Pierogies are much more common in the northern part of the state near Pittsburgh - so much so that there was actually a small restaurant dedicated to them in Wheeling.



For the Love of Pierogies opened in Centre Market, slinging the Polish dumplings, as well as fresh pasta, sauerkraut, kielbasa and more. Unfortunately, they have closed since my visit, but I wanted to share a little bit about the food anyway.



The main flavors they offered were potato and onion, potato and cheddar, and potato and sauerkraut. I opted for the onion, and they were quite tasty. A nice little golden brown crisp, a thick, whipped filling = a satisfying bite. Though I do wish there was some sort of dipping sauce to go with it. Sour cream? Applesauce? Both? Just a touch dry, so a sauce would've helped it out.



Grade: B

I've been woring my way through Chinese–American take out restaurants in the Northern Panhandle for some time now. Whenever I go to visit my parents, I will often stop and grab lunch for us. I try to pick the new place each time, and it can't be too far away from home so that it doesn't get cold. That means I usually end up in the Moundsville-Wheeling area.



Such is the case with China Wok in the Bethlehem neighborhood of Wheeling. they offer the standard fare, including fried rice, lo mein, specialty chicken, beef, and pork dishes, and more. It also has the added benefit of online ordering, which makes it easier for me. I usually order a few different entrées; this time included General Tso's chicken, crab rangoons, peanut butter chicken, sesame chicken, and steamed veggies.



I would say everything was as expected. I liked that the peanut butter chicken was an option because I don't see that often, but it was a bit dry for my taste. I did enjoy the lo mein, which had some more moisture. Both of sesame chicken and General Tso's were pretty similar save for the sesame seed topping. A little sweet, a little stringy. My favorite bites, though, were are those bites of white rice drenched in the General Tso sauce.



Grade: B

Table 304 in Wheeling makes charcuterie boards of all types.



What does that look like? A hot chocolate box full of marshmallows, Hershey kisses and peppermint stirring spoons. Or, it could be a grazing cup, which is a portable cup with a meat, cheese and veggies.



In my case, I ordered a grazing box to serve as an appetizer for my family. It had this wonderful jarlsberg cheese spread that I could eat by the spoonful. Plus, some strawberries, peppers, blueberries, blackberries, olives, salami, hard cheese, soft cheese, pepitas and nice crackers. Plus a few sweets. Some nice quality ingredients in here with just the perfect amount.



Grade: A

I was in Wheeling recently and grabbed lunch with my mom at Elle & Jack's.  



The restaurant was somewhat busy, which was immediately evident when it took several minutes to get us seated, to get menus, to get drinks. This kept me a little on edge, counting the minutes down on our lunch break. 



The space is nice, though - modern, yet elegant. And there is outdoor dining along the road, which is where we opted to sit. The menu for lunch was fairly small with burgers, sandwiches and salads. I went for the classic burger with American cheese, mayo, ketchup, onion and a side of fries. 



Unfortunately, by the time the food came out, our lunch break was over and we had to get the food to go and eat separately. Once I was able to dig in, it was pretty good. A bit cold and soggy at this point, but my burger was well-seasoned, and the slice of melty cheese always makes everything better. 

Grade: B

Hangover BBQ has brought delicious BBQ to Wheeling.



"We are all about BBQ smoking all of our meats low and slow on our 500 gallon smoker. Offering southern cuisine, daily specials and some damn good BBQ. Dry rub only on the meats and homemade sauces on the side. We also have the best craft ice cream sandwiches in town thanks to Leona's. Plus Wheeling’s first Kombucha Bar provided by Neighborhood Kombuchery!" 



I was able to visit this great BBQ spot some time ago and was so excited to finally check it out. 



The restaurant was located upstairs, so I climbed up and looked over the menu once I got inside. They make homemade rubs and Texas-style BBQ.



I wanted to try something different, so I opted for bratwurst with macaroni & cheese and macaroni salad (give me all the macaroni!). 



I had the jalapeno cheddar bratwurst, which had some slight heat, but was not overpoweringly so. It was flavorful, and I tried it with all the different sauces they have.



Atomic 79 (spicy mustard), Appalachian (creamy horseradish), Pioneer (traditional BBQ), Apple Butter (sweet). I enjoyed all of these for different reasons - depending on the vessel. But I went for the pioneer primarily for this one.



The mac & cheese was pretty good, as was the macaroni salad. Love that slightly crisp browned edges of the macaroni that has been baked beautifully.



Something you don't see often: homemade noodles! Is there anything better than a thick, chewy noodle? I don't think so. These came with cabbage and potatoes, and it was glorious. It's hard to find good, homemade noodles, and these were just as good as the BBQ.



