I met a friend in Bridgeport for the day, and one condition of my driving there was that she had to find a good, local place to dine. Her boyfriend suggested Mountaineer Grille. Located on Barnett Run Road, this restaurant is connected to a Mountaineer gift shop, which sells as the Mountaineer gear you could hope for. You can walk directly from inside the gift shop to the restaurant. As we walked in, we were seated and looked over the menu.

I noticed a few of their menu items were "specialty" items - like the "Autumn Chicken Salad." Its description said it was grilled chicken atop a bed of fresh mixed greens, with apple slices, toasted walnuts and gorgonzola, finished with a lemon balsamic dressing. Sign me up.

My friend ordered the zucchini straws for an appetizer. I was apprehensive because I figured straws would be thin and crispy. They had a little bite to them - delicious breading and tangy sauce. Another friend got the "grille chips," which were just chips with melty bleu cheese. Also not bad.

When my salad came out, I was impressed. The presentation was beautiful. The first thing I noticed was the giant brick of gorgonzola on top. The combination of these flavors were fantastic. The balsamic was the perfect dressing to take it to the next level. I took bits of cheese, lettuce and walnuts with every bite. The clean, crisp taste of the apples drove this dish home. It cleanses the palate and made all the flavors that much better. It's on the pricier side, but the ambiance is comfy and the food was worth it.

Oh, and how could I forget about the complimentary chocolate stick? Minty and delicious!


Grade: A

On my continued bar tour of Morgantown, MiHaley's was the next stop. Located on Van Voorhis, back toward those large student housing complexes, this bar isn't hard to find, but it is a little out of the way. I parked and walked to the front. Two dark doors lead to the entrance - kind of confusing, but not a big deal. We walked in and took a booth to the left. It was more of a local scene, and a group of four college kids looked out of place. We embraced it.

The bartender came over with some menus and got some drinks for us. The menu is pretty sparse and not fancy, but the Mountaineer Burger didn't sound bad - burger with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles. It said you could get it on a kaiser roll or ciabatta, so I requested ciabatta. The bartender hesitated on whether or not they had it, but they did.

After what seemed like forever, our food finally came out. I was surprised to see my ciabatta was long. I was curious how they managed a burger on that. I took a look - one burger in the middle and a half on each end. It was awkward to eat, to say the least. Parts were falling out all over the place. It wasn't really flavorful, and I slathered it in ketchup so it had some flavor.

The french fries weren't bad, especially dipped in ranch. But for about $10, I don't think I can complain too much. It's cheap and basic. A couple friends, however, did get the wings and said they were great. Maybe that's what I'll be opting for next time.

Grade: C

Located off the beaten path, China City is worth the travel. In the Sabraton area on Earl Core Road, this restaurant is small but welcoming. As soon as my friend and I walked in, we were greeted and chose a table. Some decorations and a menu board hung on the wall. We perused the lunch menu before making our decisions.

I opted for sweet and sour chicken, with white rice, as well as an egg roll. My friend and I split an order of crab rangoon-cheese wontons. My entree was only about $5. Our food came up super fast. Almost as soon as we placed the order, the cheese wontons came out. Creamiest wontons, and the outside was light and flaky. Yum!

Then the eggrolls came out soon after. Pretty basic eggroll - nothing too fancy here. Then our entrees came out. You can tell it's primarily a take-out place. My food was served in a plastic bowl with the sweet and sour on the side. At a place like Peking House, it's primarily a sit-down restaurant, so it comes out with a prettier presentation. It was also lacking the peppers and onions shown in the photo, but that's okay.

The chicken was good quality, which is sometimes hard to find. The sweet and sour sauce was tasty, too. It also wasn't dripping with grease. I felt like I was full afterward, but not weighed down.

For $10, with great quality products, you can't go wrong here. China City is one of my favorites in town.

Grade: A

Located in the Suncrest Town Centre, Carmona's Cocina Mexicana is "where good friends meet," according to their slogan. Their Facebook says "A place where family and friends meet to experience fresh authentic Mexican cuisine. Choose your favorite meal and we will prepare it exactly how you want it, Enjoy!"

This is Sal Carmona's second location. His first was Carmona's Mexican Restaurant in Buckhannon, which he owned for about 12 years. Sal had some health issues, they had to close the restaurant, he's now doing better, and they decided to open a new one in town.That restaurant was a full-service restaurant, whereas the Morgantown location is an order-at-the-front and take-a-seat type of place.


When you walk inside, you can see the restaurant is not huge, but it's cozy and welcoming. The decor is lovely, and there is ample seating. You walk up to the counter and see an assembly line of food awaiting you. Behind the workers is a menu, which features typical Mexican fare - burritos, quesadillas, and tacos.

I opted for the "Burrito Carmona" which is a soft flour tortilla with your choice of meat (I went with chicken), rice, beans, cheese dip, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole. All of that for $7.29. In a Subway/Qdoba-like fashion, the worker gives you a couple options, you choose, and voila, you have your meal. It also comes with a side of chips and salsa.

After filling up my fountain drink, I sat at a round table with another friend. The chairs were kind of hard to maneuver, but I eventually settled my clumsy self. We were the only diners around, so I'm not sure if it's usually busy or we just hit a good time.

My burrito was large and in charge. I attempted to hold it and bite it, but apparently it had ripped when they were making it. Plan B: leave it on the plate and stab at it. It was full of beans, rice, chicken, and guac. And it was all tasty. It seemed fresh, and I got a good bit for my money. Want a quick burrito? Check this place out. The food wasn't mind-blowingly amazing to me, but it wasn't bad, either.

Grade: B

I've talked about Boston Beanery on the Evansdale campus before, but I didn't want to neglect the fact that there is another location downtown. It seems to me to have more of a sense of urgency or convenience to me. The Evansdale location seems to be more leisurely and comfortable. The High Street location brings with it parking woes, of course.

The restaurant is long and narrow, with the bar near the entrance and more tables toward the back. The group I was with was fairly large, so we opted for one of the few larger tables. It was pretty awkward, with a few of us actually back inside the wall, basically. The menu varies, so there's a little bit of something for everyone.
I ordered a BLT salad with a side of fries (so I could put them on my salad). It was a big portion and quite tasty. I didn't get the southwestern ranch; I got regular. But it was a tasty, run-of-the-mill salad. Pretty utilitarian - nothing I couldn't make at home.

I gotta say, though, their fries are what really puts it over the top. I'm not a fry person as I've said many times, but give me a side of their curly fries and some ranch, and I am one happy camper.

Fresh greens, juicy chicken, plump tomatoes - not bad. Not bad at all. Nothing special, but if you get the fries, it takes it to the next level.

Grade: B