Classics 3 is located on Greenbag Road, and for a long time, I thought it was just a "hot spot." There's actually a good bit more to it than that. Apparently upstairs there is a bar, and downstairs, there's a restaurant. My friend and I snagged a seat and waited patiently for the woman working to come by with some menus.

It's a little more than typical bar food, as they have some sandwiches and dinners, too. I was pretty indecisive, so I asked the waitress what is popular. She suggested the Mr. C's sandwich. Without even looking, I said "sign me up."

After looking at the description, I saw that it is sirloin, pepperoni, provolone cheese, mild peppers, onions and mushrooms on a 6" toasted roll. And a side of fries. When she brought it out, it didn't look bad. But upon first bite, I realized this is not super high quality, and it was more buried with soggy peppers than bulky meat. Kind of bland, kind of flavorless, kind of soggy. Meh. I have half in my fridge still, and I probably won't end up eating it.


Dessert can redeem any meal for me. So when the waitress suggested homemade apple pie as a dessert, I jumped on. But it too was flavorless, cold, lifeless. I won't be back - not for the food, at least.

Grade: C

Boston Beanery recently opened their third location in Morgantown - the Pines Country Club on Point Marion Road. They have another downtown and one on Evansdale, as well as Grafton, Beckley, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The Pines Country Club is a private golf course. And there are a few signs confirming that as you turn onto their road. However, Boston Beanery is public, so don't be discouraged if you're craving some and on that side of town. When you get to the top of the road, there are multiple signs pointing that the Boston Beanery is inside, but it's actually all the way to the right. The outside says "dining," but not huge sign stating you're there. Don't worry - it's easy to find.

It has odd hours - only open til 3 p.m. most days, so check before you head that way. Inside is just one open dining room, but you can see for a few miles, as it sits atop the hillside. It's not a bad view. There was not a soul in there when we went. After a quick look at the menu, I ordered the whaler sandwich - fried fish, bun, tartar sauce. With a side of fries and ranch.

Our food was out very quickly, and it was good. Greasy, fried, but it was what I was looking for. The staff was bored so they were kind of sitting around and joking. But our server kept our drinks full, and I left pleased. Same menu as the other locations. Decent food. Culinary masterminds? Not so much. Good for a quick sammich? Indeed

Grade: B

Fuji Grill is located in the mall and competes against the likes of Wong's Wok, Chick-fil-A and Subway. I rarely see anybody at Fuji Grill, but one of my followers recently tweeted about missing this place, so I thought maybe there is some good hidden here.

The sign in front says to try their famous honey chicken. That struck me because it was also the recommendation of my follower on Twitter. I walked up to the counter and looked over the menu quickly. You can choose from a few entrees paired with rice or noodles. I opted for the honey chicken over noodles, as well as a drink.

This was actually really good. It's like sweet and sour, general tso's, honey chicken mixture. The sweet and tangy without the spice. The breading is slightly crispy and hte meat was tender. Noodles were thick and delicious. I'm surprised at how tasty this was. Now I might have trouble choosing between Wong's Wok and Fuji Grill when at the mall...

Grade: A

The Wine Bar at Vintner Valley, located on Burroughs Street, is a new establishment located in a quaint cobblestone cottage that you could mistake for a home, rather than a swanky bar. It's open in the evenings, and parking is located around the back of the building. And when you walk inside, it's a different environment. It's dark, posh and sleek with old money folks. A long bar is located to the left, a few high-top tables litter the center, and some leather chairs dot the right side. My friends and I took a table in the middle and looked over the menu. Thank god I didn't wear yoga pants today.


I confess that I'm not a wine connoisseur; I prefer sweet whites. That's not the most sophisticated, I know. But hey, it is what it is. From the wine list, I ordered a glass of Conquista Moscato, Argentina, 2011, which happened to be sparkling. For $9, it was moderately priced, but it was gooooood. Good if you want a sweet wine that tastes similar to apple juice. I did. And it was glorious.

The menu isn't huge, but they have some snack sorts - a few appetizers, pizzas and salad. I ordered the classico bruschetta - slice baguette with melted mozzarella and provolone cheese with tomato, basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Kaitlynn got a meat and cheese plate - you choose at least three items (cheese or meat) - so she got the gouda, brie, chorizo and prosciutto. It also came with some crackers, grapes, bread, figs and olives. Josh ordered the pizza bianca - olive oil, garlic, roma tomatoes, provolone and mozarella cheese.

We did a little swapping so that we could all try a little of each. My bruschetta was pretty good - the bread was delicious because it was toasted to perfection and had melted cheese all over it. The tomato mixture was pretty good too, but I could've used just a little more balsamic on it.
Kaitlynn's meat and cheese plate was pretty cool just because of the variety. It was fun, had these cute markers and can tailor it to your specific tastes. I liked the chorizo and gouda the best, but what can I say, I just enjoy really good cheese.

Josh's pizza wasn't bad either. It was oil-based, rather than marinara-based, so it's a little lighter. It was tasty, though, tomatoes were fresh, and had some good seasoning.

For dessert, I tried a ricotta cheesecake. You can get the typical vanilla, or you can opt for chocolate. It wasn't bad, either. It's thicker, not "creamy" like a cream cheese-based version. It's thicker, crumbly even. And a raspberry sauce was drizzled over top. It was good. Mind-blowing? Nah, but it was alright.

The service was great here (she even recognized me!), the good was good, and the experience is just fun. It's a little different. It made me feel like I was playing dress up a little bit, and we felt fancy with the wine list. I think it's a nice change from the norm, and if you're a wine expert (or even beer!), it's a welcome addition.

Check 'em out on Facebook.

Grade: B

A friend wanted to get out of town and try sushi in Washington, PA. Or as I call it, "Little Washington." We headed up to Fusion Steakhouse, which is a Japanese hibachi that has a few locations locally.

As soon as we walked in, I realized how incredibly loud and packed it was. This place was super busy. We didn't opt for the hibachi - just a seat in the restaurant - so we got to move to the front of the line. As we walked through the hibachi area, you could hear people cheering for the chefs and loud music playing. It was almost a mix between a nightclub and restaurant.

It took a while for the server to get to us because they were so busy, I assume. But once she did, she made it clear she was in a hurry by plopping our menus down quickly and rushing for our drinks. 

I got the Sunset Roll, which is crispy shrimp tempura and avocado on the inside, topped with crab and smokey cream sauce. I also got a spicy California roll. Both of them were actually quite tasty. The Sunset Roll is similar to my favorite at Volcano - the WV roll. The sushi was fresh, a good temperature, and tightly rolled. The flavors melded together seamlessly, and I ate every last roll.

For dessert, I ordered a Reese's pie. While not made in-house, it was decadent, chocolatey, peanut buttery and hit every "mm" zone. I'd totally go back to this place if you want out of the typical Morgantown rut occasionally. 

Grade: A