Manic Espresso is a cute little coffee trailer set up on the state fairgrounds parking area. In fact, when I saw the signs for the coffee trailer, I was a little nervous if I was able go onto that property. Rest assured, you totally can and you totally should.



The menu has a number of items that caught my eye, but I ultimately went with the caramel apple cider. Place your order at the first window, drive around the building to the other window and receive your piping hot or ice cold drink. My caramel apple cider wasn't overly sweet, but a delightful balance that gave me all the cozy vibes.



Grade: A

I think ribs are one of those things that when they're bad, they're just not a pleasant experience. For that reason, I shied away from ribs for many years. You know the kind - tough, not super flavorful, fatty. But, then I had good ribs and discovered sometimes it is just worth the risk. Hog Wild Bar-B-Que in Fairlea falls on the better end.



The fully on-theme restaurant features a wooden, country-esque exterior, plus a drive-thru! I ordered a 1/4 rack of ribs with green beans and coleslaw. The ribs were not super fall-off-the-bone, but they weren't tough or fatty. Just gotta use your chompers a bit. The flavor was good - slightly sweet, nice smoke. I wouldn't be mad at some extra sauce to dredge it through, though. Green beans were decent, and I liked the chopped slaw - surprised to see no carrots! 



Grade: B

One of the best parts about the State Fair, in my opinion, is all the crazy fair food! This year, they hosted their 2nd Annual Fair Food Contest, where 9 new foods competed to be the best. So, of course, I made it my goal to try all 9!

Trudy’s Dairy World had smoked bacon, maple drizzle, with walnut chunks all in homemade ice cream.





La Creperie featured a crepe filled with plump blueberries and mouthwatering strawberries smothered in a homemade sweet cream.




Taste of Mexico had pollo con arroz or grilled chicken on a bed of rice smothered in cheese dip.





Gillette Pizza had Buffalo Chicken Pizza. Starting with their homemade pizza dough, they top it with a mild buffalo wing sauce, chunks of tender breaded chicken, loads of fresh mozzarella and top with fresh blue cheese crumbles. Finished with a drizzle of additional wing sauce.





Apples & Cream stand had their famous fresh shrimp and yummy grits.





Gussie’s featured Mexican street corn – mess free and off the cob!





Miller concessions had a flaming hot corndog, dipped in Monterey jack cheese rolled in flaming hot Cheetos.





Harvell’s Chicken had mini chicken bites and bacon on a cajun waffle with sweet or hot maple syrup.





RingMaster gave a twist to familiar buffalo wings with cauliflower buffalo wings.





And, then I had two more that I added to my personal list: Josephine's Glazed Donuts





And Cinn-sational Cinnamon Rolls!

The State Fair is such a fun time of year. This year's event even featured a new food competition where they offered new foods from nearly a dozen vendors.

And a new pepperoni roll was on the list from Zul's, so I had to try it. I got it with hot pepper cheese! And, of course, a Ben & Ellen's donut!

I read about When Pigs Fly Barbeque on the 101 Unique Places to Dine in WV list, and since I was in Fairlea for the State Fair, I made it my dinner for the first night.


When Pigs Fy Barbeque features, you guessed it, barbeque. The inside looks like your typical mom and pop BBQ shop - some mismatched place settings, with a bit of country comfort.




They have pulled pork sandwiches, pulled chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese, ribs and more. I Because I wasn't for sure, I asked if the plate, which comes with two sides, was a sandwich or if it was just the mound of pulled pork. It was the mound of meat, so I opted for the sandwich, add a side of macaroni and cheese and a water. My total came to $14, which I thought was hefty - but I was unsure how much that side was on its own, so I didn't question it.

I went over to the cart on the side to help myself to all the different sauces: Cropduster (honey mustard), Spitfire (hot and spicy), First Flight (Eatern Carolina vinegar), Wingwalker (honey bbq) and Flybaby (mild and tangy). In the process, I got super sticky because apparently people don't know how to handle sauce bottles. I also filled my cup from the water dispenser, though it wasn't cooled.

When they brought my meal out, I was super confused. It was the platter. But if it was the platter, it should have came with two sides - and it only had one, the macaroni and cheese I ordered. I sheepishly said I wanted the sandwich, and she was happy to comply and fix the order. Very kind. Before long, I had my sandwich. But the sandwich was supposed to come with a pickle and chips - plus my macaroni and cheese on the side. The pickle was MIA, but I wasn't concerned. It was at this time, she realized I was only drinking water, too, so she ended up refunding me $2. So, I guess my total was $12, which makes more sense. Aside from some of the ordering hiccups, the folks working were totally great.

The sandwich was indeed good. A TON of pulled pork, and it had a good flavor. The macaroni and cheese was not super cheesy or creamy. It was more soupy. As for the sauces - the honey bbq and the mild and tangy ones were my favorite!

Grade: B

My first trip to the State Fair of West Virginia did not disappoint. In addition to seeing the animal barns, playing games and checking out the carnival rides, I walked the length of the fair taking in all the food offerings.








In typical fair fashion, you can get just about anything deep-fried, bacon-wrapped or slathered in sugar. I took as many photos of all the different stands as I could. Mostly because it's fascinating, but also to remember everything they had.





But my choices? I got a steak sandwich (medium) from the WV Cattleman's Association. They had A1, mayo, horseradish and more sauces available. I got a bit of mayo and horseradish. Pretty good.







I also had a donut from Ben-Ellen's, which seems to be a fair staple. This was a delicious little donut.

And here's for the rest of these crazy fair foods: