Chef Paul Smith, West Virginia's first James Beard Award winner, has opened his newest restaurant in Charleston: Paulie's Fine Italian. Located just across from his restaurant 1010 Bridge, Paulie's Fine Italian focuses on authentic Italian cusine with an Appalachian flare. Smith draws inspiration from his childhood memories spent in the kitchen with his grandfather, and the dishes at Paulie's each tell a story. I was super fortunate to check out the soft opening of the restaurant; I expected a few kinks considering it's brand new. But, I was blown away and want to share some of the incredibly tasty dishes we were able to try. I went with friends Evan & Heather Osborn, Erin & Eric Conner, and Jamie Ferrell. With such a big party, we were able to order a little bit of everything and share. Even doing that, we only ended up sampling a portion of the menu - but everything was amazing. First up was a round of oyster shooters. This was the first time I've ever had an oyster shooter. My question was: do you chew? I think the answer is no. But, I kinda wanted to savor the flavor of it? I chewed it a bit, enjoying the slimy, briny oyster with a touch of sweet acid from the limoncello mignonette. Next up was the appetizer I ordered: artichoke & potato with rosemary, garlic aioli. We received some complimentary bread and oil with parmesan. Brussels sprouts with guanciale, hot honey and farmhouse cheese. Fried Oysters with fire-roasted Calabrian chili. Fried mozzarella cheese curds wit hfire-roasted tomato sauce and parm snow. PARM SNOW. Fried anchoby stuffed olives, marcona almonds and lemon zest. Folks at the table seemed to love this one the most. Lobsters & Bowties - poached lobster, langoustine cream, and tarragon breadcrumbs. Just from this description alone, you know it's good. I had a hard time deciding because I also still really want to try the Sunday Ribbons, the Sausage and Pea, the Rigatoni alla Vodka, the Carbonara --- literally, everything. I want to try everything. But, wait, there's more. DESSERT. And, I know you're surprised, but I loved every single dessert. The cannoli chip & dip featured sweet ricotta and housemade pizzelles. Tiramisu cheesecake had espresso, mascarpone and a lady finger. The panna cotta had lemon and mascerated berries. The budino was like a chocolate pudding with salted caramel. Finally, the last one of the evening was bread pudding with panettone and rum anglaise. And, this may have been my most favorite of all. Grade: A

Sergio's Cucina Italiana & Steaks is a newer restaurant in Hurricane that I visited with two of my closest friends, Elena and Amanda, when it first opened.



This restaurant is one of several from the namesake owner, who also owns the Guadalajara restaurants. But, the specialty for this location is specifically Italian fare and steaks. And I had set my sights on Italian.



I started with a minestrone soup, which I wasn't crazy about. But the warm breadsticks with parmesan were fluffy and buttery.



I built my own trio with the following:

Meat lasagna - layers of hearty ground beef, creamy ricotta, and Parmesan cheese, all nestled between sheets of pasta and smothered in rich tomato sauce and baked to perfection.

Chicken parmesan - breaded chicken cutlet served over a bed of spaghetti pasta and topped with rich marinara sauce.

Fettuccine rosa - A delectable blend of marinara and house-made Alfredo sauce tossed with fettuccine, served with tender chicken.



The meal was so comforting and filling - it's impossible not to enjoy it. The flavors were not anything I haven't had before, but they were tasty. Carbs are my love language.



Grade: A

With an old world influenced style, Sauce on the Blue's menu offers a selection of Italian dishes - from classic favorites like Spaghetti Bolognese to more contemporary dishes like Penne Gorgonzola. That Penne Gorgonzola sounded right up my alley and reminded me of the grape & gorgonzola pizza at Pies & Pints. The dish has gorgonzola cream sauce, chicken, red grapes and baby spinach. It goes hard in the flavor category with the bright pops of sweetness with the grapes paired with the creamy funkiness of the cheese. The only downfall for me was the bits of chicken that were a bit rubbery, which can give me the ick pretty easily. Grade: B

Scaffidi's Gnocchi Nook was a quick-service carryout restaurant located in Weirton that turned to a virtual kitchen based out of the Scaffidi Restaurant Group in Steubenville, Ohio.



They offeer Build Your Own Gnocchi Bowls, Pasta Bowls, and more. I with with a gnocchi bowl, which comes with your choice of Ricotta Gnocchi, Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi or Tomato Basil Ricotta Gnocchi. Then, choose the sauce: Alfredo Sauce, Marinara Sauce, Oil & Garlic Sauce or Pink Sauce. Finally, choose the toppings: Bacon, Banana Peppers, Black Olives, Capers, Crumbled Sausage, Feta Cheese, Grilled Chicken, Ham, Mozzarella Cheese, Mixed Peppers, Mushrooms, Onions, Pepperoni, Salami, Shrimp, Spinach and Tomatoes.

