As I continue to take on Princeton and the surrounding areas, I am grasping to try new restaurants. I have a few on my list to check out (is Heritage Cafe still open?), but it's quickly dwindling. If you have suggestions for places in Princeton, please let me know!

While we were shopping at the mall, I saw two places that I can add to my list of places to dine: Pizza N' More and Sunny Days. I was in a pizza mood, so Pizza N' More it was.

It's in the food court area of the Mercer Mall, and it has its own little dine-in area, complete with mismatched and wobbling chairs. This is clearly not the mall's pride and joy. It could use some love put into it.

It was pretty clear when we entered, so I walked up to the counter to see what this place was all about. A few, slightly old looking pizzas littered the countertop. I wasn't sure if those were my only options, so I looked up at the menu.

It looked as thought you can basically order any kind of slice you want. I didn't want to make them go through the trouble to making a whole new pizza with just mushrooms (yum) for me. So I figured I'd order up two slices of pepperoni and a drink, which is pretty standard. They had a few lunch combos - 1 slice and 1 regular drink, 2 slices and 1 regular drink, 1 slice and 1 large drink, 2 slices and 1 large drink. I went with two slices and a large drink, which put my total around $5. They also have some pastas, wings, burgers, subs, salads and more. That must be the N' More part.

When the server went to scoop up my two pieces from the pie, he said they were stuck and wasn't going to sell them to me like that. Instead, he had a pepperoni pizza coming out of the oven, and it would only be a few minutes. Good timing.

He handed me a cup with ice and I filled my cup up with some variation of Sprite, Cherry Coke and Coke. I took a seat at the wobbly, sticky table. What do you expect in a mall food court?

There were a couple napkins scattered on the counter - no central location in which to find them. There were just a couple straws in a random holder on the edge of the counter. Not organized.

Shortly thereafter, he handed me a paper plate with two large, greasy slices of pepperoni pizza on top. My first thought was "WOW. That's a lot of grease." But with a ton of cheese on top, it didn't matter much to me. The pepperonis weren't overcooked either. The cheese was greasy and stringy - but sometimes that's exactly what hits the spot. The dough was puffier on the crust than I expected. I'd like if it was cooked a little more so it got some more crunch to it. I ended up leaving most of the crust behind, while devouring the cheesy pieces.

It really wasn't bad. It was good enough for me to down both slices. While the organization is questionable, the pie isn't too bad. I didn't mind paying my $5 for two huge slices of cheese, with a little bread and sauce thrown in.

Grade: B

Sports Page is yet another of Morgantown's finest bars that is underground. I had always avoided this place because it was smokey. Like, so smokey that I couldn't breathe. But now that bars in town are smokefree, I was pumped to hit this spot up.


We walked in and grabbed a table. Sports Page is decorated with large TVs and other sports paraphernalia. A waitress came over with menus. This isn't just bar food, it's more than that. It's a pretty expansive menu, with appetizers, salads, wings, wraps, etc. They do have the bar specialties, but they have so much more. They had certain items that had little flaming footballs or baseballs next to them, and I asked if those were their specialties, but the waitress said they were just decoration. Ha.

I ordered a beer and a steak and bleu cheese wrap. Boy, this was probably the best thing I've ever ordered from a bar. Though I wish it was a little bigger, it was some nice shredded pieces of steak with crumbly bleu cheese with crispy bacon. It was tender, moist and everything a good wrap should be. You get your choice of fries, and and the peppered ones I got were great, too.

With a decent menu and drink options, this bar knocked it out of the park. Delicious!

Grade: A

The much anticipated Rocktop Bar and Grill, featuring a rooftop bar and hot tubs and rock-n-roll music, has finally opened. It has been marketed as a Las Vegas-style bar and restaurant with a killer comfort-food menu and music that doesn't require bumping and grinding. However, considering the rooftop does have two large hot tubs, I don't think bumping and grinding will totally be out of the picture.

It's located on the roof of the building that formerly housed Dragonfly (it has recently changed locations to 160 Fayette St.) at 241 Chestnut St. You would think this would be a fairly small area, but the bar expands the entire roof of the building and has multiple levels, making it seem larger than life.


They are still in their opening stages, so some areas are definitely half-baked at the moment, including the entrance. There is a large sign draped down the side of the building that says Rocktop, but if you were looking for an entrance, you might get confused. Two bouncers were standing at the entrance of what looked to be a sketchy parking garage and a small sign said "Rocktop now open" was near them. We walked up to them, they checked our IDs (21+ only, folks), and led us to a door. When we opened the door, it was like a different world.

