The Juice Box has opened a location in Kanawha City, in addition to its Hurricane location. 



They offer cold press juices, cleanses, "shots," smoothies and acai bowls.



When I visited he Hurricane location, I tried the Tropical Smoothie, and I enjoyed it.



So, this time, I had to go with something just a littttttle different. The kind gentleman working encouraged me to try the "Blue Breeze" acai bowl. 



It's actually pretty similar to the tropical smoothie with banana, pineapple, kiwi, raspberry, coconut, peanut butter, honey, blue spiralina and hemp seed. 



It was the last two that sorta threw me. Blue spirulina? Apparently it's a superfood algae that can be bitter - which is why it's mixed in with all those sweet fruits. Hemp seed? These don't seem to have much flavor but add some nutritional value.



And in the finished product? I couldn't taste anything ~different~. In fact, the bowl was really good. I loved the contrasting flavors with the fruits and oats. There was a perfect proportion of ingredients so it didn't feel like one big soupy mass or just a thick bunch of oats. It was a beautiful medium, and it's definitely something I'd try again. It was sweet, refreshing and satisfying.

Grade: A

There's a new restaurant in Nitro that is serving up some monster portions. 1st Place Cafe is a small spot at the corner of 1st and 2nd avenues with dark windows with a handful of parking spots out front.



The interior has maybe a dozen tables sprinkled throughout the space, a couple TVs and the singular neon menu board that lists the options for the day. 



As soon as I walked in, the kinda gentleman running the show that day came out to explain each individual menu item to me - and he did so for each group that walked in. The menu boiled down to burgers, a chicken sandwich and a hot dog that all came with a heaping pile of fries. Drinks are extra.



I went with a cheeseburger, which he had explained is not just ground chuck - but sirloin. I also added a side of the blue cheese sauce he mentioned was developed as part of the chicken sandwich. But, I thought it could be a great dipping sauce for those fries. 



After a short wait, my order was up, and I whisked it away to the car to hurriedly unwrap my meal. The burger was wrapped in paper with a pick in the center to keep it all together. I'm not joking when I say I think this is the largest burger I've ever had in my life. Initially, I thought I could eat it while driving to my next errand. But upon seeing the size, there was no physical way that was going to happen.



Let me try to break it down - the burger is very wide. It's a two-handed experience at best, a fork-and-knife experience more likely. It has a large fluffy bun and a salad's worth of lettuce, tomato, onion and fresh pickle atop a hefty burger patty. There's cheese and mayo and mustard and ketchup and they are not skimpy on any of those ingredients. They combine to make a tangy sauce that just dripped with every bite. It was fresh and flavorful and like a tasty backyard BBQ burger on steroids. 



The fries are softer with a ton of seasonings - including a cajun spice that gives it a little kick. I wouldn't hate mine being more crisp, but the flavor is still good. I enjoyed dipping mine in the blue cheese dressing. This could easily be two meals - but I'm not judging if it's one.



Grade: A

Breathe Wine & Culture Co. is a cute beer, wine and specialty store in Cross Lanes.



The store has a great selection of local beer, unique wines and so much more that falls under that "culture" label.



They serve lunch Monday through Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with sandwiches, salads and sides.



They also have a cooler full of grab-and-go options like salads, charcuterie trays, hummus plates, chicken salads croissants and more.



And, they have flavored coffee and tea for purchase.



I took a few laps around, collecting goodies to purchase before taking a look at the lunch options. 



I ended up purchasing an assortment of items so I could try a few different things (my motto). 



I started with a pepperoni roll, which were packaged on the counter. I asked if they were made in house, but the person working wasn't quite sure. 



They were OK - a lot of bread, so a bit dry.



But, I also ordered a strawberry tea. I think I'm the only person south of the Mason-Dixon Line who doesn't enjoy sweet tea (though I do like Brisk), so I wasn't sure what to expect.



I ordered a strawberry tea, and it was pretty refreshing. It still has the bitterness of tea that I don't love, but the flavor of the strawberry helped.



The star of the show, however, was the charcuterie plate I bought that came with spinach dip, cheese, chicken, pita, grapes, chocolate, salami, olives and strawberries.



This is really my preferred meal, any time of day. I like snacking, and I love the creamy and the sweet and the bitter all together. 



Have you visited this place yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

Grade: A

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

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

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