Starvin' Arvin's is a restaurant on the West End of Huntington that features comfort food in a fast environment.



Think spaghetti with meat sauce, pot roast with vegetables, open faced roast beef sandwich -- all at a place with a pick-up window. Is this a dream?



I enjoyed chicken & dumplings - hand-pulled rotisserie chicken immersed in a rich, savory chicken gravy with fluffy dumplings for a comforting, homestyle meal. Soul satisfying.



Mac & cheese - this was okay. A little bland for me. Give me some more flavor.



Meatloaf - a classic blend of seasoned ground beef and pork, baked to a savory finish and topped with a sweet and tangy glaze. Nostalgic favorite for me.



All washed down with a fresh strawberry lemonade, which hit the spot. Delicious.



Grade: A

Savannah Bee Company is a local and specialty honey producer - in the form of honeycomb, bath & body products and more.



"At Savannah Bee Co., our mission is centered on supporting the vital work of bees. Beyond honey, we're committed to safeguarding these essential pollinators, crucial for building hives, sustaining our food supply, and enhancing our environment. Climate change and pesticides threaten their existence, making bee preservation our top priority. Through every honey jar, bee-powered beauty product, or cultivated hive, we actively contribute to their protection. By choosing Savannah Bee Co., you're not just buying products; you're joining our mission to preserve bees and the planet for future generations," reads the website.



They offer so many varieties of honey, from wildflower and tupelo to orange blossom and lavender.



"The species of flower from which the bee gathered the nectar determines the color, flavor, and sugar composition of the honey. Buckwheat honey is black and strong in flavor, acacia honey is almost completely clear and mild. We mostly sell monofloral honey – nectar from one specific flower species. We like to say all honey is good, but some honey is great. And believe us, there is a big difference. Common commercial honey is often blended for color consistency without regard to taste," reads the website.

Spice of Life is an international grocery store in Kanawha City. I went to check it out and first perused the dry spices and other mixes. The variety covers all parts of Asia. Next, I spent a great deal of time perusing the instant noodle section. I think they have become more widespread thanks to TikTok. I have been exposed to a lot more brands, so I nabbed some to try. I also loved the selection of juices and syrups with fruits you don't always see in the store. While I didn't investigate, they also had two freezers full of meats. It has a pretty wide selection of a little bit of everything. Plus, there are items you may have seen or heard of, but didn't know where to get them. This is the place. Have you been?

Sergio's Cucina Italiana & Steaks is a newer restaurant in Hurricane that I visited with two of my closest friends, Elena and Amanda, when it first opened.



This restaurant is one of several from the namesake owner, who also owns the Guadalajara restaurants. But, the specialty for this location is specifically Italian fare and steaks. And I had set my sights on Italian.



I started with a minestrone soup, which I wasn't crazy about. But the warm breadsticks with parmesan were fluffy and buttery.



I built my own trio with the following:

Meat lasagna - layers of hearty ground beef, creamy ricotta, and Parmesan cheese, all nestled between sheets of pasta and smothered in rich tomato sauce and baked to perfection.

Chicken parmesan - breaded chicken cutlet served over a bed of spaghetti pasta and topped with rich marinara sauce.

Fettuccine rosa - A delectable blend of marinara and house-made Alfredo sauce tossed with fettuccine, served with tender chicken.



The meal was so comforting and filling - it's impossible not to enjoy it. The flavors were not anything I haven't had before, but they were tasty. Carbs are my love language.



Grade: A

Leong's Asian Diner is "Home of the Original Springfield Style Cashew Chicken!"

"Springfield-style cashew chicken comes with a well-documented story. Area natives love the regional favorite, and newcomers ultimately come to adopt it as their own. Residents in Springfield, Missouri have long recognized Mr. David Leong as the originator of Springfield-style cashew chicken, and as such they embrace the Leong family as a part of their own.

David Leong immigrated to the United States in 1940 from Guangdong, China. He became a naturalized citizen, then served his adopted country during World War II. (During the Normandy invasion, he was in the fourth wave of troops to hit Omaha Beach.) In November 1963, he opened Leong’s Tea House, a 350-seat white-tablecloth restaurant on the suburban fringe of Springfield, Missouri in what had once been a cornfield.

Inspired by the economy of the cashew chicken and the success of the Teahouse, a number of cashew-chicken-centric restaurants followed Mr. Leong’s lead. By the 1970s, the Leong family’s dish had become such a part of the Springfield culinary scene that there were literally hundreds of Chinese restaurants serving their version of cashew chicken, and many still do today."



So, of course, I had to try the cashew chicken. It is deep-fried chicken chunks covered a sauce made from chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce and cashews. It's savory and umami and satisfying.



The dish is popular in the Springfield area and is often cited as the unofficial "dish of the city." Springfield even hosts an annual festival that is centered on this chicken dish: Springfield Sertoma's Cashew Craze.



Grade: A