Located at Pierpont Landing, Penny's Diner is a little out of the way of the main restaurants in Morgantown. On the plus side, there is ample parking, and it's easy to get to. I met my friend Kayla, avid diner-goer, her boyfriend Michael and her friend Megan there for some grub Wednesday night.

I was meeting them there, so I was a little rushed as I walked in. As soon as you open the door, there's a stand with a hostess asking how many, etc., which is nice, considering this isn't what I expected for a diner. The interior is warm, comforting and very clean. There were dark accents of blue with the modern diner booths. The table stuck out over the edge so extra chairs could be added, too.

The menu features typical diner fare - breakfast, sandwich plates, some dinner plates. But Penny's also had a good portion of the menu devoted to Greek dishes. That's definitely different. I decided to be extra adventurous and try the "moussaka," a Greek classic specialty with ground beef with Greek seasonings, layered with eggplant, potatoes and baked in Bechamel sauce. For $14.99. Kayla got a breakfast plate with an omelet and potatoes. Michael and Megan both got gyros.


The dish came with a house salad. The veggies were fresh and crisp, but only boasted one tomato, two cucumbers slices and a few slices of onion. I had it topped with French dressing, which was good, but not homemade. Everybody else cleaned theirs up, though, so they were happy. I just wish I had more veggies to balance out the lettuce.
I was really excited for my dish to come out, because I really didn't know what to expect. Mine came out as a square layered lasagna with feta cheese, olives and a tomato on top. I also had a roll with butter on the side. The layers were eggplant, potato and finely chopped beef with delicious savory seasonings. It was really quite tasty. The meal with kind of heavy, but it fgelt light at the same time. The feta cheese added just the right amount of of flavor and lightness to the heavy, starchy potato and meat. The eggplant kept the meal solid, and it was a new combination of flavors that I was a fan of.

I'm not really a fan of the pricetag - I think it could've been cheaper, but it was good nonetheless. I also ordered a sweet potato cheesecake. Creamy and smooth, the cheesecake was good, but the flavors were slightly muted. It was also a tiny portion for $6. I would order the moussaka again, but the price for the cheesecake wouldn't warrant another order. My bill's total was $22.24, without tip.

Grade: B

Black Bear is a Morgantown local favorite. It has strong ties to both the Morgantown community and WVU (opened by WVU alums), so it's a hot spot nearly every day of the week. I planned a small gathering at Black Bear Tuesday night for my adviser who is leaving the journalism school. I also brought one of my best friends, Kayla. Double bonus.

Black Bear is located on Pleasant Street, right downtown across from 123 Pleasant Street. A parking garage is located next door, but during the school year, it can be a hassle to find parking here. If you can, just walk up. They have an old-school sign out from and a chalk clapboard with the day's specials. If they are having a band playing that night (typical on the weekends), sometimes they'll list them there, too.


Black Bear has a very open feeling. As soon as you walk in, there are a couple dozen tables, including small, large and bar areas, and a small table that has a few menus on it. I grabbed a menu and picked a seat while Kayla decided on what she wanted. I already narrowed it down: the Bear Trap. Maybe because I had been debating on what I was going to order all day at work ...



The Bear Trap is a a honey wheat tortilla with lettuce, roma tomatos, Swiss cheese, cold cut honey smoked turkey, crispy bacon and sweet honey mayo. It's kind of like heaven. My other favorites include: Mr. Teri Yaki, Thai One On, Good Calypso and Gouda Riddance. These aren't typical burritos - they're super creative, with fun, fresh ingredients and fuse modern with traditional. Black Bear offers a ton of vegetarian and vegan options quite easily - most burritos include the easy alternative, such as tofu and fakin' instead of chicken and bacon. There are "build your own" burritos, quesadillas, nachos, salads and salad wraps so you can customize it any way you want.

Kayla thought my choice was so good, she opted for the same thing. The counter is all the way toward the back of the restaurant, but because the faces are so friendly and welcoming, it's not a daunting trip. We ordered at the register, got cups for our drinks and retrieved our toy car to put on the table. Oh yeah, that's the other thing, instead of boring slips or calling out numbers, patrons get a fun, colorful toy to put on the edge of their table so the servers know where to bring the food out. We grabbed our silverware, filled our cups and had a seat at a huge table. The wait wasn't long for our food, but the local art around the restaurant makes the time go past when you're gazing at the beauty.


