided to try a few different things.



So, I went with pasta, salad, hot dogs, and the pepperoni roll, just for good measure.



Pasta salad was fine. I like mine a little bit more zesty. It was fairly mild – average.



The pepperoni roll was much of the same. Pretty standard, for what it was, which is better than being too dry. The grease made its way through the bread to give it all some decent flavor.



I know there are some folks who are very passionate about what you got on top of your hot dog. I decided to split the difference and go with my boring, ordinary order of ketchup and onions. But I also got a West Virginia style one with chili, slaw, mustard, and onions.



I liked mine, topped with ketchup and onion. It added sweetness and texture, and it just reminded me of a backyard dog.



The West Virginia style dog was also tasty; it's a totally different experience. This dog is more wet and has a totally different flavor combination. I liked that the slaw was really finely chopped, so it made a sort of paste. The chili was good and the onions and mustard were minimal so they didn't overtake the flavor. I was a fan.



Overall, a solid, local joint that has some decent food options with local charm.



Grade: B

Wild Graze is a "Gourmet Grazing Company in CWV specializing in delicious boxes of edible art."



The business is located on Smith Street, in the same building as Spa Bliss. The shop often carries mini graze boxes available day of. But if there's a larger order, it's best to call it in in advance.



Graze Boxes are "Cheese & Charcuterie with all the accompaniments conveniently crafted in our sustainable eco-friendly balsa wood boxes. Ready to take on your next adventure into the WV wild (camping, picnics, river days) or home to enjoy cozied up on your couch with a good bottle."



The mini specifically has: 3 cheeses, 1 type of Charcuterie, Seasonal fresh and dried fruit, olives, nuts, crackers, and a sweet treat! Served with honey or jam. (aka the adult lunchable) Perfect for one~ for lunch, dinner, cocktail hour, or anything in between!



It was delicious. Fresh, varied, with unique offerings. The box had artisan meats and cheeses that you won't find at your regular grocery store, which made it fun. Not to mention, everything was tasty and made tasty combinations together.



Mountain State Flower Farm also stocks bouquets at the shop. It is a sustainable cut flower farm in Putnam Co. I would love to visit one day because the flowers are just beyond.



Have you checked out either place?



Grade: A

New China in Parkersburg is a Chinese-American restaurant serving up many of the classics: General Tso's chicken, pork fried rice, and the like.



For their crab cheese wontons, they use the folded-over method, which I like. It seems to have more cream cheese inside. I didn't notice much - if any - crab, but I do not mind. I like the fried cream cheese with sweet-and-sour sauce.



The egg roll was pretty run-of-the-mill. It seemed to have a lot of cabbage, and not much else. But that seems to be the norm locally.



For my entrée, I ordered sesame chicken but with white meat chicken. this is my favorite hack when it's available. All the delicious flavor of the sweet and tangy sauce, but over top of white meat chicken. No stringy or gristley pieces. Just fresh, tasty bites of chicken with some zing.



Do you have a favorite Chinese-American menu hack?



Grade: B

Cereal bars have become trendy in the last several years, though they do seem to have fallen out of favor more recently. A few months ago, I stopped by Morgantown's rendition of a cereal bar: "Day & Night Exotic Cereal Bar." It seems like they're currently closed, at least temporarily. But, I want to share a little bit about it - because I do think it's neat. 



Let's take a step back to talk about what a cereal bar is - tons of different, unique, fun kinds of cereal, usually different kinds of milk and even the option to make the cereal into a cereal or coffee drink. These could be hard-to-find cereals, or you can mix and match cereals. It's a novelty, really, but that's what makes it a fun experience. 



Day & Night is located on High Street and seemed to be a bit inconsistent with its hours. Once I finally caught them open, I walked inside to find not another soul there. I looked around for a while to take in all the options. They offer both bowls and shakes, so I kept that in mind as I perused the cereal options.



There was Reese's Puffs - always good - but theen others like Hershey's Kisses, Elf on the Shelf, Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch, and Cinna-Graham Toast Crunch. French toast crunch used to be one of my favorites.



Some maybe looked less appetizing - like Nickelodeon Slime. Though, as a kid, I'm sure I would have loved it. Plus, there were some vintage boxes that I think were just for display. Pretty neat looking, though.



Lucky Charms Honey Clovers caught my eye because Lucky Charms are great - at least the marshmallows. The bland cereal part is less exciting, but if they are honey-flavored, now we're talking. 



I went for the Liquid Gold shake, which had peanut butter crunch, honey clover lucky charms and cookie butter. It was a bit messy and sticky, but that's to be expected when dealing with sugar on sugar on sugar.



It was a sugar bomb, for sure. A once-in-a-while treat that is a bit whimsical. One thing to note, much like cereal itself, it does get soggy. And when that happens, it's just no good.



Grade: B