OK, so we are finishing up our rounds at the local Gino's Pizza and Spaghetti restaurants. And that took us to Grantsville, West Virginia, which is not a place that I visit often. So, I made a special trip here just to check out their Gino's. At this point I have tried most of the menu items that I'm interested in, and I have gravitated toward a few favorites.
One of those is the boneless wings in their tangy mustard sauce. I've also noticed that a few locations so far make their own blue cheese dressing, which is really special. So these wings were a little bit on the dry side, as you can see from the photo. But they had the signature tangy mustard flavor, which I really enjoy. The main draw here, for me, was that homemade blue dressing. It really is quite tasty if you can find it. So, overall, much like many of the other locations but extra points for that blue cheese.
Grade: B
I've been hearing really good things about Guadalajara Modern Mexican in Nitro, so I was looking over the menu when I discovered the description for their shrimp fajitas: "12 jumbo shrimp caught fresh from the Kanawha River grilled with fajita veggies. Served with rice, beans, cema salad and tortillas."
They ultimately said it was a joke... At the very least, it turned me off from that item. So I opted to try a different dish instead. I ordered the "Enchilada Supremas," which is ground beef, shredded chicken, tinga chicken, and potato enchiladas. They're topped with a mole sauce, lettuce, crema, tomatoes and cheese. Plus a side of queso.
The space was bright and busy, but super quick with my order. First, I dug into the queso dip, which is much thicker and has more heat than other quesos I've had. You can see bits of pepper and spices, which is often absent from otherwise very thin, cream quesos. I did enjoy this rendition with a bit more kick!
The enchiladas were good, except instead of a potato one, I received a pork one. I was weirdly looking forward to the potato one because it's different. But they were all tasty, and I'm enjoying learning about and trying different types of mole. This dish is beautiful - colorful - and certainly filling. The chicken tinga enchilada was my favorite because it was full of flavor.
Grade: B
Oinks BBQ in Buckhannon is a new restaurant focusing on pulled pork, chicken, ribs and brisket.
"Smokin' low and slow for that perfect flavor that pairs wonderfully with our homemade sides. Come in as hungry strangers and leave as family with your belly full of BBQ!"
They also have a handful of sauces - hot, sweet, mustard. I got one of each to go along with my meal.
That meal? Pulled pork sandwich with cornbread, slaw and macaroni & cheese. The sandwich is served on grilled Texas toast, which is not something I've seen often. So, starting with the slaw, it was a mayo based as opposed to a vinegar base. I liked the crisp of the red cabbage, though I wouldn't have minded it more chopped up.
The sandwich was piled with pulled pork, which was tasty. The buttery bread makes me crave a cheese or something, unlike other buns where the bread is mostly an afterthought. Here, it's a crucial part of the experience. I shoveled bites of mac & cheese - which I wish was a bit creamier - into my mouth between bites of the sandwich for a pretty decent flavor overall.
Grade: B
While in Oak Hill, my tummy was rumbling and I saw the Heart of Gold Diner open. It wasn't until I walked inside that it all felt familiar. I had been here before - when it was Delfino's.
The prior restaurant seemed to have more of an Italian influence, whereas the diner has classic diner dishes - from pork chops and country fried steak to hot dogs and patty melts.
I'm not an eggs and bacon kinda person. If I get eggs with a dish, I'm usually trying to mask the flavor with lots of cheese or onions or hollandaise. So when I saw they had an egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich... it appealed to me because this could easily be a BLT. I ordered a BLT, plus a custom order of hash browns topped with a delicious mix of toppings: ham, onion, cheese and mushrooms.
You know how Waffle House hash browns are really the star? Same deal here. The BLT was fine (watery tomatoes kill me), but the hash browns were bangin'. They were nice and crispy, plus had all kinds of tasty toppings. I used an ungodly amount of ketchup for a sinfully crunchy, greasy dish that was comforting.
Grade: B
There are very few Gino's locations in the state that do not have a pick-up window. But, it never fails that when I do stumble upon one, I am ill-prepared and wearing something not appropriate for public (e.g. pajamas).
