Well, we have talked before about all the new restaurants at Evansdale Crossing. And, new this year, are two more new restaurants: Two Birds Chicken and Panini Pete's.

Two Birds Chicken

Two Birds Chicken replaced Collo Rosso. It features - you guessed it - chicken. Chicken fingers, chicken sandwiches, fried or roasted chicken plates, chicken salads and chicken-topped mac & cheese or jo jo potatoes.

I wanted to try something simple, so I went with the chicken tenders and a side of macaroni & cheese. I also asked to try each of the sauces: Two Birds BBQ, White Sauce, Herb Vinaigrette, Ranch and Honey Mustard. The chicken fingers were pretty small, but I think I got an extra one? Not bad. My favorite sauce was the honey mustard. The mac & cheese was the best part - so, so cheesy.

Panini Pete's

Panini Pete's is located at the top of Evansdale Crossing within the Octane space. Don't worry, there are signs to help you figure out where to go.

The menu spans burgers, paninis, beignets (?), and salads.

So, I ordered the "House-roasted medium rare roast beef panini," which was sliced thin with homemade gorgonzola spread, onion confit, tomato, baby greens and dijon on focaccia bread.  This was very tasty. Tony had to wait quite a while for his sandwich, but we headed outside to eat on the rooftop, which was cool. My sandwich was very tasty, fresh and perfectly grilled, too. The housemade chips on the side were a good addition.

Saffron, previously located on the Mileground, has moved to 268 High Street in the former Buffalo Wild Wings location.

The puts Saffron, Mother India and Bombay Grill - all three Indian restaurants in town - just minutes from one another. And, while they each serve Indian food, that's a pretty big umbrella. Mother India is more north India, Saffron is more south, and Bombay is more west Indian cuisine. Of course, as much as we'd like to pretend there are lines drawn to separate each cuisine, they draw influence from lots of other places - family history, neighboring cuisine, etc. - so there's no clean cut differentiation.

Saffron is often the crowd favorite, and a more central location seems to be well-received. First off, the new space is lovely. Bright colors, lovely photos by the Sher Yip and a good bit more seating than their previous location.

Tony, Dave and I went for their opening lunch buffet. It had: onion pakora, channa masala, mutter paneer, ginger spinach, rice, chicken tikka masala, goat curry, tandoori chicken, naan, cumin rice, kheer and a cold salad bar.

Well, I tried the onion pakora (yum!), the mutter paneer (not bad, but had no idea that paneer is like a fried cottage cheese*), and the chicken tikka masala (good, though I might like Mother India's iteration better). There are really only a handful of options, but they're tasty. Oh, and kheer for dessert, as always.

Same great food from Saffron, new and spacious new place. Have you been yet? What do you think?

Grade: A
 

The building has some cool history:

The inn, then called Stockton's Inn, opened in 1839. Col. Aaron Stockton built the original red brick structure with imposing white pillars and double porches as a private residence in 1816 or 1819. The actual date is unknown because the original documents were burned in a fire and both dates are listed in subsequent accounts of the house.The building later served as an inn along a stagecoach route and a Civil War hospital before it was purchased by a nearby aluminum plant that added a wing to accommodate the increasing number of guests who visited the facility. The inn's occupancy is not quite as high as it was in the days when the aluminum plant generated a steady stream of guests, but the owners still update the rooms, two or three each year. In the past several years, Hill has overseen improvements including the removal of carpet and installation of hardwood floors and carpet, new wallpaper and paint in the common areas and the installation of WiFi throughout most of the inn.

The restaurant, done up in mint green and pink, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with traditional country fare dominating the options: filet mignon, pork chops, grilled lemon pepper tilapia, crab cakes, pasta and prime rib.

First, I was served one of the restaurant's famous made-from-scratch yeast rolls. Slathered with a dab of butter, these rolls are melt-in-your-mouth good. They're made daily by a household recipe that I would love to have.

