I'm not sure who Grumpy Gary is, but I do know he now has a restaurant in the Huntington area. Or, maybe someone just likes him enough to name a restaurant after him. 



Either way, I stopped here to check it out. The interior was closed due to COVID-19, but there were a few tables outside where we could enjoy our food. We placed our order, waited for some folks who were taking up the tables and were finally able to eat our dishes.



The menu here is heavy on biscuits - topped with everything from sausage and bacon to pinto beans and fried chicken breast. They have other breakfast items, burgers, appetizers, salads and pizza. On this particular day, they had just come out with their "Grumpwich," which has flaked ham on a pizza dough seasoned with garlic, basil and oregano, topped with onions, lettuce, tomatoes, provolone and mozzarella cheese. 

You may be familiar with pubwiches or wedgies, and this is similar. It's a pizza as the top crust of a sandwich. It was pretty good - though certainly messy. And definitely filling. The top was super cheesy and the crust itself was flavorful - like it had herbs in it. The experience of trying to eat while having folks smoking nearby or napping on tables was not great, but I would come back to try a biscuit. 

Grade: B

Forgive me for not getting a photo of the outside of the building - because it's one of those places that you've probably driven by in Parkersburg but may have not set food inside. George's Place is located near the mall in Parkersburg and is a family-friendly bar that features some Mediterranean dishes. 



The interior looked pretty standard for a bar & grill, though I was only inside for a few minutes to pick up my to-go order. Let's dive in, shall we? We are starting with grape leaves stuffed with rice and ground beef and served with a side of yogurt. Grape leaves definitely have a bit of a sour flavor that I have come to love - but paired with that yogurt? Delish.



Then, I went to another extreme for dinner - stuffed shells. But first, a quick salad with fresh spring greens, cut tomatoes and red onion. Solid for a complimentary salad.



And then there is some garlic bread that was a bit sad, but it tasted fine nonetheless. 



Now, the entree. This was a bit different from what I am used to. The shells were stuffed with chicken, veggies, tomatoes, onion, mozzarella and marinara. I typically have some sort of ricotta and mozzarella mixture inside, but this was okay. I would've loved some more punches of flavor - maybe something like fresh herbs and getting that creaminess from the cheese. Still a decent dish for a bit different take on it.

Grade: B

Gino's Pizza and Spaghetti House has a number of locations throughout West Virginia, and while they may not be quite as ubiquitous as Tudor's, they're probably not far off. In fact, they're usually attached to one another.



The locations do vary slightly from one to the other. Some have independent owners (I believe), which means they can switch up some of the menu items. In this case, I went for a calzone with cheese and mushrooms. You can see it's a litttleeee extra done, especially on the bottom. And I would not have hated some more filling, but I still ate every bite. 

Grade: B

Travel + ice cream are two of my favorite things. So, I combined the two recently during a trip to Vienna to check out the Frostee Shoppe Too.



The small drive-through shop has more than just ice cream, though: hot dogs, nachos, pretzels and pulled pork BBQ, as well. 



I started off with ice cream and went with a turtle frostee flurry - chocolate, caramel and pecans. I oddly loved that the mix-ins aren't completely blended so there was a chunky texture with some chocolate-heavy bites and pecan-heavy bites for variation.



Then, I went with a soft pretzel with cheese. I'm not sure if I developed like a sensitivity to salt or what, but I cannot deal with this much salt on a pretzel. It just takes over. So I brushed a good bit off, dunked it in cheese and it was all hunky-dory.



And I got two hot dogs, too. One plain with ketchup and a "junkyard dog," which had "everything imaginable." It was pretty much chili, ketchup, mustard, onion and relish. Not bad, but with so many toppings, you barely get any of the hotdog itself.

Grade: B

There's a certain void that a smoothie can fill. It's light and refreshing and can be more healthy or more indulgent depending on the ingredients.



At the mall in Barboursville, there's a new smoothie spot: Green Revolution. They have smoothies, smoothie bowls, salads and avocado toast. Many of the options have some feel-good, healthy ingredients. 



I went for a strawberry-banana smoothie - a pretty standard, solid option at most smoothie places. This one was made with yogurt and no added sugar, so it still had the same great flavor without the additional sweetness.



Does that make it a bit more bland? Maybe. Does it make it more guilt-free? Yes. And they even have a paper straw to be environment-friendly. But, man, it sure does get yummy and difficult to use after a bit.



Have you been? I'm curious about the avocado toast! 

Grade: B

We're back in Milton for dinner time! But, this isn't country, homecooking. Instead, it's a bit higher end cuisine at The Venetian Restaurant. 



The Venetian Restaurant is one part of The Venetian Estate, which also includes an event venue and pub. I've previously been to the pub, which is nice but more casual.



When Dawn and I came to check it out, there was a bit of confusion on whether we would be able to join or not because we didn't have a reservation. So we waited for a bit and then were guided to a table in a room off to the left near a wine cabinet. 



