Eatery A is the go-to destination in Iowa's capital city for Mediterranean cuisine with hints of Spain, Morocco, Egypt and Italy.

"Our culinary experts blend old-world and contemporary cuisine, serving dishes like bacon-wrapped dates with red pepper coulis, octopus with kale pesto and crispy leeks, and house marinated olives. Enjoy craft beer at our bar, as well as cocktails made with local spirits and eastern flavors—pomegranate, basil, mint and ginger," reads the website.



Eatery A is decorated with reclaimed wood. The centerpiece of the kitchen is a wood-burning oven, which perfects fresh pies.
I ordered the Shrimp & Grits - house hot sauce, charred onion grits, scallions, feta, plus a side of fruit.



I thought this dish was OK. The chart bits didn't necessarily appeal to me and made it difficult to eat. I would've loved some more acid inside the dish. But that's why I got a side of fruit.



Grade: B

Elkview Supermarket is the local grocer in Elkview, and they're known for some of their deli items.



To start, the deli has a seating area. So, once you get your goodies, you can dine in.



The supermarket offers homemade potato salads, pepperoni rolls and other pre-made goodies on the shelves, but the real star is the main deli counter.



That menu includes their signature potato wedges - or hillbilly taters. Plus other dinners, like chicken and pulled pork.



First up was breakfast biscuits. There were a handful of sausage and chicken biscuits, so I snagged one of each.



Both of these were OK. I enjoyed the sausage enough, but it ate a bit dry. The chicken wasn't the best quality so the texture was off.



I did also get a pulled pork sandwich with the famous hillbilly tater.



This I enjoyed a good bit more. It was a huge sandwich with a nice sweet, tangy flavor. And the slaw added a nice touch.



The potato wedges - or what I'd call jojo potatoes. A little crispy, a lotta potato.



What's your favorite thing here?

Grade: B

I saw 9290, LLC posted on Facebook that they were going to be serving up dinner plates today.

Because they are primarily a catering business, I hadn't had a chance to try much from them.

So, I jumped at the opportunity and placed an order for fried chicken, sweet mac & cheese, potato salad, honey cornbread & water. All for $17. The fried chicken was nice and crispy, but it was a bit difficult to bite through to the meat without ripping all the skin off in one go. The mac & cheese was a little sweet, which is my favorite. I could have eaten an entire box full of that. The potato salad had sweet pickles/relish, which is not my favorite. And the cornbread was OK, but the entire edge of mine was burnt so I tossed that part of it all in all, a nice comfort food meal perfect for a Sunday. Grade: B

"Burgers, tacos & more" is the name of the game of Baker's Drive Thru, a San Bernardino staple since 1952.

In 1952, in his hometown of San Bernardino, Neal Baker opened his first modest hamburger stand on Highland Avenue. Mr. Baker’s love of the business grew, and in 1953 he opened a second Baker’s location in Rialto, which still stands today. By 1955, Mr. Baker had become a standout in the industry as an innovator in creating America’s First Twin Kitchen® operation–an offering of both American and Mexican entrées–a concept that quickly caught on with the evolving Inland Empire customers.



I opted for the Cali Steak Burrito, which has Beans, Steak, Cheddar Cheese, Onion, Guacamole, Fries, all wrapped in a Flour Tortilla. And another side of fries, for some reason.



This was a big boy. It was stuffed full. I appreciate the variety in fillings; I do wish some of those ingredients added some texture. When it all becomes a bit mooshy, it's a bit lesss exciting.



Grade: B

Grant Grove Restaurant is a breakfast grab & go stop in the Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.



These parks are notable for giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman tree, the largest tree on Earth by volume. The General Sherman tree grows in the Giant Forest, which contains five of the ten largest trees in the world. The park also contains the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4,421 m) above sea level.



This was just a quick breakfast, but it wasn't bad. I had a breakfast bagel with cheddar and egg.



Adding a side of fruit rounded out the meal for me and provided a solid start to my day of hiking.



