A new barbecue restaurant opened up with Smitty's Ice Cream in Sabraton: "Best Barbeque Ever." The bold named restaurant shares a space with Smitty's, and patrons can get both ice cream and BBQ.

"Best Barbeque Ever" sets a bar really, really high. It says it is real southern barbeque, and I'm a fan of the little pig in the name. Pigs = good BBQ.

Tony and I got out cash (cash only) and headed over to Sabraton on a sunny day for lunch. There was a line quite a few people deep by the time we reached the "order" window, so we had plenty of time to mull over what we were going to order. There's no indoor seating. There is just the "order" window and the "pick up" window, with a a few tables outside.

There are a handful of dinners, which include two vegetables, like bbq ribs, fried chicken, fried fish, bbq chicken and chicken tenders. Then, there are sandwiches - an Italian sandwich, a hotdog, a bbq chicken, pulled pork, and hamburger. A few salads which are beds of greens but with an aforementioned meat atop.

The entire other half of the menu is Smitty's ice cream - shakes, cones, sundaes, "hillbilly mess," etc. Once I got to the window, I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with a side of slaw and a strawberry shake. Charlie, the man behind the BBQ, was super kind and obviously very into his product.

Let's start with the shake; it was delicious. I'm not sure I've met a shake yet that I haven't been friends with. But something about the sweet strawberry is perfect for a blazing day. As for the BBQ, it's not the best I've ever had. I think it's good, but I don't love it. My sandwich was dry and without a good bit of sauce to help compensate for it. There was a ton of smoke flavor, but I think had mine maybe not cooked for SO long, then more of the pork flavor and juice would still be in tact. The sauce was kind of thin and tangy, but not too much like a vinegar. I would guess it's closest to a Memphis style?

The slaw was very thin, and the onion rings were good but greasy. Overall, a decent BBQ - and aside from my personal sauce preference - not a bad meal. The best, though? That remains to be seen.




Grade: B

Despite the wealth of restaurants Morgantown has to offer, there are a few voids in the culinary scene. A deli would be nice. Maybe a delicious pho place. But the lack of good, homemade bagels is about to be solved.

The West Virginia 00Bagel Company is a home-based operation currently without a storefront, but it can be found at the Bridgeport Farmers Market beginning May 17 and will be at the Health Sciences farmers market, as well. Also, they take Facebook orders and have scheduled pick-ups once a week in Morgantown.



Their Facebook said you pronounce the name as "Double Oh Bagel," and those are zeros - which refer to the flour used. And they boil their bagels, hand crank and hand roll them using a "unique" process they are proud of, according to the Facebook.



I saw a recent post saying to submit orders, and pick them up the next day. So, I was in. They have classic, everything, onion, roasted garlic, sriracha and and chocolate chocolate chip. They're $2 individually or 6 for $10. I put in an order for a garlic, onion and everything. Very simple - Facebook message what you want, and then they'll let you know what time and where they'll be for that week's pickup. I imagine this would get more difficult as they get more popular.

But I went and got cash (anticipating no Square would be available) and headed to the location at Knapp Hall after work. I didn't have much direction, other than they would be parked near the gravel lot. This is a little sketchy, and it's a little awkward. This will put people off. Unless there is a surefire location (like, I will be the car in front of Hodges Hall or I will be the only car right in front of X building), it's a little work for the customer. I ended up messaging her because I just wasn't sure which car she was, and I didn't see any clue. I luckily found her waving to me, handed off my bills and took my three brown paper bags full of bagels.

I had a friend who had some difficulty with having a $20 (you should probably be able to have cash on hand to break a $20 if you're dealing in cash only). So, the location and payment wasn't the smoothest. But, bring small bills and be on the lookout. I think I'm starting to sound like a drug dealer.

Anyway. The everything bagel was yummy - just know that all those little seeds and everything are going to fall straight down your shirt. Worth it. The garlic was good and actually had fresh garlic weaved throughout. The onion was also tasty, with bits of onion throughout. They're pretty dense, but they toast nicely. She even threw in an extra mini bagel! How kind.

So, I really dug my bagels. I'm not sure if you're supposed to refrigerate these? Anyway, ordering three bagels at once for me was a bit too many. I'll have to do less next time so they can remain fresh without me ODing on carbs. There's a whole bagel culture out there that I simply don't subscribe to - ask a New Yorker for the fine details on what constitutes a good bagel. But this is as good as we have here in town. I think with some ironing out with payments/location would help this go far.

Until then, check them out and getchu some bagels.

Grade: B

Everyday's a Party has a decent selection of beer. That's all.

A 40-year old Fairmont dining institution suffered a devastating blow one year ago when its kitchen went up in flames, causing smoke and water damage to the rest of the restaurant. But the Aquarium Lounge took the past year to renovate and recently reopened, which I took as an invitation to make reservations for my first dinner - along with friends Geah and Kayla.



We had reservations for Friday night, and we ended up being delayed a bit due to traffic. Luckily, they were accommodating. We parked along the street and opened the front door. Surprisingly, it plops you out right in the middle of the dining room. There's not much of a waiting space, and there wasn't a hostess stand either. Geah and I sort of frantically looked around to find out which door we were supposed to enter, because we were sure it wasn't the one we just went through.



Spoiler alert: It was. It's just an odd entrance.



For starters, we ordered crab cakes. These were so tasty - a combination of being starving and all of the butter in these. Super rich, buttery, delicious.



Next - a spinach salad before my entree. Their spinach salad receives high praise from Aquarium-lovers, and it is good. It is a bed of spinach with eggs, bacon and sweet & sour dressing. A pretty good spinach salad - though I do think a few more veggies wouldn't hurt.



Oh my gosh, the bread. Ohhh myyy gosshhh the bread. I'm not too much for the cinnamon, but try that herbed garlic butter. Slather on a warm piece of bread. That alone could've made my dinner.



But, wait, there's more.



I ordered the scallops with a side of burgundy mushrooms. Butter, butter, butter, garlic. The scallops were few (only four), but they were super rich, buttery, and tasty. A little sear would've been nice. The mushrooms were tasty in a light wine sauce.


And I also wanted to try the hot peppers as a side because so many people raved. I don't quite get it - it's literally hot banana peppers. So meh.

But, overall, a really delicious meal. Very rich and heavy - but all so, so good.

Grade: A

Dragon Cafe is a new Chinese takeout restaurant in the Ashebrooke Square plaza in Cheat Lake. It replaced previous Chinese restaurant China Kitchen. If neither of those ring a bell, don't worry, you're not missing much.



Dragon Cafe serves the exact same takeout as most of the other Chinese restaurants in town. Typical Chinese-American dishes, check. General Tso's, check. Sesame chicken, check. Crab rangoons, check. But also with a little bit of pad thai and curry.


I'm not hating. I love Americanized Chinese food. It's like engineered to make my tastebuds happy. But I do want it to be done well with quality ingredients.



I ordered their general tso's, of course, because I want to be able to compare it to all the others in town. And my official word: Meh. The chicken isn't the greatest quality, and the sauce is too sweet. The eggroll was average.



Crab rangoons were on the heavy greasy side, but the filling inside was smooth.

I think the biggest selling point for this restaurant is the location. It is the local Chinese spot for those who live in Cheat Lake. And, it's not terrible, but it's pretty average. If I have my choice, I'm probably choosing a different Chinese restaurant.

Grade: C