Old-fashioned, regular food is the name of the game at Parkette Family Restaurant. Chicken dinners? Check. Baked steak? Check. Liver & Onions? Yep.



Once seated - and it took a little while considering it was a Sunday afternoon and we were in solid church-crowd territory - we looked over the menu. The first thing that jumped out at me was creamed turkey and biscuits - oven-roasted, shredded turkey with homemade gravy over biscuits. This takes me back to high school days with the one day a year when everyone ate hot lunch - creamed turkey day.



So, I ordered that, and it came with two sides. I went with coleslaw and mashed potatoes. My coleslaw came out on its own first, which was odd. I didn't want to just eat a bowl full of coleslaw, so I kind of picked at it until my main entree came out. It was also a little heavy-handed on the mayo.


The plate was full of this gravy/turkey/biscuit mess - and I mean mess as a term of endearment. A made a forkful of mashed potato, biscuit, turkey and gravy in every bite, and it was pretty good. Really good? Nah. But pretty good, yes. Hot comfort food - not as good as when mom and dad make it - but a decent substitute for now.

Grade: B

I recently accompanied my friend, Vicki, on a trip to Home Depot in Uniontown, PA, to buy a chiminea. (Add “purchasing a chiminea” to list of life goals, because they are the bestttt). But, of course, we scoped out the best place to get lunch while on our mini-adventure in the area.

I dig Huntington. Good food, craft beer and some pretty cool events. That craft beer bit? Yeah, there's a whole store devoted to it that I was able to visit while in Huntington recently.

Bottle & Wedge is located in Heritage Station and features beer, wine and specialty cheeses. I perused the wines and cheeses, but I was mostly excited about buying some local beers.

I gathered a six-pack with Country Boy Brewing's Cougar Bait, Bridge Brew Works' Hellbender Black IPA, Mountain State Brewing Company's Seneca Indian Pale Ale, Mountain State Brewing Company's Cold Trail Blonde Ale, Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company's Wild Trail Pale Ale, and Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company's Mothman Black IPA.

I haven't finished all of them yet. Has anyone had these?

With the demise of Carmona's Cocina Mexicana in Morgantown, a new space opened up in the Suncrest Town Center that a new Mexican restaurant has taken over.

(Don't worry, the owners of Carmona's opened "Rosemary's Thyme" - with the same items - in Preston County if you're craving your Carmona's fix. I know lots of people who are devotees.)

Habanero's Mexican Grill features some of the same Tex-Mex in town that many have come to know and love. Burritos, chimichangas, quesadilla, nachos, fajitas, tacos, tamales and even fish tacos are the main menu items here.

It's no secret that Mexican food is not my favorite. I don't love crazy spicy foods - occasionally I'll do, like, medium heat. But, I feel like many of the "Mexican" restaurants in town serve kind of mushy, bland food. But, I was willing to give Habanero's a try.



We parked, walked in and ordered at the counter. I always have a mini meltdown trying to order Mexican food because it's all so similar, so it's like I'm rushing to solve the puzzle of what has the perfect combination of items I'll like. I took the guess work out of it, really, when I ordered the Burrito Durango, which seemed to be their kind of signature burrito here.



Anyone can make a chicken taco or a beef burrito, right? So, I wanted to try something unique to this place. The Burrito Durango features a giant 12" flour tortilla stuffed with chicken, beef and shrimp, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, rice and beans, topped with melted cheese and tomatillo sauce.



My first concern was when he laid out the tortilla on a tray - not a plate - the actual tray. You know, the thing underneath the plate that people take back to the top of a trash can after they're done with their meal. I just prayed this one was clean. But once he finished making the thing, he moved it to a plate. Then, they didn't have their credit card machine hooked up yet, so it was an old school scan an imprint of my credit card. No fault there, they had just opened.

So, how was it? It was OK. It was OK just like most of the other Mexican food in town. Was it awful? No, it was average. It was some overcooked shrimp, flavorless chicken and beef with rice and peppers. The cheese was good - cheese makes everything better. I think things had been sitting out a bit too long because the meat was tough.

Chips and salsa tasted like chips and salsa.

I think I'm always looking for something to make a place unique - is the meat super flavorful and tender? Is there a special sauce they make on their own? Do they use a special blend of spices? What sets you apart?

And I just didn't find it here.

Grade: C

Uniontown-based pizzeria Fat Angelo's has been operating a branch in Cheat Lake's former Anthony's Pizza location in Ashebrooke Square for quite some time. I was waiting for all the branding to be officially changed over, but once the anticipation was killing me.

The restaurant was recently featured on Restaurant Roadtrip and showcased "The Beast," a gigantic 50-slice pizza -- 60 inches! Then there are the specialty pizzas - like the Mountaineer, which has kettle-cooked chips, a ranch base and cheese on cheese on cheese. Other specialty ones include the Perogie Pizza, the Mightly Whiteee and the Chicken Club Pizza.

They also have these stuffed pies - which apparently just leaves the sauce on the outside.

Any of that sounds great, right? So, my friend Kayla and I ventured to that side of town. There's a simple sign "Pizza" out front. Seems easy enough. Inside, we walked up to the counter, took a brief look at the menu and ordered small pies. I wanted just a regular one to test the waters here. So, I got a small four-cut pizza with mushrooms.

When my pizza came out, I was happy to see a thin crust with the toppings sprawling out to the edges. I picked up a single slice, with stringy cheese resistant to come along for the ride. The slice was flavorful in a way I wasn't expecting. The sauce definitely has a sweeter flavor. The crust was good - thin - and the cheese and mushrooms were tasty. I kind of mulled the flavor of the sauce over. I like it. I like the hint of sweetness, but I think a bit of a balance would have suited it a bit better. I do like it, a lot actually, but a hint of spice maybe would help balance it out.

I'm glad there's a pizza place on that side of town - and it's pretty good - and I think I might have to stop by when I'm here again.

Grade: B