The space here really is lovely. It's like a classic home with lots of lovely touches. The service didn't necessarily match the ambiance, though. It was a little hectic and unorganized, but once we finally had a server it was smooth sailing. We started off with some rolls and butter. A little chilly so it was tough to spread, but tasty nonetheless.



Dawn ordered a few appetizers as her main meal, which she was generous to let me sample. First, soft pretzels and beer cheese. I really enjoyed the flavor, though the cheese texture was a bit grainy and began to separate. 



The meatballs were different ... the ground beef had a little funk to it - not necessarily in a bad way. But almost gamey. And the sauce was sweet with a twang. I appreciate that this was a little different, but not necessarily to my tastes.



But for my appetizer, I went with these little beef wellingtons. I've never had beef wellington before, so I was excited for this. They were like mini, savory, tender pieces of beef enrobed in puff pastry with a thick gravy for dipping. It was very savory, and I would've loved like a sour cream or something light and creamy as a relief from the savory.



My entree was scallops and grits. It looked  a little sparse, but still had some great flavors. The scallops were a bit smaller than the giant ones you may see elsewhere, but they had a very light sear and slight sweetness.



Finally, dinner was a bourbon butter cake. It was a pretty dense, almost cornbread like slice topped with ice cream and berries. It wasn't very sweet - most of that came from the berries and ice cream. But I enjoyed it.

Grade: B

Princeton is consistently improving and adding all kinds of new, fun things. One of those new things is Totally Glazed, a donut shop on Mercer Street. 



The shop has a sorta retro vibe with the awning and then some graffiti art. Brick walls lay the way for bright, white counters full of donuts. FULL OF DONUTS.



As I perused all the different flavors, I matched the chalkboard menu on the wall with the options in front of me. Lemon Glazed. Oreo. Peanut Butter. Pumpkin.

They also have donut holes - or BITES - with cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, peanut butter, maple bacon, and more. 



Since I wanted to try out a bunch of different flavors, I went for a half dozen with six different options.



But here's some delish donut p0rn for you adore.



Peanut butter! Maple pecan!



Pumpkin! Fruity pebbles!

 

And here's my final six: peanut butter, pumpkin, cookies & cream, maple pecan, fruity pebbles and I think regular glazed. I think it's a bit tough to mess up a donut. And these were good. Not especially different, but good, solid and reliable.

Grade: B

Milton is home to a few small, country restaurants, including the Skillet. They serve up dishes like meatloaf, pork chops, burgers, beans & cornbread, and more. 



In a departure from my regular go-tos, I ordered a hot bologna sandwich. Hot, in this case, refers to the temperature and not the spice level. I got it with lettuce, tomato and mayo. It came with fries and a fried pickle.



This is a pretty standard sandwich - but each of these simple components makes up something tasty all together. The sandwich had a fairly thick slab of bologna, and the toppings were fine. I would've loved to see a special sauce or something that puts their own spin on it. I did enjoy the side of fried pickle - you don't see that every day. Plus, it was nice and crunchy. 

Grade: B

Do you ever just love people-watching? I could just people-watch all day long, observing and looking for trends. The Eagle's Nest Restaurant in South Charleston, located at Little Creek Golf Course, overlooks the golf course so you can get a bite to eat while also having a show.



My friend Alex and I met up here to catch up. The dining space is lovely, with tall ceilings and huge glass windows that overlook the golf course. And, you do not need to be golfing or a member to enjoy the restaurant.



My understanding is that they usually have a buffet, but not during this time. The menu is fairly simple with hot dogs, burgers, and some sandwiches. They do also have daily specials.



I opted for the signature Kanawha Burger with American cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato, mayo and ketchup. 



But let's first talk about these fries. They're like extra battered and fried, making them super crispy. If I order fries, this is how I want them to be.



The burger was a little over for my liking, but it was thick and had that beautiful processed slice of cheese on top (nostalgia!). It's one of those burgers that's a bit too tall to fit in my mouth so I went the fork-and-knife route. Decent burger, decent flavor. Pretty straightforward.



Grade: B

Rachel's on 16th in Wheeling is a small diner that focuses on homestyle breakfast & lunch favorites.



The menu features paninis, club sandwiches, reubens and even the Rachel, which I felt was fitting. The Reuben is a grilled sandwich traditionally made on rye bread with a filling of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. Instead of the classic corned beef and sauerkraut, the Rachel is usually made with turkey or pastrami and coleslaw. Both sandwiches are made with Swiss cheese and rye bread.



Typically, this is not a route I would take, but that's why I wanted to try it. Something different. This sandwich is messssyyyy so get the napkins ready. It has a number of different - but complementary - flavors. The rye bread has a sort of earthy flavor, the slaw gives it some crunch and tang, and the swiss is a bit creamy. It hits on some savory, hearty notes.



And, I also went for a side of Kraft mac & cheese - not quite as thick and creamy as I'd want. But still nostalgic. 

Grade: B