Yama's is a hidden gem on at the corner of Fayette Street and High Street in downtown Morgantown. A huge parking lot is right across from the restaurant, and occasionally you can find spots alone High Street. Otherwise, it's easiest to walk to this small Japanese restaurant. Before you make the trek, though, check out the hours. Like many traditional sushi places, Yama's closes for a portion of the afternoon. Typically, their hours are M-F 11:30 am-3 pm & 5 pm-8 pm; SAT noon-4 pm & 5 pm-8 pm; Closed on Sundays.

Beside from its red awning, Yama's is quite plain and demure on the outside. When you step in, though, Yama's comes to life. With only about eight or nine tables, the dining area is quite cozy, though whenever I've gone, I haven't seen it too packed. That's part of the appeal of a hidden gem.


You order at the counter, where a menu sits on Plexiglas. I opted for the crab, cucumber and avocado California Roll (because I've had them before, and I know they're delicious) and a glass of water. Here's the thing you need to remember about Yama's: They only take cash! This may required some extra prep work for many patrons, including myself, but it's obviously very worthy. And for 12 rolls for less than $10, it's a deal that's better than Kroger's. After I paid in cash, I took a seat near the wall. Cute little decorative pieces were found on each table, and I noticed a Japanese movie and book rental stand across from us.

Soon after, our food arrived on a gorgeous serving tray, complete with ginger and wasabi. I was also handed a small dish for my soy sauce. After breaking apart my chopsticks, I dug in. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the rolls have a creamy, almost buttery taste. It's heavenly. The crab mixture has tiny chunks of cucumber mixed in with it - not the typical cucumber sticks. It really makes the filling cohesive and tasty. The ingredients are all fresh, and I am a fan of the masaga (or roe) on the outside. For those who are squeamish about sushi, try the California roll because it's a good starter roll. Nothing is raw, and at least at Yama's, the flavors are absolutely explosive.


The lovely waitress came by periodically to refill my drink and make sure everything is okay. This place doesn't take cards, do delivery or anything fancy like that. But, if you're looking for delicious, traditional sushi rolls, try Yama's. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Check out my post about this on DubVmenus.tumblr.com

Grade: A

Maybe I'm just a fan of pizza places in Charleston. We went to Lola's for my final dinner in Charleston, and we hoped it would be a great end note to my trip. It was.

Parking seems to be scarce, but we luckily got a spot right up front. It was very busy on a Saturday night, so we walked into the small house, gave a name, then went outside to wait. Outside is a small porch with one or two tables and a couple benches. We watched the cars drive by and the lights strung from the trees light up. It wasn't too long before the hostess fetched us and led us to the back of the restaurant. Once I was inside, I was shocked at how ... fancy it was. This small, white house from the outside had plush black and purple seating areas and gorgeous art decorating the walls.


To the right were chalkboards descending from the ceiling by wire that stated what the specials were. our waitress took our drink orders and handed us menus. I ordered a green salad first. It had romaine lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, fresh chunks of mozzarella and almonds all topped with a shallot vinaigrette. The veggies were all super fresh and crisp. The mozzarella tasted like it was straight out of Italy, and the vinaigrette was the best vinaigrette I've tasted. It was tangy, but light and went perfectly with the salad. It wasn't overpowering - I ate every last lettuce leaf.












For pizza, Brittany and I split a large pie. For my half, I got the margherita: their red sauce with spinach, kalmata olives, shrimp and mozzarella cheese. Brittany ordered the shrimp and sausage: oven-roasted tomatoes, shrimp, sausage, goat cheese and mozzarella. When I bit into my slice, I was surprised at the genuine red sauce. It was delicious. A tad bit sweet, but marinara, tomato-y and like I could pour it on any pasta dish. Shrimp on a pizza was new to me, but I dug in and it tasted great! The dough isn't overpowering - it's very thin and homemade, for sure. So the shrimp was a nice accent, and the ingredients blended together seamlessly. Brittany loves her pizza - it's a little heavy on the meat for me. Sausage isn't necessarily my thing, but it was tasty regardless. The meat was balanced with the goat cheese, which was strong.



For dessert, we split a coconut creme brulee. This delicate dessert was deep, and the topping was sugary and brittle, as it should be. The coconut was very, very faint. But it gave it a really creamy, whipped texture that was absolutely divine. There wasn't a bad part about this meal. It was delicious. You pay for the excellent service and superb food, but it's worth it.


Grade: A

Tricky Fish - what an interesting name for a restaurant. This is a sister restaurant to Bluegrass Kitchen, which I appreciated. This would be an interesting trip, I thought. Melanie, now a local in Charleston, ushered me through the back door, past the bar and up to the front of the restaurant, where you order at the counter. If I wasn't with somebody who knew what they were doing, this experience could have gone awry quickly. But the woman behind the counter was very mellow and friendly. I looked over the chalkboard menu to my right as Melanie and I pondered what we'd order for drinks first. I went for the Tricky Punch - sounds like something I'd like. We then grabbed menus from the counter and found some seats while we waited for our drinks. The interior reminds me of a hippie, eclectic, vegan place. The chairs were heavy cast iron, and the table was made out of large, unique blue and white tiles. On the walls were random drawings, and a few colorful art pieces decorated the rest of the area. The front looked as though it had a large deck for people to dine, but it was entirely too hot this day.


