Coach's Crab Shack has opened a new location in Cheat Lake recently. The original location is on Collins Ferry Road, a bit out of the way for most folks. A lakeside space just makes sense for this seafood restaurant.

The dining space is large and open. Bright teals and yellows accent the space, with some fishing-themed trinkets scattered about. Outside, there is a lovely deck that overlooks the lake. Unfortunately, all those spots were taken up when we visited. I can see why, though. A sunset while sipping bloody marys and eating seafood? That sounds lovely.

Vicki and I got an appetizer of peel and eat shrimp. Correction - Vicki got the appetizer and was so kind as to let me scarf down a few pieces. The shrimp were seasoned with old bay lemon and had a nice cocktail sauce that had some heat to it. These were really, really good. The shrimp were plump, that cocktail sauce was perfect.

For my entree, I built my own steamer. They recommend three shellfish options with corn and potatoes/fries for a single person. I was trying to be a bit more calorie conscious (lolz despite everything doused in butter), so I got 1/3 lb. shrimp, 1/2 lb. scallops and 1/2 lb. snow crab. All of that in the "garlic herb butter."

It all came served in this plastic bag just steamed with butter. I liked that I could pluck the scallops right out first. Could use more of a sear, but still good. Then the shrimp were the same that were in the appetizer. A little more work to peel - but worth it when all that flavor is trapped inside the shell. And then a good bit more work is the crab. Luckily, Vicki is used to me being ridiculous because I was making a mess. But it was so worth it. Nice hunks of fresh crab meat pulled out from those shells. Delicious.

Vicki was less impressed with her crab cakes, but I have yet to try those.

Grade: A

Ever since the Mediterranean Market on High Street closed shop, this space has gone through a bit of an identity crisis. It first transformed in Dos Bros and then changed its name to "Speedys 2." And now, it is Zaytun.



The interior looks like it still belongs to Dos Bros, with brightly painted walls and colorful accents. The bar is a huge focal piece, but it doesn't seem like they use it at all. Instead, go all the way to the back of the restaurant and order at the counter.

From their menu, they serve pizza, calzones, gyros, shawarma, sandwiches, pasta and salads. I'm thinking they're going with a "spray and pray" method - try a little of everything, and then there must be something for everyone! To me, this just says kinda confused and unfocused.

When figuring out what to order, I asked the man behind the counter if these folks are the same ones who owned the previous restaurants in this space. He said no, not really and that the current owners are folks who used to work at Casa. The pizza connection makes more sense.

I wanted to try the Chicago Style "Dip" (?) Dish Pizza, because where else in town can you get a deep (I think that's what they were going for) dish pizza? That's unique on this menu. But you couldn't purchase it in slices. Well. Hell with it, give me a whole one. (I just ate a slice or two and took the rest back to the office. My coworkers benefit from me wanting to try something.) Now, the guy behind the counter warned me this isn't a traditional Chicago deep dish pizza. He said they make a pizza, then they put another pizza on top. So I guess it's kind of more like a calzone.

Well, it really is essentially a whole pizza, with just another crust put on top. So if you really love the crust part of pizza, you'd probably love this. But who the hell loves the crust part? The sauce and cheese are what I want. And it did have that, plus onions and green peppers and mushrooms. But mostly I could just taste the crust since there was so much of it. It itself isn't really bad. It's not. I just was hoping to have layer upon layer of toppings, instead of this contraption.

It's different, so points for that. But would I want it again? Meh.

Grade: C

At my "home" home in Wellsburg, there are few restaurants. There are even fewer that deliver to the giant hill I grew up on. And, sometimes, when it's a nice evening and you're visiting with family, it's good to just get dinner delivered right to you.



DeFelice Bros. Pizza is one of the few options available. Now, they are no DiCarlo's. But, they do deliver and offer entrees besides just pizza: salads, sandwiches, wings, calzones and pasta. That was perfect for this evening when my dad wanted a salad, mom wanted a philly cheesesteak, and I was salivating over a meatball sub.



