The Human Bean is a drive-thru chain coffee shop that has a new location in Barboursville. I get the idea behind the name, but for some reason, it's unsettling to me. 



For my first time, I went with a frozen caramel hazelnut mocha. It was great - and comes with a little chocolate-covered espresso bean. I mean, how adorable is that little perk?



I also tried a Canadian bacon, egg, and provolone cheese croissant that was just... a hard pass. As much as I enjoyed the drink, I equally but opposite did not enjoy the sandwich. It was mushy and I don't think fully cooked. 



That averages out to a...



Grade: B

Napoli's is a local chain in the Mid-Ohio Valley area serving up pizza, pasta, sandwiches, subs and salads. 



I've visited most of these locations - except the South Parkersburg one. It's a fairly large space with wooden floors, tables, chairs. Traditional, but not old-fashioned.



Pasta was on my mind on this particular day - but when is it not. First, though, more carbs. Basic breadsticks. Not real flavoring here, but even boring bread is still bread. 



Six-cheese lasagna was calling to me. I have a soft spot for lasagna because it's one of my favorite dishes that my mom makes. As I get older, lasagna isn't as friendly to my tummy. But, sometimes I decide to brave it. Today was the day. I think it was oversauced, overcooked and still, satisfying. There are a lot of little things I would've liked to make this better, but I'm still always going to enjoy sauce, noodles, and cheese. So, was it unique or really delicious? No. Was it still kinda comforting and scratch that itch? Yes.



Grade: B

Bubbarino's Bites & Bubbles initially looked to me like a hotspot with the hat, sunglasses and moustache imagery. But, not to worry - it's a pub with interesting cocktails. 



They also plan on expanding into Barboursville this year, but for now, if you want to check them out, you gotta head to Hurricane. 



The menu features salads, pizzas, hamburgers, sandwiches, wings, chicken fingers and the like. We ordered a few different things for the table. 



But let's start with cocktails. They do have boozy milkshakes, which I was tempted by. But I also was intrigued by a glittery, color-changing cocktail - this one was cherry flavored. I think it was just a special for the weekend we were there, but I did enjoy it, even t hough it could have used a bit more balance. It erred on the cough syrup side, so some more citrus could've helped. 



I ordered a burger with a side of mac & cheese. But we divvied up things to sample everything. 



PIMENTO CHEESE BURGER...Hand-Pattied & Charbroiled Local Beef, Pimento Cheese, Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion - I liked this one, though I am not a fan of the "so tall, it's difficult to eat" burgers. I ended up cutting it into pieces, so some bites had lettuce, some had burger, etc. On the few bites I got of everything together, I enjoyed it. But, put pimento cheese on anything, and I'm happy. 



HAWAIIAN KICK...Hand-Pattied & Charbroiled Local Beef, Teriyaki Bacon, Pineapple, Provolone Cheese, Sriracha Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion - Aside from the above issues - This one was able to get the all over flavor in each bite a bite better. Maybe I smashed it more. But I do love a sweet moment on a burger. Pineapple belongs. 



The other bites I tried were all decent - the mac & cheese wasn't bad, pretzels weren't bad. But nothing too crazy. I do love the creative takes on burgers and cocktails and the variety in options. I'm curious to see how they continue to evolve and get better.

Grade: B

A new Mexican restaurant has joined the likes of pizza, greek, coffee and more on Capitol Street in downtown Charleston.



Cozumel Express is a welcome addition to this part of town, with its birria tacos, breakfast tacos and much more.



I visited the restaurant for lunch with my friend Hannah. We started with some chips and salsa, which was like old faithful. Standard, tasty and reliable.



Hannah is a nacho connoisseur, so I was excited to be dining with an expert. I love a good nacho, but she certainly has more experience here.



She went for the trash can nachos, which have your choice of meat (steak, chicken, pastor, carnitas) topped with refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, Mexican sour cream, jalapeños, queso fresco. The. fe bites I had were really good - especially with queso fresco. 



I went for the street corn tacos. If there's anything I've learned during my Mexican restaurant adventures, it's that I cannot turn down street corn. And adding it on top of a taco? Absolutely. So this had corn soft tacos with chicken topped with a mixture of corn, sour cream, mayonnaise, tajin, avocado and cilantro. Served with white rice. These were delicious. 



