I took a trip to Charleston this weekend to see good friends Brittany and Melanie. I left directly after work on Friday, so as soon as I arrived in Charleston, I was starving. I already knew which places was No. 1 on my list to try: Pies & Pints.

This place is a known landmark in Charleston. I believe it started in Fayetteville, and Charleston is their second location. As the name states, this place specializes in brews and pizzas. Their slogan "Handcrafted West Virginia pizza" says why they're the best - the crust is handmade, the ingredients are fresh, and the flavors are unique. I've heard tons of great things about this place, so I was really excited to try. The outside of the building is a vibrant green color.


When you walk in, the bar is directly in front, and you walk along a narrow way with barstools to the right, to get back to the dining area. There is a long, comfy bench that wraps around with a chair on the opposite side. When we sat down, I instantly felt a very cool vibe. The restaurant is filled with cool, bold colors, like black, red and green. When I looked up, there was exposed piping, which lent itself to this relaxing industrial environment. The host was very pleasant as he showed us to our seats. The waiter soon followed with menus.

The pizzas are unlike anything I've seen before. They aren't the typical cheese, pepperoni pies you'd see in a typical Morgantown establishment. No, these pizzas boast shrimp, kalamata olives, coconut and black beans. Small pizzas were 10", so we each ordered our own. I chose the "Chicken Gouda Pie," which had marinated grilled chicken, bacon, smoked gouda, red onions, chipotle crema and scallions. It was simply delicious. The ingredients were super fresh and good quality. The chipotle sauce had just the perfect amount of kick to accent the delicious, creamy gouda cheese and salty bacon. I ate the entire pie. And, I didn't regret it one bit.

Brittany asked the waiter if the "Mediterranean Shrimp Pie," (shrimp, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, fresh garlic, lemon & herbs) was good. He said he wasn't a fan, but she ordered it anyway. When it came out, she told the waiter it was too salty. He actually gave her a menu to order a different one, and remade her an entire pizza himself. She chose the "Margherita Pie" with fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, fresh basil, parmesan and fresh garlic this time. She was pleased. I had a slice as well, and I was also happy. It tasted like an authentic Italian pizza.The ingredients were fresh and were given room to shine. It was a tasty pie.


I am not the type of person to ever send back a meal. I simply wasn't raised that way. But the waiter was more than accommodating to Brittany's tastes, and he earned major points by being so gracious. The customer service here is some of the best I've ever seen, and the pizzas were amazing. I can't wait to go back, and maybe I'll get to try the Fayetteville location at some point. For $13 for a delicious pie, you can't go wrong. 

Grade: A

Another place I had no intentions, whatsoever, of profiling and reviewing was Sheetz. Why? Well, technically it's a gas station. BUT, it has a cult-like following. Sheetz is a fairly local gas station chain that specializes in MTO food, that is, made-to-order. Oh, and did I mention that Sheetz is open 24/7? In many towns, there are few places open that late, and Sheetz provides an eatery at all hours of the day and night. This exact situation came up when I was in Romney, W.Va., for a friend's wedding. Late, after the reception, Chris and I were starving. We traveled a few miles down the road to a local McDonald's, which was closed - on a Saturday at 9 p.m. We came back to the hotel disappointed. One of the workers said the only thing open that late was Sheetz. Sure enough, we headed back out to Sheetz and filled our bellies.

Sheetz is located in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. And, it's constantly expanding. About 30 stores are located in West Virginia. I hadn't known its popularity until a friend of Chris' said what he missed about Morgantown after he moved away was Sheetz. I thought that was odd, but it was interesting at the same time. Now, Chris' town of Princeton has two Sheetz locations, and I've gone more to the gas station in the past year than I ever have. In fact, I believe Romney was the first time I had ever had Sheetz food.

Here's the jist: You walk over to the touchscreen computer ordering stations. It basically walks you through the process. You press the screen when it says to continue, and it shows you various categories, including:

• Hot and Cold Subz
• Deli Sandwiches
• Saladz
• Wrapz
• Burgerz and Hot Dogz
• Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
• Pretzel Meltz
• Fajitaz and Nachoz
• Fryz and Chicken Stripz (Select Locations)
• Breakfast Sandwiches

There is also a whole area devoted to drink orders. When you're finished adding whatever you're interested in, which is usually a lot because it's fun, you press done and it prints out a receipt. On this particular day, and it's also the first time I went to Sheetz alone, I ordered a chicken quesadilla with lettuce tomato and sour cream. I also ordered an appetizer sampler, which includes cheese sticks, jalapeno poppers and mac'n'cheese bites. Anyway, the receipt prints out and you have to go pay for it before the people begin making your food. I usually grab a drink or candy bar, then go to pay. Once you pay, the kitchen gets the signal to begin making your food. There's a sign that directs you where to pick up your food, and you simply wait. When they called my number, 222, I had only been waiting for five minutes. They handed me a bag with my food and I went back to work. It's a very simple and kind of fun process. It's convenient for where I work, and the price isn't too bad. I paid about $10 for my meal.

