I've heard for a long time that The Pizza Place in Parkersburg has the best pizza in the entire state - maybe anywhere. So, I was thrilled to finally get to Parkersburg and get a slice or two from The Pizza Place.

Everyday the Pizza Place brings you the best "New York Style" pizza, ever to hit the tri-state area. We use only the freshest ingredients including, perfectly blended sauces, freshly shredded 100% mozzarella cheese and 100% real pepperoni. "Our dough is made every night, so you can be sure that your pizza is made from the finest and freshest ingredients, right down to the dough itself," claims owners Frank Scotto Rinaldi, Guiseppe Scotto Rinaldi and Michele Scotto Diluzio. Check out the new menus; Dudley & Southside. Each store is slightly different. The menu items include: Sicilian and Neapolitan Pizzas, Calzones, Strombolies, Pepperoni Rolls, Garlic Breadsticks, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mister Bee Chips, Garden Salad, and our famous subs which include Philly Steak & Cheese, Pesto Chicken, Hot Italian, Ham & Cheese, Veggie, Pizza sub, and more.

The Pizza Place has locations in both North and South Parkersburg. In North Parkersburg, the Pizza Place is located at 2208 Dudley Ave. directly across from PHS. The South Parkersburg location can be found at 1410 Blizzard Dr. directly across from PSHS.

First things first, there are two locations. I consulted with my friend Steven Allen Adams to figure out which was best for the full experience. He said while there's a sort-of fight over who is the original, the original Scotto-Diluzio family runs the Dudley Avenue location. Sold.

We navigated our way here, parked and walked inside. There is a very long counter with a menu. There are two types of pizzas: Sicilian and Neapolitan. The Sicilian was a thicker crust. The Neapolitan was the large, flat slices typical of New York-style pizza. I went with a Sicilian style, because I can't get that in Morgantown, really.

A thick slab of pizza coated in a stringy layer of mozzarella and some puckered up pepperonis was served on a paper plate. The pepperoni right in the middle was stuck together and stacked - I kid you not - at least 10 pieces thick. I kept pulling them apart.

But holy crap, this place is pretty good. I loved the thick crust - it was like buttery, rich but crunchy on the bottom, too. Sauce was perfect, and there was cheese for days. Just the way I like it. It almost makes me want to give up Neapolitan totally. Almost.

Grade: A

I know you're going to be disappointed, but this is actually the final DiCarlo's blog post. It's the last location to visit in West Virginia, but it's certainly not the least.

I've ran the gamut of DiCarlo's locations - from the very best to my least favorite to one I was so excited about that I forgot to get a photo to the legendary. And, I have to say, the Parkersburg's DiCarlo's ranks among the upper echelon of pizza places.

They all vary a bit - from offering just pizza, to offering a drive-thru, to offering items like sandwiches and wings. This one features a really nice interior dining space.

But what I'm after is pizza.

I ordered two cuts. The lady behind the counter asked if I wanted it DiCarlo's style. I stammered for a second. DiCarlo's style? Aren't we in DiCarlo's? She sets into a speech she's probably given 1,000 times talking about how DiCarlo's throws their cheese on after the piece has come out of the oven, so the cheese slowly melts over the piping hot tomato sauce and crusty piece of pizza.

I know what it means, of course. Of course I want it DiCarlo's style. How is that even an option to have your cheese melted IN THE OVEN, like a barbarian. DiCarlo's style, obvi. If you want regular boring pizza, go to literally any other pizza place. GIVE ME DICARLO'S STYLE.

Mmmmm yummmmm. The cheese mixture is perfect and finely shredded. The pizza is crisp. The pepperonis were paper thin. Every bite was full of just lightly melted mozzarella and provolone cheese, with a nice crunch to top it all off. So, so good.



Grade: A

"Conceived as a bright and colorful tribute to Dorothy Draper, Draper's offers casual all-day dining with a menu that includes classic Dorothy Draper recipes as well as traditional southern dishes." - Draper's at The Greenbrier.
So, I have written about Draper's at The Greenbrier before -- but only the ice cream bar (which is totally incredible, and you should try the ice cream). Since the opportunity presented itself, I made a return visit and was able to have a full sit-down breakfast at Draper's.



