The long-awaited opening of Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint came to fruition Friday. Ever since folks got word that the Tennessee restaurant was building a branch in Morgantown, BBQ-lovers' tastebuds waited in anticipation of the first authentic pulled pork sandwich  to come to this town.


Martin's has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives for their pulled pork sandwich and "Redneck Taco." And with no local BBQ restaurants, Morgantown warmly welcomed the popular restaurant. And hounded them via Twitter about the official date. When I called, they said the official open is Saturday at 11 a.m. Luckily, I got word that a soft opening was happening Friday and got a quick meal before the weekend rush.





Located in the Suncrest Towne Centre, the new restaurant isn't large by any means, but it does have ample parking and enough room for a pit. The restaurant boasts making everything from scratch daily - and no freezers or microwaves are to be found. They smoke the hog for 22 hours. Unfortunately, this means they cook a certain amount and run out (which I experienced later on).

The restaurant is counter-service, so we got in line and looked over the menu briefly before deciding on an item - sandwiches, brisket, chicken, pulled pork, ribs, mmmm. Since it was Friday and not many people knew about the soft opening, the line was short and fast-moving. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich with a side of cole slaw. The server: "You know cole slaw comes on the sandwich, right?" "Oh, okay, then can I have a side of cornbread?" I also got a drink. They have some old-school pops, which are pretty cool.

We sat down and waited until they called our number, and then our food was delivered to our table. They had tons of people standing around to collect refills or help. Too many people, but that was only because it was the very first night. The tables contain buckets with paper towels and other condiments. My food was delivered on a large metal tray that kind of dwarfed the sandwich.

The sandwich was so tasty. It's so nice to have a great BBQ option in Morgantown. It came with the Sweet Dixie sauce - a slightly sweet but tangy sauce. I wish I could've drenched this sandwich in the sauce. Next time, I'm going to ask for a sample of all the sauces. It was still really, really good. The pork is really tender, the bun is slightly buttered and steamed. The quality of the meat is just unrivaled. They forgot the cole slaw on mine, but I feel like that would be the perfect cool addition to the hot, saucy pork. The cornbread was a little dry - it seems like it could be an awesome based for meat or soup, but alone, not too much going on.

I loved my sandwich SO MUCH, I tried to come back Saturday. Unfortunately, we were met at the door with two women who told us they ran out of food. Oh well. I'll definitely be back soon. And won't forget dessert this time.

Nick's Canteen is a Morgantown/WVU icon - 50-plus years in the making. A couple years ago, ownership changed hands, and it's now called Campus Canteen. But most people still call it Nick's.

It's located right across Prospect from Boreman Hall on the downtown campus, so it's basically the only restaurant on campus without being a campus restaurant. They've long been known for their subs and gyros. But I hadn't been there since it was Nick's.


The bright blue outside is home to essentially a restaurant, a head shop and a convenience store inside. Want a gyro with a side of condoms and a pair of eyelash curlers? This place has it. It's so cluttered and filled to the brim with merchandise, it's a little overwhelming. Especially for such a small area.

There's a menu board as soon as you walk in the door, and I just went after the standard gyro with a combo of a fountain drink and fries. After paying ($5 minimum for a card), I took one of the few booths to wait for my food.

They have so much stuff, there are two-liters sitting in crates on floors. It's also pretty grimy. It could use a thorough cleanse. Take a look at that salt shaker for instance. Ugh.

My food came out in a styrofoam container, so I took it back to my office. While I'm usually not a huge fan of fries, these were extra crispy - maybe even battered - so they had a nice crunch on the outside. I picked up some ketchup from inside the Mountainlair to use. So I was pleasantly surprised.

The gyro was okay. The meat had a little too much snap to it - like it was cooked for 10 minutes too long. A handful of lettuce was thrown on top and maybe a bit of tzatziki sauce. I just want to like this so bad because I really want a good gyro in Morgantown. It's just not happening. The meat was overcooked, too much lettuce, not enough tzatziki. And the flavoring wasn't even stellar. Not quite the Nick's I remember.

Grade: C

I'm not a donut aficionado. I'm way more chocolate than pastry. More caramel than filo. More mousse than sprinkles. However, there is something special, I think, about a warm donut fresh out of the oven once in blue moon.

That brings me to Ray's Pastries. Apparently this gem has been around since 1966 baking up donuts, cookies, cakes, pies, pepperoni rolls and bread. But I didn't know about it until fairly recently. That could be because it's hidden in a small plaza just behind Long John Silver's in Sabraton. That's 1383 Earl Core Road for those of you keeping track (304-296-5105).


When I walked in, all I could see is one long counter encasing pastries of all sorts. My friend Tony and I quickly decided that we basically need one of everything. Maple-glaze cake donuts, chocolate twist donuts, coconut coated, lemon-filled, powdered, blueberry, glazed, Bavarian-cream donuts! We got a dozen. As well as a bag of pepperoni rolls. And a large provolone cheese pepperoni roll. And a large hot pepper cheese pepperoni roll.

