C

Ruby & Ketchy's Incorporated

By Candace Nelson - 8:08 AM

I heard about this little diner from a few friends. They said breakfast was great, but I was only available for lunch, and I wanted to check it out anyway. Located in Cheat Lake, this diner is pretty easy to miss if you aren't familiar with the area. It doesn't boast a huge sign, but there is a small one next to the building.

When you walk in, there is a counter and stools and a few separate dining areas. This is your typical, old-school diner, complete with worn chairs and booths and a homey feel - even a fireplace! We chose a small booth and flipped through the menus that were located on the table. The food was cheap, and featured typical diner dishes - some salads, dinners, sandwiches and lots of side dishes.

I planned on getting the country fried steak dinner until our waitress came over and listed the specials. As soon as she said creamed chicken with biscuits and mashed potatoes, I was sold. It also came with two sides: I ordered a house salad and green beans. We also put in an order for fried mushrooms.


The waitress came back with our drinks - I ordered a coke, which was served in a can with a tiny glass to pour it in.

We waited a little while, and our salads and side dishes arrived. The salad was bland, nothing more than some chopped lettuce and a few mushy, diced tomatoes, and a couple onion slices. Drenched in the French dressing, though, it was fine. The green beans had small chunks of bacon in them, but it wasn't crispy. A lot of the bacon was just pieces of fat, so I picked around the bits. The green beans were fine, too. I didn't get a fresh, garden taste, but they weren't bad.

Our entrees came out shortly after. It was a large helping of a biscuit split in half and a scoop of mashed potatoes with a chicken gravy on top. The biscuit was a little hard, which works well with a gravy over it. The mashed potatoes were creamy and tasty, but the chicken gravy itself didn't blow me out of the water. I was expecting some delicious, homemade gravy, but what I got was a slightly bland gravy reminiscent of a jar gravy. I must admit, my high school made the best creamed turkey/chicken, so I hold the dish to a high standard. This dish just fell right along mediocre. The gravy was a little thick, I would have preferred if it wasn't so much, and it could've done well with a dash or two of garlic. Our mushrooms never did come out, and when I asked the waitress, she said she thought she brought them out. When we said no, we just asked her to take them off the bill, as our entrees filled us up.

I ordered a straw- berry cheese- cake for dessert. Though a small sliver of cheesecake, it was tasty. It was creamy, and the strawberries were very sweet. The graham cracker crust was sweet and moist, and the flavor was delicious. Too bad it was so tiny.

My friend really enjoyed the whole dining atmosphere. If you like that down-home, country feel, this is a nice little place. The food isn't out of this world, but it's comfort food and feels familiar. If you're looking for new and exciting flavors that burst in your mouth, this isn't the place. But it's not trying to be, either.

Grade: C
Ruby's & Ketchy's Incorporated on Urbanspoon

  • Share:

You Might Also Like

6 comments

  1. As a native West Virginian, myself would rather go into a down home, country feel atmosphere, were your meet with a smile and a friendly word. as far as direction I prefer to drive a little way for a lot of service. Maybe instead of putting the place down from the time you walked through the door you should of looked more into some of the history within there walls and then you might have appreciated the down home county atmosphere, through out Ruby and Ketchy's.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I, too, am a native West Virginian. And I never said there was anything wrong with the "down home, country" feel. And I also don't have a problem driving for great service. And, I didn't put the place down from the time I walked through the door. In fact, I complimented it. But thank you for your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I feel that you went to Brooke High School as you mentioned creamed turkey day. Best ever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My god - the lines to the cafeterias on cream turkey day were ridiculous. It was the one day everybody wanted to eat lunch. I miss that. You went to Brooke? What year, if you don't mind me asking. Thanks for commenting =]

      Delete
  4. Hi Candace, I enjoyed your review and thought you did a nice job of covering the appeal of the diner and a helpful honest description of the food - the pictures add a lot. I was wondering if you had tried a new place on University Ave in Star City - The Soul House Bistro. The menu looks great but there are no reviews on Urbanspoon or anywhere else. I'd love to know what you think about it. You can see the menu here: http://www.morgantownmenuguide.com/restaurants.php?n=soul-house-bistro&i=1327711888

    Thanks! Catherine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Catherine, thanks for your comment! I actually picked up a copy of the Morgantown Menu Guide & saw that the Soul House had their menu and hours in there. I had my eye on this little restaurant since I saw the sign go up. So once I saw the hours, I assumed it was open. Wrong. Called & asked a friend who lives across from them. Apparently there's still newspaper on the windows. Anxiously awaiting their opening though. I'll report back as soon as I do =]

      Delete

All work property of Candace Nelson. Powered by Blogger.