In a very ... odd series of events, I ended up going to dinner in Uniontown. Meloni's Restaurant is an old-school, hometown Italian joint that is apparently quite popular.

Think white checkered plastic tablecloths, red baskets full of bread and a very, very packed dining room. I'm sure every hometown has a restaurant like this.

I started out with a house salad, which came with beets. I could totally get used to that.

Then, my entree arrived: stuffed shells. It's hard to mess this up... but this was not my favorite. It was dry, somehow. The cheese inside was not stringy or gooey. Instead, it was maybe cooked too high too long and it was dried out, which totally threw off the texture and with it, a lot of flavor. The red sauce was just OK - could use a dash more seasoning. The other meal at the table was rigatoni - a huge portion.

Overall thoughts: Old-school, mediocre food. It's a local thing, so people probably love it. They've probably been eating it forever, so it continues to thrive with an older population. But if I were to get Italian in Uniontown again, there's no doubt I would head to Caporella's.

Grade: C

I don't write about dining halls in Morgantown because they're not open to everyone. And that would open this weird door to, what, hospital cafes and things of that nature. However, there has been an increase in private restaurants coming to the various campuses, and those are worthy of a look.

Evandale Crossing recently opened on the Evansdale Campus, and it provides this sort of student union space for this campus. It also has six new restaurants as part of the Fresh Hospitality group.

Taziki's
There are already two Taziki's in Morgantown: one in the Mountainlair and another in the Suncrest Towne Centre. This is the third, and it's similar to the others. Hummus, greek salads, grilled chicken sandwiches, gyros and my favorites: grilled tilapia sandwich or the Friday pasta special.




Little Donkey Tacos
So, we've covered Mediterranean food and now we're onto tacos. Little Donkey Tacos has a few varieties of tacos to choose from - and they're quite good! I went for the pastor and the adobada - both were very good! They are a little pricey; it was cheaper for me to get the meal, so I got the queso - and mmm you can't go wrong with queso.

Haught Diggity Dogz recently moved from its Earl Core Road location to Westover, where it added a frozen yogurt station (Yogurt Oasis) in addition to its regular offerings.

The new location is much larger and has seating at tables, as well as a bar area. Bright colors and chalkboards decorate the restaurant - a stark contrast to the bar environment it occupied previously.

I ordered a hotdog with chili, slaw, mustard and onion because that's what you do. Tony and I also got an order of fries with chili and cheese to share.

The hotdogs are good. There's no denying that. If I want to get a good hotdog, this is where I'm going. That's not a super common occurrence, but nonetheless, this is my go-to place. The chili cheese fries could've been more crisp to help with the onset of sudden sog syndrome (sss).

No yogurt on this trip, but next time.



Grade: B

Back when I lived in Charleston, I tried Dem 2 Brothers And A Grill at a festival. Fast forward a few years later, and they've gone through not just one but two brick-and-mortar locations. I happened to visit right as they opened their new location.

The new space is huge, and after a little confusion, I entered through the door on the right side to pick up my to-go order. I paid, my food was ready when I got there, and I headed back up to Morgantown. Super friendly folks, and I was able to get on the road quickly. So far, so good.

As soon as I was able to open up the containers of food, I was in love. I actually stopped and ate my food, delaying my trip home. I couldn't help it. If you could smell the sweet bbq sauce just filling my car with joy, you would have done the same.

My pulled pork sandwich could not have been better. Quality, moist pieces of pork were drenched in a sweet and tangy bbq sauce that makes my mouth water just thinking about it now. That homemade mac and cheese was divine, and a cool, creamy potato salad was a nice addition. Also, because I'm a glutton, I got a small side of sweet potato casserole, and I have no regrets. NO RAGRATS. Everything here is incredible and probably some of the best BBQ I've had in this state.

Grade: A

There has been a sudden explosion of Mediterranean restaurants on High Street with Jasmine Grill, Zaytun and now Beity (apparently some connection there). How many restaurants specializing in this cuisine are sustainable on High Street? No clue, and I've been mostly underwhelmed by the aforementioned restaurants. But Beity is different.

This location previously held a Tudor's Biscuit World and Tortoni's, and the interior is largely unchanged. There is some seating at the front of the space, then a large counter with chalkboard behind on the wall and some seating along the long, right side of the space.

At the counter, there was a picture menu, which is perfect for dummies like me who aren't super familiar with Mediterranean food. I wavered between kebab, shish tawook, mixed grills gyro or shawarma. In general, I'm always going to gravitate more toward the carb-laden sandwich, as opposed to a plated meal.

