The outside of the building during day.

If you drive along University Avenue downtown, you might haven taken noticed that the Rusted Musket area has been shaken up a little. On the end, where a convenience store was most recently located, is where Rusted Musket currently resides. Where Rusted Musket took up camp, there's now a head shop. And at the end, which once housed The Original Dish and Shiftace, is the new home of Night Owls.

Considering its Sunnyside location and old building, you can image what kind of establishment Night Owls is. The good thing is that there is a large parking area right beside the restaurant that is free after 7 p.m. Driving past that unit, I saw every window frame was written in with those window chalk things, saying "Comfort Food" and "Open Late" and all sorts of things. But about a week ago, I noticed the door had a handmade sign that said "Open!"

Walking inside, the first thing I noticed was that the door doesn't close all the way. Not really the best sign. There are some small tables in the center and off to the right is a bar area. The lights are sweet looking, but everything else mostly looks handmade, and not in the labor-intensive way. Behind the bar area was a wall written on with chalk about a ton of their menu items. It's not easy to read, though, so I took up a menu (one of two that we saw at the bar) and browsed the options.

A few minutes later, the owner finally walked out and was happy to see us. We were the only two inside. She kept asking us if we were on our way to the bar or on our way back from the bar, and it kind of made us feel awkward - we just wanted to get some grub. After asking us if we were on our way to the bar, from the bar, if we plan on going to the bar later, if we plan on going to the bar tomorrow, I asked her what's good. She said she makes everything homemade, but she just made some meatballs, which are good.

I ordered the meatball hoagie, and my friend ordered the spaghetti with meatballs. After a little while, the owner came out with two plates - like actual china. The first thing I noticed was that my sandwich was SMALL. Maybe four inches. And I got some Lays potato chips on the side. And it was $6! My friend, however, got a huge plate of spaghetti, with the meatballs, as well as a side of bread, for $4. What?

I must say, the meatballs were good. Well-seasoned and made with some Italian sausage. I found out the owner had a catering business in Preston County, so it doesn't surprise me that the food here is tasty. She asked if I wanted the pickle after she brought out my food. She said it comes with it, but she left it off because most people don't want it ... I wasn't gonna make her go back and grab a pickle, but it's probably better to include rather than not. She asked our honest opinion, and I told her, my food is great, but I feel gypped on portion/price. She said usually they have bigger buns, but they ran out. So that would help.

On the door outside, it said they had fresh baked cookies daily, so I asked, and she said she didn't have any that day. Guess "daily" is subjective. She did bring us a cinnamon roll on the house, though. And it was really good, too. Topped with icing and combining a cinnamon sweetness felt like a little piece of Christmas.

I asked if it was cash only, because it looks as though it is. She said yes. Luckily I had some ones on me for parking, so I handed them over. The owner looked over the menu and says "$6 for a meatball sub? I never charge that much. I'll make yours the same price as hers." So my whole meal turned out to be around $8.

Overall feel is that it's mismatched, half-baked, but with good food. But portions and consistency need to improve, because no one's gonna pay $6 for a tiny meatball sandwich. It wasn't the cleanest, as random brooms and construction stuff was laying around, probably because they just opened. I know they're going for a "restaurant after a night of drinking" motif here, but some polish and shining would be nice.


Grade: C

Before the No. 1 Super Buffet was the big down in town, the place to go for a Chinese buffet was the Great Chinese Buffet, located at the Mountaineer Mall (5000 Greenbag Road (304)296-4050 "the old mall").

If you've been to this mall, you know there's not much more than a Goodwill, an antique store and a dance company. But for mall (Americanized) Chinese food, it's not bad. They have two long buffet islands with the usuals: General Tso's, Sesame Chicken, Chicken/Beef and Broccoli, Crab Cheese Wontons, Eggrolls, Spring Rolls, as well as things like macaroni and cheese and some desserts.

Everything seemed a bit watered down to me - nothing was popping with flavor. If I eat General Tso's, I want it spicy and sweet and tangy and indulgent. This was like a muted version of that. Not to mention, they ran out of bowls. Completely out. And it wasn't busy, so they may not always be completely on top of their game.

However, the price was only $8 for lunch, which is deal compared to other places.

Grade: C

If you've read my blog, you know that I am completely devoted to local (mostly) West Virginia restaurants. I have a few reviews that spill out onto Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. I don't see the point in reviewing a McDonald's or a Subway because you can get those anywhere in the country - or world!