There are four DeFelice locations in West Virginia: Follansbee (which we ordered from), Bethlehem, Moundsville and Wheeling. There are also four right over the border in Ohio: Martin's Ferry, Shadyside, St. Clairsville and Wintersville.



After a little bit of a wait, our food arriving hot. Dad sang praises of his salad (complete with extra chicken), which came with a side of bambino bread. Mom's cheesesteak has a ton of meat, cheese, peppers and onions. She was a happy camper.



And my meatball sub was pretty killer. I know you probably can't tell from the photo, but the soft, lightly toasted bun housed a half dozen perfectly seasoned meatballs. The sauce is slightly sweet, but it has a good flavor. I think it was probably a perfect marriage of my desperate craving and a solid sandwich that fulfilled that. Whatever it was, I know I left wit ha happy tummy that night.

Grade: A

On my first visit (ever!) to Ripley, I was determined to find a good lunch spot. A few local places were on my to-try list (like Crabby Patti's and The Downtowner), but considering it was a holiday weekend, most on my list were closed. Except one: Fairplain Yacht Club.

I was riding solo for this one, so I sidled up to the bar and asked for a menu. The interior is dark and looks just like a sports bar, with flags and beer signs and ball games on all the TVs. But families were dining here, so maybe it's dual purpose.

I asked the server what was best here. She mentioned the burgers are big sellers. I ordered the "Buoy Burger," because it is classic - lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo. I added cheddar cheese. And judging by the photo, it's more colby jack. I also got onion rings. And also judging by that photo, you probably didn't want to be anywhere near me after this meal.

And, you know what, this is a good burger. A really good burger. It was juicy, flavorful, and they weren't skimpy on the toppings. The bun was nice and buttered and grilled. The onion rings were huge and crispy. I mean, it's not good for your waistline. But it was sure as hell good for my tastebuds. Next, I'll have to try one of their fancier burgers. They definitely have the basics down.

Grade: A

On the last day of my statewide trip, I stayed at the Stonewall Jackson Resort. Quite frankly, I was just tired. So a meal at the actual resort seemed like the best idea. Plus it didn't seem like there were a ton of other dining options in the immediate area.

Stillwaters at Stonewall Jackson Resort previously had Dale Hawkins as its executive chef, a well-known chef in West Virginia. He does his own thing now, but he helped make a name for Stillwaters, which was known for serving cutting-edge Appalachian cuisine.



I planned to order something off the menu, but as we were seated, we were walked through the buffet. There were a ton of options right there - no waiting - and it was easy. No thought involved. Buffet, it was.

There were some apperitzer/salad bar items, like sun-dried tomato and basil pesto, potato salad, antipasta salad, broccoli and cauliflower salad, and mixed greens. The main options were pork loin with beer mustard demi, broccoli with boursin gratin and whipped red potato mash.

I had a little of everything. The broccoli and boursin was especially good - but I love broccoli and cheese. The pork was a bit chewy/fatty. In general, some of the other options were lacking salt or seasoning. I feel like that's almost to be expected with a buffet.

Dessert options were OK. I most liked the mango bars, which were a bit citrus-y and refreshing. Overall, not bad ... but nothing that was too outstanding, either.

Grade: C
 

Another farmers market has popped up in Morgantown, joining a half dozen others in the area. On Tuesdays, the WVU Medicine University Town Centre is holding a farmers market from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This new market will have many of the current vendors who attend the farmers market on the WVU Health Sciences Center campus, but will also have some new vendors including The Greeks and Soul Brothers. The farmers market not only offers a resource for employees to purchase fresh produce, but it also provides an opportunity to spend time actively outdoors. Questions? Call 304-293-1819.

I stopped for a quick visit. One side had many hot food vendors, including The Greeks, Martin's Bar-B-Que, Taziki's, Hash Browns & New Grounds and Garcia's Latin Market. The other side featured fresh produce vendors.

