So, did you know that Shoney's (yes, that Shoney's!) was started in Charleston, West Virginia? That made it rise to my "must try" list pretty quickly. While I haven't been to Morgantown's location yet, Chris and I ventured to the Princeton restaurant one snowy evening. We kind of risked our life in hopes of a delicious fish sandwich (this is true - I was googling where in town had a fish sandwich. This was one of my few options).

When we walked inside, I noticed the odd kind-of store inside with random bags, clothes and other merchandise. Odd. We were seated, and I already knew my order. We got a spinach/artichoke dip for an appetizer, and Chris' eyes lit up at the sight of the buffet, which was a surf and turf of sorts on Friday apparently.

Long story short, the service was not ideal. The waitress forgot something and clearly loved* (*hated) her job. I asked for a to-go box for my food, and the hostess wasn't thrilled and told us to ask our waitress - apparently because Chris got the buffet it was an ordeal. But the food was actually pretty tasty - for American chain food.

The fish was fried, but white and flaky inside. The tartar was a little heavy on the relish, but still hit the spot. A thick bun to house it, and I was good to go. The onion rings were mediocre. The spinach and artichoke dip was pretty good, but it became really thick and hard to dip the chips into. The chips were thick potato chips, but also kind of chewy. Different, but good. Chris was pretty thrilled with the buffet, too. I snuck a hushpuppy - yum!

Sometimes, you just want a fish sandwich.




Grade: B

For the past year, I have posted a ton of restaurant reviews. Some good, some bad, many indifferent. When my blog began to pick up some momentum, some restaurants that I've graded low, or maybe not so low, have contacted me in various ways. Some are angry, and some want to know how they can improve my experience.

Restaurant Redemption is a small series I've created that will allow me to give those restaurants who are keeping up with their social media (notably, my blog) and have made an attempt to rectify a poor or mediocre dining experience. For the restaurants that have contacted me, I'm giving it another dining go. For the most part, I will try a different dish and make note of the previous observations about the experience as a whole.

I blogged about Terra Cafe close to their opening and got a lot of feedback about how in the following months, they began to correct some of the issues, like portion size and other hiccups. I went recently with a couple friends to give it another go.

The interior is the same modern, sleekness that exudes young professionalism. It is a cool atmosphere with free wifi and some comfy sitting areas. (Side note: We actually Facebooked Terra late Sunday night to ask if they did have wifi, and they responded right away - nice!)

The wait service was vastly improved, which I expected now that they're seasoned. This time, I went for the Thai Peanut Wrap - "grilled chicken, fresh mango and mixed greens wrapped with Thai peanut sauce. Served with ginger-orange dipping sauce." For my side, I went with hummus and pita. My total this time was more around $11, and the portions were much larger. Unfortunately, I know this is because they're cutting back on the "local" and "organic" food.

The food was great. The wrap had a smart balance of sweet and slightly tangy. The dipping sauce was coarsely ground, and had a little bit of a bite to it. It added some more tang to the dish. And the hummus was great - creamy and had some depth. And, best of all, my tummy was full and happy when I left. They kept the great food (minus that salad...), lowered some of the prices and worked out some of the kinks. It's still on the pricier side for sandwiches and salads, but if they're all this great tasting, it's probably worth it. I know they change the menu seasonally, too, so you might want to check it out to see what your options are. Their Sunday Cajun buffet is also supposed to be good, but I have yet to try it.

Before the No. 1 Super Buffet was the big down in town, the place to go for a Chinese buffet was the Great Chinese Buffet, located at the Mountaineer Mall (5000 Greenbag Road (304)296-4050 "the old mall").

If you've been to this mall, you know there's not much more than a Goodwill, an antique store and a dance company. But for mall (Americanized) Chinese food, it's not bad. They have two long buffet islands with the usuals: General Tso's, Sesame Chicken, Chicken/Beef and Broccoli, Crab Cheese Wontons, Eggrolls, Spring Rolls, as well as things like macaroni and cheese and some desserts.

Everything seemed a bit watered down to me - nothing was popping with flavor. If I eat General Tso's, I want it spicy and sweet and tangy and indulgent. This was like a muted version of that. Not to mention, they ran out of bowls. Completely out. And it wasn't busy, so they may not always be completely on top of their game.

However, the price was only $8 for lunch, which is deal compared to other places.

Grade: C

The Evergreen Buffet, located in the University Towne Center, is one of three Chinese buffets in Morgantown. It's probably the smallest one compared to Great Chinese Buffet, located at the old mall (which I haven't reviewed yet), and the No. 1 Super Buffet, which is the largest. It does have convenience on its side, though, as it's right in the middle of the shopping plaza.

The Evergreen Buffet is convenient, offers typical Chinese buffet fare, and has mediocre service. We walked in, ordered drinks and headed to the buffet. My water tasted terrible; not sure what the problem was here. I know what Morgantown water tastes like (still pretty awful), but this surpassed that level of "ick." But it's usually not busy, and there was only another couple or two when my friend and I were there. So, that's a plus.

There are only a few islands of items here, but they have the main items I look for: crab cheese rangoons, sweet and sour chicken, general tso's chicken, coconut shrimp, beef and broccoli, stuffed mushrooms. Nothing here was out of the ordinary, and nothing was entirely tasty. It was pretty average across the board.

They do have some sushi available, but there was no sushi chef on duty. Instead, a few rolls were placed behind a glass that you had to lift (which was broken). Some of the items ran out and weren't replaced during the time I was there, but for what I did eat, it wasn't bad. The crab rangoons have a good amount of filling, and I like the perfect amount of crunch. The general tso's has a good flavoring; quality of meal isn't ideal, though. Overall, not bad.

