A few new restaurants have opened up, and there are a few older ones who haven't made an appearance on my blog because they are in this weird bigger-than-a-local-restaurant but smaller-than-large-chains category. I've had a few questions lately from people out of town who either A - don't realize these are chain restaurants or B - don't consider them "real" chain restaurants since they're small or regional. So, if you're wondering about these ones because you haven't heard of them, here are my opinions. Here's an end-of-the-week catch up.

NEW NEWS:

Dickey's Barbecue Pit
Dickey's Barbecue Pit just opened in the former Oliverio's Marketplace location. Oliverio's Ristorante simply serves lunch at their main location now. Dickey's is a chain BBQ place, but there aren't many in the state. And, this is the first one in Morgantown.

They have a pulled pork, beef brisket, honey ham, spicy cheddar sausage, polish sausage, pork ribs and turkey breast. You can get those as a meat plate, with 2 sides, a roll, pickles and onions. Or you could get a sandwich, plus they have "bakers" and catering options.


I went with a two-meat meat plate, which just so happened to be the special that day: pulled pork and spicy cheddar sausage. The sides are pretty exciting, and I went with mac and cheese and the baked potato casserole.

They had three sauces off to the side you could choose: regular, spicy and sweet - most of which tasted similar. I think I ended up using the regular mostly. Tony, who knows more about BBQ, said it had some good color. And that it had a nice smoke ring. He said the brisket was pulled, which was different. We were all fans of the pulled pork, which was moist.

The mac and cheese was average, and the potatoes were tasty. Tony and Jake thought the baked beans were OK. There are a lot sides, though, so that's fun.

But the best part? Free ice cream.

Even though it was free and vanilla, it was actually pretty good. Maybe free ice cream just tastes good. Anyway, it joins the other half dozen or so BBQ joints in town. I think Morgantown just woke up one day and decided we needed all of the BBQ.



















Sheetz
The Altoona, Pennsylvania, based gas station/convenience store Sheetz has spread out into Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. They currently have four locations in Morgantown, plus this new concept location in University Place, plus another one planned.

The new concept Sheetz located in the WVU public/private partnership University Place opened recently. This Sheetz does not offer gas - a first for the gas station. Instead, it offers a larger grocery store/convenience store only. There's a huge focus on the MTO food and some premade items. Plus they'll have meat, cheese and produce.

I went briefly when I had a voucher for their soft opening so they could work to get set up and work some kinks out. And I may have had Sheetz not once, but twice, in one day. I'm a big fan of their chicken sandwich now. Seriously. Sold.































OLD NEWS:

Shoney's
Shoney's, which began in Charleston, West Virginia, made headlines last year when it announced its Morgantown location would serve alcohol. Shoney's is now located in 16 states, but it's still kind of cool that it was started here in West Virginia.

I don't dislike Shoney's; I just haven't been to this location yet. But I assume once you've had one, you've had most of them. Right? So, here, I went to one in Princeton. God, now looking at that blog post, it makes me want a fish sandwich. And now I'm revisiting the idea of just making this a wrap-up post and not doing a review specifically devoted to Shoney's.

Eat'n Park
I actually really like Eat'n Park. Growing up, we would go here in high school because it was open late, and they actually allowed smoking in one area. I don't smoke, but many of my friends did, because it was the cool thing to do in high school. You know how that goes. Eat'n Park is located in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

They have the best cookies. Seriously. Get a smiley face cookie. I'm also a fan of their grilled cheese (paired with the homemade soup on the salad bar) and the buffalo chicken salad. Don't expect some inspired, creative culinary masterpiece. But, it's a decent meal at any hour you want.

Garfield's
Garfield's food is OK. Did you know there are only two locations in West Virginia? One in Bridgeport and one in Morgantown. It makes more sense to me now when people ask about it. Their menu is fine, but I just have no attachment to this restaurant. All of the food is OK, and if you're in the mall and want a nicer sit-down place (as opposed to the food court), Garfield's is probably your place. Chicken fingers, quesadillas, sandwiches, burgers, pasta. You get the idea. If you're looking for a local flair, you're not going to get it here. But, it's an OK option and one of the few in the state nearby.

Cheddar's
Cheddar's has four locations in West Virginia: Beckley, Vienna, Wheeling and Morgantown. Previously, I used to think Cheddar's was this general crowd-pleasing place that most people could find something they like. It's similar to the previous three restaurants in that if offers a little bit of everything for everyone, and since it's not super widespread, it's new to some.