The walls look to be all hand-painted (and incredibly time consuming). As you ascended the three stories worth of stairs, it felt like you were getting ready for a roller coaster ride. There was a speaker up the stairway saying things like "get ready for the time of your life" and things of that sort. Paired with the vibrant, colorful paintings on the wall, I wasn't sure what to expect.

When we finally reached the top, a woman greeted us and asked if we'd like to sit inside or out. We didn't have a preference, but ultimately decided on inside. Our waiter, Cole, was immediately over to take our drink orders and hand us menus.

The long, thin snakeskin print menus did not run the gambit of food options, but the select few all sounded amazing. After a couple of recommendations, I opted to go with their chicken and waffles, while Mel went with the baja tacos. I was really happy she picked something that looked awesome to me, too, because I knew she'd give me a bite.

Our drinks came out in large mason jars, much to my delight. It's not like I drink out of mason jars often, or ever, really. In fact, I didn't even know that was like a "West Virginia" thing until a couple months ago. But I do love the idea of melding this chic, Vegas-style bar with classic West Virginia. Plus they were huge, and I drink a lot when I eat.

While we waited on our food, I glanced around - they have some framed records on the wall from bands like U2 and Dave Matthews. A giant black chandelier with orangeish yellow bulbs was near the bar area, and a bunch of clear bottles had a glowing light underneath it that changed colors. Bar has swag.

Our food was out very quickly and presented on two large plates. The first thing Mel and I did was quickly divy up our portions. She gave me half her tacos, and I gave her half of my chicken & waffles. I'm not sure who won this round, because they were both pretty great.

The chicken and waffles ($16) had two large boneless, southern fried chicken breasts, thick house waffles surrounded in a maple balsamic glaze. It was garnished with three sprigs of asparagus and a buttermilk cheddar biscuit.

What made this dish, for me, was the maple balsamic glaze. It was delicious. The crispy chicken and soft waffle was a good mix of textures, and of course, I like the salty and sweet. The maple balsamic glaze is what gave this dish some more depth and a modern take on this classic comfort food. Do yourself a favor and try something different, it'll pay off.

I loved the "rockin baja tacos" ($14) almost as much, if not more than, the chicken and waffles. It was house-battered tilapia, baja slaw, chipotle pico, cilantro cream all housed in a soft tortilla, with a side of grilled corn on the cob.

Maybe I just have a thing for fish tacos that is being newly discovered? But I love the freshness, the lightness, the cleanliness of these flavors. The crunch of the tilapia with the light, flaky inside with the cool slaw, pico and cream were a perfect combo for the soft tortilla dish.


This dishes aren't totally college-friendly on a budget, but it doesn't hurt to splurge a little every one in a while. Once we finished our plates, we opted for a couple drinks. I went with their
LA Women ($9 - ouch!) which was Grey Goose, Sprite, Lime Juice, and Cocaine. Yep, it says Cocaine. That's actually an energy drink, and I think they're some sort of sponsor of Rocktop. My drink was pink and overall pretty good. You could taste the energy drink in it, which I'm not crazy about, but it was still good. My total was $26. Our awesome server gave us our drinks in plastic cups so we could roam the territory. You wouldn't believer how big this area is.

We left the dining area through double doors and walked around to another bar area near the two large hot tubs. There are some stairs leading around to different parts, and we found a set of chairs that we sat in and chatted while taking in the scenery. It's nice to have a different view of town, and I love people watching and watching the cars go by. We didn't even explore the whole area, but there is a good bit of space here, with some durable chairs and couches spread throughout for some more intimate gatherings.

I noticed there were some young people - donning stilettos and miniskirts - as well as older people with a 50th birthday party going on. As of now, it seems to welcoming of all walks of life. Unfortunately, I think that might change as students come back in town.

As we were leaving, we went down a separate, wider set of stairs that were totally unfinished. That was a little scary, but I'm sure that will be fixed soon enough.

One note: They say their staff is always right ... regardless. That's a joke. That's not how the hospitality industry works, and the condescension does no wonders for this bar. Otherwise, I enjoyed myself, the staff was pleasant, and I think it's a great space. Hopefully it continues this way, and hopefully that "rule" is never put in place.

Grade: A

How could you not be curious about a place called Mountaineer Gun Sales and Mountaineer Country Ice Cream? I couldn't not be intrigued. A friend and I hopped in our car and headed out toward Point Marion Road. It's actually fairly close - I just don't head that way very often. My Google Maps was slightly off, but my friend spotted their sign and we pulled in.