It's a nice location for all the folks who work and shop in the area, plus it's great for folks at the new WVU Medicine building. Have you stopped by yet?

While visiting Charleston recently, I stopped by the East End Bazaar. The open-air market, located at the corner of Washington Street East and Ruffner Avenue, features artisans, live music and local food. It is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the months of April through October.


I went fairly early, so not everyone was set up yet. But it's a really cool little place for unique crafts, jewelry and pottery goods, and fresh veggies. When I was living on the East End, I would often walk here and get either a quick lunch from the vendors or something to cook up at home.

What's your favorite purchase from this market?

 

Buckhannon is home to some pretty cool restaurants, like CJ Maggies, The Donut Shop and The Market Bistro. The next one on my to-try list was 3/4 Cafe.

That name? Well, the owners have some insight as to why that is:

During a vacation in the summer of 2013, in an antique store on the California coast, a vintage cast brass ¾ house number was discovered at the bottom of a box of random hardware parts. We immediately recognized it as the rightful address for the 3rd basement, being the 3rd of 4 basements in the Stockert Building, and we delighted in the concept of the fractional addresses that are still found on so many Main Streets across the country, which the postal system no longer permits. It seemed that we had discovered an historic version of the contemporary "micro" trend. This ¾ name also solidified our hopes to someday have all four basements occupied by creative and alternative enterprises, comprising an underground district for the Arts in Buckhannon.

3/4 Cafe is located off the beaten path, in an alleyway behind Main Street. That sort of adds to its charm of being this hidden gem. Despite being in the basement of a building, there is a surprising amount of light that comes in through the windows. Plus there are hanging lights above each table, which adds some more air to the space. It's quite lovely inside, really, with sleek furniture and simple accents.

Water for the table is served in these glass bottles with swingtop closures. They have a variety of coffees, teas and wines, as well. The menu consists of mostly light plates, like salads, bread and cheese plates, soups and paninis.

The bacon, peach and chevre panini caught my eye. The panini had bacon, fresh peach, basil, and goat cheese on a nice hearty, crisp bread. It was served with a garden green side salad that I had dressed with a maple bacon dressing.

I really liked my sandwich. The flavors and portions of each were well thought out. The goat cheese was a perfect bite with the sweet peach, salty crisp bacon. It all tasted fresh, too. The salad dressing was a bit too sweet for my taste, but not bad.

It's something a little different, light and fresh. Give 'em a try.

Grade: A

The Cathedral Cafe is a lovely space, with quirky lights strung across the dining space, colorful chalk noting the day's specials on chalkboards and beautiful stained glass windows lining the walls up to large vaulted ceilings. It's a lively space, full of chatter, which is perfect to hang out for a leisurely lunch.



Tony and I stopped here because of all the good things I've heard. We luckily got the very last open table. In fact, someone had just gotten up, so it wasn't even cleaned up until we had already made ourselves comfortable.



The menu has items like hummus, salads, paninis, quesadillas and sandwiches. I was going for straight comfort food with this one: the Ultimate Grilled Cheese. It's made with three kinds of cheese, tomato and red onion. But I actually did the "panini special," which was half a panini and a choice of a cup of soup or tortellini salad. So half of my ultimate grilled cheese and a tortellini salad it was. Tony opted for a quesadilla, because of course. He loves Mexican food. I am not a big fan (unless the Mexican food is just used as a source to get sour cream into my mouth).

It took ... a long time for our food to come out. Like, a painfully long time. Maybe it was because we had plans and I was anxious to get going. But it was incredibly frustrating. I don't think our waitress came over after initially taking our order. Someone else even brought out our food. No refills, no small-talk. Nothing. It didn't make us feel super welcome, despite really loving the general atmosphere of the place. Weird juxtaposition, I know.

Tony liked his quesadilla. And I must say, any quesadilla that comes with sides of both salsa and sour cream make me happy.

