Masala House Indian Bistro opened a location along the Mileground in Morgantown.

"Masala House Indian Bistro has been serving delicious authentic Indian food to residents since 2018, and the success of our operations may be measured by our popularity among Indian nationals and other expatriates, student and natives, all of whom appreciate the fine taste of Indian food as well as the reasonable prices. ​ It's not just us saying that - our restaurant has received independent accolades and rave reviews from the press, notable the 'Editor's Choice,' 'Outstanding Indian, and 'Best Indian' awards from the largest expat magazines. ... Masala House Indian Bistro is your best destination for great tasting, authentic Indian food, with all your favorite Northern Indian recipes, highlights from the Southern Indian style of cooking. In fact, we have so many choices on our menu that it is sometimes difficult to decide what to eat! This makes our special-value lunch full meals a tempting option, and an excellent way for you to try a little - or a lot! The popularity of our food and service has allowed us to expand from our first small restaurant in Pittsburgh PA to the Morgantown WV area. ​"

"Indian" food can be a pretty broad term to describe a large variety of foods available across the country, which of course has variances depending on culture and location. Masala boasts flavors from both Northern and Southern India - but what does that mean? I turned to Food52 to get an idea of the differences between the two. 

North:
Prominent dishes: You’ll find lots of breads and curries in the North. Much of what you eat in the restaurants in the West—such as naan bread, rotis, samosas, curries such as palak paneer (spinach and cheese) and aloo ghobi (potato and cauliflower), and the like—is North Indian.
Spice mixture and powder: Garam masala is the predominant spice mixture used.
Sour ingredient: Sourness is a prevalent flavor in Indian food. Amchoor (dried mango powder) is used as a souring agent in curries.
Dried herb: In the North, some sauces are accented with the use of dried fenugreek leaves.
Hot drink: In the North, you finish a meal off with tea or chai.

South:
Prominent dishes: Generally speaking, South Indian cooking is based around rice, lentils, and stews. Dishes such as dosa (a lentil and rice crêpe), idli (steamed lentil rice cakes), saaru/rasam (tomato, tamarind, and lentil soup), and huli/sambar (spicy lentil and vegetable stew) are all from the South.
Spice mixture and powder: Huli pudi (sambar powder) is often used to spice dishes.
Sour ingredient: Tamarind is used in stews.
Dried herbs: Dried curry leaves flavor some of the soups.
Hot drink: You’d finish off the meal with a special type of coffee made with chicory.



So, back to Masala House - there's plenty of parking, and while the space inside isn't huge, it wasn't busy when I stopped by so we were able to spread out a bit. They have a buffet table, but it was not operating while I was there. 



Masala offers a special thali meal at lunch and dinner, which affords the opportunity to try a little bit of a few different dishes. Thali the meal refers to many different dishes (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian), served in small bowls called (Katori in Hindi) arranged on a Thali, or a platter. A flatbread, rice, pickle, salad, and dessert are also included, as is bread (like chapatis).



So while I absolutely love eating like this, I am the worst at writing down what things were. I know the goal is to have white rice, an appetizer, naan, vegetarian curries, meat curries and daal. So there was a mix of salty, sweet, sour, spicy flavors. And no, not all Indian food is spicy. I'm mostly a wimp when it comes to spice, and the folks are more than happy to make the dish according to the spice level that you specify. 

Everything I had I enjoyed - but I especially loved the pea and mushroom dish, as well as the tandoori chicken. So much flavor. Plus kheer - one of my all-time favorite desserts. Have you been?

Grade: A

Stewart's Country Kitchen & Bakery in Point Pleasant is moving soon, so I wanted to be sure to showcase them before they do so. 



The homestyle restaurant isn't going too far, though, so no worries. I was excited to check this place out because they have a pick-up window, which makes it easy for me to check them off my list while passing through the town.



The menu features favorites like smothered chicken, burgers, and one of my personal favs: meatloaf. I got it with spuds two ways: mashed potatoes and potato salad. It was a bit dried out and I would've liked three times the amount of sauce - but the mix of onions and peppers inside was good and well-seasoned. A serving of bread pudding was pretty dense and could've benefitted from some sauce or fruit inside. Again, though, I enjoyed the flavors.

Grade: B

I had never heard of South of the Border before, but when I was driving south I stumbled upon it along the trip.



It's hard to miss really. I saw some giant signs and sculptures from the road so I knew I had to make a stop. It certainly is a tourist trap and has questionable characterization of folks. But I wanted to see what the hubbub was all about.  

South of the Border has been a landmark of the southeast for nearly 70 years, and we see no end in sight! Our trademark has always been a value-oriented service ~ we provide a clean, safe & fun environment for travelers of all types to visit on their way to or from the southeast. Our attitude is our philosophy – take it easy on the road of life! In 1949, Mr. Alan Schafer built a simple 18 x 36 foot beer stand known as South of the Border Beer Depot. As it adjoined the North Carolina counties, which were dry of alcoholic beverages, business boomed. A few years later a 10-seat grill was added and the business was re-named South of the Border Drive-In.

