For the next issue of Savor WV Magazine, I'll have a profile on Muriale's Italian Restaurant. So, for the first time ever (I know!), I headed on out to Fairmont to get a first-hand look at this restaurant and all the buzz that surrounds it.


I've had so many people tell me how fantastic this place is. And from people whose opinions I value, too. It's just that it's in Fairmont, and I'm never in Fairmont, and it's hard for me to justify a trip all the way out there for just a restaurant then to turn back around and come home. But I totally did it. And it was totally worth it.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

I'm not going to go too much in detail about the history of the restaurant (you'll have to check out the magazine for that!), but it has been a staple in Fairmont for more than 40 years. This is THE restaurant in Fairmont, and it's THE place to go for Italian in North Central WV, and quite possibly the entire state. It's a family-owned Italian restaurant that features family recipes for spaghetti, rigatoni and their all-time best seller - lasagna. The current owner is Rocco Muriale, who is the second-generation, and he is quite the guy.

Lasagna

Meatball Casserole

There's a ton of parking at this restaurant. There's some outdoor dining spaces (and a deck!), as well as multiple dining rooms inside. When I walked inside, there was an immediate sense of comfort. The walls were lined with family photographs and memorabilia, sports merchandise, Italian decor and more. Once I told the girls at the front that I was there to interview Rocco, they had me sit in the "cubby" area, which donned more photos and decorations. The staff here is more than accommodating, all the way up to Rocco, who was constantly waving and talking to his customers throughout the duration of the interview. Hospitality matters just as much as the food does here.

There's a real sense of community, of family here. From the old-school photos hung on the walls to the friendliness of the staff, they've got something special going on here. And it's not the tacky, fake plant kind of "Italian" places that pop up too often. It's real, it's genuine, and it's loving. After I spoke with Rocco for quite a bit, he had his staff make some dishes for me to photograph - the spaghetti, lasagna and meatball casserole. After I took my photos, I thought I was on my way. No, no. Rocco had something else up his sleeve. When I wasn't around, he had his staff box up the lasagna, fill a large container full of meatballs and bag up a whole loaf of bread for me to take home.


I was grinning from ear to ear on that drive back home. The whole time, I was just smelling hot Italian food, and I couldn't wait to dig in. As soon as I got home, the container packed full of lasagna was open, and my fork was in the center of chunky, rich tomato sauce with tender noodles and creamy, smooth Italian cheeses. This took me straight back to my mother's homemade lasagna. It's easily the best lasagna I've had at any restaurant. Wow. The flavors blend together seamlessly, yet each is defined. the ingredients are fresh, and it's just like mom used to make. It doesn't get any better than this.

The meatballs, too, are out of this world. Flavors of garlic, breadcrumbs and Italian seasonings are prevalent. Coated in their hearty red sauce, the meatballs are a meal all in their own. I make tons of little meatball hoagies with their fresh bread and the giant meatballs.

I wish I had a chance to try their desserts - because the dessert tray looked heavenly. There will definitely be a next time. This has got to be one of the best restaurants in the state. If you haven't tried it, you're doing yourself a disservice. I honestly can't wait for the next opportunity to go. This would be one of those few restaurants, that if I could, I would go higher than an A. The food is phenomenal, the service was exceptional - I can't find anything about this place that isn't amazing. Except that it's not in my backyard.

Grade: A

I had been really excited at the thought of Chillberry for quite a while. As soon as I got word that the owners of Chaang Thai, one of my favorite restaurants in town, were opening a new froyo shop, my expectations soared. It finally had its soft opening, and I can't say I'm overjoyed.

Located downtown, it may be convenient for those already in the area, but if you're not already downtown and seeking out some frozen yogurt, I'm going to guess you'll hit up Sweet Frog or Naticakes based solely on location at this point. We all know it's a pain to park downtown, but if the restaurant is really worth it, we'll concede. This small shop may not warrant those concessions.