However. Cheddar's is the restaurant that taught me what food poisoning is. And if you're not sure if you've had it or maybe had a touch of it, you are wrong. You know it when you get it. It was probably one of the worst experiences of my life, right up there alongside the flu (twice) this past year. I have only ever had food poisoning once, and it was from Cheddar's pasta alfredo. I have been to some really, really sketchy places. And I've certainly not always felt great afterward. But this, this was full on food poisoning. I still get a little anxious ordering pasta alfredo years later. But, I really try to avoid this place at all costs. I have questions concerning the cleanliness for multiple reasons.

So, there you have a it. A quick wrap-up of some of the smaller, regional chains that either have a connection to West Virginia or are few and far between here.

WVU's apartment and commercial space University Place is beginning to open some of the shops, with Insomnia Cookies being the first.

Insomnia Cookies was started in 2003 by a student at the University of Pennsylvania who baked cookies in his dorm room and sold them to those who had a craving late at night. Now, there are locations all over the eastern United States. The company offers cookies, brownies and cold milk for delivery (or takeout) from noon to 3 a.m. seven days a week. Takeout starts at 11 a.m.

Morgantown used to have an Insomnia Cookies truck years and years ago - I think I was a freshman/sophomore, if that tells you anything. But they're back with a permanent brick-and-mortar location and began dishing out fresh-baked cookies last week.

If you follow them on Twitter, they offered a free cookie coupon, so I couldn't let that pass me by. We finagled a parking spot nearby, speedwalked in the arctic temperatures and raced inside the doors. As soon as we were inside, I could smell the cookies baking.

They have chocolate chunk, chocolate mint, m&m, oatmeal raison, peanut butter chip, snickerdoodle, sugar, white chocolate macadamia, chocolate peanut butter cup, s'mores, brownies PLUS ice cream and chocolate milk and cakes.

Only certain ones were available with the coupon, but that wasn't much of a concern for me since I knew what I wanted anyway: white macadamia nut.

I'm teased often for not liking chocolate chip cookies. I don't hate them; I just don't think they're very good. Ice cream can vastly improve them, but, in general, the semisweet chocolate chips just don't do it for me. It's kind of bitter, and I'd much rather have the cookie without the chocolate chips. Now that I've lost all credibility because you know I don't care for chocolate chip cookies, let's get back to the task at hand.

White chocolate chip macadamia nut was soft and chewy (hate those crunchy ones) and very sweet. It was a good cookie. BUT. I'm not sure how often I'd go out of my way to just get a cookie? Or just get cookies delivered? But then again, at 1 a.m., cookies and milk might be just perfect. I'm guessing they're getting most of their business late at night or from foot traffic already going through the area.

Still, pretty tasty. And, nah, no grade since it's a chain.

NO, I'm not going to review Bojangles or Popeyes. I don't review chain restaurants unless it's like the only one in West Virginia. Also, I wouldn't be able to do nearly as good of a job as Marilyn Hagerty.

BUT, this is the first time I've ever had either. So, there's that. (I actually had Bojangles twice) (Bojangles was close to my hotel, and Popeyes was on the way home). I think I'm a fan of Bojangles - for what it is, of course.

 

It's common knowledge in West Virginia that Hinton has the best Dairy Queen.

Is that a sad thing I just typed?

I don't know. But it's true.

I have made it clear, I hope, that I love supporting local businesses and eat local whenever possible. However, there are sometimes when I'm in a rush that I do get fast food. And I usually opt for Dairy Queen - my favorite fast food joint.

Since I started this blog, I've had so many people tell me to go to Hinton. Hinton? Really?

Yes, really.

There isn't much in Hinton, and I don't ever get down this way often, so I made a special detour while driving from Union to Charleston to go through Hinton just for this Dairy Queen.

From the outside, it looks pretty typical. I walked in and walked up to the counter to place my order for a hotdog. I then realized the seating area for this place is pretty massive - at least compared to the other DQs I've been to.

There's a section off to the left with some play areas for kids, and down the stairs to the second tier there is another seating space that overlooks the New River. And it's beautiful.

It's wide and not too deep in areas - so we saw fisherman and ducks. And it spans the entire viewing area from the large windows inside the DQ. One of the best serene views from a restaurant - and it's a DQ, of all places.

Oh, the hotdog.

It's housed in a grilled English bun (yum!) and was topped with onions, mustard, slaw and chili. Chili being on top. A little different than what I'm used to, but to be honest, I think I like it better. The roof of my mouth isn't met with cool slaw - it's instead met with the warm chili, which makes the slaw slightly less frigid, and I get a better taste of the chili - the ingredient I prefer. The slaw plays second fiddle to the chili, and I'm okay with that.

Since it is a chain, I will refrain from making this an official review by giving it a letter grade, but it's good - with an awesome view.

