I've been on a quest lately to knock off some of those restaurants I've had on my list for quite a while. They're often ones I've heard about, but they're on the outskirts of town or they are those "bar & grills" that are heavier on the bar side than the grill side. Or, I just don't know much about them.

RJ's Grill & More - Homemade and Beyond is located on Dunkard Avenue in Westover. I don't traditionally have the best luck with Westover restaurants, but I wanted to give this place a try. So, I headed over there for lunch.

Lodged next to an asbestos removal company and across the way from a secondhand Subaru lot, the restaurant is definitely in a part of town that I don't see often. The space used to be a former hot spot, I think, and the smell of smoke still overcomes the tiny place. The walls are adorned with chalkboard pain and the menu, which is pretty expansive.

The menu has really great sounding items like the "Goldened Blue Burger," which is topped with a Portabella mushroom in a blueberry bacon cream, provolone & pepper slaw. Or there's the "Colonel Mustard" sandwich, which is turkey smothered in spicy mustard butter topped with barrel slaw and onions petals on rye.

I learned the owner previously the Rusted Musket, but he grew tired of the college kid crowd and sold the business. Now, he's catering to the Westover crowd and has seen some decent business due to delivery via OrderUp. He suggested the open face chicken sandwich, which was on special. I was gravitating toward that Goldened Blue Burger, but he said he hadn't currently made that and he only does so every four days. Instead, he suggested the Blue on Black (which isn't on the paper menu), which had cajun seasoning, mushrooms and bleu cheese. Got that with a side of potato salad.

There are maybe 10 or so seats inside - half along the front bar area and half in front of the window. A large TV up in the corner was playing Law & Order. It's cramped, a bit dark and has some questionable area visitors, but the food wasn't bad. Points for some creativity on the menu, but the execution was pretty average, I think.

The burger wasn't especially thick or juicy, but it was fine, and the bun was better than most places. The potato salad had some kick to it that I'm still feeling the residual effects from. The owner. who was friendly, in a rough-around-the-edges sort of way, didn't skimp on the cheese - which I like. The area is a little less than ideal. Overall: Average. But, would I go out of my way to come back? Nah. If I were in the area? Maybe.

Grade: C

Out past the "other" Walmart on Grafton Road, there is a restaurant space. I first went there some five years ago when it housed "Big Kahunas." (Can we also just take a moment and lament Blogger couldn't recognize when photos were vertical or horizontal and just put them in any which way it thought was best? Sigh.) Big Kahunas and its Hawaiian-themed menu are no longer there, but a new restaurant has taken its space.

It is now Whitetail Crossing, which takes on more of a hunting theme as evidenced by the deer on the wall. I ran here during lunch one day to see what it's about. Plenty of parking here, and the outside looks a bit questionable. No windows or way to really see inside, so at first, I thought it was more of a gambling joint. Inside, there was a large dining space to the left - but the lights were out - and to the right was a bar area that had two other customers seated. I decided to sit at the bar. I noticed another dining space on the opposite side of the bar.

The menus had seen better days - pieces of paper that were stapled together with stains of various colors and sizes littering the pages. But, it's a comprehensive menu with pizza, burgers, chicken, sandwiches, wings, hot dogs and even a kids menu. I asked the bartender what the favorites were, and she said pizza or calzones, but they're huge. So, she suggested the wings and noted they also have boneless ones, even though they're not on the menu. She suggested the Hot Honey Hawaiian sauce, and I took her up on that.

The service was friendly, but entirely too slow. I waited for a half hour at noon to get my10 wings, with the only other patrons being the two at the bar - and they both ordered salads. And, she rang me up as a to-go order. I didn't ask for it, but I assume since Iw as by myself she assumed it was to-go. Which was fine, because after waiting that long for the food, I was ready to get back to work. And, I just spent $14 (with tip) for some wings. Meh.

So, once I got to work, I opened the box. It seems like they mixed a bottle of Frank's Red Hot and a can of pineapple chunks. There was no trace of honey. And the hot sauce really dominated the flavor. The pineapple bits didn't taste at all like pineapple - just hot sauce. I don't mind some heat - but as long as there is flavor to accompany it. There was no underlying of sweet or even depth of flavor here. The chunks of chicken were decent quality, but the sauce was not.

I think it's too expensive, I think the wait was way too long, and I think the food is average - at best. I think it joins a host of other restaurants in Morgantown under the "bar & grill" category that cater more to the bar, less to the grill, and it shows.

Grade: C

There are few reasons to go to the Mountaineer Mall (aka, the OTHER, old abandoned mall). But Hometown Hot Dogs is one of them. 

The half-occupied building has a hodgepodge of businesses or services that continue to reside there, and it is where Woodburn Shanks got its start. That restaurant has since moved out, but Hometown Hot Dogs moved in not quite a year ago to fill the lunchtime business void. 

Hometown Hot Dogs has a location in Westover, as well as ones in Fairmont and Kingwood. There's a real "hot dog culture" throughout West Virginia, though it's much stronger in the southern part of the state. But, I always enjoy seeing a little sliver of it in Morgantown.

Hometown Hot Dogs is located in the Center Court of the Mountaineer Mall (5000 Greenbag Rd., Suite B1, Morgantown, WV, 304-435-0015). There are a few tables and chairs nearby if you wish to eat in. No cards, but there is an ATM available if need be.

The menu features hot dogs, of course. But there are also pepperoni rolls, pizza, chili, chicken sandwiches or wraps, salads, fries, nachos, and weekly specials. A cooler full of sodas is available, including Cheerwine! 

These hot dogs are pretty decent. I only wish the dog itself was a bit warmer, and the slaw is pretty liquidy. It kept seeping into the bun, but the flavors are all good. I've had some pretty damn good hot dogs, so it's hard to rank this up there with them. But it's definitely one of the best you'll find in Morgantown; its competition being Haught Diggity Dogz.

Grade: B

Recently, I was in the Parkersburg area and had lunch at the mall. The food court has a few local options that I'm slowly working my way through. I started with The Pizza Place, and now we've moved on to China Max.

This isn't the first time I've come across a restaurant named China Max, though I'm unsure if they are connected in any way. I tried some of the sesame chicken, noodles and cheese wontons. The chicken was of meh quality, but I was a fan of the creamy cheese wontons. They weren't dry and crumbly like many others. But, so far, Pizza Place is winning in the race.

Grade: C

A new Asian grocery store has replaced the former Smitty's location in Chelsea Square. It joins two others in town: Vonson and Koreana.

I'm not sure we need three separate Asian stores, but I welcome one on my side of town. And, I was told they will begin serving to-go sushi, as well.

Side note: The owner works at Kroger and said he recognizes me. This could be a teachable moment for me - I clearly get Kroger sushi way too often.

It's not a huge space, but they have a little of everything - frozen fish, condiments, snacks, produce, drinks, and even ice cream in the back.

I ended up purchasing garlic Cornick, which is a Filipino variant of corn nuts. I had never actually had corn nuts before (I know, I'm an idiot), but I had read something recently about them and the various kinds. And, well, the rest is history. The little savory, crunchy bits were decent.

I also got some frozen shumai, which is a guilty pleasure. I know this is probably white girl version of any authentic food, but I love them. Drizzled with teriyaki sauce mmmm.

And, I got some sort of white milk chocolate wafers, which weren't bad.

That just goes to show you the variety of stuff they have here. From fresh to frozen and authentic to just tasty, there's a little bit of everything for everyone. Parking is easy here, and it's pretty convenient. Keep in mind that if you're using a card, there's a $10 minimum.

Have you been? What have you bought?