Northern West Virginia is noticeably devoid of staple hotdog stands compared to more southern counties that set strict standards for these culinary classics.

However, there are just a handful of places here that specialize in these beloved BBQ necessities. Hometown Hot Dogs, located in the Westover/Granville area is one.

It's not particularly new, and it's not far, but it just doesn't have a huge presence in town. It's pretty small and a little off the beaten path, so it's taken me some time to find it. But I finally did.


Parking is a bit precarious, and it's not huge inside. Everyone's eyes are on you as you walk inside - or at least they were on me and my group. We quickly took a seat at an empty table and looked over the menu plastered behind the bar area.  I ordered two dogs with mild chili, slaw, mustard and onions, with a side of fries. Vicki, former AP journalist extraordinaire, treated Tony and I to lunch. They don't take cards, so be sure to have cash handy.

It's fairly tight dining quarters (I kept getting bumped for folks trying to use the restroom), and you just kind of randomly find a spot at the bar to order, but they did hand us our food pretty quickly. We each had hotdogs, as well as communal order of fried pickles.

The hotdog - the slaw was this very mayo-type that really dominated the whole flavor. It was a little too much. But the sauce was good, and the hotdog itself was average. Pretty good overall, and definitely good for north central WV.

Both Tony and Vicki loved the fried pickles. They were pretty good - not something I'm crazy about in general. But not bad.

The fries were not cooked consistently. Some were crunchier, while other soggy. But good flavor and tasted more homemade than most places.

Here's their Facebook.

Grade: B

Fellow Morgantown foodie and great food photographer Sher Yip has sang the praises of Fat Daddy's Taco Tuesday for quite some time now.

Fat Daddy's isn't exactly my type of place, but this is a cool special they have going on, and people come here just for this reason. They don't typically serve any type of Mexican food - just on this day, that I know of.

The menu features about 16 different tacos ranging from $1 to $2.50. So, pretty cheap.

But they also have lots of different kinds - ranging from a "basic" $1 taco with just meat (chicken, beef or pork) and cheese or the "taco" which is meat (chicken, beef or pork) with lettuce, cheddar jack blend, sour cream and salsa.

The "bro" is also $1, which has taco meat, nacho cheese and salsa.

The $1.50 level features the "baja" with chicken, beef or pork, topped with cilantro lime slaw, black bean sweet corn salsa and baja sauce. There's also the "buffalo blue" with chicken or pork, tossed in mild sauce, topped with blue cheese slaw and cheddar jack. At $1.50 is also "the twist" which has chicken ,beef or pork topped with lettuce, cheddar jack blend, jalapenos, avocado spread and salsa.

The remainder are $2.50: "Carolina BBQ" with slow roasted pork in Carolina gold BBQ sauce and apple slaw; "avocado chicken" with chicken topped with avocado lime slaw, cheese, salsa and avocado slices; "Korean BBQ" with steak, cooked in Korean BBQ sauce with cheddar and apple slaw; "tequila shrimp" with fried shrimp tossed in their tequila lime sauce, cheddar cheese and ranch slaw; "jambalaya" with sauteed shrimp and smoked sausage, provolone cheese and apple slaw; "blackened shrimp" with blackened shrimp, Cajun mayo, lettuce, tomato and provolone; "avocado carnitas" with homemade slow roasted pulled pork topped with avocado lime slaw, cheese, salsa and avocado slices; "the big kahuna" with pulled pork, pineapple, apple slaw and BBQ sauce; "jalapeno fish tacos" with tilapia, provolone-mozzarella blend and creamy jalapeno slaw; and "the spring break" with broiled tilapia, lettuce, tomato and cilantro-lime vinaigrette.

A friend ordered four , and I did the same, and we split them. They all really look the same, so we did a process of elimination with the menu and dissected flavors to figure out which is which. So, the ones I was able to try were:

• Baja (with chicken) - In my notes, I wrote "cool." And I do remember it being cooler than the others, but that's just probably because of the slaw, salsa and sauce. I was OK with this one. Not tons of flavor, but average.
• Buffalo Blue - I really thought I'd like this one, but I wasn't a huge fan. Not a great balance between the buffalo flavor and blue flavor. The blue cheese taste was nonexistent, and I think if it had been crumbles, this would've made it way better.
• Carolina BBQ - Of course I like this one. I love BBQ. Good flavor, but wish the chunks in the apple slaw were a bit smaller.
• Korean BBQ - my favorite. But I love Korean BBQ. I like the sweet smokiness, and the slaw was a nice cool balance.
• The Twist (with beef) - this was a pretty basic taco, but it had jalapenos in it. Just a slight bit spicy, but pretty safe if you're looking to be a little less adventurous. This was our only taco with beef, but it was good overall.
• Jambalaya - one of my favorites. It's different, but I love love love jambalaya. Just slightly spicy, but good flavor. Also nice to have some shrimp and sausage to mix up typical meats.
• Avocado Carnitas - a bit lighter, cooler taco in comparison to the heavy BBQ ones I had. I'm a fan of avocado, so I was OK with this.
• The Big Kahuna - Also a pretty good taco - the pulled pork, pineapple and slaw are a great combo for me. Really, it's clear I'm a fan of their BBQ. It was good.

