Our favorite cyptid - the Mothman - hails from Point Pleasant, which I will take any excuse to visit. I firmly believe they are ripe for some really great restaurants.



When Ichiban 2 opened, I took the opportunity to check it out. The pan-Asian restaurant has everything from sushi rolls and hibachi dinners to yaki udon and Chinese food. You can order right online and have everything ready when you arrive.



I ordered some of the crispy crab wontons and the Ichiban roll - their namesake: shrimp tempura, spicy kani, seaweed salad, crunch w. soy paper, topped w. spicy mayo eel sauce.



The wontons were standard. I think I'm in the minority here when I say I'm not crazy about the crispy ends and just want the filling. So I tend to gravitate toward a different shape that limits the crispy edges - but, this had substantial filling and it was good.



The sushi roll was a bit different - with the pink paper and seaweed salad inside. I enjoyed that it was a little bit of a twist on something familiar; the texture became a bit soft and I like when there's variation. It was good, and I'd eat again - just nothing totally out of the box. But a decent option for town. 

Grade: B

Sometimes when I visit Weirton, it looks like a whole different world. When I was growing up, there was a Walmart where there is now a whole shopping plaza, which includes Crazy Mexican Restaurant & Grill.



This restaurant describes itself this way: "Authentic Mexican fair, margaritas, beers, main dining, mezzanine seating, patios and party room." 



I placed a big order for a bunch of different things to take back to my family. While I waited inside, I took in how large this place really is. There are colorful decorations criss-crossing the dining room, which drew my attention to the second level of dining. I don't know that I've seen a Mexican restaurant this big! 



I had to wait for quite some time for my order, but once it was finally ready, I was excited to take it home and chow down. First up: These hard tacos with steak. Hard tacos are not my favorite, but my mom enjoyed this slightly elevated take on the classic ground beef taco. 



One of my favorites was the arroz con pollo. Chicken + rice + queso = always tasty. I can only imagine how much better this dish could be if it was peppered with plump, juicy hunks of chicken breast rather than the slivers of chicken that are usually a bit dry.



We also had a burrito California, which is a giant burrito with all the fixins: steak, avocado, onion, rice, beans, etc. Dad was a fan of this with all of the variety. And the barbacoa street tacos - cilantro and white onion on corn tortilla - were tasty, but also a bit dry. 



Chicken chimichangas were topped with lettuce and tomato, and it. all kinda became a bit soggy, but it wasn't bad. I mostly moved those off to the side, because they don't add much flavor, and enjoy the simple chicken chimichanga.



Finally, a taco salad with ground beef. I didn't try this one, but mom enjoyed it. Overall, this place was fairly average - but I did enjoy the extra fanfare.

Grade: B

Stauf's Coffee Roasters has locations all over Columbus, serving up a fine cup of joe.



I visited the Grandview Heights location and ordered the Milky Way latte, which included chocolate and caramel syrup.  



No snack on this trip - just the caffeine. And it was good. A nice, robust espresso that was tamed with the two syrups.



It's no surprise I like my coffee on the sweeter side, and I could definitely taste the bitterness of the coffee - but it worked for me.



What's your favorite drink here?

Grade: B

Mount Hope is home to a small coffee shop called Coal Bucket Coffee Shop. I had been wanting to check it out because small town coffee shops are one of my fav places to visit.



I arrived here as soon as it opened... but it wasn't open, unfortunately. Ten minutes after... fifteen minutes after... still no sign of opening. So I had to leave, go do my errands in the area and come back. Thankfully, they were open the second time around.



There wasn't anyone to greet me right away, so I kinda hovered awkwardly until I was waited on. Once that happened, I was able to order a frozen caramel coffee. The ice was a bit chunkier than I'd prefer, but there was plenty of caramel to please even the sweetest tooth - like mine.



Grade: B

Hangover Easy - or HOE - is a tongue-in-cheek Columbus eatery that also has locations in other Ohio college towns. I didn't have a whole lot of time on this trip, so I just did a carryout order. I went with an eggs benedict on English muffin with two over-medium eggs and a chipotle queso sauce. Add a side of sweet potato tots. 