I ordered a ricotta gnocchi with marinara sauce, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. What I received was a giant congealed mess of mozzarella sitting on top of some gnocchi. This is in my part my fault for choosing the ingredients, but I assumed erroneously that they would be mixed throughout. Now, none of this is bad - carbs, sauce, veggies. But the proportions were totally off. I went to search for a gnocchi, cut off a hunk of mozzarella and fork a mushroom to get a mix. This is part of the downfalls of a delivery-only restaurant. This probably would've been much beteter fresh.



Grade: C

Carlo's Pizza & More is a new restaurant in Morgantown in the Chelsea Square area. This plaza - and specifically this restaurant location - was home to one of my favorite all-time restaurants at one point. So, I was excited to check out this new place and see if it holds a candle to a past favorite. The interior is fairly small – some older Italian-themed decor and placemats. The lightbulbs were flickering in the fixtures. Music played in the background. The menu features pizza and sandwiches, as well as some pasta and specialty dishes. We started with some fresh breadsticks and olive oil with balsamic. These were warm and in a fun little cylindrical shape. The oil mixture is simple, but flavorful. I then had a salad that had more onions on it than I've ever had on a salad before. The French dressing was very creamy, almost 1000 Island-esque. And for my entree, I went with the pasta carbonara. This is one of my favorite dishes, so I may have built it up in my head a bit too much. But this one didn't quite hit the spot for me. It had that scrambled egg flavor instead of a silky, velvety cream sauce. Grade: C

Scaffidi's Restaurant and Tavern is a family-owned and operated restaurant in Steubenville, Ohio, specializing in foods with an Italian flare.

I found them on DoorDash and placed an order for me & my parents. I had Italian wedding soup and some fried zucchini planks. I liked the soup. Not bad. I would've liked the zucchini a bit thicker. But most importantly - I was able to enjoy this meal with my parents. Peep my dad in the background; he just recently passed and I am missing him dearly.



Grade: B

Georges' Taps & Italian Grill in Beaver suddenly closed earlier this year, but I had a chance to snag a meal before their doors closed for the last time.



The restaurant focuses on Italian fare, as the name implies, but they also offered sandwiches, wings, tacos, hotdogs, you name it. But, when I was visiting, I wanted to try some of their signature dishes.



I started with the bruschetta, which I was really happy with. A delicious pile of tomato and vinegar and herbs anchored the appetizer while lightly grilled toast fanned around it. The mixture was a delicious blend of sweet and acidic, and the freshness of the tomatoes with the crunch of the bread made for a really satisfying bite.



I had a small house salad, which included pickled red onion, cucumber and mushroom with a balsamic dressing. The base here was OK, but I did enjoy the balsamic, which again had a nice hit of acid.



Georges' piccata was made with capers, white wine, and chicken stock with butter and lemon juice. It was fab. Just the right amount of sour plus creaminess that made for a really rich dish.



Grade: A

Everyone I know from the Cumberland, Maryland, area has one favorite restaurant: D'Atri's.



"Nestled in scenic LaVale Maryland, D’Atri Restaurant first opened its doors in 1971 when Robert D’Atri sought to supplement his income from the Kelly-Springfield tire plant by opening a small pizza shop in Cumberland. Surprisingly, rather than pizza, the crowd-pleaser turned out to be the family-recipe steak sub – a foot-long creation made with chopped rib-eye steak and lettuce flavored with the family’s blend of Italian seasonings. The steak subs were so popular that the D’Atri family opened another restaurant in 1976 in LaVale...



... Now the steak sub has become a regional favorite; so much so that former residents often have sandwiches shipped to their homes! And when returning to Western Maryland, former-locals always make sure to visit D’Atri Restaurant. Now owned by D’Atri daughter Antoinette and her husband Scott, D’Atri’s Restaurant is continuing the family tradition of keeping the highest-quality food and service at prices everyone can afford."



I had to try that famous steak sub, though the menu features a wide variety of breakfast options, salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, and other dinner plates.



The steak sub features chopped ribeye, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and Miracle Whip on a roll. It is served warm and with some special Italian seasoning. It is large and served splayed open because it is stacked with toppings. It proves a bit difficult to eat, unless you smash everything down or cut it up.



But once I got in, I enjoyed this sub. The steak was of good quality, so there wasn't a bunch of pieces with fat or sinew. It ate well for that reason. The lettuce was crunchy and had a sweet and vinegary flavor. So, there was a great combination of textures, plus the freshness of the vegetables rounded out the sandwich.



The side of potato salad wasn't necessarily my favorite. I like a tangyp potato salad, not necessarily a sweet or peppery one.



Have you been?



Grade: A