The Evergreen Buffet, located in the University Towne Center, is one of three Chinese buffets in Morgantown. It's probably the smallest one compared to Great Chinese Buffet, located at the old mall (which I haven't reviewed yet), and the No. 1 Super Buffet, which is the largest. It does have convenience on its side, though, as it's right in the middle of the shopping plaza.

The Evergreen Buffet is convenient, offers typical Chinese buffet fare, and has mediocre service. We walked in, ordered drinks and headed to the buffet. My water tasted terrible; not sure what the problem was here. I know what Morgantown water tastes like (still pretty awful), but this surpassed that level of "ick." But it's usually not busy, and there was only another couple or two when my friend and I were there. So, that's a plus.

There are only a few islands of items here, but they have the main items I look for: crab cheese rangoons, sweet and sour chicken, general tso's chicken, coconut shrimp, beef and broccoli, stuffed mushrooms. Nothing here was out of the ordinary, and nothing was entirely tasty. It was pretty average across the board.

They do have some sushi available, but there was no sushi chef on duty. Instead, a few rolls were placed behind a glass that you had to lift (which was broken). Some of the items ran out and weren't replaced during the time I was there, but for what I did eat, it wasn't bad. The crab rangoons have a good amount of filling, and I like the perfect amount of crunch. The general tso's has a good flavoring; quality of meal isn't ideal, though. Overall, not bad.

Grade: C

I heard from some reliable sources that the Suncrest Pub / Nickel has a damn good burger. Their sign on the outside claims "Best Burger in Town."

It was formerly called the "Wooden Nickel," I think. And now I hear it sometimes referred to as the Nickel. Any way you slice it, it's more of a townie bar. I didn't even realize this place served food, because from the outside, it just seems like a hotspot. Located at 3192 Collins Ferry Road, it's right in Suncrest.

But as soon as you walk inside, there definitely is a bar area. The food options are pretty limited, though. I walked in, sat at the bar and asked for a menu. The server kind of laughed and said it was really outdated and they're out of a lot of stuff, so a menu wouldn't really be helpful. She then began to ramble off everything they didn't have.

But I knew I wanted a burger, so I put that order in. With ketchup, mustard, mayo, onion and tomato. Looking around, I could feel eyes on us. We weren't recognized, but that was okay. I was starving and ready for this half-pound burger.

When it came out, I was pleased to see it served on warm grilled Texas toast. That's exciting. It was huge, messy and filled with prime ingredients. And boy was it tasty. Might have to put aside the exterior, the service and some of the unwelcoming eyes, because this burger was one of the best in town. The meat was seasoned with hints of garlic, onion, and salt. The warm, buttered Texas Toast hugs that half-pound patty with your choice of preferred fixins'. Mine had the sweet ketchup, tangy mustard and a crisp, fresh onion on top. For about $5, it's a bargain. I don't think I've ever had a bar burger quite as good.

Grade: A

New Jersey, or more commonly "Jersey," sometimes takes a lot of flack in Morgantown. It seems as though there are a good bit of NJians at WVU, and many times, it seems as though they have a certain "guido" personality. At least that's the reputation. So taking that stereotype and basing a restaurant on it is probably risky. But, Jersey's subs and sandwiches has been around for a little while now, so they must be doing fairly well.


Located on the Mileground, this establishment does eat-in, delivery, and they're often seen with their little truck at fairs and events. In fact, one of the first times I tried them was at a fair. Their specialty is their cheesesteaks - I'm not sure why, because I always associated Philly cheesesteaks with Philadelphia, and not necessarily New Jersey. But that's what they're known for.

So, I wanted to finally check out the brick-and-mortar restaurant. To be honest, it was much nicer inside than I expected. I was expecting a mediocre sandwich shop, but it was clean, well-decorated and had a good bit of seating. The menu on the wall was in the shape of New Jersey, and they had other odes to the state around the shop. They had a case of the meats they use, as well as some desserts right in front.