I like devoting this little space on the web to highlight West Virginia specialties. Let's be honest, this state doesn't get a lot of positive attention, and there are a ton of great aspects - I choose to showcase those of the culinary variety.

But recently a friend asked me about Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, located in the Suncrest Towne Centre. I told her not to go because it was a chain. Then I realized that I am pretty strict with the term "chain," and maybe I could loosen that a little bit. I've previously blogged about Five Guys because it was the first location I had ever been to in the state. And, there was quite a bit of buzz about it.

Since Taziki's only has two locations in West Virginia (one of which being in the Mountainlair), it makes sense to shine some light on it. I won't technically review it (and, thus, no grade) because I reserve that for West Virginia originals.

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe has locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and, of course, West Virginia. The restaurant features fresh, Mediterranean cuisine - like gyros, salads, and sandwiches. They also have daily specials, which include pastas and more.

At the Suncrest location, you walk up to the counter, take a gander at the menu, place your order and find a seat. The Mountainlair is similar, but you wait there for your food. At the Suncrest location, they bring it to you. There is ample dining space, and it's kind of a nice, cool atmosphere.

My favorite item on their menu is the "grilled tilapia with caper-dill tartar sauce" under The Mediterranean Deli section. It comes with a choice of side: basmati rice, roasted potatoes, pasta salad, tomato-cucumber salad, or fruit. I like the pasta salad best.

The tilapia sandwich is fresh, and the tartar sauce gives it a bit of a kick. The pasta salad is fresh and zesty. They all come with Ruffles potato chips - which are good if you want that added crunch.

It's quick food that is more on the healthy side, and the interior is relaxing - I could see getting some work done here. Since it is the only full location in West Virginia, don't completely count it out.

Munchies is located on Spruce Street in downtown Morgantown and is well-known for its "stoner" reputation. The restaurant is called "Munchies," they have Dazed and Confused and other popular movies centered around marijuana posters on the wall, and the burgers are named things like "Chronic."



The Chronic Burger is exactly what I got. As their specialty, the Chronic Burger boasts BBQ sauce, onion rings, bacon on top of two cheeseburgers. They have a minimum of $4 for credit card purchases, but my sandwich and water came out to be about $8, so no worries there. I left the counter for a table and waited for the food, which took a little while. It's scarcely decorated, save for the posters on the wall. Plain black chairs with semi-dirty tables. It was also pretty smokey inside - from the grill, that is. Not the other kind of smoke.

Our burgers were brought over in small styrofoam containers. It seems as though everything is packaged to-go, even though they have a few tables inside and some room in front of the grill to sit.

But the burger was good, and I can count the amount of times I've had a burger without my typical ketchup and mustard combo I tend to use. That crunchy onion ring was a great texture with the melted cheese and burger. Some parts of the burger were a bit more charred than I would have liked, but there was enough BBQ sauce to camouflage that. The flavors worked well between the salty bacon, crisp/sweet onion rings, tangy BBQ sauce, smooth cheese and juicy burger. Homemade? Doubtful. Decent for a small dive restaurant? Yep.

Grade: B

Sunny Days is in the Mercer Mall and serves up typical food court fare: nachos, burgers, ice cream and a sign that says best hotdog in town.

Challenge accepted.

I walked up to the counter to place my order. It's really a pretty small area - only a few tables. And it's kind of right in the middle of the mall. It's awkward to see people walking by, and it's almost as if you're in their way. But anyway.

I ordered a hotdog with their homemade chili, slaw, onions and mustard. They also had chocolate-covered strawberries on the counter, so I ordered one of those, too.

The girl made the hotdog, handed it to me, and luckily, a seat opened up that I grabbed right away. I watched some of the WVU game while taking a bite of my hotdog. It actually wasn't bad, I was quite surprised. The chili had a good texture, and the slaw was perfect.

However, the place doesn't look the cleanest. The carpet is muddled with god only knows what, and the trash can looked like it had run its course. The tables were all dirty and pieces of debris were everywhere.

But then, the owner, or what I assume to be, decided that would be an ideal time to walk around the tiny dining area to spray air freshener at table's height. He continued to walk around every crevice, and I ultimately shot him a dirty look. I went to take a bite of my hotdog - nothing but floral taste and hotdog texture. Ugh.

Yes, it needed air freshener. No, it did not need it at table's height - aka right where my food is - at that moment. I was honestly shocked he thought that was okay. He apologized, but I threw the rest of my food away.

Grade: D