There's something about local ice cream places that is nostalgic for me. It reminds me of simpler times. Smitty's does just that for me. It used to be located along I79, past the University Towne Centre, but it recently moved to Sabraton in the old Hero Hut.

They have so much here: funnel cake, floats, ice cream, shakes, cones, sundaes, and hot foods like sandwiches, burgers, hoagies and more. But their specialty is a "hillbilly mess." It doesn't sound particularly appetizing, but it's essentially a blizzard - ice cream with your choice of fixins. They also have specialties. It didn't take long for the 'turtle cheesecake' to catch my eye.


They don't take cards here, so I wrote a check for mine and my friend's. The total came out to be around $7. It was whipped up in a jiffy (I feel like this terminology is appropriate here). And before I knew it, I had a freezing cold mixture of vanilla ice cream, caramel, chocolate and cheesecake. Sweet Jesus.

While the cup it is served in is kind of unconventional because it's tall, but the spoon is short. It made for an interesting scene, I'm sure. But it was so good! It was just dripping in decadence (and calories). The caramel and chocolate were bold, while the cheesecake was smooth and creamy and was just as scrumptious.

This place is an institution; if you haven't already been, what are you waiting for?

Smitty's is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. 1616 Earl Core Rd., Morgantown, WV 304-241-5778

Grade: A

First it was Asian Garden, then it was Eastern Walk, and now, it's WV Panda. I loved Asian Garden, had a love/hate relationship with Eastern Walk, and now, I'm falling for WV Panda.

It's located in the plaza by Hibachi (which I also need to review) on University Avenue. Specifically, it's 3109 University Ave., Suite D. The other places in the plaza are Fox's pizza. I'm not quite sure why this is the third Asian restaurant in this building, but I didn't think any were completely atrocious.

I thought Asian Garden was fanstastic, with tons of different Asian dishes. I sometimes loved Eastern Walk and sometimes hated it. The consistency wasn't always there; however, Chris and I did have our second date there. And recently, I tried WV Panda. I'm not sure if there are new owners, or if it's simply a new name, but the food is definitely different than I remember at either place.

However, if you look at WV Panda's menu, it's simply Eastern Walk's with the title scratched out. You couldn't spring for new menus? It's not like the place is huge, I can't imagine how many you'd need anyway. But the interior is a bright green. With that being said, it somehow has a classier feel. Our silverware was wrapped up artistically in cobalt blue napkins, and white tablecloths draped each table.

The lone person working brought us over the menus and took our drink orders. I had a hard time deciding between General Tso's, which I'm familiar with or Pad Thai, which I've heard is good. Authentic, but good. I don't even know what authentic pad thai is like, really, but I do know I love Chaang Thai's. I was going to stick to a trend here, and I ordered the General Tso's. We also shared an appetizer of crab rangoons.

We were the only people in the entire restaurant. In fact, during the duration of our meal, which lasted more than an hour, only one other patron came in, and that was to pick up a takeout order. So, our good came out fairly quickly.

Though the description for the rangoons said there were six, we were supplied with eight. I won't complain. The sauce was a plain duck sauce, and the rangoons were average. They weren't brimming with hot creamy cheese; they were puffy in the middle, which led to a bite full of hot air, then eventually finding the cheese. But the taste was good overall. I liked the smoothness of the cheese and slight kick with the spices.

When my meal, and my friend Kaitlynn's meal, came out, I was surprised how they knew which was which. Essentially, they were both round chicken balls in a dark brown/red sauce with broccoli on the side. she had a separate chicken dish, but they were very similar looking. I was a little confused about why they were little balls of chicken; I was assuming this would be not of the highest quality. Don't judge a book by its cover.

One bite, and I was sold. They aren't stringy or chewy or grissley. They were whole white meat, tender and tasty. The sauce was on the tangier side, and I used my broccoli in intervals to help lower the intensity of the tang at times. And the bowl of white rice I was provided with did the same trick. The sauce was plentiful, so I dumped my white rice in the sauce, and it helped mute the spiciness a little bit. But I enjoyed the flavors. I liked the tang, I liked the quality of the food. I didn't feel like I was eating a big ball of grease, as is sometimes the case.

The service wasn't the best - he preferred the hands-off approach. He only gave us one refill while we were there, which is not ideal with some spicy food. And we said for a long time before finally calling over to him asking if we could have to-go boxes and our checks. I'm looking forward to going back and trying a different dish - maybe the pad thai! My bill came out to about $20 total, but that's because they didn't split the appetizer. That's okay. I enjoyed my meal - tons of good chicken, a nice tangy sauce and some mouth-watering rangoons.

Grade: A

On a particular overcast, weeknight evening, Melanie and I headed to Archie's Lakehouse. Located on the Cheat on Sunset Beach Road, the main draw of this place is the nice view via the deck. I hadn't been here before, and I'm no genius when it comes to directions, so we got slightly lost ...