I ordered their philly cheesesteak. When asked what I wanted on it, I wasn't sure what the options were, so I just said plain. On the menu, it never mentioned what types of toppings they had or what came on it, so I should have inquired further. Oh well. I also ordered a side of fries and a drink and sat down. You get charged more for using a card, which is unfortunate. The workers really didn't seem happy to be there, but I overlooked it. I know what it's like to deal with people, so I can't fault him. But a small smile or a thank you would've helped.

After a little while waiting, my friend and I were presented with our baskets of food. My sandwich was huge - two six inch subs, basically. And the basket of fries. And, it wasn't bad. Good amount of salt, and the seasonings are good, but the quality is more questionable. The steak had some grissly pieces in it that put me off, but for the most part, it was mediocre tasting. The cheese intermingles with the meat, all mixed in together, not just laid on top, and adding some peppers on it would probably do wonders for the texture as well as bit of sweetness. But, I'm not sure how many other places even offer cheesesteaks, so if that's your thing, check it out. Their salads didn't look too bad either.

Grade: C

This looks like a really cool event; just bought my ticket! Hope to see some of you there!

October 5th, 2012
Purchase Tickets

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m

“Art is Food” is a new event for Arts Walk, which is held every year during WVU Fall Family Weekend. WVU Mountaineer Parents Club and Main Street Morgantown will “kick-off” (5:00 – 7:00 p.m.) this new event “Art is Food” in the Morgantown Market Place located at the corner of Fayette and Spruce Streets. Food will be provided through the partnership of the newly formed “Downtown Morgantown Restaurant Association” cost is $15 per person and will include samplings of food from downtown/Wharf District restaurants. Downtown Dollars will be provided to the first 300 people to register for this event ($10 each) that can be utilized until October 20, 2012.

Plan the perfect Friday night. Enjoy the “Art is Food” from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. then stroll through over forty downtown businesses and see artwork from local artists’ from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Enjoy music at numerous locations and a variety of unique dining choices. Also, don’t forget downtown Morgantown’s entertainment venues for your continued enjoyment after 9:00 p.m.

A friend saw Monroe's Deli-Style Eatery while driving through Preston County and was determined to check it out. We ventured out that way until we reached the large, red barn-like building reading "Monroe's steaks, pasta, seafood." I'm not sure exactly what they mean by deli-style eatery, because we just came in, chose a seat, and soon enough, a server handed us a couple menus.

It looked as though it was set up to be a house at one point, but our server assured us it wasn't. There were a ton of dining-room, country-style tables all across the open dining area. They were mismatched, but it was nice in a way. Homey. Lots of little crafty decorations.


They have specials on the wall when you walk in. The menu had sandwiches, pastas and dinners. They had an option to split two dinner meals, so I went with that: the fried fish and crabcake. It came with THREE sides, of which there are a ton of options. But I ultimately went with mashed potatoes and gravy, soup, and broccoli. There are a good bit of options here, but they're all fairly similar. But everything seems homemade, for the most part.

When my dish came out, it was actually kind of smaller than I expected. I paid more to split the two dinners, but I guess I was just paying for the variety. It was more like two half sizes of each dinner. But that was okay. Both things that I had were pretty tasty. The fish was good - fried and greasy. The crabcake wasn't bad either. Though I wish I would have been served with some remoulade. Both were pretty good, homestyle meals. My mashed potatoes were totally killer. Definitely homemade. So tasty. And the soup was homemade chicken noodle - also fantastic. Broccoli was okay - not seasoned much.

But my favorite part was when they brought a dessert tray out. So many cheesecakes, cakes, pies. Gah. There wasn't even another option for me after she said turtle Cheesecake. And I'm not even sure I remember eating it because it was pure euphoria. Caramel, chocolately crust, creamy cheesecake. Heaven. This would have earned them an A, for sure.

... Then I went to Jersey's a day or two later (which I'll be blogging about) and saw they had the exact. same. cheesecake. for sale. My heart broke a little. Not homemade? Total bummer. But, it does taste entirely amazing, regardless.

Grade: B