There are three Husson's Pizza locations in Charleston: on the West Side, on Bridge Road and in Kanawha City on 36th Street. They're very specific about which locations deliver where, and I was just at the cutoff for the the 36th Street location.

Husson's is a local chain and has branches in St. Albans, Cross Lanes, Sissonville, Spring Hill, Pinch and Huntington.

The menu boasts the largest "large" pizza in town. I don't know if that's true or not, but their pies are a decent size, for sure. You can also get subs, salads and low-carb options.

Husson's is probably my second favorite place in Charleston to get a New York-style slice. Graziano's being my favorite, of course. Charleston has some decent places to get a flat slice, as well as some fancier places, too.






It's flat and greasy - but not too greasy - and it makes me happy. The crust is not rock-hard - somewhat pillowy. Surprisingly considering how flat the dough is. Of course I got mine with mushrooms. I like Graziano's sauce a bit better, but this is really a good option that delivers quickly.

Grade: A

Though First Watch is technically a chain restaurant, there is only one in the state. And I consistently hear it being referred to as one of the best breakfast/lunch options in town. I went a little before the lunch rush on Sunday. This place gets pretty packed so if you're needing your fix, check it out before the church crowd lets out.

I found out later that their real stand-out offerings are breakfast items, but on this particular day, I opted for lunch. They have omelets, sandwiches and salads. I was a little worried that all I would see here are turkey sandwiches - or what I refer to as plain, boring sandwiches I could make at home. But the opposite happened.

There were actually a few different things that sounded good on the menu , so I tried the "2 For You" where you can choose two of a selected list of smaller portion items. So, it's as close to I'll come to a sampler here.

I ordered the "Monterey Club," which has turkey, bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, Monterey Jack and mayo on multigrain. And I also got the "Cobb Salad," with bacon, turkey, egg, tomato, avocado and bleu cheese crumbles.

Both of which were actually tasty. The multigrain brain kind of blew my mind. I wasn't expecting to like it, but it was fresh and had some more flavor than what I'm used to with - well - bread. The sandwich was good, but it does kind of fall into the category of something I could make it home. But I probably couldn't have made it taste that good.

The salad was my favorite. The ratio of toppings to lettuce was perfect. Usually you get a heap of lettuce with a couple pieces of tomato and call it a day. This salad was incredible. Everything was crisp, on point, blended together seamlessly and filled me up without feeling heavy. Really, pretty good. I will want to check out the breakfast offerings next time, though.

Checking out here was kind of a cluster. It was very busy, and the person in front of me was trying to use many, many coupons. If you have cash, you have priority, but if you have a card, be prepared to wait.

Grade: B

So I won't technically review Rita's Ice because it is a chain, but a new location did just open up in the MidAtlantic Market in the Pierpont Landing plaza. There is only one other location in West Virginia, so it's probably new to a lot of folks - including me!

It's literally in the same building as the MidAtlantic Market and you can access it via the outside window or go in the actual store and over to their counter. It's an interesting setup. Outside, there is a table. But considering it was freezing outside, I sat in the small nook area they have in the store.


Rita's only has a select few flavors right now, but I tried their lemonade, and a friend tried their Sourpatch kids. I really liked both of these, but I almost wish I would've asked for half of each. It reminded me of those Bombpop popsicles - which I love! But the texture is like a smooth snowcone - not chunky, but not creamy like ice cream. Tasty!

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

I'm not going to review Sweet Frog, per se, because it is a chain with restaurants located across 15 states. However, I do want to touch on it just because it is new to town, and I went there for the first time recently.

It's located at the Univeristy Towne Centre between PetCo and Target. It's Fro-yo, just like Naticakes, and has about 20 flavors. The atmosphere is fun and bright. It's all self-serve, so I picked up a cup from the end, filled it with a combination of Milky Way and Dulche De Leche and moved toward the toppings bar. The toppings seem to be endless, with everything from fruit and gummy bears to Reese cups and hot caramel. I chose the latter, of course. The price is based on weight, which is probably less than $5 for the small cup.


I have to say, I really enjoyed my yogurt. Between the hot caramel, cookie dough bites, Butterfinger, Reese and M&Ms, it's hard to not like this. Had I given it a rating, it probably would've been an A, but I am not doing that for a place like this.

One thing that did leave a sour taste in my mouth was their religious associations. Not that I'm against religion, I just don't want it shoved down my throat along with my fro-yo. The workers had on "Forever Rely On God" shirts. Guess that's what FROG stands for. I did like my dessert I made, but I think my money will go toward the local economy.

Sweet Frog is open Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday noon to 9 p.m. For more information on Sweet Frog, visit its website at www.sweetfrogyogurt.com.