There are a ton of homestyle diners in West Virginia that I haven't had a chance to try. But when you are in the mood for comfort food, there's no better option.



Tammy's Country Kitchen in Fraziers Bottom was a pleasant surprise for me when I stopped by for lunch.



I placed an order for a cheeseburger, mac & cheese and sweet potato casserole. If that's not comfort food, I don't know what is. 



The burger was a simple, standard backyard burger that I'm always a fan of. The mac & cheese was really creamy and cheesy - thankfully not dry. Plus sweet potato casserole - with a little crunch, a lot of warming sweet flavor ... Just happiness on a plate. 



Grade: A

The Peach Cobbler Factory opened recently in Huntington after much fanfare on social media leading up to the date. 



Huntington is the chain dessert restaurant's first and only West Virginia location.



The restaurant serves up 12 different kinds of cobblers - like caramel apple, blackberry, strawberry peach - as well as 5 flavors of banana puddings - like Oreo, strawberry, and Nutella. AND, finally, three types of cinnamon rolls. My mouth is watering just typing this all up.  



So I went to check it out with my oldest and very first friend Kristin. They have a handful of tables inside, so you can eat in, or they have a drive-through where you can get it to go. 



I went with the standard peach cobbler - gotta try the original right? It was good, but maybe too dense and stodgy than I was hoping for. I think had I let the ice cream melt down a bit and get into the nooks and crannies, it would've help meld those flavors together. That said, I still finished the whole thing. 



Grade: B

Cakes & Plates in Dunbar offers cakes to order and daily plates for takeout only. It's quite a range from custom cakes to seafood boils. 



I was keeping an eye on their Facebook page and waiting for a day that had some offerings I was interested in. That's what shrimp and grits was posted, and I was sold.



The space, while it has a set-up for events or dining it, it is takeout only from the kitchen. I got the shrimp and grits, as well as some strawberry cheesecake nachos. 



I've had this dish in a lot of places, so I know what I like. And, this rendition of shrimp and grits was just lacking a little bit of flavor. It was thick, and grits really need some salt and spice to keep me coming back. I did like the corn and tomatoes to offer some textural difference. It wasn't bad, but some heavier handed seasoning could really punch it up.



The strawberry cheesecake nachos had a bit of a texture faux pas with some parts of the cheesecake mixture a bit too gloopy and others a bit gritty. But, cream cheese and strawberries and cheesecake - the flavors are there.

Grade: B

Super Red Bowl Asian Cuisine is a new-ish restaurant in Morgantown that has a little bit of everything: sushi, bubble tea, poke, and a "build your own hibachi bowl," which caught my attention. 



There's something fun - to me - about being able to create your owl meal without doing any of the work.

 
With the hibachi bowl, you first choose from fried rice, white rice, brown rice, lo mein, flat noodles, udon, soba or tortilla. I went with white rice. 



Then, what meat? Imitation crabmeat, shrimp, beef, chicken, pork, squid, dark meat chicken, mussels, ham or sausage. I went with the crabmeat and shrimp. 



Then, all the toppings: broccoli, cabbage, carrot, onion, mushroom, green pepper, celery, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, zucchini, pineapple, baby corn, sweet corn, bok choy, red onion, snow peas, tofu, egg and peanut. I went with as many as I can. 



And, finally, top it off with chili garlic sauce, teriyaki sauce, yummy sauce, kung pao sauce, sweet sour sauce, garlic sauce, mongolian sauce, honey soy sauce, chopsticks sauce, garlic, butter, hot chili, scallion and jalapeno. I did a combo of garlic sauce and yummy sauce. 



OK to start - crab cheese wontons - these are always good in my book. I liked that these weren't too greasy, and they had an average amount of filling. For the hibachi bowl I made, it was maybe a bit TOO much sauce, so noted for next time. But it was packed full of all the veggies and protein I requested, which I loved. I do with the shrimp had been deveined - not super appetizing to see that. The only downside is I found a hair in my meal. Not one that was mine. It was hard for me to continue on after that, but I definitely need to check it out another time. 

Grade: B

Despite having been to 5 million Gino's locations, when it came to the Mason location, I wasn't sure what I wanted.



So, I went inside to take a look at the menu. While the bulk of the locations have a similar menu, there are sometimes local twists that are fun.  



I didn't see much different in this location, so I instead went with a tried-and-true: the cheesesticks.



Sometimes cheesesticks can be pretty dry - with just cheese on bread, and then you get some moisture from the dipping sauce. 



But, Gino's does something like a buttery sauce in that middle layer, which makes it all the better.



Overall, a solid app.



Grade: A