My burrito was delicious - I knew it would be. Everything here is fresh, most of it is local, so it's helping support local business. The art on the walls helps support local artists. And the food, well that helps support hungry customers. The honey mayo on this burrito is really what sets it off. It's a slightly tangy, sweet spread that just fits perfect with the wrap and yummy veggies, cheese and turkey. The burrito also comes with their homemade slaw - not too mayonnaisey and a little spicy, as well as their baked chips. Perfect sides for this dish. My sandwich, slaw, chips and drink totaled less than $10. That's not bad for the quality of the ingredients and the deliciousness that resides within.

My friend Heather and I also split an ice cream sundae. Vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and a maraschino cherry made this one a classic. For $4, you can't go too wrong here. And it was enough to please the both of us. They also have beer on tap, but I haven't been able to check that out yet.

This hip, local restaurant helps give back to the community and delivers awesome, creative food that keeps me coming back for more. Check out their Facebook for specials and giveaways!

Other stories to check out:

• Restaurant Road trip
• Best Places to Eat After the Game
• YouTube Video

Grade: A

After Chris and I perused "Princeton Fest," We worked up an appetite and headed to A Taste of Memphis to fill our tummies. Located on Stafford Drive, the main drag for restaurants and stores in Princeton, it is in the main plaza in town. I assume it gets a lot of business, and I know it's a favorite among locals. It boasts BBQ pork, ribs, etc. I've never dined at a "BBQ" restaurant, so when I discovered this place, I was impressed this little restaurant has made a name for itself.

As soon as you walk in, there's a giant display that lists specials and whatnot. I've seen a few restaurants in Princeton have this, and it continues to confuse me. You have to go around this obstacle, either to the left or right, to actually walk back to the counter. I don't understand why it doesn't instead guide you to the area to order and facilitate the consumer instead of blocking them. But that's beside the point.

The interior is decorated, well, tack-ily. With plastic red- and white-checkered tablecloths, piglets painted on the wall and chairs that are all a little off-balance, the interior isn't what sets this place apart. When you get to the counter, there's a menu behind the ordering area. It's always a little awkward to stand in front of the person taking your order while you try to decide what you want above their head. I had been here once before, so I had an idea of what I wanted. It's not a very expansive menu, so we both were able to choose fairly quickly. I put in my order for a large BBQ pulled pork sandwich, a small side of hushpuppies and a small side of mashed potatoes. Chris ordered a salad with pulled pork, as well as a loaded baked potato with all the fixings, including pulled pork. Somehow we totaled around $25 quite quickly.

We took our cups to the fountain drink dispenser and chose a table. At the table, there is a roll of paper towels (ahem, napkins), some BBQ sauce, and other typical condiments. We didn't have to wait long before our orders were out. Serve in plastic red mesh baskets, we had a little feast on our hands. When we here previously, our only complaint was that we didn't get enough food. That was our fault - we didn't order enough. The portions weren't huge, which was expected considering the prices. But we over-ordered this time.

My sandwich was a good, healthy portion. Both hands were required for this one. The pulled pork was a little on the dry side, but as long as there was enough of their signature sweet BBQ sauce, the combination was pretty tasty. I added a little more BBQ sauce on my plate so I could dip the sandwich in to make sure every bite had ample sauce. This is not my typical choice of food - in fact, I rarely like pork. But the BBQ pulled pork is enough to make me change my game plan. The hushpuppies, I think, are the stars here, though. Hushpuppies are a treat in Morgantown, as the only place I know that sells them is Long John Silver's, which I don't frequent often. A Taste of Memphis' hushpuppies are cooked golden brown, moist and seasoned on the inside and are served with a honey spread that adds a taste of sweetness. Delicious. The mashed potatoes are buttery and salty and filling. The meal was so filling in fact that I couldn't finish it. I had to take a few breaks to finis the sandwich alone. The hushpuppies were gone first, and I had some mashed potatoes to spare.

Chris's salad was served in a large tortilla shell, with lettuce tomato cheese and BBQ pork inside. He devoured this and was pleased. His loaded baked potato was a meal in itself with the butter, cheese, sour cream and meat piled on top. He made it a good way through, but he had leftovers as well.

For a meal out of the ordinary and to fill you up, check it out. It's not upscale dining by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a fun break from the norm.

Grade: B

After work, Kristen and I checked out the Dairy Castle in South Park. I drove by it a few weeks ago at night. It was completely lit up and looked like a legitimate castle. For lack of a better phrase, it's probably the closest thing Morgantown has to a Chuck E. Cheese. Located at a precarious area, "Hogback Turn," in South Park (beside Buck's Corner Pub) you could easily miss this place if you're driving too fast. But if you're on the lookout, you will easily notice the small bouncy castle and bright yellow picnic benches outside.

