If you've read my blog, you know that I am completely devoted to local (mostly) West Virginia restaurants. I have a few reviews that spill out onto Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. I don't see the point in reviewing a McDonald's or a Subway because you can get those anywhere in the country - or world!

I like devoting this little space on the web to highlight West Virginia specialties. Let's be honest, this state doesn't get a lot of positive attention, and there are a ton of great aspects - I choose to showcase those of the culinary variety.

But recently a friend asked me about Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, located in the Suncrest Towne Centre. I told her not to go because it was a chain. Then I realized that I am pretty strict with the term "chain," and maybe I could loosen that a little bit. I've previously blogged about Five Guys because it was the first location I had ever been to in the state. And, there was quite a bit of buzz about it.

Since Taziki's only has two locations in West Virginia (one of which being in the Mountainlair), it makes sense to shine some light on it. I won't technically review it (and, thus, no grade) because I reserve that for West Virginia originals.

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe has locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and, of course, West Virginia. The restaurant features fresh, Mediterranean cuisine - like gyros, salads, and sandwiches. They also have daily specials, which include pastas and more.

At the Suncrest location, you walk up to the counter, take a gander at the menu, place your order and find a seat. The Mountainlair is similar, but you wait there for your food. At the Suncrest location, they bring it to you. There is ample dining space, and it's kind of a nice, cool atmosphere.

My favorite item on their menu is the "grilled tilapia with caper-dill tartar sauce" under The Mediterranean Deli section. It comes with a choice of side: basmati rice, roasted potatoes, pasta salad, tomato-cucumber salad, or fruit. I like the pasta salad best.

The tilapia sandwich is fresh, and the tartar sauce gives it a bit of a kick. The pasta salad is fresh and zesty. They all come with Ruffles potato chips - which are good if you want that added crunch.

It's quick food that is more on the healthy side, and the interior is relaxing - I could see getting some work done here. Since it is the only full location in West Virginia, don't completely count it out.

Munchies is located on Spruce Street in downtown Morgantown and is well-known for its "stoner" reputation. The restaurant is called "Munchies," they have Dazed and Confused and other popular movies centered around marijuana posters on the wall, and the burgers are named things like "Chronic."



The Chronic Burger is exactly what I got. As their specialty, the Chronic Burger boasts BBQ sauce, onion rings, bacon on top of two cheeseburgers. They have a minimum of $4 for credit card purchases, but my sandwich and water came out to be about $8, so no worries there. I left the counter for a table and waited for the food, which took a little while. It's scarcely decorated, save for the posters on the wall. Plain black chairs with semi-dirty tables. It was also pretty smokey inside - from the grill, that is. Not the other kind of smoke.

Our burgers were brought over in small styrofoam containers. It seems as though everything is packaged to-go, even though they have a few tables inside and some room in front of the grill to sit.

But the burger was good, and I can count the amount of times I've had a burger without my typical ketchup and mustard combo I tend to use. That crunchy onion ring was a great texture with the melted cheese and burger. Some parts of the burger were a bit more charred than I would have liked, but there was enough BBQ sauce to camouflage that. The flavors worked well between the salty bacon, crisp/sweet onion rings, tangy BBQ sauce, smooth cheese and juicy burger. Homemade? Doubtful. Decent for a small dive restaurant? Yep.

Grade: B

Sunny Days is in the Mercer Mall and serves up typical food court fare: nachos, burgers, ice cream and a sign that says best hotdog in town.

Challenge accepted.

I walked up to the counter to place my order. It's really a pretty small area - only a few tables. And it's kind of right in the middle of the mall. It's awkward to see people walking by, and it's almost as if you're in their way. But anyway.

I ordered a hotdog with their homemade chili, slaw, onions and mustard. They also had chocolate-covered strawberries on the counter, so I ordered one of those, too.

The girl made the hotdog, handed it to me, and luckily, a seat opened up that I grabbed right away. I watched some of the WVU game while taking a bite of my hotdog. It actually wasn't bad, I was quite surprised. The chili had a good texture, and the slaw was perfect.

However, the place doesn't look the cleanest. The carpet is muddled with god only knows what, and the trash can looked like it had run its course. The tables were all dirty and pieces of debris were everywhere.

But then, the owner, or what I assume to be, decided that would be an ideal time to walk around the tiny dining area to spray air freshener at table's height. He continued to walk around every crevice, and I ultimately shot him a dirty look. I went to take a bite of my hotdog - nothing but floral taste and hotdog texture. Ugh.

Yes, it needed air freshener. No, it did not need it at table's height - aka right where my food is - at that moment. I was honestly shocked he thought that was okay. He apologized, but I threw the rest of my food away.

Grade: D

The now-defunct Pizza House (short-lived, eh?) location has been replaced by El Dorado in the Princeton Kroger plaza. El Jaripeo closed, and that management opened this new Mexican restaurant (I'll tell you how I know all of that for sure later), El Dorado. So, Pizza House and El Jaripeo are both closed, and in the same building as Dragon Palace (1295 Stafford Dr) is now El Dorado.

It is quite nice looking inside. Lots of plants decorated divider ways, buttery-yellow walls and spacious dining areas. There are some booths along the wall, but for the most part, there are tables and chairs. There's a bar area hidden by faux-cement blocks. The menu is glossy with a notebook binding.

When Chris was at work recently, I wanted to explore the area. I usually don't do this without him because 1- I get lost easily 2- I am bound to always get lost. But he was working one of those 12-hour days, and I was wanting something other than McDonald's or Wendy's for lunch. A friend suggested Dick's Swissburger. I had heard of this place, but the only address I could find for it was "Rt 52 N," which doesn't give me much to work with. However, with my handy-dandy iPhone, my friend dropped a pin on the map so I could find it exactly.

From Princeton, it wasn't too tough to find. I went past the mall, made the next right to go toward Bluefield. Then I was on the main drag in Bluefield and made a left to go up a small hill (across from Bluefield State College) and across that bridge for a little while until Dick's Swissburger was on my right.

I actually saw the sign first and had to look for the building - it's kind of swallowed up by the larger building beside it. But I pulled up and it's kind of an empty lot - maybe park wherever you want? There was one spot open at the front so I parked and went inside.

As soon as you walk in, there's a bar area where you order your food. A few menus are up at the front. I went for, you guessed it, the Swissburger - 1/2 pound beef, lettuce, swiss cheese, tomato, mayo, onion, pickle and mustard. For $5. They only take cash here - luckily, I stole a few bucks from Chris JUST IN CASE this was the case. And it was.

The two women working were super nice and helpful. I told them I'm not from the area, but I heard good things so I wanted to check it out. They made some small talk with me about WVU and my nail polish, then I went to find a seat. It seems as though they have two main dining areas - two small rooms. One is at the very front with some windows, while the other is window-less. The tables and chairs are basic for a burger joint. I only waited a few minutes before one of the women brought me a basket cradling the massive burger I just ordered.

Their burgers are made with seasoned angus, and you can certainly taste the beef. It's not overpowered by any of the condiments, so if you want a huge slab of meat, this is your place. Everything was really tasty, too. I don't know if I've had a burger with just swiss, sans cheddar/American, but it was good. It was melty and warm and coated the meat in that slightly sweet, creamy cheese. Ingredients were top-notch - fresh tomatoes, lettuce, etc. The burger here is clearly the star, though. That flavor is most prominent. I actually added a little ketchup because they had some at the table. I couldn't even finish this burger, so I got a to-go box. The service was awesome, and the food was great. Want a good, homemade burger? This is your place. This is everything I love about West Virginia restaurants - quality food, awesome service and the rest is up for grabs.


Grade: A