Such is the case with the location in Elkview. I placed my order online, and I had to go inside to pick it up. Fortunately, it was ready to go and I spent minimal time in my pjs in public.
One item that I haven't tried much is their "Pubwich," which uses their pizza dough folded over as sandwich bread stuffed with ham, lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo and sweet onion. It's cut into sections, which makes it easier to eat. When it's done right, this sandwich has a great blend of ingredients that have the perfect proportions. Not done right, it's sloppy, has too much watery lettuce and the bread is dried out. This version was somewhere in the middle - not the best rendition, but not the worst.
The bread was a bit too dry for me, but the proportion of ingredients was good. I also had a bite of my friend's Italian sub - she thought it was OK - the bread was too crunchy and fell apart for my taste.
Grade: B
Birds are chirping, rain showers are pouring, and spring is just around the corner. This time of year always has me looking forward to cookouts. And, there's one place in Morgantown where you can get all the tasty food from a BBQ - but without the work.
The Backyard BBQ in Cheat Lake is currently doing catering only but hopes to reopen in the spring with the same menu they had previously, which featured hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, and ice cream.
I was really hyped for their special, which was a burger with fried green tomato and pimento bacon. Unfortunately, they were out of it. So, I instead went with a single burger since it was already on my mind.
The space here is kinda nice - rustic, but outdoors with a nice view and a bit set back from the hustle and bustle of Morgantown. The burger was not bad - a little more charred than I'd prefer, but fairly thick and with your choice of toppings.
The macaroni & cheese was good - more of a white cheddar with lots of pepper. Not my personal preference, but I can appreciate it for what it is. Not bad.
Grade: B
The best thing about a buffet? Trying a little of everything. The worst part? Aside from people's germs, it's the fact that there are no leftovers.
Those are the buffet rules. Though, most buffets let you do a takeout box only and charge by the ounce. But one local place was making up its own rules during COVID-19. I really liked what New China Garden Buffet was doing in Huntington.
They offered some "combos" so you can still get a small serving of a few different items from the buffet to go - not just one whole dish. I ordered white rice, general tso's chicken, baked crabmeat, potato with onion, pork eggroll and cheese wontons. The chicken was stringy and chewy, but that's to be expected. The potato was literally just potato wedges - I was hoping it had cheese or some other deliciousness. The wontons, eggroll and baked crabmeat were all satisfactory. No huge surprises - but I'm curious to know if there's a dish here that is a crowd favorite?
Grade: B
Call's Meat Market in Hurricane offers a ton of local meat, cheese and more.
*Fresh Local Raised Beef *Fresh Local Raised Pork *Fresh Chicken *Lamb *Bison * Grass fed BeefOur Own Country Sausage *Italian Sausage * Hot Italian Sausage * Boar's Head Premium Deli Meats & Cheeses * Deli Meats * Heiner's Bread * Meat Trays * Cheese Trays * Farm Fresh Eggs * Large Selection of WV Products* Coca- Cola * Mister Bee Potato Chips* Package Deals *Custom Orders
In addition to those offerings, they also will make simple sandwiches with their Boar's Head deli meats and hot dogs. Make no mistake, their steaks, chicken breast, pork chops, etc., are the main draw here. The sandwiches, though, are convenient and a way to try some of the product without committing to a full pound or so.
Here are some of the offers: white or wheat bread; black forest ham, VA baked ham, cracked pepper turkey, mesquite smoked turkey, beef bologna, hard salami, pepperoni, ovengold turkey, ever roast chicken, londonport roast beef, chipotle chicken, bologna salad; Amerrican cheese, pepperjack, horseradish, muenster, smoked gouda, Vermont cheddar.
I ordered a turkey sandwich with gouda, lettuce and tomato on white bread. And, ya know, it's a turkey sandwich. It's not bad. But, man, I really wish all those delicious sauces they offer in the store could have been an option.
That really would've taken the sandwich to the next level. As is, it's pretty straight-forward with a few good ingredients. So, if that's what you're going for, perfect. But if there was just a touch more, I'd be super happy.
Have you been?
What's your favorite sandwich?
Grade: B
Stewart's Country Kitchen & Bakery in Point Pleasant is moving soon, so I wanted to be sure to showcase them before they do so.
