Pierogies are much more common in the northern part of the state near Pittsburgh - so much so that there was actually a small restaurant dedicated to them in Wheeling.



For the Love of Pierogies opened in Centre Market, slinging the Polish dumplings, as well as fresh pasta, sauerkraut, kielbasa and more. Unfortunately, they have closed since my visit, but I wanted to share a little bit about the food anyway.



The main flavors they offered were potato and onion, potato and cheddar, and potato and sauerkraut. I opted for the onion, and they were quite tasty. A nice little golden brown crisp, a thick, whipped filling = a satisfying bite. Though I do wish there was some sort of dipping sauce to go with it. Sour cream? Applesauce? Both? Just a touch dry, so a sauce would've helped it out.



Grade: B

"Fuddruckers" almost sounds wrong to say; I'm worried my tongue will get twisted and I'll instead say a not-so-pleasant version of this restaurant's name.



Alas, this is a family-friendly restaurant, and in a fast-casual style that focuses on hamburgers. And, there is not a single location in the state of West Virginia, so when I stumbled upon one in Pennsylvania, I had to check it out.



"Some people are driven to create the world's fastest cars or the world's tallest buildings. Our calling is only slightly less glamorous but a whole lot tastier. We were born to create the World's Greatest Hamburgers®. A mission of this magnitude requires an obsession with quality, and it all begins with Fuddruckers fresh, never frozen, 100% USDA All-American premium-cut beef. Choose from 1/3, 1/2, or 2/3 lb patties and we'll always grill it to order, just the way you like it. Of course you don't put the World's Greatest Hamburger on the World's second greatest bun. Not if you want to remain the World's Greatest Hamburger. Our sesame-topped buns are baked from scratch in our restaurant bakeries all day long. It's the only way to get that perfect combination of crisp crust and melt-in-your-mouth, fresh-from-the-oven taste. Not fresh from-a-truck taste like everyone else. Ah, there's nothing like that new bun scent," according to the website.



From there, you get to "Build Your Own" toppings from the produce bar - tomatoes, lettuce, sliced onions, dill pickles, pico de gallo, cheese sauce, honey mustard, and even more.



So, I had a burger with American cheese, red onion, mayo and cheese sauce. Plus onion rings with a variety of dipping sauces. The perks here are that you can make sure the burger is made how you like it and you can add as much or as little of any toppings that you'd like. The cons are that it is like buffet-style, and that can be a bit of an ick factor. Overall, it was an OK burger - a bit dry and could use some seasoning - but nothing I couldn't make up for with plenty of toppings.



Grade: B

Morgantown's Golden Corral has been replaced with a buffet of a different sort.



Kome Asian Buffet and Bar serves up standard Chinese-American fare you would expect at a buffet: sweet & sour chicken, cheese wontons, etc.



But they also offer sushi, cold American and Japanese salads and plenty of American favorites.



It's also interesting to see the set up because the restaurant is using the former space of Golden Corral, so it's one long line all down the restaurant. Whereas, in other buffet restaurants, there are usually a few different stations you can fully surround and make a few loops.



So, overall, I found the food to be average. In this setting, temperature in freshness can often be hit or miss. That happened to be the case here. But, I do always think buffets are a good option for groups of people who have differing tastes. If you have kids, there are mozzarella sticks. If you have an adventurous eater, there is sashimi. If you have someone who prefers meat and potatoes, they have that, too.



You can also order many of the sushi rolls and sashimi from their takeout menu. That feature bumps them up a bit in my book. Grade: B

The River House is a lovely, artsy, community-driven space that has s fabulous little cafe. Hours are limited, so I was really excited to finally catch them open and mark them off my list.



The cafe offers coffee, espresso drinks, beer, wine, baked goods and light fare, like pastries, cookies and scones. A beautiful display case lays out all the options right in front of you.



I opted for a potato & mascarpone galette, as well as one with sundried tomatoes and goat cheese.



Both of these were so simple and clean in terms of flavor, and that's what made them delicious. A little indulgent, a little creative, a lot satisfying.



And, I was happy to enjoy them while taking in the local art. Great way to spend a lunch.



Grade: A

The First Baptist Church of Charleston has a commercial kitchen and space to sell food, as well as a space to eat it. So, some local cooks have used the commisary kitchen to do just that - like BG'z LA Street Tacos on Tuesdays.



On Wednesday, the pastor himself gets in on the action with "Wing Wednesday" where you can enjoy a wing dinner complete with two sides, a drink and a roll for just $10.



Wing flavors include mumbo, hot, bbq, lemon pepper dust, hot mumbo, honey drizzle and plain. Sides can vary, but I've seen mac & cheese, collard greens, potato salad, mixed vegetables, broccoli rice casserole, jambalaya, cheesy redskin potatoes and more.



AND, they have dessert. If it's your first time there, you get a dessert for free! Banana pudding, cakes, cookies - the works. And they have a good variety of drinks. I love having the options of Brisk, Sunkist, Crush - mix it up a little.



I initially was going to ordeer BBQ wings, but thankfully the woman taking my order knew better and asked if I had tried "mumbo," to which I replied no. She said if I liked sweet and sour, I would like it. I took her up on it, and God bless that woman, because those mumbo wings were fire. It really is like a sweet and sour, but so much better. It's maybe even sweeter, but also maybe more sour, too, so there's a deeper complexity that just makes me want to keeep taking another bite. The mac & cheese was stellar - nice and creamy, a touch swweet - just the way I like it. The greens were even great. I'm not huge on greens, but they cooked these in a way to take some of the bitterness out, but still provide that nice bite in between all the other rich flavors on the dish. All that plus a roll, a tasty Grape Crush and a free banana pudding? This may be the best deal in town.

**At the time of this writing, I do think they raised their price to $12, but it's still the best deal in town. Also look for their Fried Fish Fridays.



Grade: A