I had an idea of what I liked from Sheetz already. The quesadilla is huge. The first time I ordered it, I thought they made a mistake by giving me two. There are two large halves for around $5. And, it's really quite tasty. They made it fresh, so it's not like it's been sitting out all day. The ingredients are fresh, and the tortilla shell is lightly toasted so there's a bit of a crunch. The sour cream, though a extra 39 cents, really makes this quesadilla for me because the cheesy, tomato, lettuce combo goes perfect with sour cream.


The appetizer sampler is what you'd expect - a couple of fried finger foods. I paid an extra 39 cents for the buffalo sauce and dipped everything in that. It's mediocre. They were probably store-bought goodies that were deep-fried for a minute and sold. It's nothing too great, though the mac'n'cheese bites are something different, so they're okay. Sheetz is not a place I would willingly choose to go to - it's convenient for a quick lunch or at night when not many places are open. It does have a wide beer selection and other assorted drinks and snacks inside. Morgantown has much better options, but in a quick fix, this will do.

Grade: C
 

EDIT: There are a few other Sheetz in town, now. This initial one was for Chestnut Ridge Road. Another is located in Sabraton, which is fairly quick and usually not as busy. Same food.

Then there are two more near Star City, one for traffic incoming to town and the other for outgoing traffic. Both of which serve the same food - but nice having two more to help cut down on how crazy busy it can sometimes get.

Located in the Suncrest Towne Centre, No. 1 Super Buffet is probably the newest Chinese restaurant in town. It's also quickly becoming one of the most popular. There is plenty of parking, and there are plenty of options.The dining area is very large, and there is even a private dining area that I assume is for reservations and parties. The dividers are primarily these plastic tubes with water in them that glow various colors. While it does look nifty, you can sometimes see the people on the opposite side of you because their reflection is shown in the tubes.


The buffet has about 7 or 8 rows of food, with a few rows along the wall that include American dishes, fresh sushi, and a salad bar. The sushi isn't the highest quality that you would expect from a place specializing in sushi, but it's okay. And, at least it's an option here. I don't think I've been to a Chinese buffet that has more options than this place. I'm not going to try to act like I know what I'm talking about here, because I don't. But I know that my favorites are all easily found - General Tso's chicken, crab/shrimp medley, sweet and sour chicken, beef and broccoli, crab legs, sugary donuts - the works. There is also fruit, cold dishes, and desserts.


If I want a Chinese buffet and don't mind taking in the amount of calories equivalent to an entire Thanksgiving dinner, this is the place I go. For around $12 per person, I don't think this value can be beat. I wish I could go on about the different types of cuisine, but frankly, I'm not qualified to speak on that matter. What I can say about this restaurant is the variety is outstanding. So, I'm sure there's something for everyone. In all the Chinese buffets I've been to, this seems to be the large conglomerate of every dish available. The typical Chinese buffet staples are all present here.



As with any Chinese buffet, the service is spotty, and the desserts are usually sub-par, but that didn't hurt my rating. My drink is always refilled when I need it, and dirty plates are taken away quickly. The check always comes with fortune cookies. I believe mine said something about if you never fail then you never really tried in the first place.  

Grade: A

When I first moved to Morgantown, a friend a few years older than me told me she worked at the Boston Beanery. "Gross," I thought. "I hate baked beans." Since then, I've been to the Beanery more times than I can count. But it wasn't until recently that I realized I could blog about it - why? Because it's not a huge chain like I originally thought. I just assumed, as a freshman, I wasn't familiar with this chain. After all, there are two Boston Beaneries in Morgantown alone. I realized there are only a handful of restaurants, and it was actually started right here in Morgantown. Pretty cool.


