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

Best Urbanspoon Restaurants in Morgantown

Ranking high up there on my list of most favorite restaurants in Morgantown, Puglioni's is one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever been to. Puglioni's is located in Chelsea Square in Suncrest. It's a tucked-away little treasure for Morgantonians. It has a fairly small dining area, so you may expect a wait on busy Friday or Saturday nights since they don't take reservations usually. The wait will be worth it. It's more closed quarters than I'm usually comfortable with, but it makes for an intimate setting and good for one-on-one conversations.

Why is it called Puglioni's? I'm not sure, though there are a few pictures of pug dogs around. I know it was opened by a WVU alum, but not sure the back story.


On Thursday evening, good friend and mentor throughout my collegiate career Jan Boyles and I took to Puglioni's for our farewell dinner. Jan has an amazing opportunity in D.C. at American University, and she's snatching it up. Which means, Martin Hall will be void of the happy, perky advising superwoman. We talked about all of this and more at Puglioni's.

We didn't have much of a wait as we walked in. We were sat at a small table, and our drink orders were placed. Soon after, two generous salads and their famous buttery bread were placed on our table. The salad contains lettuce, tomato, black olives, onion and your choice of dressing. Since a friend ordered it before, I've been on a kick with French dressing, and theirs is absolutely divine. The bit of sweetness with the crisp lettuce makes for a salad that I usually devour, which is unusual for me and salads.

The bread is also out of this world. I'm not usually a person who focuses on bread. It's usually just ... well, bread to me. But this fresh-baked loaf sits in a delicious buttery garlic mixture that gives the bread a delicious flavor while keeping the the crunch and flakiness in tact. The only downside to eating this bread is actually cutting it. For all the times I've gone to Puglioni's, I have no idea how to cut into the beast without me looking like a savage. Jan dug it, and we just took it piece by piece from there.

For my entree, I ordered something a little different. Ever since I was introduced to Puglioni's, I was told to try their pasta carbonara, and I was hooked ever since. I order it nearly every time I'm there because it is THAT good. It's creamy, cheesey and speckled with bacon and ham. Though I don't usually like bacon and ham, it gives it that perfect saltiness with the cheese that just makes it out of this world. For someone who likes to try new things to usually stick to one dish because I don't think it could get any better says a lot. Seriously, try the pasta carbonara. Anyway, that's what Jan decided on.

I, however, wanted to be adventurous. I ordered the seafood pomodoro with rotini noodles. That's the other amazing thing at Puglioni's - they make all their pastas in house (sans the angel hair), and you get to choose which type of pasta you'd like with your dinner - spaghetti, fettucine, linguine, rotini or angel hair. Before I go too far, they also offer pizza, sandwiches and calzones. But when they make fresh pasta EVERY DAY, how could that not tempt you? It does me. I've also had the lasagna, which is to die for. Seven layers of meaty and cheesey goodness with a mouth-watering marinara - it doesn't get much better than that.

The seafood pomodoro had fresh shrimp and scallops, mushrooms, pomodoro tomatos, artichoke hearts and garlic. It was amazing. As amazing as the carbonara? No, but it was a nice refreshing change.The seafood was fresh, succulent and good, which is surprising for an Italian restaurant. Not surprising for Puglionis. The artichoke hearts were cooked great - not too hard or too mushy. And the mushrooms! They were plump and button-sized so you actually get the taste when you bite into it. The pomodoro tomatoes acted as the light, watery sauce. The dish was much lighter than my other two favorites, but it was filling nonetheless. I always have leftovers, which taste great for a later dinner or even the next day.

If I could give this restaurant higher than an A, I would. You just have to go to see for yourself.

Grade: A