The homestyle restaurant isn't going too far, though, so no worries. I was excited to check this place out because they have a pick-up window, which makes it easy for me to check them off my list while passing through the town.
The menu features favorites like smothered chicken, burgers, and one of my personal favs: meatloaf. I got it with spuds two ways: mashed potatoes and potato salad. It was a bit dried out and I would've liked three times the amount of sauce - but the mix of onions and peppers inside was good and well-seasoned. A serving of bread pudding was pretty dense and could've benefitted from some sauce or fruit inside. Again, though, I enjoyed the flavors.
Grade: B
I had never heard of South of the Border before, but when I was driving south I stumbled upon it along the trip.
It's hard to miss really. I saw some giant signs and sculptures from the road so I knew I had to make a stop. It certainly is a tourist trap and has questionable characterization of folks. But I wanted to see what the hubbub was all about.
South of the Border has been a landmark of the southeast for nearly 70 years, and we see no end in sight! Our trademark has always been a value-oriented service ~ we provide a clean, safe & fun environment for travelers of all types to visit on their way to or from the southeast. Our attitude is our philosophy – take it easy on the road of life! In 1949, Mr. Alan Schafer built a simple 18 x 36 foot beer stand known as South of the Border Beer Depot. As it adjoined the North Carolina counties, which were dry of alcoholic beverages, business boomed. A few years later a 10-seat grill was added and the business was re-named South of the Border Drive-In.
In 1954, Mr. Schafer added 20 motel rooms. Materials for the addition were shipped to “Schafer Project South of the (North Carolina) Border”. Mr. Schafer shortened the name of his business to South of the Border.
Business was steadily expanded with Mexican trinkets and numerous kitsch items imported from Mexico. The site itself also began to expand to include a cocktail lounge, gas station and souvenir shop. In 1962, South of the Border expanded into fireworks sales, potentially capitalizing on the fact fireworks were illegal in North Carolina. In 1964 it was announced that the route for I-95 would pass right by South of the Border, and the facility would be next to two exits and within view of the highway. By the mid-1960s, South of the Border had expanded to include a barber shop, drug store, a variety store, a post office an outdoor go-kart track complete with other outdoor recreational facilities and the 104 feet (32 m) tall image of the mascot, Pedro.One may ask, “How did Pedro come about?” Well, Mr. Schafer went to Mexico to establish import connections and met two young men. He helped them get admitted to the United States, and they went to work at the motel office as bellboys for several years. People started calling them Pedro and Pancho, and eventually just Pedro.
What about those signs? They are all designed by Mr. Schafer himself. Around 175 billboards are north and south from the Virginia/North Carolina state lines to the South Carolina/Georgia state lines. (At one time there were more than 250 different billboards from Philadelphia, PA to Daytona Beach, FL.) Many of these billboards are on I-95. They are also north and south on Highway 301/501, east and west on Highways 9 & 17. There are a few billboards on I-20.
South of the Border has a few different restaurants - one of them being Pedro's Hot Tamale. They serve breakfast, Tex-Mex food, and even beer. I went with an odd combination of both a cheeseburger and a pork tamale just to try the range of food they had available.
Both of these I actually thought were fine. The cheeseburger had plenty of cheese, which is always my favorite part of the sandwich and the tamale - while I don't know enough to know whether it was traditional or not - it was tasty. So it was a quick easy stop that filled my belly and a check mark off the list.
Grade: B
While I don't get to the mall in Charleston often, I did make a special trip there recently to try out the new "Mexican Grill."
The counter-service restaurant is located in the food court and has photos of the popular dishes you can order. That's probably helpful for those who aren't familiar with the options - or even for those who don't read well or have another communication issue. More places should do this.
I ordered the Arroz Con Pollo - it's likely one of the items most commonly ordered, so it's a good benchmark.
First, though, were some fresh chips and salsa. I could tell the chips had just been pulled from the oil - you could see and hear from the kitchen. The salsa was average.
The chicken was plentiful, but the only cheese was mixed in with the rice, and I could've gone for a lot more. Not bad, but not the best version I've had. Next time, I'll ask for more queso on the side.
Grade: B
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