The Boston Beanery isn't a bean place, though I believe they do have one bean sandwich. In essence, it's a sports bar with food. It's a pub. Morgantown has two locations - one on Evansdale in the plaza with Rite Aid and Pizza Hut on Patteson Drive; the other is along High Street. As you can imagine, the Evansdale location is a bit more laidback and easy to get to. The High Street location is usually if I'm just passing through and need a quick bite. Since the Beanery became smokefree, I've visited much more often. It used to be a cloud of smoke when you walked in.When you walk in, there's a long dining area and a bar area. There are TVs and memorabilia on the walls. Whenever you go in for a bite, you can always find some sport on TV.

There's a menu with a ton of beer to choose from, and the menu consists of typical American cuisine - burgers, salads, fried appetizers, steak and pasta.You already know what this place is gonna be like - the ingredients aren't the greatest, and the meal is just okay. I've never had something here that I've been dying to go back and try. On this particular day, my friend Dom and I split two appetizers: cheese quesadillas and boneless honey bbq chicken wings. I had a taste of the quesadilla, and it wasn't bad. The chicken was probably frozen bits, but it tasted fine. The boneless wings were pretty good. The white meat was decent quality, and the sauce was good. I would have preferred them cooked a little longer so the oustide had a little bite to it, because it was almost too soft. But they were definitely tasty.

For my main dish, I ordered the new smoked turkey wrap. This dish really had the ability to be quite good. Right now, though, it's bland. It consists of turkey, bacon, cheddar, lettuce and tomato on a spinach wrap - yum! But it's supposed to include honey mustard. That sauce is key to this dish - that's what gives it the flavor. Unfortunately, without that tang, the wrap just falls flat. I ended up dipping mine in a little bit of ketchup just for some flavor. Their sandwiches and burgers all come with curly fries, which are always tasty. I like to dip mine in ranch, just for something different. Maybe next time I'll ask for extra honey mustard. But, it's what you'd expect from a place like this. And I've had other dishes that are all about in the same area - around average.

Grade: B

I remember when Yesterday's first opened, a few years ago. I was the copy desk chief at The Daily Athenaeum, and my copy editor told me about the new restaurant her father and a friend opened. It turns out to be Yesterday's, and it turned out to be a hit. I've had Yesterday's a dozen or so times the past few years, but I sat down with Melanie to have a good all-around meal recently.



Yesterday's is located in the Northpointe Plaza at the end of the Mileground. Thankfully, there is plenty of parking. It's a nicer casual restaurant, but not stuffy at all. It's a comfortable, classy restaurant. When you walk in, there is a good-sized bar to the left and a few dining areas, as well as an outside dining area complete with fireplace for the winter. The ceiling had colorful cloth kites hanging from the rafters, and dark wood and lighting give the restaurant a sense of home.


We browsed the drink menus first, and I decided on a strawberry lemonade, and Melanie ordered a blackberry drink. Mine was spot-on, and not too strong. Melanie's was a little stronger, but it was still sweet. We were happy with our decisions. Next, it was onto the food menu.

Melanie and I put in an order of "Chicken and Cheese Relleno" for our appetizer. This delicious dish boasted a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with chicken, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, jack and chedder cheese and pico de gallo. It came out as one giant piece, so it was a bit difficult to eat. If you're not comfortable with your date, it might not be the best to order. But the dish was excellent. It's a really hearty dish, with tons of goat cheese and chicken and tomatoes. The herbs and flavors blended together seamlessly, and the textures were perfect. I was very pleasantly surprised with this appetizer.


For my entree, I couldnt take my eyes away from the lobster macaroni and cheese. For whatever reason, it stood out to me on the menu. The $20 pricetag was a little hard to manage, but it was a brand-new dish on the menu, and I finally gave in.When it  came out, I was a little confused. First of all, the entire top was covering in a cracker-type of coating. And it was in a cast-iron skillet that was fairly shallow. I began to second-guess my decision to spend this much money. The noodles were penne. Though it wasn't a huge portion, it was enough to fill me for dinner and even have a small box to take a little home. If my appetite was a little stronger that evening, it wouldn't have been enough.

But, the creamy sauce was outstanding, and the lobster was delicious. It wasn't small, imitation pieces - it was very good. The coating was too much for me. If it had been baked so it was more soft, that would have been better, but the dry crackers on top were a little overwhelming, and it's difficult to not inhale them. But for all that, it was worth it. The dish was very tasty. The creamy sauce was perfect with the noodles, and this comfort food with a touch of sophistication really is a pleasant experience. Though a few tweaks would have made this dish one of the top all time in Morgantown, I can't deny the quality and the flavors. Compared to other restaurants, Yesterday's is definitely toward the top of my list. I've had numerous meals here, and I've never been disappointed.

Grade: A