I was recently asked to be a "celebrity judge" for Buck's chili cook-off on Veteran's Day.

Candace,

My name is Gabe Storrick, Social Media guru for Buck's Pub in South Park, Morgantown. First off, I love your blog! My go-to source for what's good in Morgantown!
So, the reason why I'm contacting you is to ask a favor. On Sunday (Veteran's Day), Buck's is hosting our annual chilli cook-off. This year we want to do something a little different.... we want to have "celebrity" judges to help choose the winning recipes. We are searching for a handful of "celebrities" who we thought would be appropriate for judging, and we thought of you. Judging will occur on Sunday probably from 1:45 until 2:45, so it won't take a ton of time. Would you be interested in being a celebrity judge?

I realize this is may be too late of notice, so I understand if you can't join us.
Thanks!

Of course, I said yes! What a cool opportunity. I had never been to Buck's, so it was also nice to be able to review it separately, too.

I stopped in with my friend, Mel, and found out the Katie Richter, Radio DJ for WVAQ, was also a "celebrity judge." We found it kind of funny that we were considered "celebrities," so we joked about it.

Buck's is located in South Park on the way to Sabraton. It is actually two levels, but the chili cookoff was located on the bottom floor, which was the original location before the additional build-on.

We met Buck, who was very thankful and generous inviting us. They had two votes: The Judge's Vote and the People's Choice.

They had 7 contenders in all, and all were pretty good. I think my favorite was #5, because it had a hint of spicy sweetness to it. But all of them were great. The overall celebrity judge winner was #4. And the people chose completely different ones for first, second and third. So, lots of winners!

It's an annual event, so check it out next year! You get to try a bunch of chili and other food, vote, and hang out in a cool place! I was able to get some lunch there, so that review forthcoming.

For the past year, I have posted a ton of restaurant reviews. Some good, some bad, many indifferent. When my blog began to pick up some momentum, some restaurants that I've graded low, or maybe not so low, have contacted me in various ways. Some are angry, and some want to know how they can improve my experience.

Restaurant Redemption is a small series I've created that will allow me to give those restaurants who are keeping up with their social media (notably, my blog) and have made an attempt to rectify a poor or mediocre dining experience. For the restaurants that have contacted me, I'm giving it another dining go. For the most part, I will try a different dish and make note of the previous observations about the experience as a whole.

I blogged about Terra Cafe close to their opening and got a lot of feedback about how in the following months, they began to correct some of the issues, like portion size and other hiccups. I went recently with a couple friends to give it another go.

The interior is the same modern, sleekness that exudes young professionalism. It is a cool atmosphere with free wifi and some comfy sitting areas. (Side note: We actually Facebooked Terra late Sunday night to ask if they did have wifi, and they responded right away - nice!)

The wait service was vastly improved, which I expected now that they're seasoned. This time, I went for the Thai Peanut Wrap - "grilled chicken, fresh mango and mixed greens wrapped with Thai peanut sauce. Served with ginger-orange dipping sauce." For my side, I went with hummus and pita. My total this time was more around $11, and the portions were much larger. Unfortunately, I know this is because they're cutting back on the "local" and "organic" food.

The food was great. The wrap had a smart balance of sweet and slightly tangy. The dipping sauce was coarsely ground, and had a little bit of a bite to it. It added some more tang to the dish. And the hummus was great - creamy and had some depth. And, best of all, my tummy was full and happy when I left. They kept the great food (minus that salad...), lowered some of the prices and worked out some of the kinks. It's still on the pricier side for sandwiches and salads, but if they're all this great tasting, it's probably worth it. I know they change the menu seasonally, too, so you might want to check it out to see what your options are. Their Sunday Cajun buffet is also supposed to be good, but I have yet to try it.

Growing up, "The Pier" was the nice restaurant in town. It's right next to my middle school, so sometimes if we had half days, we would walk over to the Pier and have some lunch. It was some of the first times I remember buying something on my own. Before then, the only time I could purchase anything would be by way of my parents or a friend's parents. But being able to walk to a restaurant and purchase a meal with my own money was empowering in some way. It made me feel like a grown up.

I was recently in town and decided to pay this restaurant a visit. Located on 12th Street, right along the Ohio River, you probably wouldn't know it was there if it wasn't known in the area. There's a large gravel parking lot. When you walk through the front doors, you are immediately met with a dark, stale smokey bar area, through which you pass to get to the dining room. If you're not familiar, this is probably unconventional.

The dining area is one large room with a couple dozen tables with white tablecloths and tacky black chairs. We chose a seat by the river so we could have a view while we ate. The restaurant shows signs of wear, as it's been around for quite a while. They do have an outside deck to eat on when it's nicer out.

I think they go for a sort-of seafood theme, but paired with the murky Ohio River does not leave the best visual. But the menu does have a mix of comfort foods, sandwiches, pastas and more. I decided to go with the fish sandwich. One note here, be careful if the server asks whether you want fries or onion rings. That's an upcharge. The default is chips. Also, the water here is awful. AWFUL.

My parents both got the cream turkey special. After a little bit of a wait, our dishes came out. I was surprised to see my fish sandwich came with fries. I asked about it; the waitress said they messed up and I got fries for free.

My sandwich was quite tasty. Some beer-battered cod, tangy tartar on a fresh bun is one of my favorites. And they are HUGE portions. However, as I went to dive into my second part of my sandwich,  I found a hair. I can't say for sure who's it was, but if you know me, you know that's a sure-fire way to make me end a meal. I don't have a very strong stomach when dealing with food. I'll try anything, as long as I know it's clean, that is. I ended up throwing the rest away. I wish I hadn't found that, because I really did enjoy the sandwich.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for my parents' meal. They had hardly any chicken, and their meals were cold. Mine was fried, so they probably scooped theirs and waited on mine. Whoops. My parents won't be back - spending that much money on average food, or even worse than average for them, isn't worth it.

It'll always have certain memories for me, though, and I hope the food and business picks up because I don't want to see this place go under.

Grade: B

Buck's Corner Pub is having a chili cook-off on Veteran's Day (today!) at 1:45 p.m. I'll be a celebrity judge, so I'm excited to try some chili! And maybe get a review in on this place, too!

123 Pleasant Street is having a Bluegrass Brunch and Open Jam today at 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. I've been DYING to go to this, but all my friends keep flaking out. They only have it every once in a while, so if you want a chance to check out some of their homemade food, go check it out. It's $15, all you can eat. Kids are half price.

"The leaves have changed and all but fallen. The air is getting cooler and they say that we might even have a winter this year. Let's celebrate the season with 123's semi-irregular bluegrass brunch. One thing that is regular is the goods that we will be making. So tell one, tell all, this thing is back on.

Many of you already know the deal. Great food for you carnivores and vegans and everything else in between. Its soup season, so you can expect a few. Some good home cooking to warm your soul.

Need more? How about some pickin' and grinnin'. Come on down and sit a spell. Bring your guitar, your fiddle and banjo to. Libations will be served. How 'bout some hot cider. With a little shot of rum if you like. Good times to be had by all."

• Roasted Beet Salad w/ quinoa and chick peas
• Roasted Vegetable Salad
• Fried Roasted chicken
• Oven Potatoes
• Quiche- sausage and swiss chard, roasted tomato and pesto
• Tofu scramble
• house made biscuits
• sausage and gravy
• vegan sausage and gravy
• Tomato gravy
• Honey maple bacon
• Venerable Bean Vegan cupcakes
• Apple Stack Cake
• Orange Juice
• Fair trade coffee
• milk
• tea
• Bloody Marys
• Mimosas