Sher suggested staying away from the bro, because it was too messy, and the tequila shrimp. So I avoided those. I wish I would've tried one of the shrimp or fish ones, but I didn't have high hopes for either so I avoided.

Service was ... interesting. It's clear we weren't the center of our waitress' eye, but when I would go ask for things, she would help. Not necessarily with a smile, but she did help.

But overall, it's fun there's so much variety for a cheap price, and it's a nice way to spend a Tuesday evening, with a couple beers, and not go home broke.

A new candy store has taken the place of WVU-themed apparel and gift store Mountaineer Country on Beechurst in downtown Morgantown

Double Dutch Confections is located at 732 Beechurst Ave. and sells a variety of chocolates, candies and other treats. The store's chocolate case features chocolates from Gertrude Hawk. Those range from salted caramels to coffee and cream truffles and dark chocolate coconut to vanilla buttercream.

I got one of each that they had in their case that day. The different tiers have different prices. Sixty-something cents, then forty-something cents, and the ones at the top were only a few cents each. Getting one of each, my total came out to around $10, with a toffee pretzel that was also taunting me in the corner.

Overall, pretty good. It's a nice little shop for special occasions, and they carry some items you probably won't find at Kroger or other local grocery stores.

There had been some rumblings next door to Tudor's on High Street (above Cellar) for quite some time. I was curious what would fill those garage-like doors. It's Jamesons' Pub & Eatery - a restaurant heavy on the meat and potatoes that turns bar at night. It just opened last week, and I think me, Vicki and Tony were just about the second customers to try their full menu.

It's really quite well-done inside. It smelled of fresh hardwood and new paint. Nice floors, nice wood, nice brick accents. And they got some of their materials locally.

We were seated in this little nook area that has cutouts to the main bar. The paper menus listed quite a spread - from wraps, subs, soups, hot sandwiches, daily lunch specials, burgers, grills, lunch specials and desserts. There was nothing really out of the ordinary on the menu, and it was hard to find out what their specialty was. But since most of their options were a meat and potato, I followed suit: the corned beef and cabbage lunch entree with mashed potatoes. Vicki went for the daily lunch special - blackened prime rib sub, and Tony got the other special that day - breaded pork chop with mashed potatoes and gravy.

We tried to order the bleu cheese cheesesticks, but they didn't have them ready yet. It was the only thing that was really kind of different - I've never seen those before - so that would've been cool. Next time.

Service was mostly smooth, and our wait time wasn't too too long. Our dishes looked great. Mine had a heaping portion of corned beef, some cooked cabbage, a side of zucchini and squash and roasted potatoes. I asked for mashed, but that's OK. Plus two rolls.

I am probably one of the few people who actually really, really like cooked cabbage. I used to use it as bread. I just like it a lot. So, yeah, that was good. The beef was also pretty good, but a little more flavor would've been killer. There's not like a sauce or anything, so the food has to really speak for itself here. And I just wish there were some more spices on the meat. That, and there some fatty pieces that I could've done without. Not bad overall, though.

The roasted potatoes were quite flavorful, though. I was surprised - usually not my preferred potato method. But they definitely did it right. And zucchini and squash? Always a fan. A little too mushy, but that's not hard to fix. And I even liked the rolls. Nice to have that bready base to almost make a sandwich of the main elements with.

For Tony's dish:

"The pork chop special was massive. The plate featured two boneless pork chops, a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and veggies. The pork was well-cooked and well-seasoned with salt and pepper. The mashed potatoes had a nice texture and flavor, too, including some of the skins. The star was the tangy gravy, which brought the whole dish together. It was a huge portion for the price and definitely worth it. Try this place. I have a feeling it’s going to be around for a while."

And Vicki was also a big fan of her sandwich - she said the blackened prime rib was tender and tasty, but not too thin or shaven. Same goes for her fries - crispy and neither too thick nor too thin. She's still looking forward to trying the fried bleu cheese sticks.

My final thoughts: Overall, above average in quality. The best quality and something I'd definitely order again? Nah. But they did have a huge menu that centered around meat and potatoes - if you like that, definitely go for it. Again, with it being a new restaurant, I'm sure they'll definitely get into their groove a bit more. A liiiitle bit more seasoning, being a liiiitttle bit more selective about the cuts of meat that make it to the plate, and I'd be a happy camper.

Check out their Twitter and Facebook for more information. 
 
 Grade: B

It seems almost as quickly as Golden Finch became a staple in Morgantown, it quickly vanished. With what seems like an unanticipated departure, Golden Finch posted on their Facebook in November:

Closed
"It's time to say good bye
But I think good byes are sad
and I'd rather say hello.
Hello to a new adventure"
Thank you for your patronage
The Thompsons

I'm not sure if there was something more going on behind the scenes, but it seemed like one day, they just decided to close without warning.

