A food court is not typically where you go for a delicious meal. Typically, it’s more of a matter of convenience and proximity - at least for me.



That’s not to say there isn’t good food court food; I’m just saying it’s important to manage expectations. Recently, I was at the mall in Bridgeport - arguably one of the best in the state - with a grumbling tummy, So, I stopped by Eastern Wok and ordered General Tso’s with lo mein. And it was right on par with my expectations. The chicken was a bit chewy, the sauce sticky sweet, and the lo mein a bit overcooked. As a whole, it was average. Catching a meal here earlier in the day may solve a few of those issues.



Grade: C

As a landlocked state, West Virginia is not necessarily known for its seafood. But, there are a few purveyors I am aware of who do offer some excellent options.



A new place that I discovered in Bridgeport is Shrimpy and Snappy's Seafood Market. They offer a lot of fresh seafood options. I wasn't in the position to be able to tote home seafood, but I did take a look inside and check out their offerings. They had tuna, shrimp, crab legs, scallops, etc.



"Fresh seafood market right here in North Central WV! We drive and FLY in fresh, quality seafood from up and down the East coast. Our mission is to provide our fellow Mountaineers with the freshest seafood available in our landlocked Mountain State."



How have you been? What's the best item to purchase here? 

Stone Tower Brews is making waves.



From Buckhannon to Bridgeport and soon to Morgantown! They are expanding, and it's exciting to see. 



The Bridgeport location offers coffee, tea, breakfast, snacks, sandwiches, salads, tacos and specials. 



Their signature bright blue accent color was all over, and there was a ton of natural sunlight with those big windows. 



I ordered their crab cake sandwich special along with a Butter Beer Latte.



Both of these were great. The crab cake sandwich was on ciabatta with lettuce, tomato, and a mayo-based sauce that all just went together well. Plus, it was fresh and had lots of nice varied textures. It was just a solid meal.



The drink was also great. Sweet, light, but rich. And, of course, buttery. 



Grade: A

Simply Grazing, based in the Bridgeport area, is a charcuterie board-based business. I especially like how they have been capitalizing on the holidays. Like, the Halloween one with fun size candies. And, they offered a hot chocolate box, complete with a hot chocolate bomb, marshmallows, peppermint stirrers and more. My chocolate bomb spilled out some of its contents, but I still dumped it all in some warm milk and it was perfect 
 

Grade: A

Clean Juice is a smoothie/avo toast/juice shop in Bridgeport that has locations nationwide.



I had to head to Bridgeport for an all-day retreat and needed some fuel. Easy peasy. One: I went with The So Basic One smoothie because it has organic almond butter, organic almond milk, organic banana, organic maple syrup and organic strawberries. It's fresh, sweet and still fairly healthy. I managed to slurp it all down before taking a photo, but just imagine a pink drink. Then try it.



For some noms, I ordered the avocado toast, which has organic avocado, organic lemon, organic olive oil, organic red pepper flakes, organic himalayan pink salt and I added feta cheese. Avocado toast can be hit or miss with me. This one had nice flavor and texture, which are key. Feta is necessary.

Grade: A

One of the most exciting restaurants I've had the pleasure of enjoying recently is located in Bridgeport: Authentically Mia's Korean & American Cuisine.


"Authentically Mia’s offers Korean/American fusion cuisine just around the corner! Enjoy tender, juicy, Korean-style beef, pork, and chicken specialties served in flavorful sauces with wonderfully hearty accents such as rice and mung bean noodles with a colorful explosion of vegetables. Choose tasty Korean Kimbap (pronounced “keem-bahp”; kim = seaweed & bap = seasoned rice) – a rolled, sushi-like staple of South Korean dining. Indulge in Bulgogi (pronounced “bool-GOH-gee” ; “fire meat”) – thin, marinated strips of barbecued prime cuts of beef and pork. Try our sweet, spicy, and savory wraps, bowls, salads, and much more – all served with Mia’s special touch!"



The restaurant is only open during lunch hours during the weekdays, so it took me some time to make it here. The menu: Because this restaurant offers something unique, something you can't find in many other places, it was a joy to peruse the menu. Kimbap? Bulgogi? Bi Bim Bop? I wanted everything. And ... I may have ordered a little of everything to go. Let's start with the bulgogi lunch - which comes with rice, kimchi and a spring roll. I have a soft spot for bulgogi because the first time I ever heard of it was in the kitchen of a friend of a friend's vacation home. Her family recipe blew my mind. I've been hooked ever since. It's sweet and salty and comforting. Rice makes it a filling dish, the kimchi adds some tang, and the spring roll some crunch. It's a symphony of texture and flavor.



And while that was more than filling, my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I had to try their special that day, which included California rolls, kimbap, and yubuchobap and a side of Mia's soy sauce, which is just a bit sweet. California rolls with avocado and crab were delish. The kimbap has that bulgogi, pickled radish and cucumber - it's almost a sweeter and yet more savory version of a sushi roll. And the yubuchobap are like envelopes of rice with a chewy tofu exterior. Even down to the sweet slices of kiwi, this meal is perfectly balanced. 

My only regret? That I haven't been back yet. 

Grade: A

My Little Cupcake isn't new to me, but their latest location in Bridgeport is. I first found them at the Bridgeport Farmers Market, then they moved to Clarksburg and now they're in Bridgeport. 



