Sips-N-Trips by MTA is a loaded tea shop slash travel agency in Hurricane. I'll be very honest -- I don't really "get" loaded tea. But, I am also not the target demographic. I don't seek out high protein or collagen-boosting or any addidtives in my drinks or food. In fact, it freaks me out a bit. I guess I'd prefer it just be ... pure? But I wanted to try it out. There are a billion different flavor combinations, which seems to be the hallmark of these shops. I went with a concoction of cherry and peach and some other flavors, plus vitamins, minerals and caffeine. No sugar. And that's the one part that threw me a bit - the artificial sweetener taste is not my favorite. Grade: C

400 Degrees is a Nashville hot-chicken restaurant. Owner Aqui Hines, a Nashville native, grew up eating Prince’s Hot Chicken and developed her own version before opening 400 Degrees in 2006. It remains a Black-owned, locally rooted restaurant and is regularly grouped with Prince’s and Bolton’s among Nashville’s essential old-school hot-chicken destinations. The Cheesesteak Eggrolls were packed with chopped sirloin, melted cheese and onions inside a crisp fried wrapper. Though normally served with ketchup and mustard, I opted for a side of the beer cheese for dipping. The eggrolls were crispy, cheesy and packed with savory beef, and the beer cheese was a great addition. Grade: B

Juniper and Ivy is located in a converted warehouse at the northern edge of Little Italy in San Diego. Owner Michael Rosen opened it in 2014 with celebrity chef and Top Chef All-Stars winner Richard Blais, initially describing the cooking as “left-coast cookery.” The menu features sophisticated but playful American food built around seasonal West Coast ingredients, with the menu changing frequently according to what local farmers and fishermen supply. Its longtime chef Anthony Wells, who is from West Virginia, joined the opening team as sous chef in 2014, worked his way up to executive chef, and was named a 2022 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: California. The restaurant itself received a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation in 2019. The inside of Juniper and Ivy is industrial but polished. It occupies a converted 1920s-era warehouse, and much of that character is still visible: very high ceilings, massive exposed redwood beams, concrete, exposed ductwork and an overall open, airy layout. The industrial elements are softened by warm wood tables, curved upholstered booths, camel-colored leather chairs, modern artwork and low lighting. Elote Arancini: The elote arancini were crisp, golden fried rice balls that combined the Italian snack with Mexican street corn flavors. They were served over a creamy, slightly spicy lime mayo with chile de árbol oil, then finished with what appeared to be crumbled cheese and fresh greens. The crisp exterior gave way to the softer rice filling, while the creamy sauce added richness underneath. Melons & Feta: The melons and feta was the lightest of the dishes, pairing chunks of watermelon with feta, thin ribbons of cucumber and wedges of pale melon. The menu also listed lemon balm, mojito snow and chocolate mint, with the icy green mojito component adding a cold, herbaceous contrast to the sweet fruit and salty cheese. It was essentially a more elaborate take on a watermelon-and-feta salad. Michelada Ceviche: The michelada ceviche combined pieces of octopus and shrimp with cucumber and other diced vegetables in a bright, chile-forward liquid inspired by the flavors of a michelada. A large sesame-avocado crisp stood upright over the seafood, while blue corn chips provided another crunchy element. It was colorful and textural, moving between tender seafood, fresh vegetables and crisp chips Wagyu Sliders: The Wagyu sliders were a more straightforward comfort-food option: small beef patties topped with melted American cheese and deeply cooked tallow onions on glossy sesame buns. The beef and onions made these particularly rich, with the cheese leaning into the classic cheeseburger profile rather than trying to make the sliders overly elaborate. Pickles served alongside helped cut through some of that richness. Everything was so good that we had to get dessert, too. Dubai Yodel: The Dubai Yodel takes inspiration from the viral Dubai chocolate combination of chocolate, pistachio and kataifi. A chocolate shell surrounds the dessert, with pistachio ganache providing a rich, nutty center. Pistachio snow and crunchy chocolate kataifi crumbs add contrasting textures, while the sauce underneath brings another creamy element. It is an elaborate, plated interpretation of the now-familiar pistachio-filled Dubai chocolate bar. Have you been? Grade: A

Apparently the Charleston area has decided we need to be VERY hydrated. 7 Brew is opening in South Charleston at Park Place, with another location also in the works in Cross Lanes. If coffee isn’t enough, the menu also has energy drinks, teas, lemonades, smoothies, shakes and all sorts of wildly customizable concoctions. I enjoyed a strawberry lemonade. Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar has officially landed in Kanawha City, joining its Hurricane/Teays Valley and Huntington locations. Think smoothies, fresh juices, açaí bowls, wraps, salads and wellness shots. I enjoyed a "Raspberry Harmony" smoothie and an Asian chicken wrap. Have you been to either yet?

Liberty Public Market is a large food hall and artisan marketplace inside Liberty Station in San Diego’s Point Loma neighborhood. The roughly 25,000-square-foot building originally opened in 1923 as the mess hall and commissary for Naval Training Center San Diego. After the Navy base closed, the larger property was redeveloped as Liberty Station, and the market opened in 2016 as San Diego’s first food hall. The current vendor roster covers a broad range: Argentinian empanadas, Thai street food, Hawaiian food, sushi, ramen and noodles, Mediterranean kebabs, lobster rolls, Texas-style barbecue, Nashville hot chicken, pizza, Mexican food, French pastries, Hungarian chimney cakes, coffee, smoothies and more. There are also nonrestaurant businesses including a record shop, barber shop, specialty retail and Bottlecraft’s beer shop and tasting room. Slurp Taiyaki & Ramen combines Japanese-inspired ramen with an eye-catching dessert: taiyaki soft serve. Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped waffle/cake traditionally filled with something sweet such as red bean paste, custard or chocolate. Slurp turns it into an ice-cream cone, filling the open-mouthed fish pastry with soft serve. Flavors including vanilla, taro and swirls such as taro/vanilla or ube/vanilla. The cone is made fresh, giving it a combination of crisp and chewy textures beneath the soft serve. And despite looking like a fish, the dessert isn’t fish-flavored. If I had more time, I would have stopped at each and every shop, sampling everything along the way. Have you been? Grade: A