But the woman behind the counter was so sweet and helpful, it was difficult not to. I also probably shouldn't have admitted it was our first time, because then she wanted us to try a little of everything. So we did.

They don't take credit cards here, so make sure you have cash or checks on you. I think altogether, we spent about $22 on this carb-coma-induced lunch. We started splitting donuts so we could taste a little bit of most of them. The pepperoni rolls weren't bad. I had a few bites where it was totally dough, and I like my pepperoni/cheese combo to be split up a little bit more evenly. I enjoyed the hot pepper cheese ones slightly more, as they had a little bit more of a kick. The bag of pepperoni rolls didn't include cheese, actually, but my coworkers seemed to like them.

While the donuts weren't warm by the time we got back to the office (or I'm not sure if they were under the case, either), they were still pretty tasty. A simple glazed donut had a bit of a crisp to the outside with a soft, pillowy inside. Quite tasty. Some of my other favorites include the maple cake donut, too, as a cake donut is just good. Crumbly, thick, filling with a nice maple frosting on top. And, of course, any filled donut is a friend of mine. We don't have a ton of places in town offering pastries, so this place is filling a nice little niche. And not doing a bad job of it.

Grade: B

Of the two hibachi restaurants in Morgantown, I had only gone to Fujiyama until recently. That needed to change before my time in Morgantown expires. Hibachi Japanese Steak House is located along University Avenue, and the exterior has probably seen better days. But don't let it discourage you.

Walking inside, you can see some age on the walls. I know the restaurant has been around since I've been here - so 6 years at least. But it's cool and that they have little eclectic momentos and decorations that they've gathered over time. We actually opted not to do the hibachi show and instead just took a table. We were seated right in front of the sushi bar, which was great to see the fresh fish and chef making rolls right in front of us.


The menus were kind of overwhelming, to be honest. While they were interesting - it was slightly difficult to navigate, and I felt like I had to look at three separate places for the kinds of sushi. Or maybe I'm stupid. I decided on the chicken teriyaki dinner and an order of pizza rolls. Pizza rolls? They're a specialty sushi with crab, shrimp, avocado, spicy mayo, crunchies and smelt roe.

They first brought out the salad and miso soup. While the soup was on the more bland side, the salad was better than I've had before. I typically don't enjoy the ginger dressing, but this was smooth and more like Thousand Island dressing.


Next was my sushi. It was very tasty. Fresh ingredients, good flavors, firm texture. Definitely good. It was even in a cute little flower arrangement. Side note: I noticed the sushi chef was not Japanese. And, he's also the head sushi chef. So that was interesting. You don't see that every day. But he seemed really good and really sweet, too.

After sushi, my plate of noodles came out. That's not typically how it's served - usually all three portions of the combo meal are served together. So it was weird to just have the noodles, but soon after the chicken and the veggies came out, too.

The noodles were tasty, as were the veggies. The chicken was pretty average. I was really looking forward to the "yum yum" sauce, but in fact, no sauce was in sight. We asked about the sauce a little later, and our server apologized and brought it out. Might I add our server was actually great - super helpful, super kind.

But the sauce we got, I wasn't super impressed with. It wasn't the creamy "yum yum"; it was more tangy - more of a bite to it. So, it was okay, just not ideal.

Overall, I liked the service, the sushi, and the noodles. The chicken itself wasn't super flavorful, and the sauces didn't help a whole lot. But it's still a fun environment. And if you're into getting pieces of seafood chucked at your face, you might want to hit up the kitchen. If you're one of those guys who is gifted with that, I'm envious.


Grade: B

Ever head of cheese straws? I hadn't, until I received an email from a sweet woman named Alice.

Candice
I just saw your blog listing all the great WV foods. I wanted to introduce myself. I am Alice Frankovitch. I have a company with my sisters called Three Sisters 3. We have been in business almost 3 years. Our cheese straws are made in Weirton WV and in Richmond Va. We have the classification of WV Grown and the VA award of Virginia's Finest.  Check out our website www.threesisters3.com. Also send me your address and I will send you some of our cheese straws and see if you agree that they some of West Virginia's best
Alice Frankovitch

Turns out that cheese straws are classic southern treat, according to their website. They're a buttery, spicy snack made with extra sharp cheese. They're usually served with a meal but can also be served with soups, salads or alongside cocktails.

The Three Sisters Cheese Straws are a legacy from the women's grandmother, who made them the old-fashioned way. The sisters - Peggy, Isabel and Alice - continue to make them by hand with her original recipe. They sell them for $13 for a 6.25 oz. container, and they can be found at the State Line Fine Wine or Belmontes in Weirton, as well as Slight Indulgence in Morgantown - as well as a few other places.


I was super happy to see a box delivered to my door the other day, and when I opened it, it contained these savory little snacks. They're flaky - more like crumbley - with a sharp cheddar taste. I made a bowl of tomato soup to accompany these little treats, and I'm surprised I've gone this long without that combo. While a grilled cheese and tomato soup is hard to beat, adding these cheese straws to that duo is unstoppable.

 Check out this local company, especially if you prefer salty snacks, and let me know what you think!