So I won't technically review Rita's Ice because it is a chain, but a new location did just open up in the MidAtlantic Market in the Pierpont Landing plaza. There is only one other location in West Virginia, so it's probably new to a lot of folks - including me!

It's literally in the same building as the MidAtlantic Market and you can access it via the outside window or go in the actual store and over to their counter. It's an interesting setup. Outside, there is a table. But considering it was freezing outside, I sat in the small nook area they have in the store.


Rita's only has a select few flavors right now, but I tried their lemonade, and a friend tried their Sourpatch kids. I really liked both of these, but I almost wish I would've asked for half of each. It reminded me of those Bombpop popsicles - which I love! But the texture is like a smooth snowcone - not chunky, but not creamy like ice cream. Tasty!

On our way to the South Hills Village mall, my friend and I decided to get lunch at Benichopsticks because it was on the way and had awesome reviews. It's located in a strip mall plaza, but don't let that deter you.

It was a little classier than your typical Asian joint you'd find in Morgantown - the waiters wore white shirts and ties, the decor was classic - not tacky, and it was very clean. That may be because we were the only ones in there. They have a Chinese menu and a Japanese menu, and a lunch menu for each. I wanted a little of each, so I ordered the crab rangoons, "Amazing Chicken" with an eggroll (you can get salad or soup) and white rice, and a Mexican roll.


Our meal came out in courses. First, the rangoons: Much sweeter filling than what I've had before. It was very creamy and just a little different. But in a good way. It came with duck sauce and hot mustard.

Next up was my eggroll. Pretty good, average eggroll with cabbage and carrots.

The third course was our sushi rolls. My Mexican roll said it contained shrimp tempura, crab and cucumber. To my surprise, it also contained some jalapeno - probably why it's called the Mexican roll. While the jalapeno did add a nice balanced bite to the roll, I took some of it out because I didn't need the extra spice. The six rolls had dollops of spicy mayo and eel sauce, which was really quite tasty. I really enjoyed the rolls - fresh, tasty, unique.

Finally, our main entree came out. Amazing Chicken is just really a codeword for sweet and sour chicken. It was long strips of white breast meat lightly battered and in a sweet and sour sauce. It was really quite good. Having the quality meat makes all the difference. Even for leftovers, it tasted great.

And finally, to make this a true five-course meal, they brought out mochi ice cream with our checks. I've never had mochi ice cream, and I kind of have an aversion to mochi because of the texture. It reminds me of human flesh. BUT with ice cream inside, it makes it a little firmer and quite tasty.

For all this, I only spent $20. Granted, it was lunch time, so we got some specials. But you really can't beat good food - and that much of it - at that price.

Grade: A

Dave's Famous T & L Hotdogs claims to be West Virginia's #1 selling hotdog, with locations in Bridgeport, Pruntytown, Clarksburg and Morgantown. They have this '50s diner look to their restaurants where they sell their homemade chili hot dogs and famous "fresh cut" fries.

Unfortunately, Morgantown's location is a small area in the food court of the mall. Regardless, I wanted to try it out to see how their dogs measure up. I ordered their T & L original, which is a Sugardale all meat wiener topped with yellow mustard, Spanish onions, homemade chili sauce (mild, medium, or hot) and stuff in a fresh steamed bun.

They also have a WV hotdog, which has all of the above plus slaw. That should make the folks at The WV Hotdog Blog happy.


After a minute or so, they pushed out a tray with a solitary dog, so I assumed that was mine. But it was a soggy dog with some chili. No onions, no mustard. So I quickly asked if it was mine, so they checked it out. They added some onions and mustard. Those condiments still weren't really visible. Which probably wasn't a good indication.

Soggy dog, mediocre ingredients. The sauce was thin and soupy that the bun sopped it all up, so it became soggy. The texture was yucky at this point, but luckily the chili had some flavor. That was really the only redeeming factor here.

Grade: C

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