I don't ever remember spending any time at the Highlands area of Wheeling growing up, but as an adult, I have visited a few times to check it out.



Mostly, as you could've guessed, to check out new restaurants. 



There are a number of chains, but there are also a handful of locally owned places - including a DiCarlo's, Mexican restaurant and a hibachi restaurant.



My parents and I went to Fusion Steakhouse, a hibachi restaurant that features a teppanyaki, which is a Japanese style of cooking on a griddle right in front of you. It's like a meal with a show. 



This location is connected to ones in Morgantown, Parkersburg, Washington PA, and Grove City, Ohio.



But we went a more low-key route and just dined in the main dining room. We started with some vegetable tempura, which I really liked the squash or pumpkin they had in there! 



We also tried their "Chicken Zingers," which were deep-fried bite-sized pieces of white meat chicken covered in their tari sweet & sour sauce. These were a classic sweet and sour dish that was a satisfying bite. 



My mom went with some hibachi steak, which she enjoyed and had leftovers for days.



And dad went with a General Tso's Chicken, which is always a classic. Crisp, tender, spicy, tangy sauce.

 
And I went with some cream cheese wontons and a sushi roll: a california roll topped with shrimp tempura and eel and spicy mayo sauce. So tasty. 



I like the comforting reliability of this hibachi chain, and they have enough of a variety to appease a number of appetites. On this day, everything was tasty and fresh, and I left happy and full.

Grade: A

Oh, DiCarlo's. Best dang pizza in the world.



I went to visit one of the newest locations - in the Northern Panhandle - on one of the last snows of the year and I've been avoiding writing about it because I miss it so much.



If you're new here, DiCarlo's is an Ohio Valley-style pizza that has a crunchy crust and a sweeter sauce that is baked, and when that comes out, provolone is gently melted on top. I've been to every DiCarlo's location now, and there are some very mild differences between the locations. You can look back through the reviews to check those out. But also - I just like to have an excuse to eat more DiCarlo's, so I travel.



This location is in a shopping area, so parking is plentiful, and it has a more modern vibe in a small space. The menu is short - pizza, pepperoni rolls and drinks. That's fine by me. I put in an order for six pieces (usually the amount that fits in a box) with mushrooms. 



Oh my god. Is your mouth watering, too? The parking, the space, it's all a distant memory when the pizza is in front of me. Sure, the experience was fine. But this PIZZA. It's perfectly crunchy - but not too thick. It has sauce all the way to the edges so you get a full bite every time. And that fresh cheese. All paired with the umami flavor of the mushrooms? Chef's kiss. Perfection.



Grade: A