Smokin' Jacks has taken over the former Schmitt's Saloon location.

Smokin' Jacks has been a Preston County staple for some time, and they've just recently begun moving into the Morgantown area - with sister restaurant Smokin' Jills and their initial location back in Sabraton.

The building here is nice - large, rustic and ample parking. It looks just like the previous restaurant.

Which made me hope the pepperoni rolls were the same, too, because I really liked them. And they're pretty close! They're fried with cheese and sauce. The ultimate guilty pleasure.

For my entree, I went with wings, which seems to be one of their specialties.

These boneless honey bbq wings were pretty tasty. What's your favorite item here?

You know I can never pass up shrimp & grits!



Iron Horse Tavern is arguably one of the more successful restaurant that has popped up in Morgantown over the past five years. So successful, in fact, they've opened a second location at the University Town Centre.

The location, which looks similar to the downtown spot, has wooden accents, dark chairs and booths, and local art all over the walls.

The menu is the same, save for no brunch at this location. That said, it's still a bit different from the last time I visited, so I was excited to try some new items.

We started with an appetizer of house-fried chips, which come with a bacon & sour cream dip!

And, I ordered a "Who Tarted? Berliner Weisse" from Stumptown Ales to start. "Golden in color, this weisse has a rich & tart flavor." The sour beer had me hooked!

As we were all perusing the menu for our main meals, we saw the "Impossible Burger," which has been highly praised for being a nearly identical substitute to meat - but it's made with wheat protein, potato protein, and coconut oil.

We got one that we all tried, and honestly, I couldn't tell the difference. I was really trying to pinpoint some unique differences or get that "veggie burger" taste, but if you told me that was a regular burger, I would believe you. And Vicki & Steve felt the same. Look below, it even looks like a real burger!

Vicki and Steve ordered regular burgers for their main meals, so they compared and contrasted a bit. Vicki said the real burger is a bit thicker and the texture is a bit different. But not by much. Below is the real burger.

I went with the shrimp and grits etouffee. It came with a corn cake and this veggie gravy. Mm!

Fallout is a bar-cade with a really fun theme that has been years in the making.

You've probably passed this spot on Fayette Street a billion times, but have you noticed the stairs off to the right that go to the basement? Perfect place for a fallout shelter, to save you from boredom and monotony.

Vicki, Steve and I went to check this place out. And, let me tell you, I love the concept. It was like this fun, hidden spot hiding in plain site.

As we made our way to the shelter, we saw signs warning of the guard. Luckily, the guard was busy on the day we were there so we didn't have to weather his temper.

You have to know the secret to get out of this room and to the fun stuff.  But I'll let you figure that out on your own. We had some help from the warden.

But once you're in the room, it's pretty cool! There are pinball machines, pool, air hockey, and some classic gaming systems.

But the part that I'm most excited about is the self-pour beer system that should be ready soon.

The games vary from like the 1950s to 1970s and it's pretty neat.

I mostly just pretend to know what I'm doing with pinball, but it seems to work out OK.



Take a look below for some of the other games!

Have you been?

Los Mariachis, Morgantown's most beloved Mexican restaurant, has opened a second location at the University Town Centre.

I'll be honest, it has taken me quite a long time to come around to Tex-Mex food. After having the real deal in Texas and Phoenix, I gave the local places more of a chance and spent some time to figure out what I really like.

And, apparently, what I really like is anything drenched in queso.

This Los Mariachis location is large, sparkling new and has a pretty similar menu, if I recall.

What caught my eye were these "best choice" burritos, and I opted for the one ... wait for it ... covered in queso: Burrito Cancun - large flour tortilla stuffed with Mexican rice, grilled chicken or beef, melted cheese, pinto beans, grilled fresh mushrooms and white creamy sauce.

First, chips and salsa (and look at these cute glasses!).

You really can't go wrong with this combo, right? It has a few of my favorite things: mushrooms, cheese...
           

What's your favorite item here?

I went to the Bridgeport Farmers Market in the fall and saw Magpie's Bakery, which had a cute little set-up flocked with flowers.

Then I recalled this name before: They competed in a pepperoni roll competition. And the crust was phenomenal. Typically, they create desserts and hand pies but stretched their culinary wings for that competition. So, when I saw them, I wanted to try their specialty this time: sweets.

I love this piece on this bakery, where it goes on to define "magpie."