Grade: A

Wine Down on Market is a wine bar in downtown Parkersburg, which also serves shareable plates, flatbreads, sandwiches and entrees.



I, however, happened to visit when they were serving brunch. It was one of their first ones, and it was honestly a bit chaotic. Despite being the first person in the restaurant, they didn't know if they could seat me without a reservation. But once I was seated at the bar, I had a first-hand view of the stresses of the staff. 



Beyond that, though, the space is lovely, sleek and refined. The menu featured challah french toast, lox bagels, avocado toast, eggs benedict, and my choice: the shrimp and grits with bell peppers, andouille sausage, and cajun veloute. The shrimp was a bit on the salty side for me, but I enjoyed the cheesy grits and delicious sauce. 



I also ordered a side of candied chocolate bacon, which was not whatI was expecting. It was more like bacon that with haphazard chocolate, but you can't really go wrong with the sweet and salty combo.



Grade: B

Morgantown is not lacking in exciting, new restaurants. They come in all kinds and flavors - pizza and Asian and milkshakes and Mexican. While in town a bit ago, I stopped at Rio Jalisco.



The restaurant, located at the University Town Centre, is very similar to the other Mexican restaurants in town. There are a zillion menu options that are various combinations of tacos, burritos, fajitas, etc. You get complimentary chips & salsa. Add margaritas, and you have a solid college kid audience.



That said, nothing was bad. The chips were crisp. The salsa had just a touch of heat and was super thin.



Instead of arroz con pollo, I went with steak: rice, steak and cheese dip. I usually scan the menu for anything doused in cheese dip. But even cheese dip in this case couldn't save the chewy, gristly steak. Now, I don't expect super high end quality meal for the price, but I ended up with chewed up and spit out steak more often than not. 



Grade: C

Chin's was a beloved restaurant in Charleston that was known for its eggrolls. It closed to allow the owners to retire.



But, they made a return for one night as part of a fundraiser for United Way Dancing with the Stars - Gina & Gordon. 



I was more than happy to get a taste of this classic Charleston food that you can no longer get - and to learn from the master herself! 



"What a great way to ring in Chinese New Year 2023 - the Year of the Rabbit! Egg roll making at Kita Modern Japanese with wonderful friends and supporters of Couple 3 (aka Team G-squared, Gina Marini and Gordon Chin, and choreography team of MaryLouise King and Jim Wallace of Charleston WV Dance). We are so humbled by the turn-out and support for us and United Way of Central WV's Dancing with the Stars!



"This event was also made possible by use of the kitchen and woks at Rice Bowl Chinese Restaurant (in Cross Lanes) to make the egg roll filling — it takes a large wok to cook up the filling (consisting of 12 stalks of celery) for 450+ egg rolls -- thank you, Andy and Fannie Gao!"



The filling is made with celery, mushrooms, shrimp, ground pork, along with seasoning (salt, white pepper, sugar, sesame oil, and a cornstarch mixture with water) -- the cornstarch needs to be dissolved in water and then the liquid added to the rest of the ingredients. Do not add cornstarch directly into the ingredients.



Despite a lengthy wait to get the ones I made fried, I thought these were really tasty and a fun way to spend an evening - all for a good cause!

My boyfriend brought me lunch from The Grind in Ripley today.



It's a cute, trendy spot that  has had a bit of a journey - from Spencer to a coffee. truck to a brick-and-mortar in Ripley.



They offer a variety of coffee drinks - hot, iced, frozen, plus smoothies, and even virgin daiquiris. 



They also have bagel sandwiches, flatbreads on cauliflower crust, donuts, pastries and pepperoni rolls. We got a small smorgasboard. 



White hot chocolate - so comforting. RL went with an iced coffee that he really enjoyed. Very easy, smooth, not so bitter. 



The donuts were fine; I was not enamored. But donuts do not tend to be my main thing anyway.



The spinach artichoke bagel on an everything bagel was tasty - essentially the sinful, creamy dip on carbs. You can't really go wrong there. The red velvet cookies were good - I liked the white chocolate chips and generally avoided the chocolate chips.



Finally, a pretty decent pepperoni roll. It was more like a pocket, being kinda rectangle shaped. The breading was a little sweet, but not chewy. Maybe a bit crumbly. But packed with cheese and pepperoni.

Grade: A