Oinks BBQ in Buckhannon is a new restaurant focusing on pulled pork, chicken, ribs and brisket.



"Smokin' low and slow for that perfect flavor that pairs wonderfully with our homemade sides. Come in as hungry strangers and leave as family with your belly full of BBQ!" 



They also have a handful of sauces - hot, sweet, mustard. I got one of each to go along with my meal.



That meal? Pulled pork sandwich with cornbread, slaw and macaroni & cheese. The sandwich is served on grilled Texas toast, which is not something I've seen often. So, starting with the slaw, it was a mayo based as opposed to a vinegar base. I liked the crisp of the red cabbage, though I wouldn't have minded it more chopped up.



The sandwich was piled with pulled pork, which was tasty. The buttery bread makes me crave a cheese or something, unlike other buns where the bread is mostly an afterthought. Here, it's a crucial part of the experience. I shoveled bites of mac & cheese - which I wish was a bit creamier - into my mouth between bites of the sandwich for a pretty decent flavor overall. 



Grade: B

While in Oak Hill, my tummy was rumbling and I saw the Heart of Gold Diner open. It wasn't until I walked inside that it all felt familiar. I had been here before - when it was Delfino's.



The prior restaurant seemed to have more of an Italian influence, whereas the diner has classic diner dishes - from pork chops and country fried steak to hot dogs and patty melts.



I'm not an eggs and bacon kinda person. If I get eggs with a dish, I'm usually trying to mask the flavor with lots of cheese or onions or hollandaise. So when I saw they had an egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich... it appealed to me because this could easily be a BLT. I ordered a BLT, plus a custom order of hash browns topped with a delicious mix of toppings: ham, onion, cheese and mushrooms.



You know how Waffle House hash browns are really the star? Same deal here. The BLT was fine (watery tomatoes kill me), but the hash browns were bangin'. They were nice and crispy, plus had all kinds of tasty toppings. I used an ungodly amount of ketchup for a sinfully crunchy, greasy dish that was comforting.

Grade: B

There are very few Gino's locations in the state that do not have a pick-up window. But, it never fails that when I do stumble upon one, I am ill-prepared and wearing something not appropriate for public (e.g. pajamas).  



Such is the case with the location in Elkview. I placed my order online, and I had to go inside to pick it up. Fortunately, it was ready to go and I spent minimal time in my pjs in public. 



One item that I haven't tried much is their "Pubwich," which uses their pizza dough folded over as sandwich bread stuffed with ham, lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo and sweet onion. It's cut into sections, which makes it easier to eat. When it's done right, this sandwich has a great blend of ingredients that have the perfect proportions. Not done right, it's sloppy, has too much watery lettuce and the bread is dried out. This version was somewhere in the middle - not the best rendition, but not the worst.



The bread was a bit too dry for me, but the proportion of ingredients was good. I also had a bite of my friend's Italian sub - she thought it was OK - the bread was too crunchy and fell apart for my taste.

Grade: B

Birds are chirping, rain showers are pouring, and spring is just around the corner. This time of year always has me looking forward to cookouts. And, there's one place in Morgantown where you can get all the tasty food from a BBQ - but without the work. 



The Backyard BBQ in Cheat Lake is currently doing catering only but hopes to reopen in the spring with the same menu they had previously, which featured hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, and ice cream. 



I was really hyped for their special, which was a burger with fried green tomato and pimento bacon. Unfortunately, they were out of it. So, I instead went with a single burger since it was already on my mind. 



The space here is kinda nice - rustic, but outdoors with a nice view and a bit set back from the hustle and bustle of Morgantown. The burger was not bad - a little more charred than I'd prefer, but fairly thick and with your choice of toppings.



The macaroni & cheese was good - more of a white cheddar with lots of pepper. Not my personal preference, but I can appreciate it for what it is. Not bad.

Grade: B

The best thing about a buffet? Trying a little of everything. The worst part? Aside from people's germs, it's the fact that there are no leftovers.



Those are the buffet rules. Though, most buffets let you do a takeout box only and charge by the ounce. But one local place was making up its own rules during COVID-19. I really liked what New China Garden Buffet was doing in Huntington. 



They offered some "combos" so you can still get a small serving of a few different items from the buffet to go - not just one whole dish. I ordered white rice, general tso's chicken, baked crabmeat, potato with onion, pork eggroll and cheese wontons. The chicken was stringy and chewy, but that's to be expected. The potato was literally just potato wedges - I was hoping it had cheese or some other deliciousness. The wontons, eggroll and baked crabmeat were all satisfactory. No huge surprises - but I'm curious to know if there's a dish here that is a crowd favorite?



Grade: B