I was at Lakeview for their Festival of Food and Wine when my friend and I decided to have a quick dinner before leaving for the day. Their main restaurant was being used as a seminar space, so we hopped over to their sports bar - Legends.

Legends overlooks the golf course, and surprise, is a hangout for the local golfers who want a bite to eat and a beer. There are a good bit of TVs posted up on the walls and around the bar area, and there is some seating that stretches toward the back of the space.

We took a seat at high-top and I scooped up some menus that were laying nearby. It's not your typical bar food. While there are the classic spinach/artichoke dip and french fries appetizers, they also have items like chicken cordon bleu croissants, stuffed portabellos and reubens.


I've never had a restaurant reuben before. I asked the waitress what were the most popular, and she named the reuben as one of the top three so I put my order in. As well as a side of garlic sticks. She brought the garlic sticks out as an appetizer, and they were good. They had a nice little crisp on the outside and were powdered in parmesan cheese and garlic. The marinara was a good consistency and fairly mild - not too heavy. Not a bad dish, but pretty bready. If they were a bit thinner, I think the sauce to bread ratio would've been better.

The reuben was pretty good! Lots of melted swiss cheese intermingling between layers of corned beef and topped with creamy thousand island made for a unique, but flavorful blend. It's piled between two slices of grilled marbled rye bread and served with a side of chips and a pickle spear. There's not a ton of meat here, so for the carnivore, this may not fly. I, however, liked the extra cheese, so I'm a fan.

The restaurant is a little on the pricier side for a bar/grill, so you might want to check out the menu before committing!

Grade: B

I'll keep this short and simple. Just Desserts is a small mall shop connected to Wong's Wok. They actually share a cash register. Which is fine, if they're not busy...

This place is a total afterthought to Wong's Wok. It's way overpriced - $6 for a generic milkshake. They have some Hershey's ice cream, which I got a milkshake from. It was called cookie monster and had chocolate, caramel and cheesecake. They have other items like bubble tea and smoothies, but it's all a little on the pricey side. They also don't take cards unless it's more than $5. Luckily, my milkshake was $6.

While I did want a milkshake from that ice cream flavor, I feel like they should have put some milk or something in. It was so sweet, sickeningly sweet, that I didn't even drink it all. I don't know if anybody could, honestly. Because I like sweets...

But, it's mall food. What can you expect. Next time, I'll stick to just putting that ice cream in a cone.

Grade: C

Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa held their 29th Annual Festival of Food and Wine this weekend, from Jan. 18 to Jan. 20. They graciously allowed me to attend so I could let my fellow foodies see what it's about.

Lakeview is located in Cheat Lake, and is a nice area for visitors. It even has two restaurants: Fusion and Legends. The latter I'll talk about soon.


I was able to stop by on Saturday, and luckily, as soon as I walked in, it was lunch time. The buffet, by Chef Jon Buchner,  featured a baby kale salad, pork Banh Mi sandwiches, braised greens, Ca Ri Ga - Chicken Curry, Vietnamese Cinnamon Flan, Pho Bo - Vietnamese beef noodle soup, and gourmet cookies and dessert bars.

Buchner is the executive chef at Quail Hollow Resort in Painesville, Ohio. Lots of other talented chefs were featured as well. The food was fantastic. It was creative and different from anything I've ever had. The soup was pretty cool, as the beef was served raw and when the chefs pour the broth over it, it cooks in your cup. So I watched it turn from bright pink to a darker well-done.

In addition to having delicious lunches and dinners, there are seminars scheduled throughout the day. Some are at the same time, so you can pick and choose what you'd like to attend. I went to "The Art of Craft Beers" by Morgantown Brewing Company. The folks talked all about the types of beers, what makes a brew pub and how beer is made. I actually took a lot of notes and learned more than I anticipated. It was a really fun, informative session. And we even got to taste some Holiday Blonde at the end!


After that seminar, we hit up "Art of Whiskey Making" presented by Heston Winery. He was great, as well. He spoke about the distillery, how he got started, the different kinds they sell and what distinguishes certain types of liquors from others. And, of course, we got to taste some moonshine. Maybe a little too much moonshine!


They also have vendors in the lobby area showcasing all kinds of products and services - from food to jewelry to massages. If you visit all of them, you're entered into a drawing for prizes.

In addition to all of that, you get a nice little gift bag that has a schedule of events, menus, a souvenir magnet and a small bottle of wine.

It's a great opportunity to see a festival of this caliber in Morgantown. If you want to try something new and have the chance to talk with many experts in culinary arts, this is a fantastic venue to do so. They already have next year's festival planned, and since it'll be the 30th annual, it's sure to be a big one.

Classics 3 is located on Greenbag Road, and for a long time, I thought it was just a "hot spot." There's actually a good bit more to it than that. Apparently upstairs there is a bar, and downstairs, there's a restaurant. My friend and I snagged a seat and waited patiently for the woman working to come by with some menus.

It's a little more than typical bar food, as they have some sandwiches and dinners, too. I was pretty indecisive, so I asked the waitress what is popular. She suggested the Mr. C's sandwich. Without even looking, I said "sign me up."

After looking at the description, I saw that it is sirloin, pepperoni, provolone cheese, mild peppers, onions and mushrooms on a 6" toasted roll. And a side of fries. When she brought it out, it didn't look bad. But upon first bite, I realized this is not super high quality, and it was more buried with soggy peppers than bulky meat. Kind of bland, kind of flavorless, kind of soggy. Meh. I have half in my fridge still, and I probably won't end up eating it.


Dessert can redeem any meal for me. So when the waitress suggested homemade apple pie as a dessert, I jumped on. But it too was flavorless, cold, lifeless. I won't be back - not for the food, at least.

Grade: C

Boston Beanery recently opened their third location in Morgantown - the Pines Country Club on Point Marion Road. They have another downtown and one on Evansdale, as well as Grafton, Beckley, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The Pines Country Club is a private golf course. And there are a few signs confirming that as you turn onto their road. However, Boston Beanery is public, so don't be discouraged if you're craving some and on that side of town. When you get to the top of the road, there are multiple signs pointing that the Boston Beanery is inside, but it's actually all the way to the right. The outside says "dining," but not huge sign stating you're there. Don't worry - it's easy to find.

It has odd hours - only open til 3 p.m. most days, so check before you head that way. Inside is just one open dining room, but you can see for a few miles, as it sits atop the hillside. It's not a bad view. There was not a soul in there when we went. After a quick look at the menu, I ordered the whaler sandwich - fried fish, bun, tartar sauce. With a side of fries and ranch.

Our food was out very quickly, and it was good. Greasy, fried, but it was what I was looking for. The staff was bored so they were kind of sitting around and joking. But our server kept our drinks full, and I left pleased. Same menu as the other locations. Decent food. Culinary masterminds? Not so much. Good for a quick sammich? Indeed

Grade: B