A new Princeton restaurant is combining two classics: pizza and Italian beef.

Slice Italian Beef & Pizza has your classic pies, but it also has sandwiches like the Chicago favorite Italian beef; the Elvis with banana, peanut butter and jelly; bratwurst; hot dogs; and Philly cheesesteaks.

After looking over the menu, though, I had to go with a jumbo pepperoni roll.

It was stuffed with cheese, with marinara on the side.


This is definitely a whole-meal roll.

Look at that beauty.


What do you order here?

Sophisticated Hound Brewing Company is one of West Virginia's newest breweries!

Located in Princeton, this brewery has been on tap around the state for some time but recently opened its own taproom.

At the time of this writing, it's only open on Saturdays but word is the owner plans to open up more days, as well.

The first thing I noticed was the outdoor space with lights strung overhead and the Patch Whiskey mural.

So cool!

Inside, there are a good bit of tables and a bar area.

I ordered a flight of all their beers on tap: Racer 8 American Stout, 1863 Pale Ale, RYEbellion, Tail Chaser, Mahaffey's Irish Red and the El Jefe.

My favorites were the 1863 Pale Al and Tail Chaser.

The owner also talked about how the name for the brewery was inspired by their dog, who is a retired racing greyhound.


That's so sweet.

We also got some snacks!

I went for the spinach artichoke dip, and friends got the pretzels.

Have you been?

Have you heard of coal candy? I hadn't, until recently.

Coal Country Kandies serves up these sweets - in addition to a full cafe menu - in their Princeton location.


The coal candy is like rock candy - just with an Appalachian flair.


But, I also spotted a pepperoni roll on the menu. And it's not super common to see pepperoni rolls on the menu in this corner of the state, so I wanted to check it out.

Delish! What's your favorite thing to order here?

Back in my day - aka when I used to spend significant time in Princeton, this location was a Subway.

Now, it's a beloved BBQ restaurant: Emmett's Down South.

It's a counter-service restaurant, so I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, macaroni & cheese and hushpuppies. That's like an iconic trio for me. And those hushpuppies are a unique shape!

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 noticed a new bakery in downtown Princeton, Mercer Street, recently. Princeton has a pretty tough time hanging onto bakeries - mostly, I think, because they are half-baked. See what I did there?



What I mean is, I don't think they're always well-thought out. Good intentions, but the execution isn't there. When we walked into Sweet Nothing's, I noticed the mismatched furniture and bare cases. I'm used to seeing glass cases full of delectables. It looked as though there were some stale cookies, and that's about it.

Looking at the board to the left, they have what  Chris generically refers to as "turkey sandwich" boards. Meaning something we could just as easily make at home, and make better. However, in addition, they had quiche. I knew that's what I wanted. The lady working suggested vegetable soup as a side.

We were the only ones in there, and when our food came out, I was pleasantly surprised. The quiche was to-die-for. Not only is it rare to find quiche in restaurants in the area, it was a damn good quiche. Light, buttery and flaky on top, but decadent, indulgent inside. It was broccoli and cheese, and I think I could've eaten the whole thing. The vegetable soup was good, too. It was homemade, which is nice. But the quiche was the standout here.


The women also brought us over a pumpkin cookie - moist and tasty. And THEN they brought us a piece of chocolate cake - which was super rich, but good. The food here really is good. But it's not consistent - you'll have to go in to find out what they're cooking up that day. And I strongly suggest getting the special, because they can definitely cook.

Hopefully more people check it out so this place can survive.

Grade: B
 

The infamous Grillbilly's has gone the way of the Dodo. In its place, in that little blue trailer, is Big Ben's Burgers. If you recall, I actually really enjoyed Grillbilly's - though not the epitome of creative culinary excellence - it is a nice little shack that put out some tasty food.


So, when I saw that it was replaced by Big Ben's Burgers, I wasn't hesitant to give it another go. This time, though, I was flying solo, so I tried the drive-thru. It's awkward in that there isn't a place to loop around, so I drove up through their parking lot, turned around, then went through the drive-thru.

From my car, I was staring up at the menu when the doors slid open. The man working asked me if I had been there or had a menu. I said no, and he handed me a stapled menu and a pen! Score!



The first item I noticed was the Big Ben Deluxe with mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion ring, bacon and cheese for $3.59. I also ordered two slaw-chili-onion-mustard dogs. All the toppings are free, except the slaw, which is .25 more. I think I got a deal somehow because I only ended up paying about $6.36 and got more than I bargained for.


After waiting for a good little while - it's clear they cook them as soon as you order, not before - I finally was handed a smoldering paper bag full of treats. When I was able to look in my bag, I realized that I was given not one, but two burgers. They didn't get my order wrong, because they didn't charge me extra. There was nobody else in line or even near me when ordering, so it couldn't have been anyone else's. I can only assume they decided to throw in an extra for good luck.

I first took a bite of the hotdog because I was really excited for it. I had just had a "WV hotdog," and was hoping this would live up to the previous one. The slaw was not minced aswell as I would've liked. The chili didn't have that tangy sweet taste I like, but overall, it was still a good hotdog.

But for the real test - the burger. This guy had some girth to him, and I like how the cheese melted perfectly atop the burger. It was tasty. The crisp of the fried onion ring, cool tomato and crunch of the lettuce was great on a warm bun. The burger was seasoned well, too. Both of them! Unfortunately, my tummy didn't do so well later on that night - maybe it was the grease? So maybe I'll have to wait a bit before I try this one out again.






Grade: C