Burgers & Bites in Morgantown is a restaurant that focuses on - you guessed it - burgers and bites. I went to a location in downtown Morgantown previously, which was OK. But I discovered this new location at the mall. I thought that I would check it out. I kept it simple with just some chicken tenders. They were dressed in a barbecue, which was pretty average. I was surprised that it did not come with a dipping sauce. But, these were just fine overall. I don't know that I would make a special trip out to try these, but they are just fine in a pinch.



Grade: C

Get Fit is a smoothie and nutrition shop that has opened its second location in the Suncrest Towne Centre. I've been to their Pierpont Road location, so I wanted to. check out the latest location. 



They do have plenty of supplements and cleanses if that is your sort of thing. 



I was more interested in seeing the smoothies and snacks.



They offer acai bowls, wraps, salads, oatmeal, melts and toasts. I went with an avocado toast, which had avocado, arugula, salt/pepper, olive oil and I added feta. 



The toast was good, and though it may not be quite as healthy, I would have loved a drizzle of balsamic over top.



My smoothie - strawberry banana - was delicious. Sweet, but not too sweet, and refreshing. 



Grade: A

Morgantown has an ever-growing list of new businesses and restaurants to explore. I'm always playing catch-up! One of my most recent visits included a stop at Morgantown Art Bar. 



Morgantown Art Bar combines music, art and food to create a cool space. "Founded in 2020, Morgantown Food Party is a shared-use commercial kitchen experience that gives talented cooks a licensed and certified food-safe facility to showcase their talents. Our community-orientated space was created for culinarians and artists to showcase their talents. MFP'S shared-use commercial kitchen enables Morgantown-area food entrepreneurs to craft and sell their goods from a licensed and certified food-safe facility. With an assortment of equipment and food prep gear, whether you’re a manufacturer, food truck operator, caterer, or hobbyist, we are ready to assist you in your entrepreneurial journey," reads the website.



I stopped by and ordered brunch - some pierogies and a Cheeseburger In Paradise (American cheese, mayo, onion, lettuce, tomato). Pierogies were good and had a nice crisp from the frying (I love them all ways!). The burger was OK - wish the cheese had been melted to get that gooey factor and a little messy. But not bad. 



Grade: B

DRAFT is a restaurant & bar in Morgantown that has a bit of a sports bar bend - large TVs, subscriptions to the local networks and some creative drinks like the giant mimosa table tower we saw as soon as we walked in.



I went with my friend Kayla for brunch, and we were excited by both the food and drinks. I started off with the Bloody Mary Board, which came with a Bloody Mary prepared with Absolut peppar vodka plus tons of accoutrements - onion cheddar, shrimp, bacon, horseradish pickles, sweet pickled peppers, cocktail sauce. This is the best part of a bloody mary, so I was in heaven. It's mostly just snacking and using the bloody mary as a dipping sauce.



For my main meal, I went with the chicken & waffles. You know how the chicken and fish at Long John Silver's kinda taste the same because they're all using the same batter? I kinda had that effect here. Both the waffles and chicken were cooked to the same color and all covered in powdered sugar. I did like the waffles - they were the crispy, Belgian kind that have a bit more chew. 



What's your favorite thing here?



Grade: B

A soul food restaurant opened up on High Street called Lin San Soul Food. 



Soul food is special, and I certainly think Morgantown - and West Virginia as a whole - would benefit from having more of this homestyle, homemade cooking that often incorporates family favorite recipes. 



I struggled a little bit to catch them open and then when I caught them open, they weren't actually ready to serve yet. So the timing was a bit chaotic. But once I passed that hurdle, I was excited to see what they were offering.



On this day, it was only mac & cheese and oxtails while I was there. That was OK, because it was what I wanted anyway. The mac & cheese was OK, but not fully warmed up all the way through. That would've helped because the flavor wasn't bad. And the oxtails lacked a little bit of that deep, rich flavor that melts in your mouth. They were still good, but a little tougher than I've had elsewhere. Again, not bad but a little room for improvement. I'm happy to see them there and think some of these kinks can be worked out. 



Grade: C

I recently visited the Cardinal Market in the Morgantown Mall.



This market hosts a bunch of local vendors - with everything from bath and body products, food products, toys and home decor.

I've been to the original Cardinal Market location in Vienna, which I loved. So, as soon as the Morgantown one opened up, I was there.  

Here are some of the goodies I picked up:



Jade's Scratch Sweets - these peanut butter balls - or buckeyes - were delish.



Tiff's Magical Cookie Creations - beautiful sugar cookies; I went with a a WV one. 



T&T Kernels - so good! Kettle corn, which is like sweet and salty, is the perfect middle ground.



Shana Cakes - Who doesn't love a good macaron? Especially when they're not easy to come by! Tasty.

Crumbl Cookies have been really popular on social media recently, but the closest one to me is in Morgantown. That means when I was in town recently, I had to make a quick stop.



I placed an order online, thankfully, because there was quite a line when I showed up. Crumbl's whole thing is that they offer a new lineup of cookies each week. I decided I wanted one of each on this particular week. 

"Each week, our menu rotates to give you 4-5 different specialty flavors to taste and enjoy. But don’t worry, our famous Chocolate Chip will always be available for you to enjoy!"

