Coal River Coffee Company in St. Albans is more than a coffee shop; they're a community partner who is active, expansive and inclusive.



And beyond their main shop in St. Albans, they have a satellite location in South Charleston at the Tech Park, as well as a roving truck. I went to the Tech Park location a while ago to check it out.



I went with a campfire frappe, which had a coffee base with toasted marshmallow syrup, chocolate sauce, milk, and ice.



I also ordered an apple and gouda grilled cheese. I always love a really good grilled cheese; a good one is the ultimate comfort food. I had a grilled cheese - not this elevated - for breakfast many times.



Let's go with the drink - I think Coal River always has a more robust, strong flavor for their coffees, which I'm growing to enjoy. Of course, the frappuccino is going to be on the sweeter side, but this was actually pretty balanced for me.



The grilled cheese was great. Some tart sweetness, some creamy unctuousness from the cheese and the little texture bite from the apple made for a really solid lunch.



Have you been?



What's your favorite?



Grade: A  

Let's go to Gino's Pizza and Spaghetti House and order a sub. Do you call them subs, hoagies, grinders, heroes, or something else? I usually call them hoagies or subs when they are cold. But then it all changes whenever it's a hot one.



Either way, I wanted to try the Sicilian sandwich at Ravenswood because I had a craving. And it was a decent sandwich - The Sicilian has hot ham, Genoa salami, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, black olives, onions, banana peppers, green peppers, oregano, lettuce and Gino's sub sauce served on an oven baked sub. Here's my beef with hot subs: They usually toast them too much so that the outer layer of bread is just crumbling apart and making a mess when I would much rather have that nice deep bite into a soft bread. So the hot sandwich was not my favorite; I think I would try this as a cold sandwich next time. I did however enjoy the combination of all the different meats cheese and veggies along with the sauce.

Grade: B

Oishii is a new food truck that has set up shop in the parking lot of the Kanawha City Piggly Wiggly. 



Offering hibachi and sushi, Oishii - which means tasty or delicious in Japanese - offers something new to the food truck scene.



It's like a hibachi restaurant on wheels. I started with the usual: crab rangoons. I like this particular shape. What is it called? It's like a small purse - instead of having four distinct portions. I should name them: There's the triangle pocket, this little purse guy (below), and then the crab. But then there's also the ones that are kinda wrapped. And then the ones that are like the crab shape, but sealed. There are probably more, but those are the ones that come to mind. All this to say - I like this shape as one of the best. I don't like the extra crispy bits that are just fried; I like the filling in every bite so these and the triangle shapes are best.



I ordered crabmeat hibachi because I don't think I've ever seen it? It's usually steak, chicken, shrimp, and that's it. What I didn't realize is that it was Krab, and not Crab. I think I genuinely would've liked it if it wasn't charred and was just in some garlic because I do like Krab. Just not really in this way.



Last but not least - the namesake sushi roll that is deep-fried with crab, avocado, cream cheese, spicy crabmeat and crunch.



I think very few places do the fried roll well. It usually ends up too oil-logged and soggy, and it doesn't add texture as much as it takes away from it. Overall, average.



Grade: B

Morgantown has an ever-growing list of new businesses and restaurants to explore. I'm always playing catch-up! One of my most recent visits included a stop at Morgantown Art Bar. 



Morgantown Art Bar combines music, art and food to create a cool space. "Founded in 2020, Morgantown Food Party is a shared-use commercial kitchen experience that gives talented cooks a licensed and certified food-safe facility to showcase their talents. Our community-orientated space was created for culinarians and artists to showcase their talents. MFP'S shared-use commercial kitchen enables Morgantown-area food entrepreneurs to craft and sell their goods from a licensed and certified food-safe facility. With an assortment of equipment and food prep gear, whether you’re a manufacturer, food truck operator, caterer, or hobbyist, we are ready to assist you in your entrepreneurial journey," reads the website.



I stopped by and ordered brunch - some pierogies and a Cheeseburger In Paradise (American cheese, mayo, onion, lettuce, tomato). Pierogies were good and had a nice crisp from the frying (I love them all ways!). The burger was OK - wish the cheese had been melted to get that gooey factor and a little messy. But not bad. 



Grade: B

Are you still weird about buffets since COVID started? Or is it just me?



If I just think about buffets too much in general, I get a little grossed out. Not due to the fault of the restaurant, but just the other people touching things and bleh. However, if I can there when they're putting out fresh pans (and spoons), that's perfect. Because I really do enjoy the concept of having a little bit of a lot of different things. 



The Peking Buffet in Mason is a fairly small buffet but still features the main items I'd expect at a standard Chinese buffet - general tso, fried rice, beef and broccoli, etc. "



I got a to-go box and went around looking for what I wanted to add. A lot of people don't know this "hack." Just about every buffet I've ever gone to lets you do a take-out box -- now, not as leftovers -- but as your whole meal. Sometimes there's a standard price, and sometimes they weigh it. Either way, if you want the variety without having to wait or eat there, it's the best way to go.



So I tried the honey chicken, some mushrooms, some general tsos, cheese rangoons and eggrolls. Quality wasn't bad, but the main concern was that things were a bit cold. It wasn't a super busy time at the restaurant, so I suppose they weren't refreshing all of the items as often as they could. 



But, I liked the flavors and the kind of chicken that was used. What's your favorite dish here?



Grade: B