That brings us to Jasmine Grill - the brand new Mediterranean restaurant located in the location - 330 High Street. I couldn't find much about the restaurant online, except this kind of mysterious video. And just the other day, they were added to Urbanspoon. After a quick Twitter search (I'm pretty creepy, I know), I saw two mentions about it and realized it was open, so I dragged co-workers Jake and Tony to check it out with me.

I encourage anyone who lives in Morgantown to try Jasmine Grill on High Street. It's Syrian food and damn is it good.
— Alex (@Scarlet_Spid3r) January 29, 2014

I give Jasmine Cafe a B
— vodka (@vodkamau5) January 30, 2014

@Candace07 I think they just opened today. I think it's better than Med Market
— vodka (@vodkamau5) January 30, 2014

They are in the very, very early stages. Like, I'm pretty sure I went the second day they were open. So, some things probably aren't finalized yet. They took advantage of the large windows at this location by plastering some photos and other papers inside them.

One of which mentions that "Jasmine" is derived from the nickname of Damascus - the capital and the second-largest city of Syria. The sign also says to dine here if you want something authentic, amusing and healthy.

Okay, cool. I walked in and stood awkwardly at the door and asked if we seat ourselves or if we wait to be seated. The gentleman working promptly told me that I order at the counter. Oh, okay. Little different than what I was expecting.

At the counter, they had three menus. I looked at it briefly - but because we were under a watchful eye and I had no idea what to order - then took it back to a table to figure out what I wanted.

They have hummus, grape leaves, falafel, and fries for appetizers. For salads and soups, they have a Syrian oriental salad, tabbouleh and lentil soup. Sandwiches: falafel wrap, kebab sandwich, shish tawook sandwich (marinated chicken, cream sauce in a pita), shaworma chicken (chicken skin strips, cream sauce), potato sandwich and soujouk sandwich (spicy beef on a panini grill). And then there are mixed platters - grilled kebab, grilled tawook (marinated chicken), mixed grilled kebab and tawook, shaworma chicken, and pasta.

I went for the mixed grilled kebab and tawook platter so I could essentially taste two dishes.I ordered that, plus a little spinach pie that were already premade on the counter. They also had meat and vegetable ones. And I ordered a fountain drink.

I paid about $16, with tip, and sat down. A few moments later, I was delivered a piping hot spinach pie. Because it had been made then reheated, the bread was a little soft, but almost in a gummy way.

But it was good - spinach was just the tiniest bit bitter, but seasoned very well.

I was getting fairly thirsty at this point, but we didn't receive our fountain drinks until our main dishes came out. Which is a little odd - if the fountain drink station is right there, should probably just give drinks when you order. No big deal, though.

When my order came out, it was certainly a pretty sight. On the left was a pita with some parsley and spicy tomato sauce inside. Then came a long line of the tawook - marinated chicken - with two grilled tomatoes, some seasoned rice, the kebab, tabbouleh and tomato sauce. They clearly put some thought into balancing the sweet, the salty, the acidic.

I really don't know what this pita thing was - I'm sure someone will correct me. But it had some heat to it. Nice for a little punch of flavor. The tawook chicken was delicious. The chicken is marinated in EVOO and lemon and it was just grilled and seasoned well. Flavorful, moist, good blend of herbs and spices. The rice was also well-seasoned, and I shoveled spoonfuls of it, paired with the grilled tomato, into my mouth.

The kebab was like a long sausage. It was pretty flavorful, but I had some trouble cutting it with the plastic cutlery. There were also paper plates, which don't really elevate the overall impression of the restaurant. Splurge on some forks and knives so I can cut the meat easier. But it was pretty tasty. It wasn't, however, totally cooked well-done. Rarely will I ask for something well-done, but unless it's a fresh cut of meat, I'd rather have it cooked well. Sausages, especially made of a few different types of meat - lamb and beef in this case (I don't think pork was in it) - make me feel more comfortable if it's cooked through. Steak? Give it to me medium. Fresh cuts of meat only have bacteria living on the outside. If it's mixed up like a sausage or kebab, it gets everywhere. If I trust a place, I'll order the medium-well burger. But anyway.

The tabbouleh - fresh parsley, mined onion, lemon and EVOO - was perfect when I wanted a something light, fresh to a bite. And the tomato sauce was perfect for adding some heartiness and robust flavor. I appreciate the thought that went into my meal to round out flavors.

Tony had a sandwich he was a pretty big fan of. Surprising, considering how much he hates everything else. Here's what he had to say:

"The Shish Tawook Sandwich is a great example of two cultures coming together in one dish. It’s basically an Americanized version of traditional Syrian food. The star of the dish was the chicken, which was marinated nicely in citrus and curry flavors. The sandwich, which was more like a wrap or burrito made from pita, also had french fries, garlic cream sauce, a sauce similar to ketchup, pickles and cooked mild peppers on it. It was unexpected, surprising and I would definitely get it again. Try it if you're not so sure about Syrian food."

With a few tweaks - like cutlery and making sure the food is cooked all the way through - will take this place to the next level. So far, though, I was pleasantly surprised with a well-thought out menu, some new additions and some creativity.

They're open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. They can be reached at 304-291-7878.

Grade: B