NO, I'm not going to review Bojangles or Popeyes. I don't review chain restaurants unless it's like the only one in West Virginia. Also, I wouldn't be able to do nearly as good of a job as Marilyn Hagerty.

BUT, this is the first time I've ever had either. So, there's that. (I actually had Bojangles twice) (Bojangles was close to my hotel, and Popeyes was on the way home). I think I'm a fan of Bojangles - for what it is, of course.

 

I LOVE Tamarack. LOVE it. It embodies the arts and culture that is West Virginia. There are bits and pieces from artists all around the state in this one spot. And it's awesome. You can get pieces of art, Fiestaware, jams and jellies, glasswork, clothing and more -- all created by West Virginians.

They have a cafeteria, which is managed by The Greenbrier, where they serve up tuna melts, chicken pot pies, rainbow trout, and fried green tomato sandwiches.

I got a fried green tomato sandwich to go. It was placed in a plastic container, which kind of steamed it by the time I got to it.

It was OK. Good for cafeteria food, I suppose. But a little mushy by the time I got to it. My fault. It was pretty heavy. Between cheese bacon and fried tomato. Something fresh - maybe onion? Something. I think would make this a little less dense.






Grade: B

The High St Pasta Co. came out of nowhere. I heard about a sister pasta shop opening by Chico's Fat, but I had no idea it was so far in production and ready to be open to the public. Sher, photographer extraordinaire, happened to see they were open the other day and clued me in. Today, a group of coworkers and I went for lunch.

The space is beautiful. Exposed brick, purple-gray wall color and some sleek black and white chairs fill the inside. The point-of-sale system is via an iPad-like thing. Just slick and cool.

The food is for more of a quick lunch. They have all you can eat pasta for $8.50. Or you can get pasta to go for $8. OR you can get an all you can eat for $8.50 AND get another box to go for an extra $2ish.

The menu is quite small with a simple concept. You pick your type of noodle: angel hair, spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, fusilli or gluten free. You pick your sauce: meat, marinara, alfredo, or pesto. Pick your salad dressing for your side salad: Italian, creamy Italian, catalina, gorgonzola, poppy seed, honey mustard, or white balsamic vinaigrette. Plus you can add a meatball (or 3), cheese bread and a few others.


I ordered fusilli, with marinara, with a meatball, with gorgonzola dressing for my salad and a drink. It comes with a small piece of bread. In small talk, the guy at the register said they do make their pasta, and they make it in Chico's kitchen. The two are owned by the same person.

Salad was fine. Fresh lettuce and bits of onion, tomato and carrot. Gorgonzola dressing was also tasty with some chunks of gorgonzola. Mm. I wish I had a chance to eat more of it, but work called and I had to leave early-ish.

My pasta was good. It was a little overcooked; usually, pasta is a little al dente. This was pretty soft. But that doesn't offend me. The sauce had a good flavor. Just a little spice there that gave it something extra. The meatball I think needs a little work. A little kick of spice but not necessarily in the best way. But, still, overall a decent dish.

It's like a fast food Italian place. Quick, easy, limited options. I think it fills a certain void in downtown Morgantown, so I'm happy with it. It does what it's supposed to do. I do, however, wish they had something signature or creative. Maybe a special sauce? A specific appetizer? Something so it doesn't feel super run-of-the-mill. But overall, a decent value and nice to have a pasta option downtown. And their creative design/concept is on point. Just translate that a little to a food item or two, and I'd be happy.

Grade: B

I recently went to Tennessee (Pigeon Forge, specifically) to visit my parents while on vacation. Pigeon Forge is a very tourist-heavy town, so it was tough to scope out restaurants that got to the real culture of the town instead of tourist traps. But we tried.


The Old Mill Creamery - We went here mostly because we had a long wait for our dinner. But there were a dozen or so options in the form of bowls, cones or shakes. I got a two-scoop cone with a peanut butter moose tracks sort of ice cream and another that I can't remember. But overall, pretty tasty!

Grade: A










The Old Mill Restaurant - This is where we chose for dinner my first night there. While our wait was incredibly long, once we finally got in, service was quick. A house salad and some corn fritters were rushed to our table. I ordered the meatloaf, with a side of macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes (which were served family style) and a pecan pie. The price was about $20 all inclusive. It comes in a nice set. And it was also pretty tasty. The meatloaf was ground pretty fine, so it was crumbly. But the top had a nice tomato flavor. The corn fritters, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese were all good. Average-ish. The pecan pie was good. Overall, a decent meal. Love comfort food, but the wait was so incredibly long. And nothing was totally mind-blowing.

Grade: B



Alamo Steakhouse - This is one I wanted to go to because I heard really good reviews. In an act of luck, we ended up going for lunch, so it's a good bit cheaper. I ordered the horseradish-crusted sirloin with a side of mushroom risotto and their potatoes. I ordered it medium, and it was definitely overcooked. I saw no pink. BUT flavor was on point. The horseradish-parmesan crust wasn't so much a crust as it was melted cheese with just a tiny tang (don't be scared by the horseradish - not potent). Mushroom risotto was flavorful, and the fried potatoes were average. Overall, though, very good lunch.

Grade: A

Grade: B
Smoky Mountain Brewery - I was anxious to try some local beer, so we stopped at the Smoky Mountain Brewery for a snack. And beer, duh. We ordered their eggrolls, and I have to say I'm disappointed. They were just bland, and the sauce was overpowering. But I was a fan of their beer. So, maybe something else would be better.

Grade: B
Dixie Stampede - I don't have better pictures of this because we weren't allowed to take any. But this is the first time I did a dinner/show combo thing. It was pretty exciting. There's a constant horse show (and a really heavy focus on north vs. south - I thought we were over that). And it's quick! They bend our tickets depending on what kind of drink we want. I went with lemonade. Then in rounds they bring a creamy vegetable soup, a biscuit, an entire rotisserie chicken, pork loin, corn on the cop, a potato and a final pastry. I couldn't even finish the pastry, I was so stuffed. But it was awesome.

Grade: A


So, those are all the main restaurants we visited. BUT we also went to some other cool places, like the Smoky Mountain Opry, the Old Forge Distillery (where I bought chocolate moonshine) and two different candy shops: The Old Mill Candy Kitchen and the Smoky Mountain Candy Makers. Lots of taffy was had. And is still being had.

On my seven-hour trek to Tennessee to see my parents during their vacation, I got hungry. I knew there were a handful of places in Beckley I hadn't been. So at a rest stop, I found the number for Calacino's Pizzeria, called in an order to pick up and asked to pick it up in a half hour or so.

I don't really know how I got to this place (thank you, GPS). But what I DO know is I somehow skipped the 40 cent toll, so that was awesome.

Inside, it seems as thought it's kind of sports bar-like. Lots of photos and jerseys on the wall. I stuck to the front, though, and picked up my pizza. They had it ready and waiting. Decently priced. I took it to my car and opened the box.

The first thing I noticed was that a chunk of it was hanging over the edge. That's why they couldn't shut the box all the way. Huh. Makes sense now.

I mean, kinda. Why don't they have boxes big enough to fit their pizzas? Or was this one just different? Seems like that would be a thing that's important.

The pizza itself was very good, though. I got mushrooms and meatballs. Delicious sauce, crisp crust, some saltiness from the meatballs (which were slices, really) and the mushrooms. Good balance. Good pie. Will definitely stop here again on my way through.

Grade: A