For me entree, I went with the crab cakes. The housemade, lightly seasoned and deep fried cakes were tasty. I do know they were homemade, though, because my teeth came crunching down on a hard piece of shell. Ouch.

While these were good, I've had better. A little bit more moist, a bit more seasoning, and a bit larger portions would kick this up a notch for me.

The scalloped potatoes on the side were decent, if not a tad bland, and the veggies were beautiful and added a lovely color and crunch to the dish.

I was also given the option of a tartar, cocktail sauce and dill sauce. I opted for all three. The dill sauce was pretty good, though I wish there was a remoulade of sorts.

Overall, it's really a lovely place with some pretty good food. And, you can't beat the view. A good time.



Grade: B

Some background: The founder, Merle Berkshire, was a big fan of frozen custard and would always seek out those shops whenever he would travel:

“I have always believed custard is the Mercedes of ice cream. It has a small amount of egg in it, which makes it richer and smoother and creamier. It really is premium ice cream,” Merle said in WV Living.

And as time went on, frozen custard went out of style, but there was a resurgence again in 2000. It was then when he looked to get into the business. He opened a small custard stand at his gift shop in Pipestem and then moved to the three main locations: Princeton, Beckley and Crab Orchard.

The buildings are outfitted in a retro style, complete with black-and-white checkered borders and tablecloths and neon signs. The menu reflects this style: sundaes, milkshakes, banana splits, and custard swirls - in addition to hot dogs, BBQ and grilled cheese sandwiches. One of the cooler features is that these shops actually have a rotating flavor of the week, which is always tasty.

I was en route to another location, so I only went through the drive-thru. I ordered a caramel milkshake to divert from the cone I had last time. First off, it's caramel. So, that's already a win in my book. But, this was seriously good! The roasty sweet flavor was very tasty - much better than the cones I've had here. I don't think I'll ever go back. Milkshakes fo lyfe.



Grade: A

Vandal's Kitchen opened just over a year ago to serve the best coffee in the New River Gorge. Add waffles, tasty sandwiches and a sweet house, and you have one fantastic little restaurant.

Over 100 years ago Abraham Vandal chose a 200 acre farm to be his home. That farm would one day become the town of Vandalia… and one day Fayetteville. His family operated a tavern and stage coach stop that welcomed weary travelers with comfort and warmth of a home made meal. 

Back then food was served fresh from the garden and rarely processed beyond “putting up” food for the winter. Waffles didn’t come frozen in a box. Food was prepared flavor in mind and the nutrients needed to fuel an honest day’s work. 

We’re honoring his family’s legacy with food cooked fresh, and sourced as local as possible every day (well, except Wednesdays).

The restaurant is located in the bottom left corner of an old, white house atop a hill in Fayetteville. The interior has rustic, mismatched chairs, weathered tables and fresh flowers in jars atop every table. And, lots of cool art.

The menu features an amazing assortment of breakfast sandwiches, waffles, and omelettes. They also have a chicken salad sandwich, cheeseburger, fried chicken, salads, and avocado toast.

At Vandal’s Kitchen we believe that the best dishes begin with ingredients selected for optimal flavor and nutritional value allow simple dishes to become truly remarkable. We take pride in using whole, fresh ingredients that are sourced as locally and organically as possible to create southern homestyle breakfasts (all day), filling rustic lunches and a full range of single source coffee and espresso beverages. 

From homemade buttermilk waffles made to order to our fresh dill chicken sandwich we cook with love and the comfort of home.

I ordered "The PBC Sandwich," because it said it was a local favorite. It is served with their homemade sharp cheddar pimento cheese, thick-cut bacon and a fried egg, and it's topped with arugula, sliced tomato and red onion on a soft roll.

This was delicious! It was piled high with fresh, crisp veggies, a soft egg that yolked all over (ha), and that pimento cheese is the stuff my dreams are made of. A very savory sandwich, but crisp bacon, creamy pimento cheese and a hint of sweetness with the onion. Really, a very solid, yet simple, sandwich.

Grade: A