In 1954, Mr. Schafer added 20 motel rooms. Materials for the addition were shipped to “Schafer Project South of the (North Carolina) Border”. Mr. Schafer shortened the name of his business to South of the Border.

Business was steadily expanded with Mexican trinkets and numerous kitsch items imported from Mexico. The site itself also began to expand to include a cocktail lounge, gas station and souvenir shop. In 1962, South of the Border expanded into fireworks sales, potentially capitalizing on the fact fireworks were illegal in North Carolina. In 1964 it was announced that the route for I-95 would pass right by South of the Border, and the facility would be next to two exits and within view of the highway. By the mid-1960s, South of the Border had expanded to include a barber shop, drug store, a variety store, a post office an outdoor go-kart track complete with other outdoor recreational facilities and the 104 feet (32 m) tall image of the mascot, Pedro.One may ask, “How did Pedro come about?” Well, Mr. Schafer went to Mexico to establish import connections and met two young men. He helped them get admitted to the United States, and they went to work at the motel office as bellboys for several years. People started calling them Pedro and Pancho, and eventually just Pedro.

What about those signs? They are all designed by Mr. Schafer himself. Around 175 billboards are north and south from the Virginia/North Carolina state lines to the South Carolina/Georgia state lines. (At one time there were more than 250 different billboards from Philadelphia, PA to Daytona Beach, FL.) Many of these billboards are on I-95. They are also north and south on Highway 301/501, east and west on Highways 9 & 17. There are a few billboards on I-20.



South of the Border has a few different restaurants -  one of them being Pedro's Hot Tamale. They serve breakfast, Tex-Mex food, and even beer. I went with an odd combination of both a cheeseburger and a pork tamale just to try the range of food they had available.



Both of these I actually thought were fine. The cheeseburger had plenty of cheese, which is always my favorite part of the sandwich and the tamale - while I don't know enough to know whether it was traditional or not - it was tasty. So it was a quick easy stop that filled my belly and a check mark off the list.



Grade: B

I’ve never been to a Church’s Chicken until this past year. There aren’t any - to my knowledge - in West Virginia, and while traveling, I like to try local places. 



But I found myself hungry in the southern part of the country and a Church’s nearby. The fast food chicken company features fried chicken, chicken strips, chicken sandwiches and sides like fries, corn, okra, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes and cole slaw. Bonus: banana pudding! 



I ordered a simple chicken tender box with honey biscuits and jalapeño poppers. I was mostly thinking about what could be the least messy to consume while driving. 



So, my major takeaways were this: The strips were not super moist, and the batter was not especially crisp. But was it a solid tender I’d be happy to chow dow on? Without a doubt. Biscuit was a bit too dry, and the jalapeño poppers were fine. 



I think folks gravitate toward whatever chicken chain they grew up with - whether that’s Popeyes or KFC or Raising Canes or what have you. For my money, Dairy Queen has my favorite chicken strip basket. 

Z Brick Oven Pizza in Huntington offers salads, pasta, calzones, subs, and, of course, pizza. 



The Huntington pizza shop has some specialty pizzas that are fun: buffalo chicken, Hawaiian, Greek, taco, etc.



I ordered the "Loaded Potato Pizza," which had like a béchamel sauce, sliced potatoes, bacon and cheese, and it was so good! 



Think delicious scalloped potatoes - all on a pizza. I'm a fan.

Grade: A

As simple as the concept is, I really love restaurants where you can just assemble a really good sandwich or bowl with a ton of delicious veggies. And I don't mean just plain, raw veggies you can buy from the store. I mean fancy things: roasted garlic, pickled beets, sauteed mushrooms, charred corn, etc. I LOVE all these things individually, but it would take me 100 years to make them all, $100 to get the variety, and they'd turn bad before I had a chance to eat them all. 



Brassica has the option of a pita or salad and tons of delicious toppings. I went with a pita sandwich with brisket, hummus, pita chips, cukes & radishes, sweet beets, feta and special sauce. And it was delish. That's partially due to my excellent taste, but also due to the really great flavors of each individual item. 



I also tried the minty pink lemonade, which was refreshing. All in all, a really tasty meal that I would eat again and again.

Grade: A

Katzinger's Deli is a long-running New York-style deli in Columbus that serves up 80 different kinds of sandwiches.



"Our kitchen prepares almost everything on our menu from scratch (though not our fresh, crusty European style breads which are delivered daily from Mediterra Bakehouse in Pittsburgh). Our sandwich line makes and serves every sandwich to order – and more than one in four of them have our home cooked and sliced to order corned beef! Our salads, side dishes, soup and desserts (and even our hot dog buns!) are scratch-made from original recipes created by our food loving staff – and the food is beyond delicious!"



I ordered delivery from here: the 32 - Andy's Got Another Job: Smoked turkey, honey ham, scallion cream cheese, tomato, Honeycup mustard on rye.  And a side of potato salad. Plus a pickle.