The waitress brought over our drinks. Mine was served pink in a large, nondescript glass. I could taste the alcohol in it, but it wasn't overpowering. I studied the menu fairly closely. Their fish tacos seemed to be popular, but I wasn't feeling it. I opted to go for the crab cake sandwich with a side of hushpuppies. The sandwich had a toothpick in the middle, topped with a sweet pickle. I ate the pickle and plucked the toothpick out. I bit into the sandwich, but only got a taste of the bready kaiser roll. Second try: I bit again, but was the sandwich really this bland? I was a little disappointed. I poured some of the "spicy Tricky sauce" on the sandwich, which definitely gave it some flavor. The crab cake was fairly loose, and the lettuce and tomato were falling out, but I was determined to make this sandwich work. But I wasn't really impressed. The seasoning was a little dull for me, and the tricky sauce added a kick (their version of a remoulade sauce), but not enough to save it overall. Maybe had the outside been a little crispy or some spices really stood out, I'd be more impressed. It was okay overall - I finished it, but it probably wouldn't receive higher than a C for me.

The hushpuppies blew me away. They were the best hushpuppies I've ever had, hands down. They came with a mashed honey butter, which had the consistency of a sticky applesauce. It was amazing. It only came with a handful, so of course I would've liked more. But once my dining buddies tried one, Brittany had to order another whole basket for the table - they were that good. The seasoning is spot on, the outside is crispy and the inside is warm and fluffy. The sauce is sweet and buttery and warm. If you're here, be sure to try the hushpuppies if nothing else.




Grade: B

Dare I say it? This was my first farmers' market experience. And, I loved it! Brittany's mom, Liz, took me to the Capitol Market. What's cool about this is that they have a whole outdoor area, with most vegetables and fruits. But there is an enclosed are that includes a butchery, a cheese station, a chocolatier, wine, a restaurant, a WV products area, and a fresh seafood station!


I was supposed to have lunch soon, but I was starving. I had heard people rave about the fresh seafood station inside the Capitol Market - The Fresh Seafood Company. And though you could buy fresh fish, they had a whole menu and a seating area for people to get a bite to eat. The tables were pretty full, so I was intrigued. This little area also had a sign about their famous big fish sandwich. I'm kind of a sucker for fish sandwiches, so this place had me.

I walked up to the counter and told the man, Tony, I wanted something light. He pointed to the menu at "1/2 sandwich, small clam chowder." Eh, clam chowder? Liz had been raving about their clam chowder when she described the place, so I thought why not. We waited for our order at our small aluminum table, but it was out before I knew it. My sandwich and soup both came in a styrofoam box - perfect for transportation. I opened it and was genuinely surprised at the "1/2 sandwich." This sandwich was big enough for the typical meal, so if it's only one-half, then the whole must be, indeed, quite big. The croissant the fish was sandwiched between was new to me, but it was perfect. It was light and butter and let the fish stand out. Crispy and peppery coating on the outside and flaky inside, the fish was delicious. I also got the tartar sauce, which was fantastic - not too heavy on the relish like many places. It as more mayo-based, and I think, very good.


I was much more hesitant about the clam chowder. I've never had a clam chowder I've liked - I'm not a huge fan of clams in general. I ate about half of it. The taste was fine, but when I'd get a chunk of slimey clam, it was hard for me to stomach. To clam chowder lovers, though, this is great. And I really would've eaten the whole bowl, had it not been for the clams. It was creamy and the seasoning was good. For under $10, this seems like it could be a weekend tradition for families - shopping at the farmers' market and stopping by to see Tony for lunch. I'd like to make it a tradition, anyhow.

More information:
Daily Mail: Capitol Market draws lunch crowd
Gazette: Seafood swims into the limelight

Grade: B

Hi all. I have some great news. For those who have been keeping up with my blog, you know I've been doing this for a few months now. Well, DubVmenus has seen my stuff and asked if I'd like to join their team as the food blogger. What does this mean? Well, it means they're basically going to pay for my meals, and I'll post my blogs to their website, as well as continue updating my personal blog. Check that website out here. If you read already, please continue to do so. If you have a Tumblr, follow DubVmenus so you can get my updates right to your dashboard.

The great thing about this is I have total freedom - I already changed the title of the blog, the layout and the grading scale. They had a few interns doing it before, but there are only a handful of posts. I'll begin now, with Yama's this upcoming Monday. Because I'll be blogging under their company, though, I'll be able to gain a few more readers and still get to do what I enjoy doing - writing about new restaurants. If you don't have Tumblr, or don't care, this won't affect anything. Except maybe now I will be able to update a little more since my meals won't cost me an arm and a leg each time.

It's really amazing how a small hobby can get some attention and get you some place if you really dedicate yourself to it.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and as always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them here or email me at Candace127@gmail.com