In Cheat Lake where there has been some rapid development, there's a new coffee shop called Hillside Cafe and Taproom. Right now, they're focused on coffee, but "taproom" sounds promising. 



I was only passing through the area, but I really wanted to check this place out. So, I made haste to get here and arrived a little over an hour before they closed. Perfect ... I thought. 



The space is lovely - it always has been. It's a good size and has lovely wooden floor, modern lighting and some nice nook areas to study or relax. They also have their own branded mugs and coffee from Mountaineer Roasting Co. 



On this day, I think maybe they closed at 3 p.m. (don't quote me on that), and I strolled up to the counter, waited a few moments, and the woman working came over. I inquired about the paninis on the menu, and she said they stop serving food one hour before they close. I looked down at my phone and saw it click over to 2 p.m. on the dot. I looked at her and said - ah man, are you sure? Maybe just something small real quick? And she was unwavering - "nope." 



She probably didn't see it, but my heart sank in that moment. I understand closing the kitchen a bit early - sometimes that takes time. But, we're talking paninis and salads here. She probably didn't know - or care - that I just drove 3 hours to get there in the nick of time. But, that's neither here nor there. I went for a coffee drink and a pastry instead.



The frozen coffee drink with caramel was fine; flavors were a bit muddied - too much ice maybe? The pastry I had was pretty good. It was super rich, sweet and a nice crunch from walnuts.

Yet, I still had a sour taste in my mouth. I didn't exactly feel welcome there - and with so many good coffee options in Morgantown - I might go to one that has a bit more of a warmer welcome. 

Grade: B

Located in Hamlin, M&R Restaurant is a small, hometown restaurant that features home-cooking in a comfortable atmosphere.  



The restaurant has vinyl booths and well-loved country decorations. They have seasonal decorations and snacks at the counter for purchase.



The menu has daily specials and many local favorites: fried chicken, open-faced roast beef, shrimp dinner, etc. On this particular day,  I was so excited to try chicken and dumplings.



The fluffy biscuits are the base, topped with some pulled chicken and the little plump dumplings have that toothsome bite that just makes them so satisfying. This is a real, down-home comfort food. Adding the green beans and small potatoes rounded it out. 



What would've taken this over the top was maybe some fresh herbs on the dumplings to give it some freshness and color. Or even just a touch of lemon juice to wake up the green beans and cut through some of the heaviness.



Grade: B

Located in Weirton, Sweet Temptations offers specialty cakes and dessert items, as well as light lunch fare like sandwiches and soups. 



I had already had lunch, so I was in the market for some dessert. I did see that they were offering chicken salad, meatballs, hot dogs, chili and more.



On this particular day, they had cupcakes, some turnovers, cakes, and a handful of other sweet offerings. The little temptation that stuck out to me was a strawberry cheesecake. It looks like a little tiered cake. How adorable is that? 



The dessert was good - though the texture wasn't as creamy as I had hoped. And, overall, the process of ordering was a bit odd - no one was in there, and then when the woman arrived, she was curious how I knew about the place. After I ordered, I was blocked in trying to leave. But, they make a decent cheesecake.

Grade: B

Like I mentioned before, there are a handful of T&L Hot Dogs locations in the North Central WV area. And, I can't leave a list unfinished. So, I made my way to the location on Old Bridgeport /hill.



This space has a real diner feel with neon lights, checkerboard decor and vinyl booth seating. 



First, I went for a cookies & cream milkshake. It was really thick, but also pretty good once it loosened up a bit. 



I went for a hot dog, as one should, and it was pretty consistent with the other T&L versions I've had. The bun is soft, the chili was a bit dry, and the slaw has a more loose consistency - I tend to like a more cohesive, almost paste-like slaw. BUT, overall, a decent hot dog for lunch.



Grade: B

I was so excited about discovering Gino's pubwich, that I decided to go try it again at a different location. 



Setting my sights on Malden, I put in an order for another pubwich and a small order of the boneless wings.



The sandwich, which is made up of ham, mozzarella, provolone, mayo, tomato and sweet onion, kinda looked like it was made inside out. It didn't have the nice golden brown all over like my previous one. It was also messier, so I had pieces falling out as I was eating it. It wasn't bad, but I was not as excited as I was with the Hurricane location.



The wings are pretty similar - I enjoy this tangy gold flavor. But instead of a cup of homemade bleu cheese, I got a packet of dressing. Not nearly as tasty. 



Grade: B

After hearing some good reviews about Up Da Hollor Pizza in Cabin Creek,  Dawn and I made a special trip out this way just to check it out. 



They weren't doing inside dining at this point, so we were just there while waiting for our food. The restaurant has gray walls with galvanized metal and purple accents. Plus some homemade decorations.