And, there was even dessert.



Leona's ice cream sandwiches, based in Pittsburgh, are stacked in a cooler off to the side.  They have quite a selection of artisan flavors. And s'mores are one of my favorite things of all time - so the "chocolate marshmallow/graham" was calling my name.



These are not tiny little desserts. It's a giant sandwich with a perfectly crumbly top and thick ice cream sandwiched between the two layers. It is so, so good. And just topped off the whole experience.

Grade: A

LJ's Hoagie King in Wheeling serves up - surprise - hoagies.



Heroes, grinders, subs, hoagies - whatever you may call these sandwiches- LJ's has them. For me personally, I tend to think of "hoagies" as the cold sandwiches you pick up to go in a convenience store. And subs are the ones you get from restaurants. But that's just my brain.



Either way, LJ's is an old-school restaurant with a U-shaped counter full of regulars who looked toward the door when I walked in. I looked over the menu and ordered an Italian hoagie, which is layered with capicola, ham, lettuce, tomato, onion, dressing, and provolone cheese. This was nicely stacked and had a great proportion of ingredients. The bread was just slightly a bit crunchy, which likely helps with the moisture of the sandwich. But I wouldn't have hated it to be a bit softer. Still a tasty, simple sandwich.

Grade: B

One of my favorite ways to eat is to order a bunch of little snack size options and share so that everyone can try a little bit of everything (unless I'm really hungry, then I want my own dish because I am ready to throw down).



So, I kinda recreated a tapas concept at Panda Chinese Kitchen in Wheeling. 



The longtime Wheeling favorite is a pretty standard go-to for Chinese food in the downtown area. They were still primarily takeout when I went, but they made it a pretty simple process. 



I had called in an order for sweet & sour chicken, pineapple chicken, vegetable lo mein, and general tso chicken combination to go.



So I took this home to my parents' house and we had a little bit of everything. They don't do shellfish or pork, so our dinner was pretty chicken heavy. 



Sweet and sour chicken is always a crowd-pleaser. It's white chicken meat covered in a batter and dipped in a sweet sauce - it is universally beloved. That's an easy win in case the other selections weren't as favored.



The general tsos was not my favorite rendition. Pretty chewy and stringy - though, honestly, that seems to be the norm nowadays. Or maybe I'm more cognizant of it? I'm not sure. But I don't want to feel like I'm chewing on an old piece of chicken - even if dredged in a tasty sauce.



The pineapple chicken was the same quality of meat, but it does give me a faux sense of "health" when there's a fruit involved. It definitely makes it sweeter, but this sauce was almost soupy. The chicken breading got kinda soggy. Flavor of the sauce wasn't bad; just the texture wasn't my favorite.



And veggie lo mein - this was a hit. Simple, straight-forward and tasty. 

Grade: B

Mugshots is a new coffee shop in downtown Wheeling that has a fun, quirky theme. 



You may have guessed it - but their decor features mugshots of celebrities on the tables, menus and countertops.



While heading back to Charleston from Wellsburg, I stopped here for a little caffeine boost. Okay, okay, and a snack.



I love the historical space. The architecture of the building is lovely, even if there are more modern touches inside.



The menu has a nice variety of coffee drinks, including cold brew, French press, espresso, latte, red eye, breve, frozen, and more. I ordered a frozen honey nut latte, which has honey, hazelnut, espresso and steamed milk. It was delicious - a treat with just a bit of espresso. 



I also ordered a smoked salmon wrap, which has dill cream cheese, capers, balsamic vinegar and mixed greens on a spinach wrap. It was so good.



It's so filling but is light and fresh, and the dill cream cheese pulls it all together and the balsamic adds that acid. It's just an easy, smart dish that I could eat all the time. Plus a side of hummus and pita? Yes, please. All day long.



Grade: A

The Market Cafe in Wheeling is located downtown in the Centre Market area.



The building is cute, and the interior has some homey vibes with comfy chairs and chalkboard menus. 



The menu features breakfast, soups, salads, sandwiches and coffee drinks. 



On this day, I was looking for a little caffeine fix so I ordered a frappe. 



The one on the menu that captured my attention was the "cotton candy" frappe because while, yes, it does sound super sweet ... I don't think I have ever seen it on a drink menu before? So I wanted to try it. 



It was very cute - but indeed very sweet. And, not sure I got my caffeine fix because the drink was cream-based and I don't know that it actually had any espresso in it. It was more like a milkshake.



Overall, it definitely gave me a bit of a sugar rush, and I applaud the cafe for some unique offerings.

Grade: B