It's located right next to Chaang Thai on High Street. In fact, I think you can navigate from one restaurant to the other. When I walked in Chillberry, I was taken aback by the size. It is pretty small. I guess I was expecting something larger, like Chaang Thai. It's long and narrow, and the only seating is couple-seating alongside the wall.


It seems as though they have college kids staffing the joint - not a surprise here. But considering it's not even been open a month yet, you would think the workers were excited and happy. Meh. I actually felt a little awkward.

Just like Naticakes and Sweet Frog, you walk toward the back, pick up a small cup and stare down the line of yogurt options. Chillberry has, by far, the least amount of variety, with only 6 options: Chocolate, Vanilla, Cappuccino, NY Cheesecake, Original Tart and Peach-Mango Tart. Weird that they didn't have any berry flavors? These options change fairly regularly, I believe. And it looks as though they have another yogurt machine that's not quite ready for service, so that would at least bring them up to 8 when that's up and running.

One of the main differences at Chillberry is that they have dispensers opposite the wall of frozen yogurt. These dispensers have things like animal crackers, peanut butter cups and a ton of cereal. I remember looking down the wall and questioning who would want some of those things on their ice cream. Usually I'm tempted by all toppings, but random bits of hard cereal were not appealing to me.

Once I got closer to the register, I realized they had a very small selection in small compartments, like the other shops. There were a few fruits, but not a ton. They also didn't have any hot chocolate or caramel or things like that. They had a couple containers for sprinkles and M&Ms.

I got a little bit of chocolate, vanilla and cheesecake and topped it with some peanut butter cups, cookie dough bites, M&Ms and some Butterfinger. I think my total came out to $3.83 or something. It is .43/oz. Luckily, I had known about the outdoor dining area, because the girl working didn't mention it. I asked if the outdoor dining area was open, and she said yes. Then I asked how to get to it, and she pointed to the back door with an "EXIT" sign overhead.

So, we walked outside. If there is one thing that sets this froyo shop apart from the other two, it's the gorgeous outdoor dining area. It's like a garden with flowers and stones and cascading seating. You can tell they put their money in this area. You would not know you were in Morgantown, let alone High Street, with this nice area. It also looks as though they'll have a children's play area down at the very bottom.  I know this will probably appease many parents, but if I'm going to sit outside in this nice, almost romantic outdoor area, I don't want to be near a bunch of screaming kids.

We sat outside on a picnic bench, where we fought the sun in a race to consume our froyo. But the yogurt itself was kind of bland, and the toppings didn't seem the freshest. I didn't even finish mine - but that could be because there was too many toppings for the amount of yogurt I had that didn't melt. It wasn't anything great, but I'm probably very biased because hot caramel topping would've made anything taste great. I'm just disappointed in the variety offered here. To compete with the other two shops, I think it might have some trouble, unless there's enough foot traffic through the area for people stopping out of convenience.

You can tell it's still a work in progress - when we walked outside, there was a very large knife just sitting on the railing. But the outdoor area overall has a ton of private areas and seating for multiple groups of people. At night, I think there are even lights to set the mood even more. Maybe when it's more settled, I can check it out again.

Grade: C 

Crockett's is on University Avenue in Star City, so it's a little far away from the main drag. Especially if you go there to drink. I wasn't interested in the downtown scene not too long ago, so a friend and I hit up Crockett's. There is parking around back, which I didn't know, so that was a plus. We walked in the front, showed our IDs and chose a booth.

Looking over the menu, one thing that looked different to me was the "cheese crisp," so I put in an order for that and a beer. I always thought of Crocketts as a more country bar, but when we were in there, they were playing pop songs. I was okay with this. This night, they had karaoke, which was beyond entertaining. The MC was pretty funny, too.

Our cheese crisp came out, which was a tortilla sprinkled with beef, tomatoes, banana peppers, olives and green peppers. It had sour cream and salsa on the side. It was pretty tasty - just like a quesadilla without the top tortilla. It was cut into triangles, so it was nice to pick at while we were drinking. Salty, crunchy, cheesy - perfect combo.