My sandwich, however, seemed to be missing both the onion and tomato. Essentially, it was just a grilled cheese - just missing the ultimate part. The focaccia was pretty thick, and the cheese is rich - so having a little acid with the tomato would've been great. Or a little sweetness from red onions. But, it was still good.

The tortellini salad was definitely on the sour side, but I did like it. So overall thoughts, I want to like this place a lot more than I actually did. I love, love, love the space. The service needed some work. And my meal wasn't actually correct - but even in that state, it was tasty. Hopefully a return visit will provide improvements



Grade: B

Before a day of adventuring in Fayetteville, I needed a quick breakfast. We stopped by Wild Flour Bakery to get a bite to eat ... and apparently a bunch of other people had the same idea.

I first requested a sausage, egg and cheese bagel, but they were out of bagels. It seemed they were running short on a lot of things. Not sure why; we didn't come in late. But I guess it was just a busy day.

Instead, I opted for a sausage, egg and cheese croissant. And it wasn't bad. Pretty average. The eggs were a little rubbery, and the croissant got a little too black around the edges. But it could have been an off-day. I have hope yet for this little bakery, so I want to check them out again. Until then, they're pretty middle of the pack.

Grade: C

Fresh donuts 24 hours a day? Plus pepperoni rolls? It's true at JR's Donut Castle in Parkersburg.



The Donut Castle has been around since 1969, and it offers breads, donuts, pepperoni rolls, muffins, brownies, cakes, cookies, pastries, pies, hotdog sauce and drinks.

"JR’s famous saying “Baked Fresh Daily” is what JR lives by. Everyday the employees start making each product over again so we can have the best for our customers. Each product is made from scratch and put together by JR’s old recipes. JR’s has kept the same product for thirty years, and does not plan on changing that. Everything is made the same way day in and day out." - JR's Donut Castle

PRODUCT LIST: Breads - White Bread, Wheat bread, Pan Rolls, Butter Bits, Hot Dog Buns, Hamburger Buns, Sub Buns, Kaiser Buns, and Italian Bread

Pepperoni Rolls - Plain Pepperoni Rolls, American Cheese and Pepperoni Rolls, Pepper Jack Cheese and Pepperoni Rolls, Pizza Roll. 

Muffins - Famous Chocolate Chip, Cream Cheese, Apple, Cherry, Banana nut, carrot, Oat Brand Raisin, Lemon Poppy, Cranberry, Pumpkin, Double Chocolate Chip 

Brownies - German Chocolate, Fudge, Cream Cheese, Peanut Butter, Walnut brownie. 

Cakes – ¼ sheet, ½ sheet, Full sheet, and 8” round. White and Chocolate cake with butter cream Icing 

Cookies – Chocolate Chip, M&M, Oat Meal, Sugar, White Chocolate Macadamia, Peanut Butter 

Pastries - Cream Cheese Danish, Apple and Cherry Turnovers, Strawberry Cream Cheese Stick, Apple stick, sticky bun, cream horn, Éclair, and Radio Bar 

Pies – Chocolate Cream, Lemon Cream, Coconut Cream, Apple, Dutch Apple, Cherry, Peach, Blueberry, Blackberry, Pumpkin, Lemon Crunch, and Pecan. All the cream pie also come in 4” pies too. 

Hot Dogs – Home made hot dog sauce 

Drinks – Coffee, Tea, Pop, Milk, Chocolate milk, Orange Juice, Cappuccino, Hot Chocolate, Ice Coffee and Summer time only cherry slushie 

The bakery offers about 34 types of donuts, including favorites like glazed, maple cream filled, yum yums, apple fritters and chocolate glazed. We ordered a half dozen donuts, including maple glazed and cream filled, an apple fritter, a blueberry cake donut, a chocolate donut with chocolate icing.

I think it would be ridiculous to give a donut place less than a stellar grade. This place totally deserves that stellar grade. I love a cake donut, and those maple glazed ones with whipped centers? Holy donuts. Those are good. Getchu a dozen. Or two.


Grade: A