As one might be able to guess, cupcakes are their specialty. And, wow, does this place offer a ton of them. Before we list out the flavors, though, let's tough on some of the other offerings. They have cakes, cookies, brownies, pepperoni rolls, macarons and more.  



Now, let's touch on that lengthy list of flavors: 

AAA
Almond cake with almond buttercream frosting garnished with almonds

Almond Joy
Chocolate cake with almond buttercream rolled in toasted coconut and almonds and drizzled with chocolate

Banana Creme Pie
Banana cake on top of a graham cracker crust filled with banana pudding and topped with a vanilla buttercream

Banana Split
Banana and chocolate swirl cake topped with a strawberry buttercream, rainbow sprinkles and a cherry

Blueberry
Classic white cake with fresh blueberries folded in topped with a vanilla buttercream

Blueberry Pancake
Blueberry cake topped with a maple buttercream

Butterscotch Dipped
Classic vanilla cake with a high top swirl of vanilla buttercream dipped in Butterscotch ganache

Cherry Almond
Almond cake with a real cherry buttercream topped with a maraschino cherry

*Chocolate-Caramel Drizzle
Classic chocolate cake topped with vanilla buttercream and smothered in caramel drizzle

*Chocolate Coconut
Classic chocolate cake with a coconut buttercream topped with toasted coconut

Chocolate Covered Strawberry
Chocolate cake with real strawberry buttercream drizzled in chocolate ganache and topped with a chocolate covered strawberry (Seasonal)

*Chocomint Dream
Dark chocolate cake with fresh mint buttercream garnished with an Andes mint

Chocolate Stout
Classic chocolate cake with a Guinness Extra Stout beer topped with vanilla buttercream and a caramel drizzle

Chocolate Sundae
Chocolate cake with a swirl of vanilla buttercream topped with chocolate ganache, sprinkles and a cherry

*Chocolate Raspberry
Chocolate cake with real raspberry buttercream

Cinnamon Roll
Cinnamon cake with vanilla buttercream smothered in a cinnamon glaze

*Classic Vanilla
Classic vanilla cake with vanilla or chocolate buttercream with a choice of sprinkles

*Classic Chocolate
Classic chocolate cake with vanilla or chocolate buttercream with a choice of sprinkles

Cookie Dough Delight
Brown sugar cake with vanilla buttercream frosting topped with a chocolate chip cookie

Filled with Love
Classic white cake or chocolate cake filled with strawberry or raspberry filling topped with a vanilla buttercream frosting

Fruity Pebbles
Fruity pebbles cake topped with a creamy vanilla buttercream

Hot Chocolate
Hot cocoa cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream topped with mini marshmallows and rolled in chocolate sprinkles

Lemon Raspberry
Lemon cake with raspberry buttercream frosting

Maple Bacon
Maple and bacon cake with a maple buttercream topped with real bacon pieces

M&M
Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream smothered in chocolate and topped with M&Ms

Neapolitan
Real strawberry cake with a vanilla buttercream drizzled in chocolate syrup

*Orange Dream
Orange cake with orange and vanilla swirl buttercream frosting

Oreo
Chocolate cake with Oreo buttercream topped with a mini Oreo

*Peanut Butter Chocolate Crumble
Chocolate cake with creamy peanut butter buttercream sprinkled with Reese pieces crumbles

Pineapple Upside Down
Gooey yellow cake soaked in brown sugar with a pineapple slice and cherry in the center

Pistachio
Pistachio cake with a pistachio filling and a vanilla buttercream sprinkled with pistachios

Pumpkin Spice
Pumpkin cake topped with signature vanilla buttercream

Real Fruit Delight
White cake or chocolate cake topped with a strawberry, blackberry, lemon, or raspberry buttercream

Red Velvet
Red velvet cake with signature vanilla buttercream

*Reese Cup
Chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream topped with Reese cup bits and drizzled with chocolate ganache

Root Beer Float
Root beer cake topped with a generous scoop of vanilla buttercream

Salted Caramel
Caramel cake with a salted caramel buttercream topped with crushed chocolate covered pretzels drizzled in caramel and a pinch of sea salt

S’mores
Chocolate cake with a marshmallow filling and a chocolate buttercream sprinkled in graham cracker crumbles and a toasted marshmallow on top

Snackerdoodle
Cinnamon cake with a cinnamon buttercream frosting topped with a snickerdoodle cookie

Strawberry Lemonade
Real strawberry cake with fresh lemon buttercream

Turtle
Chocolate and caramel cake with a caramel buttercream topped with crushed pecans and drizzled with caramel and chocolate

Vanilla Wafer
Yellow cake with vanilla buttercream topped with a mini vanilla wafer



Because I've had the delicious cupcakes a few times (and they are worth it), I wanted to try something else - like the macarons. While these are super trendy in many larger cities, they're still not always easy to find around West Virginia - though that's changing. 



These strawberry and caramel ones were calling my name. Delicious. I know there's a real art to making these. I've had a friends take on the task of perfecting them. I know they're finicky, and I know they're not easy. But let me tell you - it's worth it. They are delish. And look at this giant mackie! Same delicious flavor - 5x the time! 



Grade: A

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

Mountain State Brewing Company opened up its newest location in Bridgeport.

The specialty pizza restaurant and brewery has two other locations, and while in the area recently, I was excited to check this one out, too. 

Now, I didn't have time for beer or pizza, but I did order one of my favorite appetizers of all time: the hummus. It's the best hummus I've ever had. If you're a fan of garlic, get some. Immediately.

What's your favorite item here?