The atmosphere at Crocketts is so laid-back and relaxed; it's probably one of my first choices for a bar just because of that ambiance. And there are TVs everywhere for whichever sport you're wanting to watch. If you're looking to relax and have a good time, I'd recommend Crockett's.

Grade: A

I have never been "to" Grafton until recently. Maybe I've been "through" Grafton, but it was never intentional. In fact, I wasn't even sure how to get there.

For those taking note - if you keep driving back behind the "other" Walmart (instead of getting on the highway), you run right into it.

I happened to be coming home from Princeton when a friend, who will be moving out of the state very soon, asked me to meet up for dinner. Dinner in Grafton sounded as though it could pose a threat of difficulty. According to a few friends, though, Gourmet Express is a hidden gem.

Hidden is right - it's not exactly easy to spot this restaurant. It's essentially a two-story house at 1216 W Main Street in Grafton. There is a small sign signaling passers-by, as well as a small parking lot for patrons. It's hidden in plain sight.

When we walked in, the first thing I noticed was a smell - a good one. It was like a sweet, soft smell. Like I just walked in a fresh meadow. It may also be because I had just walked inside from the humid temperatures, and I smelled like sweat.

As soon as you walk in, there's a counter. The woman behind asked us if we'd like the lower or the upper floor. We decided to just stick the ground floor - mostly because I didn't want to make the poor woman run up and down the stairs for us. Surprisingly, it was fairly busy. There were only a handful of places to sit, plus the counter, and about half were taken up.


Our table had a small flower, and the interior had a girly country feel. Our server brought us some menus and took our drink orders. You definitely get that down-home, southern hospitality feel here. She explained all of their specials right up front (which were also written on the chalkboard, which is nice, so you can refer to them afterward) and gave us some time to look over the menu.

I couldn't get over one of their specials, though, the "portabeller rockefeller" (see what they did there?). Its description was "spinach and cream cheese, shrimp and scallops, grilled potato cake for $14.99. It was probably the most expensive item on their menu - but eesh, it sounded so good! I know Rockefeller (like Oysters Rockefeller) is so '70s, but I wasn't around then to experience the greatness.

It also came with a salad - basic iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, couple tomatoes and croutons (I love croutons). I asked for French dressing - this was that orangey kind, as opposed to the Catalina red kind, but it was still OK nonetheless. I ate the good parts out of it and discarded the boring lettuce stock pieces.

Soon after, we were handed some fresh bread. I usually ignore the bread because it's just filler, but this was tasty! It was almost sweet. It wasn't plain, boring. It was fresh, flavorful, slightly sweet. Yum. And before I knew it, our main entrees were out.

A giant portabello cap stuffed with cream cheese and spinach was lightly baked with breadcrumbs on top. A couple small scallops and shrimp were sprinkled around the mushroom, and soaking in a thick, creamy cheese sauce. The scallops and shrimp were much better than I was expecting - who knew the seafood would be decent in Grafton, WV? No, it's clearly not straight from the ocean, but it's probably as close as any of us are going to get.

The mixture inside the mushroom was heavy on the cream cheese, less on the spinach. Rich and delicious. I used this as an opportunity to bring in a starchy, heavy base in my potato pancake. Seriously, positioning these two together is like a culinary heaven. If I had one or the other, I'd complain about the balance. They complement each other perfectly. The pancake was lightly fried, but thick and pillowy and delicious.

So each bite went: Small piece of seafood, chunk of mushroom, scoop of cheese mixture with a dollop of potato pancake. Yum! I sopped up any leftover sauce with my breadsticks and left that place one happy, carb-filled camper.

They had dessert - fresh-baked apple and sweet potato pies. But I was trying to watch my wallet. My total came out to be around $15. Worth. Every. Penny.

Grade: A

While on our way to Charleston for a Ring of Honor match, Chris and I stopped in Beckley for some grub. I had a vague idea of some restaurants that I wanted to try, but when I knew we were stopping for sure, I did some research. A few people had suggested Young Chow's. I don't need much convincing to try a Chinese restaurant.

