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

With an old world influenced style, Sauce on the Blue's menu offers a selection of Italian dishes - from classic favorites like Spaghetti Bolognese to more contemporary dishes like Penne Gorgonzola. That Penne Gorgonzola sounded right up my alley and reminded me of the grape & gorgonzola pizza at Pies & Pints. The dish has gorgonzola cream sauce, chicken, red grapes and baby spinach. It goes hard in the flavor category with the bright pops of sweetness with the grapes paired with the creamy funkiness of the cheese. The only downfall for me was the bits of chicken that were a bit rubbery, which can give me the ick pretty easily. Grade: B

Scaffidi's Gnocchi Nook was a quick-service carryout restaurant located in Weirton that turned to a virtual kitchen based out of the Scaffidi Restaurant Group in Steubenville, Ohio.



They offeer Build Your Own Gnocchi Bowls, Pasta Bowls, and more. I with with a gnocchi bowl, which comes with your choice of Ricotta Gnocchi, Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi or Tomato Basil Ricotta Gnocchi. Then, choose the sauce: Alfredo Sauce, Marinara Sauce, Oil & Garlic Sauce or Pink Sauce. Finally, choose the toppings: Bacon, Banana Peppers, Black Olives, Capers, Crumbled Sausage, Feta Cheese, Grilled Chicken, Ham, Mozzarella Cheese, Mixed Peppers, Mushrooms, Onions, Pepperoni, Salami, Shrimp, Spinach and Tomatoes.

I ordered a ricotta gnocchi with marinara sauce, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. What I received was a giant congealed mess of mozzarella sitting on top of some gnocchi. This is in my part my fault for choosing the ingredients, but I assumed erroneously that they would be mixed throughout. Now, none of this is bad - carbs, sauce, veggies. But the proportions were totally off. I went to search for a gnocchi, cut off a hunk of mozzarella and fork a mushroom to get a mix. This is part of the downfalls of a delivery-only restaurant. This probably would've been much beteter fresh.



Grade: C

Carlo's Pizza & More is a new restaurant in Morgantown in the Chelsea Square area. This plaza - and specifically this restaurant location - was home to one of my favorite all-time restaurants at one point. So, I was excited to check out this new place and see if it holds a candle to a past favorite. The interior is fairly small – some older Italian-themed decor and placemats. The lightbulbs were flickering in the fixtures. Music played in the background. The menu features pizza and sandwiches, as well as some pasta and specialty dishes. We started with some fresh breadsticks and olive oil with balsamic. These were warm and in a fun little cylindrical shape. The oil mixture is simple, but flavorful. I then had a salad that had more onions on it than I've ever had on a salad before. The French dressing was very creamy, almost 1000 Island-esque. And for my entree, I went with the pasta carbonara. This is one of my favorite dishes, so I may have built it up in my head a bit too much. But this one didn't quite hit the spot for me. It had that scrambled egg flavor instead of a silky, velvety cream sauce. Grade: C

Scaffidi's Restaurant and Tavern is a family-owned and operated restaurant in Steubenville, Ohio, specializing in foods with an Italian flare.

I found them on DoorDash and placed an order for me & my parents. I had Italian wedding soup and some fried zucchini planks. I liked the soup. Not bad. I would've liked the zucchini a bit thicker. But most importantly - I was able to enjoy this meal with my parents. Peep my dad in the background; he just recently passed and I am missing him dearly.



Grade: B

Georges' Taps & Italian Grill in Beaver suddenly closed earlier this year, but I had a chance to snag a meal before their doors closed for the last time.



The restaurant focuses on Italian fare, as the name implies, but they also offered sandwiches, wings, tacos, hotdogs, you name it. But, when I was visiting, I wanted to try some of their signature dishes.



I started with the bruschetta, which I was really happy with. A delicious pile of tomato and vinegar and herbs anchored the appetizer while lightly grilled toast fanned around it. The mixture was a delicious blend of sweet and acidic, and the freshness of the tomatoes with the crunch of the bread made for a really satisfying bite.



I had a small house salad, which included pickled red onion, cucumber and mushroom with a balsamic dressing. The base here was OK, but I did enjoy the balsamic, which again had a nice hit of acid.