– any of various birds (especially Pica pica) related to the jays but having a long graduated tail and black-and-white or brightly colored plumage

– a person who chatters noisily

– one who collects indiscriminately

And, it talks about how the crust recipe is what makes these desserts unique (agree!) - it's a recipe that has been passed down from her grandmother.

I tried a strawberry rhubarb hand pie with this cute little floral design. And, wow, that crust.

I had been to Short Story Brewing previously, but it was prior to the addition of Street Food Kitchen.

So I went back to try this new restaurant headed up by none other than local chef Donnie Orr. This local restaurant celebrates "food concepts from around the world, locally sourced Appalachian ingredients, and a passion for the pursuit of perfection."

First, a glass of "Hunt and Peck," which was an American brown ale. "Malty but not overly sweet with hints of chocolate."

I got the Barbacoa beef brisket with black beans, sweet corn, queso fresco, red chili aioli on flour tortilla. Droool!

Ripley has a couple Mexican restaurants, and Las Trancas seems to be just slightly more popular.

The menu features house specials, as well as standard items like quesadillas, burritos, fajitas, etc.

I was just here for a snack, so I ent with the fajita nachos which said they had chicken and cheese.

But first, MORE tortilla chips with salsa - which had a bit of a kick!

Considering it's me, I also had to get queso.

I wasn't expecting the nachos to come with actual fajita toppings for some reason. But I also wasn't disappointed. So many goodies - and that extra queso went to good use!

Charleston WV Restaurant Week will be held Jan. 28 through Feb. 2, 2019.

In its sixth year, #cwvrestweek features 26 independently owned restaurants, each participating
at one of two different price options! At $25 or $35, each diner will receive an appetizer, entree,
and dessert from a prix fixe menu.

Participating restaurants include:
$25: Adelphia, Big Joe's Bar and Grill, Celsius, Dem 2 Brothers & a Grill, Gonzoburger, Leonoro's, Mi Cocina de Amor, Nawab, Tin Box BBQ

$35: Berry Hills Country Club, Bistro at the Barge, Black Sheep Burritos & Brews, Bluegrass
Kitchen, Bricks & Barrels, Bridge Road Bistro, Edgewood Country Club, Ichiban, Laury's, Noah's Restaurant & Lounge, Sam's Uptown Cafe, Soho's at Capitol Market, The Block, The Chop House, The Elements at Quarrier Diner, The Market, Tidewater Grill.

The eight new restaurants this year include: Big Joe's Bar and Grill, Gonzoburger, Nawab, Tin
Box BBQ, Berry Hills Country Club, Edgewood Country Club, Noah's Restaurant & Lounge, and The Elements at Quarrier Diner.

Organized by local meat and seafood distributor Buzz Food Service, Charleston Restaurant
Week has established itself as an annual week-long celebration of the city’s best food and local
eateries, bringing together residents and visitors to try new restaurants and support small
business. Charleston Restaurant Week offers a specialty menu, with some restaurants serving
their most popular fare and others featuring dishes only available during the promotion.
Restaurants often partner with local bakeries and pastry shops to feature local desserts, and
many have drink specials or live music during the six night event.

Dickinson Gould, President of Buzz Food Service and a founder of Charleston Restaurant Week
had this to say: “After five years of growth, it was clear that splitting the promotion into two
different price brackets could work well for all parties. First, the lower cost of $25 will make the
promotion accessible for more diners to participate. $30 was a bargain in this case, but still a lot
of money for many people. Second, some of the more casual venues were reaching up to a
$30 price point that was higher than their average ticket. Offering a $25 option made more of
those restaurants feel comfortable participating. Finally, some of the fancier fine dining
establishments felt limited by the $30 price point. We’re expecting to see a lot of creativity when
the menus are released on January 12th and deciding where to dine will be more difficult than
ever!”

Reservations are strongly encouraged, not just to reserve a space, but to allow participating
restaurants to plan for staff and supplies. Surveys of participating restaurants have shown more
than 10,000 total meals served during the week each year, generating an economic impact of
roughly $2M over five years. A number of participating restaurants report filling their entire
reservation book during the week, all at an otherwise slow time of year for the industry.

Menus will be posted on January 12 to the promotion’s website, cwvrestaurantweek.com.
Diners are encourage to use #CWVRestWeek in their social posts.