When I visited, there was a raspberry crumble cookie, a chocolate cupcake one, a s'more cookie, a pink sugar cookie, a chocolate chip and salted caramel one. I thought they were all OK. I liked the caramel, but was not crazy about the spice cookie. I think the sugar one was actually my favorite. What's your favorite one?

I'm pretty sure at some point I've tried bubble tea and/or ice cream at the Morgantown mall, but I couldn't see an official review. So, let's get to it. 



XiCha Bubble Tea & Hershey's Ice Cream is located in the food court beside Wong's Wok. The two must be connected in some way because they seem to share workers and a POS machine. There is a variety of ice cream, but I went for a strawberry milk tea with some mango popping boba. It was really quite good. I'm not a fan of tea, but the milk tea takes away the flavor of tea. Instead, it was like a strawberry milk with some little pops of juicy citrus. What's your favorite combo here?

Grade: A

The Seneca Center has been home to a number of iconic Morgantown restaurants, including the Glasshouse Grille and Hill & Hollow.



New restaurant Vanessa's Kitchen has now entered the space and has big shoes to fill.  The space is historic, with lots of wood and sprawling nooks in which to dine. 



I went in for lunch, and I think the folks working were surprised and maybe not fully prepared for anyone to be dining in. After I accidentally broke up their party, I was seated in the dining area and brought two different menus. One was their standard menu, I believe, and then there was a whole other packet of paper of specials. It was a lot to look through - maybe if there are that many specials, they could just be incorporated into the main menu.



I started with a crab rangoon dip -  crab dip with fried wontons. I think this is such a smart menu item because it's taking like the best Chinese appetizer and transforming it to make the filling the star. The dip is really thick and cheesy, so it's really, really rich. But when I got a bite of green onion in the mix, it was a perfect bite. I would just add 20x more green onion on top to help cut through some of the fattiness.



For my entree, I went with a filet with mushrooms and gorgonzola and a horseradish cream sauce, mashed potatoes and asparagus. A very generous portion, this meal was so large I only was able to eat about 1/3 of it in one sitting. The filet is just topped with everything I love, so it was fabulous. A little funk from the cheese and heat from horseradish, plus just indulgent creamy deliciousness. The mashed potatoes were not an afterthought - super well seasoned and had some texture, which I love. And asparagus gave a small respite from all the fattiness. So it was just a great overall meal that I needed a nap after enjoying.



Grade: A

The Seneca Center in Morgantown has changed pretty significantly over the last couple years. Since the last time I was there, there has been a huge addition and a few new businesses. Let's check out one of them: Brownie House.



"Brownie House was created by Karen Higgins in 2005. It started with a family recipe in her home kitchen, and it quickly transformed into a busy e-commerce business with a popular bakery and storefront in Morgantown, West Virginia. The gourmet brownie bakery was closed several years later. However, nearly fifteen years later, Karen and her oldest son, Christian, rebranded and reopened Brownie House! The decision to reopen was an easy one for them, and they left their professional careers behind to pursue their passion for baking and growing the family business as a mother-son duo. Brownie House is now veteran-owned, family-operated, and a proud West Virginia business.

Brownie House is famous for its “BIG” gourmet brownies which are chunky, fudgy, cakey, and typically weigh over a quarter pound each (that’s a LOT of chocolate)! Brownie House Brownies are cut and wrapped by hand in two sizes— “BIG” and “Traditional”. New gourmet brownies and blondies are regularly added to the Brownie House menu, including gluten-free brownies that are baked with locally sourced buckwheat from a farm in West Virginia! To make it even better, the brownies are available for nationwide shipping! What makes Brownie House Brownies so darn good? Well, they’re baked with imported premium cocoa powder and dark chocolate, homemade or otherwise high-quality ingredients, and never with artificial preservatives. They are uniquely rich, fudgy, and cakey, and they are truly one of a kind. Most importantly, they’re baked and packaged with love!"



The branding and set-up of this shop is cute. I'm a fan. My only gripe is that all of the brownies are dark chocolate.



So I tried my luck anyway with a coconut white chocolate blondie and a caramel indulgence. 



I'm not a huge fan of coconut, but it wasn't overwhelming in this blondie. And, the flavors worked well together and it's certainly a bit sweeter than the dark chocolate counterparts.



I love everything caramel, but dark chocolate is just a bit too bitter for me. For many, though, the dark chocolate probably balances out the sweet caramel. I want to keep an eye on their monthly specials and see if I can find one that is right up my alley.



Grade: B

Pop The Soda Shop is a new restaurant in Morgantown that focuses on one main thing: pop. Or, soda. Or coke, if you will.  



Specifically, these folks are creating hand-crafted sodas from mixing cola or lemon-lime bases with all sorts of other flavors, like cream, strawberry, peach puree and more. There are also energy drinks, milk shakes and more. They have a few snacks on hand, like pepperoni rolls. 



When I walked in, I was overwhelmed by the menu (maybe do your homework before coming), but it wasn't busy and I took my time. The service could benefit from some more experience, but they'll get there. I went with a pineapple upside down cake, which had cola, pineapple, cherry and cream. 



It really was quite tasty. I like it better than just a regular cola, which can seem a bit much sometimes. The fruit and cream seem to mellow out the flavors. My issue is - I don't really know when I would come here? Maybe if you're next door at the BBQ place, but otherwise, I'm not sure I would go to a place just to get a soda. I hope I'm wrong and they find a cool, niche audience. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Grade: B