304 Inferno was a wood-fired Neopolitan-style pizza restaurant in Parkersburg that unfortunately shuttered before it got too much attention.
I stopped here and placed a to-go order since I was short on time. I know the to-go order is a bit different from dining in, but I still got to peek at the interior, which was nice and welcoming.
They were out of some menu items and also some containers, so it was a bit of a mish-mash. But I did end up with a simple house salad that was fine.
My entree was ravioli a la vodka with spinach. Usually this is right up my alley, and the flavors are indeed - but it was cool. Cold even. And temperature doesn't usually bother me too much, but it definitely affected the flavor here.
Grade: B
Koba Cafe in Vienna offers Vietnamese and Korean food, in addition to bubble tea.
They have a little bit of everything - from fish cakes and wings to pho and kalbi.
I started with pork belly bao buns. They were served with jalapenos, cilantro and house sauce. I will always order these when I see them on a menu, because I love the bun itself. it is what I imagine biting into a cloud would taste like. But these had a bright, punchy flavor.
My bubble tea was the brown sugar flavor with boba - my favorite. It was very creamy.
Finally, I'm always searching for the high of a homemade bulgogi I once enjoyed with a friend's family. Koba Cafe's version had a nice sweet and salty flavor, but it wasn't quite as tender as I would have liked. I enjoyed it with rice and kimchi, nonetheless.
Grade: B
Lock No. 4 is an Ohio-based coffee shop with specialty drinks and snacks. They recently opened a Vienna location, complete with drive-thru.
I ordered a frozen hot chocolate because when I had one from Tim Horton's, I was a big fan. I can't say I was as crazy about this one; I don't think it was blended as finely as it should have been, and it needed more flavor to combat the ice watering it down.
The featured donut was OK. A donut has to be pretty special for me to get excited. This was fine - probably better paired with hot coffee.
Grade: B
Based in Vienna, West Virginia, this Napoli's is one of the last locations in the area that hadn't I visited.
The menu features pizza, burgers, pasta, and more.
I put in an order in advance, but it was not ready when I arrived, unfortunately. So I ended up waiting for quite a while before my meal was finished.
I went with a simple spaghetti - not usually my go-to, but sometimes a super simple meal is what hits the spot.
It also came with breadsticks. Overall, this was an average meal. The service was below average; the spaghetti was a lackluster pile of noodles and mildly flavorful tomato sauce. Not bad, but not notable. Average all in all.
Grade: C
You know when you ask someone where they want to go to dinner and they say "I Don't Care"? Well, one restaurant has capitalized on that.
I Don't Care Eatery & Spirits in Vienna is like a painted cinderblock building without many windows. It's a bit odd at first. But, inside, it is a bit more inviting. The menu features salads, sandwiches, burgers, wraps and a few dinners. On this day, they had a crab cake dinner special, so I took them up on it. The cakes themselves didn't have much crab, but I didn't mind the overall flavoring. The brussels on the side were soaking in an odd sweet brine. The baked potato would've been better if loaded. But, each individual part of the dinner was fine on its own.
Grade: B
I recently went to check out Boo & Brew held just outside the Gand Central Mall in Vienna.
In the parking lot, there were a number of activities - like music, make & take activities, and a beer garden for those of age.
What I was most excited about, of course, was the food trucks.
In particular, I wanted to check out Jimmy Avocado's, a tex-mex food truck based in the Parkersburg area.
Their menu is pretty simple: You can get a fish, chicken, pork or beef taco, nachos or burrito. The toppings are all fairly similar.
I went with a chicken taco (with cheese blend, lettuce roasted onions, peppers and sweet chipotle sauce), a carnita taco (pork, cheese blend, pico de gallo, pineapple and sweet chipotle sauce) and beef (queso, lettuce, pico de gallo and sweet chipotle sauce).
The texture of the tortilla was a bit chewy in a kinda stale way. Not my favorite - but I did enjoy the ingredients inside more. They were cool - but refreshing. The chipotle sauce was mild but added a little sweetness and spice.
Grade: B
The Cardinal Market in the Grand Central Mall in Vienna hosts a variety of local artisans, crafters, and business owners who sell their wares in this space.
There are a bunch of West Virginia-themed gifts, as well as some tasty goodies, too!
Now, you know I can't get enough of West Virginia goodies. Take a look at these cute notecards!
I also purchased some woodsy-scented candles. Mmm.
And I feel like bar soaps are becoming so popular. I know they've become like an artisan good, but I didn't realize that many folks actually used bar soap!
I digress. Let's talk about some of the tasty treats you can get here, like Tiff's Magical Cookie Creations. My cookie from here was so cute and tasty!
Then, there is also Granny's Kitchen fudge, which I've written about before. It's so good.
And, there are some other odds and ends from Ohio, like Mrs. Miller's and Jason & Mary's. What have you purchased from here?
Travel + ice cream are two of my favorite things. So, I combined the two recently during a trip to Vienna to check out the Frostee Shoppe Too.
The small drive-through shop has more than just ice cream, though: hot dogs, nachos, pretzels and pulled pork BBQ, as well.
I started off with ice cream and went with a turtle frostee flurry - chocolate, caramel and pecans. I oddly loved that the mix-ins aren't completely blended so there was a chunky texture with some chocolate-heavy bites and pecan-heavy bites for variation.
Then, I went with a soft pretzel with cheese. I'm not sure if I developed like a sensitivity to salt or what, but I cannot deal with this much salt on a pretzel. It just takes over. So I brushed a good bit off, dunked it in cheese and it was all hunky-dory.
And I got two hot dogs, too. One plain with ketchup and a "junkyard dog," which had "everything imaginable." It was pretty much chili, ketchup, mustard, onion and relish. Not bad, but with so many toppings, you barely get any of the hotdog itself.
Grade: B
The Parkersburg area is truly a culinary mecca, and I've been making my way through many of these restaurants.
Even those in the mall - like Bohio.
Bohio is a small food court restaurant that makes fresh tortillas and stuffs them full of meat, rice, beans and vegetables right in front of you.
For mine, I went with a burrito with cilantro rice, black beans, barbacoa, cheese, sour cream and a corn salsa.
And, it is huge.
What do you like in your burrito?
All work property of Candace Nelson. Powered by Blogger.