The building has a walk-up area to order at, so you can then go bounce in the castle or eat at a picnic bench. It also seems they have a drive-thru, but a truck was blocking that area when we went. We opted to go inside and sit down. When you go inside, there's one large menu plastered on the wall behind the counter, so you have to stand there and read the menu as all the workers stare at you. I actually felt a little overwhelmed as five people were staring back at me and made eye contact with all of them. They kind of got the hint after that and scattered. As I was figuring out what I wanted, I Saw that there was also a coffee bar to the right of the regular counter. It was just a small coffee area that offered cappuccinos, frappuccinos, etc.

The menu was mostly void of any food - there were a couple hot dogs and one burger. I ordered the burger, "Double Stacker Burger" for $2. I also got a "Castle Cruncher" in Snickers - essentially a Blizzard or Sonic Blast or McFlurry, etc. Kristen opted for a "Coney Island Dog" and a "Castle Cruncher" in strawberry cheesecake. We then took a seat on one of the three giant yellow picnic benches inside.

That's when it dawned on me that I was way above the legal age limit at this place. Everything was brightly colored, and there were even cartoon characters on the walls. The bathrooms were the "Queen's Chamber" and the "King's Chamber." And, nearly everybody inside was either a parent or a kid. Not your typical college kid hangout. Though toward the end of our trip, a group of college guys came in.



















 I received my food fairly quickly. The medium-sized ice cream was a good size, and the peanut buttery, caramely, chocolately pieces were mixed all throughout the ice cream. This is a good change from Sonic or sometimes Dairy Queen. The soft serve was ... vanilla, and it was overall tasty. Slightly generic, but not bad. The food was less impressive. I'm not sure where to put it because the actual taste wasn't bad. The burger was a little salty, but the garlic balanced it out. However, the burger was so unbelievably slopped together, I had a difficult time eating it. I had ketchup, mustard and onions on it. The condiments were everywhere, on top of the bun, underneath the bun, and there was a nice glob of mustard on the bottom of my sandwich with onions in it, that when I picked it up, mustard was everywhere. It was also fairly small. For $2, though, I guess that's what I should've expected.

Kristen's hotdog was pretty small, too. About the same size as a one you'd pick up in a bundle at the grocery store, slapped on a bun with a little chili sauce and some ketchup.

The service is not the greatest. They're young kids who probably don't care about the job. When I ordered my hamburger, she asked what I wanted on it. I asked what it came with. She said she didn't know, then called back to the kitchen to ask them. It's just basic stuff that I'd think if you'd been there more than a month you should know. All in all, average.

Grade: C

It may not be the most glamorous of cuisines, but Chinese food has a spot in (almost) everyone's heart. When you've had a long, hard day, there's just something about the delicious Moo Goo Gai Pan that calms you down. Or maybe the wonton soup is more your style. Morgantown doesn't have much in the way of find Chinese dining. Instead, you have two options for the most part: buffet or take-out.

China One is my favorite Chinese take-out joint in Morgantown. I tend to order from DubVmenus, which is convenient and means I don't have to be bothered talking to people. I usually get my meal delivered in under a half hour (though it could be more if it's a late Friday or Saturday night), and I don't spend more than $15, which isn't bad. I typically only order one thing, and it's pretty good here: General Tso's Chicken. I get the combination plate that comes with rice (I get white) and a small eggroll. I've had subpar chicken there - stringy or chewy - but if you get it in the middle of the day when they're constantly cooking fresh batches, it's pretty good. The best thing, though, is their sauce. I've had Great Wall or Lavender Cafe, but their General Tso's sauce has nothing on China One's. It's a good blend of tangy and sweet. Sweet and spicy deliciousness.

I also throw in an order of crab rangoons. The delivery order is required to be $10, so this appetizer usually puts it in that ballpark. You can't really go wrong with the cream cheese/crab mixture inside these small fried pieces of heaven. They come with a generous container of sweet and sour sauce. This is good for the eggroll as well. This day, I got the lunch special, which features a slightly smaller combination plate but also with a drink or soup for less than a regular combination plate. Not a bad deal.

For around $13, I had Chinese food to last me all day and a happy, satisfying tummy. For take-out in Morgantown, this is as good as it gets.

Grade: B