Thrillist compiled a list of the 32 Best Donut Shops in America, and Long’s Bakery (1453 N. Tremont Street) in Indianapolis was on it. So, the next time I was in the city, I made a point to stop.



"The bakery specializes in donuts. Their most popular is a glazed yeast donut, for which up to 20 people will wait in line on Saturday mornings. They also produce apple cinnamon frys, apple fritters, Long Johns, and cake donuts," according to Wikipedia.



They are pretty old school, because they don't accept cards, and they keep it pretty classic with their variety of donuts. Apple cinnamon, cake, glazed.



I opted for a baby alligator, which was caramel and white iced, as well as a caramel.



Now, these have a thick slab of icing, which is an instant sugar rush. And they have a sort of traditional icing that gets a little bit harder than, say, a buttercream.



These are hardy donuts, so you may not need a ton. Two filled me up pretty quickly. And I did enjoy both.



I wouldn't mind if they were a bit softer, but I enjoy these classic ones with traditional flavors, as well.



Grade: B

Shepherdstown is such a gem of a town in West Virginia. Not only do they have a wealth of art and history, but they always have incredible restaurants.



Lilah is a new-to-me spot that has a littke of everything: "We feature old favorites as well as seasonal and internationally inspired dishes and drinks that are sure to be remembered. We source our ingredients from the local area when possible to ensure the best flavors for you to savor. From wood-fired oven baked flatbread pizzas to seafood, pasta, char-broiled prime steaks, gluten-free and vegan options, and house made desserts, we have something for everyone."



Bonus: You cab bring your pup to dine with you. I ordered a few little bites and nipples so I could try a few different things. Up first: a trio of deviled eggs of original, bacon jam & lox. These were pretty tasty; I loved having a variety of some savory, some more sweet - but all delicious.



I also ordered the fried green tomatoes, which I always have trouble passing up. These ones came with pimento cheese and house bacon, which made for a smoky and creamy and crunchy and delicious bite. I remember now why I have trouble passing them up; it's because they are always delicious.



Grade: A

Charleston has so many amazing festivals during the summer.



One of my favorites is Multifest.



"MULTIFEST is a highly anticipated event in West Virginia that brings together various cultural and ethnic communities in an atmosphere of tolerance and goodwill through art, music, education, cultural programs and cuisine," according to the website.



It was founded in 1989.



And has the mission: "The Multi-Cultural Festival of West Virginia, Inc., aka Multifest, is a non-profit organization that seeks to enrich, develop & enhance multiculturalism in the lives of those we serve in the community. This is done by providing a friendly, family-oriented environment, non-violent tolerance & safe venue to celebrate diversity for all citizens through art, music, education, ethnic cuisine, health & wellness and cultural programming."



They feature a variety of musical artists, but of course, I get most excited about the food.



There were SO many food vendors that I had a hard time keeping track of them all.



But here are some of the ones I noted:



Phat Daddy's, Dem 2 Brothers, BG'z LA Street Tacos, Oishii, Holy O's Donuts, Sharky's, Fudge Bar, MR Poppins, Bayou Classics, Chicken Teriyaki, Fruits Juice, New Orleans Sno Balls, Jojo's Tacos, Taste of International, The Lucky Lemon, Le'Cool Concessions, Pop's Sno Palace anndn Treats, Zul's, Jumbo Fish Wings & Shrimp, Shotgun's Smokehouse BBQ, Chef Hogate '85, Philadelphia Water Ice, and more.



Plus some vendors that had huge signs promoting deep-fried goodies.



I was able to check out three vendors.



Though, honestly, I wish I could've stopped at more!



Those were: Scooby's Icy Treats, Bro Marsh BBQ, and Rumtastic Gourmet Rum Cakes.



Let's start with Scooby's Icy Treats.



I've actually been trying to track these folks down for a while.



I just happened to not be in the same place as them until now.