Grade: B

When I think of "Beverly Hills," I think of Weezer. In their wise words:

"Beverly Hills
That's where I want to be
(Gimme gimme, gimme gimme)
Livin' in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills
Rollin' like a celebrity
(Gimme gimme, gimme gimme)
Livin' in Beverly Hills
Look at all those movie stars
They're all so beautiful and clean
When the housemaids scrub the floors
They get the spaces in between
I wanna live a life like that
I wanna be just like a king
Take my picture by the pool
'Cause I'm the next big thing" My friend Kaitee and I had a few hours in Beverly Hills on our last epic trip, so I wanted to make the most of it - food-wise. For a quick breakfast while we brainstormed, we stopped at "Splurge." Splurge is a small cafe that serves sandwiches, wraps, paninis, salads and smoothies. I ordered a bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers and red onions - one of my favs. The bagel can make or break this dish... and unfortunately, this one was a bit too hard and dry. I need a bagel I can at least sink my teeth into. Without that foundation, it falls a little flat - even with solid toppings. Grade: B

There is no shortage of great restaurants in the Phoenix area, where my best friend Kaitee lives. Even when you don't feel like going out to eat, you can bring the delicious food to you. Perusing a delivery app, I found Royyim Thai Cuisine, which specializes in homestyle Thai food.

The restaurant offers a variety of dishes, such as curries, noodles, soups, salads, and stir-fries. I ordered the Pad Thai - The most famous of Thai dishes. Rice noodles stir-fried with choice of meat, egg, bean sprout cooked with traditional pad thai sauce made from coconut sugar and tamarind juices. Comes with green onion on top and grounded peanut on the side.

The flavors weren't quite as bold as I'm used to, but the subtlety that was there was nice. A little sweet, a little sour. Still craveable.

Grade: B

"Try our made to order hand-tossed pies made with quality ingredients, and don’t forget to include our locally famous breadsticks with your order! What else goes great with Pizza? Wings! Another favorite item with a choice of over a dozen different amazing sauces. More menu items include our Calzones, 8” Baked Subs, Salads, and for dessert we offer cinnamon sticks with homemade cream cheese frosting. Also available at our shops is hard serve ice cream! Our other ice cream desserts include cones, sundaes, floats and banana splits – yum!" reads the Pizza Edge website. At the Kayenta location, I ordered cheese breadsticks, which were unlike any other I've had. They are not sticks, rather, a mass of bubbled bread topped with butter, cheese and seasoning. It was like pull-apart bread, which was fun - but definitely messy. I also enjoyed a build-your-own sub: American Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Swiss Cheese, Ham, Roast Beef, Turkey, Lettuce, & Black Olives. I like my subs full of toppings, and this one didn't disappoint. I added mayo but would love a house sauce.

Grade: B

J. Fargo's is a family-friendly, casual dining restaurant that features burgers, steaks, seafood, smoked meats, broaster fried chicken and even southwest specialties, like tacos, burritos and quesadillas. That big ol' sirloin & shrimp on the menu was calling my name. 8 oz., hand-carved and flame-grilled. Grilled shrimp. Plus, a garden salad, Brussels sprouts, and a baked potato. The garden salad had some tomato, peppers, cheese, radish and onion. That's not too shabby for a basic salad, but nothing super exciting either. Moving onto the entrée, the steak was pretty good, if not a bit fatty which I enjoy for the flavor but less so for the mouth feel. My favorite part was the compound butter on top. The Brussels sprouts were a bit more charred than my personal preference. The potato was solid with lots of toppings. Grade: B

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

Roast - Craft Coffee & Libations is the result of a passion for fresh, flavorful, craft made beverages. That passion led to the creation of the San Luis Valley Brewing Company in 2006, and is also the reason for the small batch roasted coffee ... Started on a 1/2 lb. home roaster, community support and quality products enabled ROAST to open in 2014 as the San Luis Valley's first Roastery-Brewery-Restaurant combination, according to their website. They offer smoothies, so I went for a mango-pineapple. This was cool and fruity and refreshing. I'm sure most people would opt for the coffee, but on a warm day, this is the spot for me. I also ordered a breakfast quesadilla: scrambled eggs with sausage, cheese, tomato, onion, and a side of salsa. This was a simple breakfast but done well. Maybe a bit on the bland side but nothing a fun sauce or unique ingredient couldn't fix. Grade: B