Smokin' Jacks has taken over the former Schmitt's Saloon location.

Smokin' Jacks has been a Preston County staple for some time, and they've just recently begun moving into the Morgantown area - with sister restaurant Smokin' Jills and their initial location back in Sabraton.

The building here is nice - large, rustic and ample parking. It looks just like the previous restaurant.

Which made me hope the pepperoni rolls were the same, too, because I really liked them. And they're pretty close! They're fried with cheese and sauce. The ultimate guilty pleasure.

For my entree, I went with wings, which seems to be one of their specialties.

These boneless honey bbq wings were pretty tasty. What's your favorite item here?

You know I can never pass up shrimp & grits!



Iron Horse Tavern is arguably one of the more successful restaurant that has popped up in Morgantown over the past five years. So successful, in fact, they've opened a second location at the University Town Centre.

The location, which looks similar to the downtown spot, has wooden accents, dark chairs and booths, and local art all over the walls.

The menu is the same, save for no brunch at this location. That said, it's still a bit different from the last time I visited, so I was excited to try some new items.

We started with an appetizer of house-fried chips, which come with a bacon & sour cream dip!

And, I ordered a "Who Tarted? Berliner Weisse" from Stumptown Ales to start. "Golden in color, this weisse has a rich & tart flavor." The sour beer had me hooked!

As we were all perusing the menu for our main meals, we saw the "Impossible Burger," which has been highly praised for being a nearly identical substitute to meat - but it's made with wheat protein, potato protein, and coconut oil.

We got one that we all tried, and honestly, I couldn't tell the difference. I was really trying to pinpoint some unique differences or get that "veggie burger" taste, but if you told me that was a regular burger, I would believe you. And Vicki & Steve felt the same. Look below, it even looks like a real burger!

Vicki and Steve ordered regular burgers for their main meals, so they compared and contrasted a bit. Vicki said the real burger is a bit thicker and the texture is a bit different. But not by much. Below is the real burger.

I went with the shrimp and grits etouffee. It came with a corn cake and this veggie gravy. Mm!

Fallout is a bar-cade with a really fun theme that has been years in the making.

You've probably passed this spot on Fayette Street a billion times, but have you noticed the stairs off to the right that go to the basement? Perfect place for a fallout shelter, to save you from boredom and monotony.

Vicki, Steve and I went to check this place out. And, let me tell you, I love the concept. It was like this fun, hidden spot hiding in plain site.

As we made our way to the shelter, we saw signs warning of the guard. Luckily, the guard was busy on the day we were there so we didn't have to weather his temper.

You have to know the secret to get out of this room and to the fun stuff.  But I'll let you figure that out on your own. We had some help from the warden.

But once you're in the room, it's pretty cool! There are pinball machines, pool, air hockey, and some classic gaming systems.

But the part that I'm most excited about is the self-pour beer system that should be ready soon.

The games vary from like the 1950s to 1970s and it's pretty neat.

I mostly just pretend to know what I'm doing with pinball, but it seems to work out OK.



Take a look below for some of the other games!

Have you been?

Los Mariachis, Morgantown's most beloved Mexican restaurant, has opened a second location at the University Town Centre.

I'll be honest, it has taken me quite a long time to come around to Tex-Mex food. After having the real deal in Texas and Phoenix, I gave the local places more of a chance and spent some time to figure out what I really like.

And, apparently, what I really like is anything drenched in queso.

This Los Mariachis location is large, sparkling new and has a pretty similar menu, if I recall.

What caught my eye were these "best choice" burritos, and I opted for the one ... wait for it ... covered in queso: Burrito Cancun - large flour tortilla stuffed with Mexican rice, grilled chicken or beef, melted cheese, pinto beans, grilled fresh mushrooms and white creamy sauce.

First, chips and salsa (and look at these cute glasses!).

You really can't go wrong with this combo, right? It has a few of my favorite things: mushrooms, cheese...
           

What's your favorite item here?

I went to the Bridgeport Farmers Market in the fall and saw Magpie's Bakery, which had a cute little set-up flocked with flowers.

Then I recalled this name before: They competed in a pepperoni roll competition. And the crust was phenomenal. Typically, they create desserts and hand pies but stretched their culinary wings for that competition. So, when I saw them, I wanted to try their specialty this time: sweets.

I love this piece on this bakery, where it goes on to define "magpie."

– any of various birds (especially Pica pica) related to the jays but having a long graduated tail and black-and-white or brightly colored plumage

– a person who chatters noisily

– one who collects indiscriminately

And, it talks about how the crust recipe is what makes these desserts unique (agree!) - it's a recipe that has been passed down from her grandmother.

I tried a strawberry rhubarb hand pie with this cute little floral design. And, wow, that crust.