They offer a bunch of different flavors of Philadelphia water ice, which is like a super smooth, satisfying snow cone, but more fine and delicious.



I opted for the tropical rainbow, which just felt like summer in one bite. Super colorful, fruity, fresh.



It was super refreshing. Grade: A



Then, moving onto Bro Marsh BBQ.



This Beckley-based BBQ food truck offers pulled pork, ribs, hot dogs, wings and more.



I ordered a pulled pork sandwich with slaw, potato salad and macaroni and cheese.



This was a pretty good pulled pork sandwich. Nice helping of pork, pretty decent slaw.



The potato salad was decent, as was the mac and cheese. I wanted some more oomph in that mac & cheese.



But it wasn't bad.



Grade: B



Finally, Rumtastic Gourmet Rum Cakes.



This guy is based out of Georgia, but these little rum cakes ship everywhere. They come in 7 flavors: Original/French Vanilla, Pecans, Chocolate, Pineapple, Red velvet, Lemon, and Pina Coloda. He said the original/French vanilla was most popular, so I went with that. You can certainly taste the rum in these little guys, but they're also moist as heck.



"While struggling with the mortgage meltdown crisis of 2008 and 2009, our founder Kevin L. Wilburn found himself with little money and a lot of time on his hands. He decided to tinker around with a long-held hobby, baking. And thus, Rumtastic was born! Now of course he couldn’t eat all the large cakes by himself, so he started sharing the cake with his co-workers at work. The demand for the cake was so high that the sharing turned into selling! And as they say, “the rest is history!” Rumtastic is a provider of gourmet rum cakes. The original recipe was an "old family favorite." We wanted to bring a lot of excitement and indulgence to that recipe. After extensive sampling, we came up with a recipe that is sure to delight and pleasure any palate. We focus on using quality ingredients to provide "the perfect gourmet rum cakes." We have varied sizes, including "made to orders." We are located in Atlanta, GA. We ship all over the United States. "What ever your budget, we have a cake for it. Wherever you are we will get it to you." We look forward to being your preferred provider of quality service and product.



These were pretty dang tasty. Grade: A

There's an adorable little coffee truck in Charleston callee Luna Coffee that is setting up downtown and at events.



She has a littke seating area where you can enjoy one of the signature drinks. I ordered "Into The Wooda," which had mocha, toasted marshmallow and brown sugar cold foam. It may be my new favorite drink in recent memory. Absolutely divine. Just the right amount of sweetness and all of the cozy.



Grade: A

Nellie's Cookie Jar is a female-owned small business cookie shop in Charleston, West Virginia. "Made from scratch and baked to perfection, these 3-inch cookies are too good not to share," according to the website. I recently heard about this home business, so I placed an order online to check out all the cookies:

Nellie: The cookie that started it all! Bursting with semi-sweet chocolate chips, our take on this classic cookie will become a staple in your house too.

Vandalia: A dense and gooey chocolate cookie filled with peanut butter chips in every bite. Okie A rich and buttery cookie featuring oats, coconut, and chocolate chips.

Okie: A rich and buttery cookie featuring oats, coconut and chocolate chips.

Avonlea: Sugar cookie topped with a lovely buttercream, this cookie is light and sweet with a hint of almond.

Ninth East: A chocolate lover's dream of a chocolate cookie packed with semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Seasonal: Spring Fling A light, chewy cookie bursting with fresh orange zest and white chocolate chips.
These are some really tasty cookies! You all know I'm not even a chocolate chip fan, but I could appreciate these. The seasonal one especially had me thinking summer. AND, while the actual cookies are absolutely delicious, I cannot understate how accommodating and kind the owner was during the ordering process. I had paid and picked a date to pick up my cookies, but my plans were thrown out the window when I hurt myself and was hospitalized. The owner was so patient with me and even hand-delivered them to my house after all the hubbub. That's just one of many reasons I love local businesses.

Grade: A