Georges' piccata was made with capers, white wine, and chicken stock with butter and lemon juice. It was fab. Just the right amount of sour plus creaminess that made for a really rich dish.



Grade: A

Everyone I know from the Cumberland, Maryland, area has one favorite restaurant: D'Atri's.



"Nestled in scenic LaVale Maryland, D’Atri Restaurant first opened its doors in 1971 when Robert D’Atri sought to supplement his income from the Kelly-Springfield tire plant by opening a small pizza shop in Cumberland. Surprisingly, rather than pizza, the crowd-pleaser turned out to be the family-recipe steak sub – a foot-long creation made with chopped rib-eye steak and lettuce flavored with the family’s blend of Italian seasonings. The steak subs were so popular that the D’Atri family opened another restaurant in 1976 in LaVale...



... Now the steak sub has become a regional favorite; so much so that former residents often have sandwiches shipped to their homes! And when returning to Western Maryland, former-locals always make sure to visit D’Atri Restaurant. Now owned by D’Atri daughter Antoinette and her husband Scott, D’Atri’s Restaurant is continuing the family tradition of keeping the highest-quality food and service at prices everyone can afford."



I had to try that famous steak sub, though the menu features a wide variety of breakfast options, salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, and other dinner plates.



The steak sub features chopped ribeye, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and Miracle Whip on a roll. It is served warm and with some special Italian seasoning. It is large and served splayed open because it is stacked with toppings. It proves a bit difficult to eat, unless you smash everything down or cut it up.



But once I got in, I enjoyed this sub. The steak was of good quality, so there wasn't a bunch of pieces with fat or sinew. It ate well for that reason. The lettuce was crunchy and had a sweet and vinegary flavor. So, there was a great combination of textures, plus the freshness of the vegetables rounded out the sandwich.



The side of potato salad wasn't necessarily my favorite. I like a tangyp potato salad, not necessarily a sweet or peppery one.



Have you been?



Grade: A

Folk is a cool restaurant in Nashville with lovely high ceilings, exposer brick walls and an elevated Italian menu.



The menu changes frequently - weekly, I believe. But, at the time, Bri and I ordered some snacks to share.



Bri opted for a fennel salad, which was piled high with the crunchy stuff, as well as apples and herbs. Maybe a bit much on the fennel, but nice and light and fresh.



I went for a beet and whipped goat cheese salad, which was a delicious balance between tangy/funky and sweet/fruity. A lovely evening at a swanky spot with a great friend.



Grade: A

Macaroni Grill is one of those restaurants I've only really heard of on TV, like when someone on a game show wins a year's worth of meals. It's a casual Italian restaurant chain that is headquartered in Denver. And, it happened to also be my Christmas dinner recently.



I was traveling and simultaneously wanted to try a new place, but since it was a holiday, options were limited. And since there aren't Macaroni Grills in my neck of the woods, it was the perfect choice. I made a reservation, and I was surprised to see how busy they were. Maybe lots of people had the same idea.



The menu has standard Italian features like pasta and sauce, chicken parmesan, steak, soup, salad, bruschetta and the like. I started with a small rosemary roll with olive oil that was lovely. It tasted fresh and felt special, so it made me excited for my entree.



I made my own pasta dish with fettuccine, roasted garlic cream sauce, shrimp. mushrooms, asparagus and roasted garlic. This creamy, garlicky pasta dish is so tasty with the pop of fresh asparagus. The only thing that would have made it perfect for me was if there was a nice little drizzle of balsamic reduction. Indulgence to the max.

Giuseppe's has been a mainstay in Mount Hope for years, though it's gone through some openings and closings. And most recently, they seem to have shuttered their doors.



Hopefully they can make a comeback. But in the meantime, let's take a quick look at the Italian restaurant from my last visit.



The interior has some traditional decor, red and white checkered tablecloths and a menu full of classics. I went with a cheese ravioli in a blush sauce, which came with salad and breadsticks. 



This is comfort food to me. The pasta is rich and carb-tastic. I do wish maybe some fresh herbs or something was there to add a bit of brightness to the dish. The house dressing is tasty and punchy, though I would've loved something other than iceberg. And my breadsticks - covered in butter and cheese - were delish - if not a little unevenly baked.



Overall, a classic, homestyle Italian. restaurant with a good bit of history that I hope returns.

Grade: B