It was not at all what I was expecting. The building was actually quite nice. Not where I'd expect to buy guns. They even had crafty things displayed outside, alongside benches and rocking chairs. It almost looked like a little craft store. I saw a bright pink sign claiming 24 ice cream flavors.

As soon as you open the door, the ice cream portion is off to the right. I didn't even look at the rest of the store. The ice cream case was surrounded with people. I tried to maneuver my way around to see some of the flavors. They were boasting original sundaes and various kinds of cones - like cookies & cream. But I wanted a large waffle cone and ... caramel cheesecake cookie monster?

Seriously, did somebody make this ice cream for me? Caramel AND cheesecake AND cookie dough? Uh no brainer. They did have a ton of flavors, but I saw this one, and it had my name written all over it.

The process here was kind of unorganized. People were filtering in from all over, and there wasn't a set line. Luckily one of the workers spotted me and hooked me up with the ice cream. He seemed like my flavor choice was one of his favorites, too.

My total came to just under $5. That's kind of pricey for one large waffle cone, but I was happy to pay it. The ice cream had swirls of caramel, chunks of cheesecake and cookie crunches.

Now, I know it's not like they make the ice cream themselves each morning, but it is a nice place to get something different. Plus, I'd love to sit outside, waffle cone in hand, and watch the traffic go by.

Grade: A

For the next issue of Savor WV Magazine, I'll have a profile on Muriale's Italian Restaurant. So, for the first time ever (I know!), I headed on out to Fairmont to get a first-hand look at this restaurant and all the buzz that surrounds it.


I've had so many people tell me how fantastic this place is. And from people whose opinions I value, too. It's just that it's in Fairmont, and I'm never in Fairmont, and it's hard for me to justify a trip all the way out there for just a restaurant then to turn back around and come home. But I totally did it. And it was totally worth it.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

I'm not going to go too much in detail about the history of the restaurant (you'll have to check out the magazine for that!), but it has been a staple in Fairmont for more than 40 years. This is THE restaurant in Fairmont, and it's THE place to go for Italian in North Central WV, and quite possibly the entire state. It's a family-owned Italian restaurant that features family recipes for spaghetti, rigatoni and their all-time best seller - lasagna. The current owner is Rocco Muriale, who is the second-generation, and he is quite the guy.

Lasagna

Meatball Casserole

There's a ton of parking at this restaurant. There's some outdoor dining spaces (and a deck!), as well as multiple dining rooms inside. When I walked inside, there was an immediate sense of comfort. The walls were lined with family photographs and memorabilia, sports merchandise, Italian decor and more. Once I told the girls at the front that I was there to interview Rocco, they had me sit in the "cubby" area, which donned more photos and decorations. The staff here is more than accommodating, all the way up to Rocco, who was constantly waving and talking to his customers throughout the duration of the interview. Hospitality matters just as much as the food does here.

There's a real sense of community, of family here. From the old-school photos hung on the walls to the friendliness of the staff, they've got something special going on here. And it's not the tacky, fake plant kind of "Italian" places that pop up too often. It's real, it's genuine, and it's loving. After I spoke with Rocco for quite a bit, he had his staff make some dishes for me to photograph - the spaghetti, lasagna and meatball casserole. After I took my photos, I thought I was on my way. No, no. Rocco had something else up his sleeve. When I wasn't around, he had his staff box up the lasagna, fill a large container full of meatballs and bag up a whole loaf of bread for me to take home.


I was grinning from ear to ear on that drive back home. The whole time, I was just smelling hot Italian food, and I couldn't wait to dig in. As soon as I got home, the container packed full of lasagna was open, and my fork was in the center of chunky, rich tomato sauce with tender noodles and creamy, smooth Italian cheeses. This took me straight back to my mother's homemade lasagna. It's easily the best lasagna I've had at any restaurant. Wow. The flavors blend together seamlessly, yet each is defined. the ingredients are fresh, and it's just like mom used to make. It doesn't get any better than this.

The meatballs, too, are out of this world. Flavors of garlic, breadcrumbs and Italian seasonings are prevalent. Coated in their hearty red sauce, the meatballs are a meal all in their own. I make tons of little meatball hoagies with their fresh bread and the giant meatballs.

I wish I had a chance to try their desserts - because the dessert tray looked heavenly. There will definitely be a next time. This has got to be one of the best restaurants in the state. If you haven't tried it, you're doing yourself a disservice. I honestly can't wait for the next opportunity to go. This would be one of those few restaurants, that if I could, I would go higher than an A. The food is phenomenal, the service was exceptional - I can't find anything about this place that isn't amazing. Except that it's not in my backyard.

Grade: A