But once we got there, I was surprised at just how close we were to the water. I never really had dining like this before, but I was really excited to check it out. When we walked in, the hostess greeted us, and we asked to be sat on the deck. She led us through the dining room, which seemed spacious enough, and onto the deck, where a few other patrons had the same idea.


It really was an ideal day for dinner. We were there in the evening, but the sun was still fairly high up in the sky, but with the overcast and heavy clouds, only slight glimmers sprung through the clouds, making for a beautiful view of the water. With a light breeze, I was comfortable, even in the plastic porch-furniture chairs. A few ducks and geese were even floating around near us, probably because people were feeding them, and another man was tossing a toy to his Dalmatian off in the distance. The setting was perfect.

Our waitress was extremely prompt - handing us our menus and having our drinks ready quickly. She asked if we'd like an appetizer and suggested two before we even asked. On her suggestion, we went for the breaded zucchini. After we opened our menu, we realized their wings were "award-winning," (and many of my Twitter followers suggested the wings) and we regretted our decision. That's okay, we put in an order of their honey bbq wings too. You know I was sold when I opted for bone-in wings. For my entree, I chose their "Whale on the Beach" sandwich - a nice mix between their seafood and sandwiches. It contained 10 oz. of beer-battered haddock, with lettuce, tomato, tartar on an Italian roll.  I chose a twice-baked potato as my side.

I saw many complaints about service, but ours was so spot on. My drink didn't run dry, and she constantly cleared empty plates from our table. In fact, she bordered on a little too friendly at times, but it was better than the other option. Our zucchini came out pretty quickly, and it was certainly indulgent. AKA tasty. I wouldn't have minded if the strips were a little thicker and less mushy, so I actually got more of a zucchini taste, rather than the fried breading. But, doubled with marinara, how could you go wrong here?

Our wings came out pretty quickly after, and it's clear they're award-winning. They're so tasty! The honey bbq is likely a solid purchase anywhere, but here, I didn't even mind eating the skin. I rarely do that - usually the texture is flabby. But they were cooked perfectly here so that the skin has a slight crisp to it. The honey bbq was perfect - I'd definitely get these again. They have other interesting flavors, like Corona and Jack Daniel's, that I would be tempted to try.

My sandwich was easily two portions. It was cut in half, and each was a whole sandwich in its own. Beyond that, it was fantastic! Big portions of flaky fish, with a hint of a salt in the batter, fresh lettuce and tomato, and just a bit of tartar - sans much relish! The twice-baked potato was cheesy, not like my mother's, but good nonetheless.

I really can't understand why this place doesn't have better reviews. Between the view, the three different delicious dishes, and the total only being about $20 each, it's a homerun. I'll definitely be back.

Their hours:

Mon - Tue:	3:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Wed:	12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Thu:	12:00 pm - 2:00 pm, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Fri - Sun:	12:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Grade: A

I've recently been learning about special dietary restrictions that affect some people. For example, my dad has developed somewhat of a lactose intolerance. Here is an article from Medical News Today that I think might be helpful/insightful.

In theory, any food can cause a food allergy. But in fact just a handful of foods are to blame for 90% of allergic reactions to food. These common foods are known as the 'big eight'. They are:

-- milk
-- eggs
-- peanuts (groundnuts)
-- nuts from trees (including Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts)
-- fish
-- shellfish (including mussels, crab and shrimps)
-- soya
-- wheat

In children, most allergic reactions to food are to milk, peanuts, nuts from trees, eggs, soya and wheat. Most children grow out of most allergic reactions to food in early childhood. In adults, most allergic reactions are to peanuts, nuts, fish, shellfish, citrus fruit and wheat.

This section mainly describes foods that can cause food allergy, but it also includes lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance/sensitivity (coeliac disease). These are types of food intolerance, but they aren't allergies. Remember, if you think you have a food intolerance, you should contact your GP.

West Virginia has some great products (especially food!) produced right here in the state. Here's a compilation from WV Agriculture.

AQUACULTURE

Trout Lodge and Anglers Resort
Fresh Rainbow Trout
Scott Ryan
Rt. 2, Box 35
Lindside, WV 24951
Phone: 304-753-9218

Union Fish Market
Seafood Products
David Cunningham/Joe Coleman
2226 Market Street
Wheeling, WV 26003
Phone: 304-233-0475

West Virginia Aquaponics
Tilapia
Donnie R. Tenney
P.O. Box 125
Tallmansville, WV 26237
Phone: 304-472-4693
Fax: 304-472-4301
E-Mail: treeor@msys.net

Zetts Tri-State Fish Farm & Hatchery
Rainbow Trout
Andrew Zetts
Rt. 2, Box 218K
(878 Hatchery Road)
Inwood, WV 25428
Phone: 304-229-3654