It's located off Exit 44, so it's near that cluster of restaurants. But you do drive about a mile back on Pikeview Drive, so there is some sense of seclusion from the hustle and bustle.

The building is awesome - it's not a boring storefront. It's designed and complemented with some flora. When you walk in, it's almost like a different world. A high skylight brings in the sun's rays, while plants' leaves drape from the ceiling. A light trickle of water splashes from a mellow waterfall. The dining area is fairly large, and there is also a bar and a drive-thru/carry-out area.

We happened to be here for lunch time, so we were able to get a good amount of food for a fairly low price. The lunch menu seems to be a condensed version of their full menu. Unfortunately, we didn't get a sushi menu, even though I would've loved to. The lunch items didn't have definitions beneath, so while some items were clear, some were a shot in the dark. I took a shot in the dark with their "Young Chow's Special Chicken."


It also came with some extras that were kind of unclear. The menu reads - "Served with an egg roll or 3 piece cheese wonton, fried rice, and choice of garden salad or one of the following soups: (1) egg drop, (2) wonton, (3) hot and sour.

I opted for my egg roll, fried rice, and wonton soup. But I wouldn't have had the slightest idea based on that mangled mess of a paragraph. It could greatly benefit from some semicolons.

"Served with an eggroll or thee-piece cheese wonton; fried rice; choice of garden salad or one of the following soups (1) egg drop (2) wonton (3) hot and sour."

Long story short, I didn't know if I was going to get the cheese wontons, so we ordered an appetizer of those. Chris ordered the Kung Pow chicken, which was another dish recommended to us.

The woman taking our orders was very sweet, and she brought us out some dishes as a pre-appetizer, I guess you could say. It was like a build-your-own-eggroll of sorts: an oil/vinegar cabbage slaw and some fried egg roll wrappers. We also had some duck sauce and hot mustard sauce for dipping. I tried this combination a few times, and it wasn't bad. It was kind of fun, actually, but without some meat or other filling, there wasn't much substance. But for a free appetizer, it was great - especially considering at some other places all you get is the fried wrapper and some duck sauce. Here, you get a tone-downed version of an eggroll for free.

Wonton Soup

Our soups were quick to follow. My wonton soup was good - a basic beef broth, with scallions and a thick noodle in the center was tasty. But then I tried Chris' hot and sour soup and was immediately jealous. While it may have been a bit too much to eat the hot and sour soup alone, I really enjoyed mixing his hot and sour with my wonton to give mine a sweeter taste.

Our cheese wontons came out soon. They were much smaller and fewer in number than I anticipated. The shape resembled more of a pouch than those four-pointed cornered ones. The cheese mixture inside was tasty, though. It was full, so you got a good taste of both the creamy cheese and the crisp outside. Some were a little too greasy though, and I got a taste of oil. But overall, pretty tasty.

Kung Pow Chicken - Chris'

Hot & Sour Soup

When our main dishes came out, they looked fantastic. The fried rice was speckled with egg and veggies. A small eggroll was placed on the side, along with a few broccoli florets. And on the center stage sat the "special" chicken.

I tried the fried rice first; I usually go for white rice, but this was good. I hate the rice that's overcooked, dripping in grease. This was moist and added a good base for the special chicken - which was essentially a sweetened BBQ. It was almost too sweet, but I combined bites of the chicken with the rice to make a Chinese food symphony of flavors. The eggroll was also quite tasty, with the ingredients being high-quality.

Chris also seemed to enjoy his Kung Pow chicken. He thought it was about average tasting.

Was it the best Chinese food I've ever had? No. Was it the best Chinese food I've had near Beckley? Oh yes. The atmosphere was really interesting and a nice oasis from the busyness. The service was great. And we got a ton of different food for the price. I love being able to try a little bit of everything. And most of what I had was really great. Overall, though, had the cheese wontons been a little less oily and the chicken less sweet, I think it would've been a homerun.

Grade: B