It's a heavy breakfast with a bit of spice, but it was filling and flavorful. The tots were nice and crisp, even after being in a styrofoam container for a few minutes. And the benedict was lacking a little finesse with some garnish and whatnot, but the sauce was tasty, and the eggs were cooked well.

Grade: B

Fluff Bakery in Athens wasn't open for me to go inside and visit. But, they did have a pick-up window that I took full advantage of. 



The bakery opened in 2010 "to fulfill a lifelong dessert and bakery obsession, and to showcase the talents of local farmers, producers, and entrepreneurs committed to making good food and drinks. Our Mission is to introduce our version of comfort food to the people of Athens, Ohio, and the surrounding region, and to support as many local people, businesses and non-profits in the process."



The bakery had a lineup of quite a few delicious goodies, like cannolis, pumpkin cookie with caramel icing and peanut butter bars with chocolate ganache. 



I went with just a couple desserts because the made-to-order sandwiches were a bit more difficult to come by.



The first was a cream cheese swirled brownie that was more of a dark chocolate. That's not my favorite, but the cream cheese topping was a perfect sweet touch to balance out any bitterness. 



The other was a much lighter dessert with some shaved almonds on top that I enjoyed. Just a few delights made for a nice morning.



Grade: B

Buns is a really cool-looking burger restaurant in Weston.



It has a modern look, and I actually thought it was maybe a new chain restaurant when I first passed it.



But rest assured, this local spot is one that you should check out.



The interior has sleek chairs, some dark floors and menu boards displayed on the wall. The menu has burgers, wings, pizza and wraps. 



I ordered the Buns Burger, which has lettuce, tomato, onions, cheese and house sauce. 



I didn't taste much of the house sauce on my burger, so I would've enjoyed more. But otherwise, it was a decent burger. It could be punched up a few notches with some heavy seasoning and more sauce or something to make it really outstanding.



Without that, though, it's still a good burger. The fries were OK - could definitely be crispier. The milkshake - delish. I don't know that I've ever met a milkshake I didn't like.



Grade: B

Mi Pueblito in Milton is an orange building with a red roof that sticks out a bit on the main drag.



I've spent more time in Milton recently, as my favorite local baker operates there. 



Inside the restaurant, it's bright and colorful with depictions of scenery on booths and tables. 



I placed a call to pick up an order that included chips & salsa, camaron con arroz, and burrito superior.



The chips & salsa were pretty straight forward - standard Mexican restaurant fare. The camaron con arroz - shrimp, rice and cheese - was tasty, but a bit on the dry side. I wouldve loved some more fresh cheese dip to drizzle and mix in to freshen it all up. The burrito - which was more of the same but with chicken instead of shrimp - fared better with some fresh cheese dip and sour cream to perk it up.

Grade: B

The Briergarten is a hidden beer garden in Lewisburg that offers a collection of drafts on 17 taps.



"Taking Inspiration from the German beer gardens of Berlin and Bavaria, Briergarten was created to provide a fun and upbeat atmosphere, where friends and family can enjoy a pint (or liter!) of their favorite brew, along with classic German bratwurst, WV pepperoni rolls, and Bavarian pretzels—all in a convertible, open-air venue."



Beer is definitely the highlight here - in addition to the brightly lit space. The food menu is fairly small. Sausages, pepperoni rolls and pretzel rolls are the extent of it - I think they're likely just working with a microwave and/or toaster in the back. 



I went with a bratwurst (hold the sauerkraut) with each kind of sauce: a Dusseldorf style horseradish, a Bavarian style sweet and spicy, and a currywurst ketchup.



The bratwurst itself was decent - I would've loved a bit more snap to give it some texture. Same thing with the pretzel bun - it was a bit on the too soft side. Not bad - just when there are so few options, I want those options to be done really well. This was good. Especially when it's paired with a good brew. 



I did enjoy that there was a variety of sauces to choose from, and all of them were decent. Overall, it's a really cool space to spend some time with friends, enjoy a beer or two and have a sn ack. 



Grade: B