I ordered small cheesy bread sticks and a personal sized pizza. They weren't joking about the sizes. The personal was about the size of my hand. And the small cheese sticks were about half the size I thought they'd be. So definitely something to think about when ordering!



They both, though, were pretty decent. The pizza, though small, was tasty. I liked the cheese blend and they weren't stingy with the amount. The cheese sticks, again, were small but covered in a nice thick layer of cheese. The sauce was average - not too remarkable. But with a lot of cheese, I'm happy. 

Grade: B

T&L is probably North Central West Virginia's favorite hot dog. With 7 locations in the area, T&L is often a go-to for hot dog enthusiasts. Their locations, including this one on Main Street in Bridgeport, have a retro theme with things like juke boxes, fun decor and neon lighting. 



This T&L may look like a house from the street, but they're even outfitted with a drive-through in the back parking lot area. In the time of COVID-19, this is perfect. I pulled up to take a look at the menu.



Of course, I had to try a traditional West Virginia slaw dog with chili, slaw, mustard and onions. These are slim dogs, so you could easily put away two or three if you're hungry. But, I added a side instead: fresh cut fries.



I'm not the biggest fry - or potato - fan really, but occasionally, I'll get a craving. These were nice and salty, but a little limp for my liking. Nonetheless, a cheap and easy lunch. 

Grade: B

Fayetteville has no shortage of amazing restaurants, and there's one that keeps changing it up. You may remember the New River Curry House, which opened to much fanfare. They have since rebranded and expanded their offerings as part of Wanderlust Creative Foods.



"Our concept is simple: Serve high quality food at a fast pace and affordable cost. We have hand picked dishes from around the world that we will know you will love. Our menu is Wanderlust, just like you!" their Facebook reads. 



My friend Brittany and I went to check it out. They actually weren't open at the time listed, but after browsing around town for an hour or two, we came back and they were ready. The interior is cozy with some eclectic decor. She ordered a Caesar Salad, which came with a large parmesan crisp. I don't think that's kale? But she seemed to like it well enough.



After looking over the menu full of samosas, tacos, lamb burgers, Turkish spaghetti and chicken tikka masala. I started off with naan dumplings, which were by far the biggest hit of our meal. It had seasoned chicken and veggie filling wrapped in naan dough and fried. It was served with hot pepper jelly and candied peppers. It was a beautiful combination of textures and flavors. And I especially appreciated the local touch with hot pepper jelly.



For my entree, I went with Chicken Pimentos. Pimento cheese is one of my buzz words that when I see it on a menu, I go for it. So, I assume the word pimento drew me to this offering. This is a different take on the pimento pepper than I'm used to seeing: seared chicken breast and thigh in a white wine reduction sauce with pickled cherry peppers over rice. It was still a straightforward chicken breast, but I loved the pickled peppers.



Grade: B

Scootin Noodles is a new food truck in the Huntington area that features bowls and burritos: glazed chicken; cheese, sausage and egg; breakfast; teriyaki chicken; and teriyaki beef.  The menu is fairly small, but I like the concept of noodles and burritos. What about combining them??



I went with the teriyaki chicken, and it was good. I thought maybe it would have this nice teriyaki glaze on top, but it was more like a melted cheese. A sauce would have really brought the dish together. Otherwise, I appreciated the different textures and colors with the peppers. 

Grade: B

There are two No. 1 Kitchens in the Huntington area serving Chinese food, which can make it a little confusing. I've been to the one along Route 60, so now we're trying the one along Washington Avenue. 



I had called in an order at this location and went to pick it up. I've been trying a lot of different Chinese restaurants during the pandemic because many were designed with takeout in mind, so it simplifies the whole process.  



They were really busy on this day, and I had to wait in line for a little while to make it to the counter. After a little bit of a wait, I took my order back to my car and made my way home. 



First up: I had a pint of sweet & sour chicken. It stood up fairly well for my drive, but it did get a touch soggy. Otherwise, standard breaded white chicken meat and a tub of red sweet and sour sauce. Does anyone local serve a different kind of sweet & sour sauce??



Next up was fried dumplings. I love these with a dumpling sauce, and I think mine was left out this visit, but they had a tasty, well-seasoned filling.



Shrimp fried rice can be hit or miss with me - and this was somewhere in the middle. It thankfully wasn't dry and overly saturated with oil... but it also didn't have much flavor at all? So, it was OK. 



And, one of my favorites: crab rangoons. I don't think I can order Chinese food without getting an order of crab cheese rangoons. Generously filled with a cream cheese mixture enveloped in a crispy wonton wrapper, it can't be bad. These were decent. A little too greasy, but thankful for a hefty amount of filling.


 
Grade: B