Grade: C

I've had my eye on The Soul House Bistro in Star City for quite some time. It was originally supposed to open up back in April, but like many restaurants, that date got pushed back. They just opened recently, and I went to check it out at the beginning of the week.

The restaurant is located at 3329 University Avenue across from the gas station, and there is plenty of parking along the side. When we walked in, we instantly saw a sign that said "cash only." If you know me, you know that means I'm out of luck. However, we wanted to try this restaurant so bad, we went back across town to an ATM to get cash to eat here. I think this is temporary (hope) because it is so new.

When we walked in, we weren't quite sure what exactly to do. There were a couple of tables that were arranged pretty close together and the front had two buffet-style islands. We took a seat and discovered the menus on the table. Essentially, you get one main meat dish and two side items. As I perused the options: BBQ ribs, pork chops, meatloaf, fried fish. Really, I wanted to try everything. But the meatloaf was jumping out to be. For the sides, I opted for mac & cheese and candy yams. All the dinners also come with a side of corn bread/biscuit. When I was done ordering, I sat down and waited for them to prepare the dish.

It's cafeteria-style. You can see all the food right there, but the workers behind the counter get it prepped for you and bring it to your table. It's fairly tight inside - I assume they're going to have to take out some tables at some point. There were a lot of two-person tables, and I'd much prefer a couple more larger tables. The walls are covered in famous African-American politicians, artists and athletes. They even have two small TVs on either wall that we have the option to change channels.

I can safely say when my plate came out, I think it was probably the biggest portion of food for the price anywhere in Morgantown ($8.99). The mac & cheese is homemade, so you get those small chunks of cheese and the ooey gooey creaminess. The candy yams were sweet and comforting, and the meatloaf was perfection. The two sides were overflowing portions, while the meat was smaller. But with that said, I still got two good size hunks of meatloaf. It was seasoned to perfection and the sauce on top had a slight sweet taste to it.

I was crazy about this entire meal. It's the best I've had in Morgantown or anywhere in a long, long time. I loved it so much I tried to eat the entire thing. I couldn't. Both of my friends got to-go boxes. Quiet frankly, I felt like rolling over and dying after stuffing myself, but my tastebuds were happy.

I think this restaurant fills a void in our community. That southern, down-home soul food is nowhere to be found. And for many of us, it reminds us of homecooking as children. I love this cuisine - heavy, sweet/salty and comforting. It's clear they put some time and energy into this food. It's not just a restaurant to make money; They're giving a part of themselves to us all.

Grade: A

I noticed a new sign reading "La Baba" in the plaza behind Hibachi on University Avenue, where Albasha was located. After much digging, the only information I could come up with about La Baba is its Facebook, which stated it was open for dinner and looked to be of Middle Eastern cuisine.

I trekked over with a couple friends to check it out. They have a handful of tables in the center, with a bar area along the back. It looked as though they had just opened, but I asked the girl working and she had replied they had been open for two months.

The counter had four, maybe five, serving trays and a few bowls on the counter. It all looked so temporary. It wasn't built into the restaurant. In fact, when my friends and I stepped in, they pulled a few plates out of a refrigerated area and put them on the counter. They only offer a buffet here, which is $10. You can get a drink out of the refrigerator for another $1.50 - no fountain soda.

The girl working asked us if we had been there before, and when we replied no, she took us up to the counter and told us what each of the items were. Apparently they change daily, but they didn't look like it. The "buffet" included some meat pies, spinach pies, a chicken dish, a beef dish, dolma, tabbouleh, hummus, baba ghanoush, pita from a bag, baklava, and awamat. These would all be great if they were all good, but I found very little here that I actually enjoyed.

Everything tasted as though it was old and sitting in that pan for days. The sauces were nearly coagulated. The dolma was soft and mushy. The awamat, those crisp doughnut balls in syrup, are usually a favorite because they're so sweet, were so hard I had to use some pressure to shove my fork into it. I even tried eating it - only to be surprised with that thick syrup mixed with oil. Not good.

I barely even used my buffet privileges, trying another plate, because there really wasn't anything that was that great. I took to the rice since I was starving, and I think it's difficult to mess up rice.

While the girl helping us was very sweet and attentive, I just was not pleased by the food. It was old, hard, bland and not worth my money. But they did have some other people in the restaurant, so maybe it's just not my cup of tea.
 
Grade: D

I needed a quick lunch in Bridgeport. This Chinese restaurant was close. My friend Kayla and I headed in. We stood around awkwardly until someone acknowledged us. They then rushed us over to a table, but they had to clean it first. So we stood around the table awkwardly as they cleaned it. This place was packed, so standing at the table blocked everybody's route to the buffet.

The restaurant is large, with many tables. The buffet had 8 stations, as well as an area for sushi and "grilling." The first couple of stations had your typical Chinese-American food - like General Tso's, Beef and Broccoli, etc. The rest subpar American food, a salad bar, one even had a tray full of Cheetos. Yeah.

Was there anything new or anything particularly great? Nah. But it wasn't bad either; it was just run-of-the-mill. The General Tso's wasn't bad - average quality, average flavor. The sushi was room-temperature, bland. I was bummed there weren't any stuffed mushrooms or "seafood medley" type dishes. But those are just a few of my favorites, and they were missing here.

It was also a little pricey, but it was a Sunday. I paid and signed my credit card receipt, but a few of the waiters came to the table a few times, but then left. I could tell something was going on, but it was like a cruel game we weren't in on. Finally, our waitress came back over and shoved another slip on the table for me to sign. I didn't understand why. She waved another waiter over to explain that apparently they accidentally threw away the slip I signed. That's not a huge deal, but the five-minute awkwardness with them staring at me, walking to me and leaving, but not telling me what was going on.

Grade: C