First, The Greenbrier is incredible. It's huge, beautiful and over-indulgent in these giant tacky patterns and exudes richness. The Greenbrier has a few various dining options; Draper's is the most casual of the bunch.

Breakfast options included bakery items like croissants and muffins, oatmeal, cereal, omelets, breakfast platters and pancakes. Tony ordered a trio of tiny breakfast sandwiches, which had bacon, egg, cheese and BBQ sauce. I tried a bite, and they seemed fairly standard, but the BBQ added something a little different. Just not sure how I feel about BBQ for breakfast.

Their "Buttermilk Pancakes with Greenbrier Peaches" was hard too pass up. It came topped with peaches, whipped cream and came with a side of syrup. I also ordered a side of sausage for some protein (and that salty/sweet combo) in the meal.

There was a bit of a mix-up. Our server, who was totally pleasant and kind, accidentally put in an order for pecan pancakes, I believe. When they came out and were void of the famous Greenbrier peaches, I was confused.

When our waiter came back, I mentioned the mix-up to him. So, after a bit of a wait, I finally received my real pancakes. They were a sight, too, topped with a gorgeous peach topping, powdered sugar and a mound of whipped cream. And it was delicious. I don't know if a pancake can be bad, really. But the peach topping is what really made these awesome. The sausage (which I was too dumb to get a photo of), was also really good.

And on top of it, the server brought us each a cookie for messing up the order. I don't know how Tony lucks out and gets a cookie when I was the one who had to wait extra long on my food :) But, it's easy to win my loyalty with sweets. The oatmeal cookie was pretty awesome, too.




Grade: A

The Block Restaurant and Wine Cellar has replaced the former large, vacant yellow Cafe de Paris space at the corner of Quarrier and Capitol streets in Charleston. Upon my first real adventure to Charleston, that space struck me - prime location, large, and interesting - until I learned it had been closed for years. What a shame, I remember thinking.

But now The Block Restaurant and Wine Cellar has finally produced a functioning restaurant in that space, complete with a total beautiful renovation, extensive wine list and trendy dishes. I passed through for lunch, excited to check out this new restaurant that has been long awaited.

The interior is quite lovely, with sleek lighting, a mixture of dark and light mocha colors and exposed brick.



The lunch menu at The Block has appetizers, cheese platters, soups, salads, flatbreads, sandwiches and hot tapas. I put in for an order of the meatball trio - which comes with a chicken meatball, a beef meatball and a pork meatball, with accompanying sauces. Maggie went for the crab cake and quinoa, while Tony got an Italian panini.

Maggie loved her crab cake, and she has ordered it more than once. Tony was satisfied with his sandwich. And I, well ... I had to wait a bit. Because as everyone else's dishes came out, mine was delivered incorrectly. The waitress brought me the hummus trio.

The hummus trio has sun-dried tomato and basil, traditional and Sriracha hummuses (hummi?). So, luckily, I dig hummus. But it's not exactly what I was going after. Regardless, the waitress allowed us to keep it while they prepared my actual meal. Points for creativity - I actually totally love the concept of three miniature bits of something. Like a sampler platter, but less guilt-inducing. I love trying a little of everything. The tomato was good - but maybe a bit dry? The traditional was fine, though even more garlic could've helped. And the Sriracha had a little heat, but not much. So, eh.


And finally, when my main dish came out, I was excited to try yet another little sampler - three different meatballs. I was starved and wanting these even more after watching my friends down their lunches and I was left with hummus.

Unfortunately, these need some work. The seasoning is weak, the meat was dry, and the sauce was lackluster. This is one tiny bite that can pack a punch - could be lots of flavor. But, it just didn't happen. They were all OK, bordering on not-so-good. The plating also could use some work.


So while I know it has received some mixed reviews, and I think I'm one more tally in that mixed column. I so want to like this place because I think it needs to thrive in that location, and I think the wine list is outrageous (in a good way).

The service just did not work (PLEASE write down the orders when you have a table of three - a hummus trio and a meatball trio are easy to mix up) - making my lunch run late and my tummy rumble. And the food needs some work. Maybe it could have been overlooked, and the seasoning hand wasn't heavy that day. There's a good chance that other menu items are outstanding. I just know the ones I got didn't fall into that category.


Grade: C