My friend Mary Kay went with the mixed grill, who seemed to enjoy it and noted it was a bit spicy. I ultimately went with the shawarma sandwich, and I think that's in the top best decisions of my life. I recently had a shawarma that was just not great, but this one ... this one is pretty fantastic.

I thought adding fries was a "hahaha let's make the college students happy!" thing and not an authentic thing. I was wrong. It's a thing, and it's a great thing. My shawarma sandwich - made with chicken - had fries, pickles, fries and this incredible garlic sauce. The pita was grilled crisp, so it had a perfect amount of crunch to the sandwich. This is very tasty.

For dessert, I got knafa, which is this shredded phyllo dough, ricotta and a sweet syrup and pistachios. It is delicious. Between the sandwich and the sweet bite afterward, I was very pleased with my $10 dinner.









Grade: A

Whenever I heard of "Cilantro Latin Grill," it was usually followed up with "it's a version of Chipotle." It's true there is no Chipotle in Wheeling and that there are striking similarities, but if I were a local restaurant, I would not compare myself to a fast casual food chain. Just, no.

Regardless, the idea here is good. Fresh ingredients assembled in the form of a tasty burrito, bowl, salad or arepas right in front of you. Choose your protein: Guadalajara steak, jerk chicken, chipotle & lime puerco, ground chorizo, cilantro shrimp, grilled fish, or grilled vegetables. Then, rice: Mexican or cilantro. Black beans or pinto beans? Queso or shredded cheese? Corn salsa, tomato salsa, tomatillo salsa, or jalapeno & garlic salsa? Lettuce? Sour cream?

I went for arepas (pita-like flatbread made from corn maize flour prominent in South American cuisine) with jerk chicken, cilantro rice, pinto beans, shredded cheese, corn salsa, lettuce and sour cream. The rice and beans served on the side.

I like that it's made to order and the ingredients tasted fresh. I do wish the salsa had a bit more flavor. I think I just needed a bit more of a punch. Or maybe a special touch. But, overall, easy, tasty and fresh. You can't really go too wrong there.

Grade: B

Vagabond Kitchen is an interesting restaurant. Chef Matt Welsh traveled the country on his motorcycle visiting restaurants and culinary communities and wrote about being a vagabond chef before he decided to come back home to West Virginia and open up a restaurant in the McLure Hotel. At the time of this writing, though, they are looking to relocate, and until the new flagship restaurant opens, they are serving lunch at the First State Capitol and dinner at Wheeling Brewing Company.

I was drawn to Vagabond Kitchen because I know they are dedicated to developing the food culture in West Virginia - specifically in Wheeling. Chef Welsh is an influential person in West Virginia's food scene. So, when I came up to Wheeling for the day to stop and get lunch with my mom, I wanted to check it out.

The space has less personality than I was expecting. I was thinking it'd be a bit more trendy, a bit more cohesive. I know in some sense it is probably bound by the confines of the hotel limitations, but generic table and chairs, very little art and a sparse open room left a bit to be desired.

Mom ordered the philly cheesesteak, but had a tough time eating the long cuts of peppers and missed the addition of some sort of sauce. I went with the Korean Pulled Pork Tacos, which is bulgogi marinated pork shoulder braised and pulled in-house with homemade kimchi on corn tortillas. This was good, but not amazing. I love that this item is an option because I think it's fun, but a touch of sweetness would have balanced out the sourness of the kimchi. Typically the bulgogi would have a bit more sweetness to it. I think just a small addition could take this plate to the next level.

I liked my meal, but I think I built up this "amazing" place in my mind. And it's very likely another dish could be super amazing. I think I need to come back and check it out another time.

Grade: B

Generations Restaurant & Pub, located in Wheeling, is your typical all-American casual bar & grill food. It made its way onto the WV's 101 Most Unique Places to Dine list. 

Don't try going around to the front of the building that faces the road - nope, those are the banquet halls. Instead, go around the side and there you'll find the entrance. On this day, I was early so there weren't many people having lunch yet. The interior is pretty spacious with bar seating, high-tops and tables all around the space.

They have a few decent beers on draft, and I went with a Great Lakes Brewing Company Christmas Ale. The menu gas wings, pizzas, salads and a bevy of fried appetizers, as well as sandwiches, wraps, burgers and plated entrees on the other side. I knew I had a day of munching ahead of me, so I opted for just a bite.

I ordered the buffalo pierogies, which are pierogies tossed in any of their wing sauces. Sounds a bit odd, right? Well, not if it's parmesan garlic, right? Mmm.

I asked for a side of marinara because I just felt like they needed something. Overall, these were just OK. The fried, greasy taste just kind of took over. I've had some pierogies that have had a super flavorful filling, while these just kinda fell flat. Bad? No. Great? Nah.

Grade: C