I've heard good things about Fusion Teriyaki Grille ever since it opened in Charleston. And, while the name suggests the restaurant would be another addition to the Asian food scene in Kanawha City, it really focuses on a fresh, lighter menu as opposed to deep-fried everything.

Fusion Teriyaki Grille is located in a small plaza that used to be the home of Penn Station Subs during my time in Charleston. The restaurant is counter-service, and the menu features steak, shrimp, chicken, pork, Korean short ribs (Kalbi) and salmon in the form of plated meals (with a side fruit salad), salads and bowls (with a side of veggies). Asian food that is healthy and fast? Sign me up.

I ordered a pork plate - spicy pork bulgogi - which comes with white rice, a small salad and fresh fruit. Wow. Not only is it kinda rare to get bulgogi in West Virginia, it's rare to fine it this good. It is fresh and flavorful and just the perfect amount of spice. This dish was really, really good. I love having these deep, rich flavors with light melon and salad to help offset those flavors. Go. Order this. You won't regret it.

Teriyaki Fusion Grille is located at 4002 MacCorkle Ave. SE. It's open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Saunday.

Grade: A
 

The hotdog stand with the yellow slaw calls Marmet home, but its reputation has stretched far beyond the Charleston area.

When I had some free time in Charleston, I headed out Chum's to get my hands on one of those yellow slawdogs. Walk up to the right window. Order a hotdog with everything. The man behind the counter really, really struggled with my name before finally just asking my last name. I waited for the left window to open and call my name.

Then, time to dive in. The slaw is a good bit sweet (honey?), the sauce was just a perfect amount of savory hidden under the slaw, and onions were plentiful enough to add a nice crunch to most bites. This is a solid contributor to the hot dog culture in West Virginia - and a different one, at that.

Grade: A

Another day, another new bar in Morgantown. Playoffs Sports Bar has been open for a little while now, replacing what was once Brick Yard Pub on Spruce Street. I visited for dinner recently.

In typical downtown Morgantown fashion, you're on your own for parking. The dining space is open with lots of tables that definitely cater to the bar scene more than the dining scene. Tables, floors and menus were a bit sticky. Our waitress quickly warned us they have no pizzas. Bummer.

Instead, I went for a burger. The Freshman Fifteen has fresh ground chuck stuffed with cheese, plus all the fixins for me - lettuce, tomato, red onion.

The burger itself was average. Most of the cheese had melted out, so there wasn't this creamy, cheesy center. The burger was a bit dwarfed by the gigantic bun and toppings. A tad more seasoning could've helped too. Overall, though, not bad. Not great. Just fairly average.

Grade: C
 

Oh, Addison Cafe, you slippery devil you.

It wasn't until my third attempt was I actually able to dine at this restaurant. The first, I made a trip to Webster Springs for the Custard Stand and casually tried to stop by Addison Cafe place before realizing they were only open during dinner hours on Saturday. The second: I had called in advance to confirm they would be open, made the long haul down and discovered they closed the dining room for a private event. Fuming, I made the two hour drive back to Morgantown (in the snow!) without being able to cross this one off my 101 Most Unique Places to Dine in WV list. But, the third time's a charm.

I, again, called to make sure they'd be open. Just more adamant this time. And, it was successful. I walked into this oddly shaped building. It has a rectangle (which is a bar area) attached to an odd circular dining room piece, and I was relieved to see people dining inside. Woo! Made it!

The special for the day was baby back ribs, which came with cole slaw and baked beans. I nixed the sides in favor of sweet potato fries and macaroni salad. The macaroni salad came out first as a sort of appetizer, and it was decent. It was a substantial portion and definitely on the sweeter side.

The sweet potato fries were pleasantly surprising. Nice thick, crisp fries with a delicious cinnamon butter for dipping. And the RIBS. Wow. I don't order ribs often because they're a pain in the ass; they make a huge mess, and they are usually not up to my standards. These, though, were amazing.

They were fall-off-the-bone tender, with a thick, sweet BBQ sauce and little to no fatty pieces. I ate every last bit. So good. If you come here, and the ribs are on special ... don't even think about it. Just order them. You're welcome.

Grade: A

I have a sort of strange little attachment to Marlinton. In my undergraduate studies, I spent a weekend in this town for a journalism project where we were "immersed" in the community and produced a video, print story and photo package by the end of the weekend.

I recently visited Marlinton again to check out the Locust Hill Inn, an inn, pub, cabin and restaurant combo located just a little further out from the downtown area. It found itself on the 101 Most Unique Places to Dine in WV list, which means it found itself on my to-go list, too.

The restaurant doesn't open until 5 p.m., and I arrived just a bit after. I found a seat looking out into the dining area, which was homey and still. The restaurant has this comfy country feel.

The menu is small with a cheese platter appetizer, a salad with choice of protein and dressing, and a handful of entrees: pork chop, steak, salmon or crab cakes. It was getting late, and I still had to make the trek back to Morgantown, so I based my decision on what could be easier to eat on the go. That would have to be the crab cakes. After putting in my order and waiting for about 15 minutes, I was told that they do not have any made. And, to make them would take another hour or so. Sigh.

So, I was left to peruse the menu, and this time, I also looked at the daily specials. Chicken marinara sauce over spaghetti seemed like the better of the two. Why not? I wasn't expecting much, as this isn't particularly exciting, but it'll do.

The most endearing part of this entire experience was when I asked if they had plastic cutlery to go, they replied that they didn't. But. They handed me a set of silverware and just told me to return when I can. This was super heartfelt for a few reasons - they had no idea how far I had driven for this meal, and not having that silverware would have made me unable to actually eat this meal on the go (unless I found a store somewhere to purchase some). That, and seriously, only a hometown, local place would ever do something like this.

I took a quick bite of the bread - average. Nothing too stellar. I took another quick bite of the salad - pretty damn good. Fresh, shaved hunks of parmesan, giant croutons and a creamy garlicky house dressing made this salad better than just "good."

The pasta smelled so good, I pulled over for a few minutes to get a sampling. First of all, it's linguini and not spaghetti. Second of all, those sad three mini asparagus are sad. And there was a small black clothing fiber in that empty pocket.

But the pasta... this wasn't just an average pasta dish. It was incredible. It has this deep, sweet tomato flavor. It had to have been slow cooked and babied, because it kind of blew my mind. I was expecting a very average dish, and this had really, really good flavors. I ate every last bite. The fresh shaved parmesan on top was the cherry on top. I can only hope this makes a permanent appearance on their regular menu, because I would be back for it.

Grade: B