The sandwich was large - even the half! Stacked with a few inches of meat and slathered with some honey mustard. I could do with half the amount of meat, so there is a better balance of ingredients, but it was indulgent, filling and very tasty. The potato salad was a nice side - always a bit indulgent. And the pickle just adds a nice punchy flavor to cut through the fat. 

Grade: A

While I don't get to the mall in Charleston often, I did make a special trip there recently to try out the new "Mexican Grill." 



The counter-service restaurant is located in the food court and has photos of the popular dishes you can order. That's probably helpful for those who aren't familiar with the options - or even for those who don't read well or have another communication issue. More places should do this.



I ordered the Arroz Con Pollo - it's likely one of the items most commonly ordered, so it's a good benchmark. 



First, though, were some fresh chips and salsa. I could tell the chips had just been pulled from the oil - you could see and hear from the kitchen. The salsa was average.



The chicken was plentiful, but the only cheese was mixed in with the rice, and I could've gone for a lot more. Not bad, but not the best version I've had. Next time, I'll ask for more queso on the side.

Grade: B

Our favorite cyptid - the Mothman - hails from Point Pleasant, which I will take any excuse to visit. I firmly believe they are ripe for some really great restaurants.



When Ichiban 2 opened, I took the opportunity to check it out. The pan-Asian restaurant has everything from sushi rolls and hibachi dinners to yaki udon and Chinese food. You can order right online and have everything ready when you arrive.



I ordered some of the crispy crab wontons and the Ichiban roll - their namesake: shrimp tempura, spicy kani, seaweed salad, crunch w. soy paper, topped w. spicy mayo eel sauce.



The wontons were standard. I think I'm in the minority here when I say I'm not crazy about the crispy ends and just want the filling. So I tend to gravitate toward a different shape that limits the crispy edges - but, this had substantial filling and it was good.



The sushi roll was a bit different - with the pink paper and seaweed salad inside. I enjoyed that it was a little bit of a twist on something familiar; the texture became a bit soft and I like when there's variation. It was good, and I'd eat again - just nothing totally out of the box. But a decent option for town. 

Grade: B

Sometimes when I visit Weirton, it looks like a whole different world. When I was growing up, there was a Walmart where there is now a whole shopping plaza, which includes Crazy Mexican Restaurant & Grill.



This restaurant describes itself this way: "Authentic Mexican fair, margaritas, beers, main dining, mezzanine seating, patios and party room." 



I placed a big order for a bunch of different things to take back to my family. While I waited inside, I took in how large this place really is. There are colorful decorations criss-crossing the dining room, which drew my attention to the second level of dining. I don't know that I've seen a Mexican restaurant this big! 



I had to wait for quite some time for my order, but once it was finally ready, I was excited to take it home and chow down. First up: These hard tacos with steak. Hard tacos are not my favorite, but my mom enjoyed this slightly elevated take on the classic ground beef taco. 



One of my favorites was the arroz con pollo. Chicken + rice + queso = always tasty. I can only imagine how much better this dish could be if it was peppered with plump, juicy hunks of chicken breast rather than the slivers of chicken that are usually a bit dry.



We also had a burrito California, which is a giant burrito with all the fixins: steak, avocado, onion, rice, beans, etc. Dad was a fan of this with all of the variety. And the barbacoa street tacos - cilantro and white onion on corn tortilla - were tasty, but also a bit dry. 



Chicken chimichangas were topped with lettuce and tomato, and it. all kinda became a bit soggy, but it wasn't bad. I mostly moved those off to the side, because they don't add much flavor, and enjoy the simple chicken chimichanga.



Finally, a taco salad with ground beef. I didn't try this one, but mom enjoyed it. Overall, this place was fairly average - but I did enjoy the extra fanfare.

Grade: B

I love DiCarlo's. If you've been here for a while, you probably know that I've visited every DiCarlo's location - most of which are centered around the Ohio Valley.



One of their newest locations, though, is located in Columbus - a bit further out from its dedicated following. And, it shows.



In the infamous Pizza Connoisseurs of Columbus Facebook group, people have slaughtered the "cold cheese" pizza - because apparently they haven't grasped the concept of freshly melted cheese.  



The thing about DiCarlo's is that it focuses on few really quality ingredients and treats them with care. That's not always the case at other pizza shops. They're slinging pizzas, throwing ingredients on, baking it all together and moving it out the door. 



At DiCarlo's, it's a beautiful dance. The crunchy crust is topped with hot sauce. At the end, fresh provolone lightly melts on top. It's not a greasy, congealed mess hastily slopped together.



Some people poo-poo it because they like to "yuck" other people's "yum." Or they just like to be contrary and can't stand the idea of challenging their perception of how pizza should be prepared. Hint: Not all pizza has to be cooked like Pizza Hut. 



The Columbus location is brand new, fresh, clean. It's modern, but has throwback touches. They serve pepperoni rolls in addition to the pizza. I went with 6 pieces with pepperoni. Crunchy crust, freshly melted provolone and a perfectly balance tomato sauce made for an absolutely delicious bite.

Grade: A