Generations Restaurant & Pub, located in Wheeling, is your typical all-American casual bar & grill food. It made its way onto the WV's 101 Most Unique Places to Dine list. 

Don't try going around to the front of the building that faces the road - nope, those are the banquet halls. Instead, go around the side and there you'll find the entrance. On this day, I was early so there weren't many people having lunch yet. The interior is pretty spacious with bar seating, high-tops and tables all around the space.

They have a few decent beers on draft, and I went with a Great Lakes Brewing Company Christmas Ale. The menu gas wings, pizzas, salads and a bevy of fried appetizers, as well as sandwiches, wraps, burgers and plated entrees on the other side. I knew I had a day of munching ahead of me, so I opted for just a bite.

I ordered the buffalo pierogies, which are pierogies tossed in any of their wing sauces. Sounds a bit odd, right? Well, not if it's parmesan garlic, right? Mmm.

I asked for a side of marinara because I just felt like they needed something. Overall, these were just OK. The fried, greasy taste just kind of took over. I've had some pierogies that have had a super flavorful filling, while these just kinda fell flat. Bad? No. Great? Nah.

Grade: C

Mmm Popcorn is a new-ish gourmet popcorn shop in downtown Wheeling. Gourmet popcorn, you ask? Yes, and I'm a big fan.

When I first walked in, I guess I was a bit underwhelmed. I was thinking Pittsburgh Popcorn Company, and you kinda get the tamed down version of that. But, that's OK. There are a few plastic bins full of a few kinds of popcorn to the right, and a mirrored wall to the left has the handwritten variations available.

On this day, the "buckeye" is what sounded most exciting. Chocolate, caramel. Because yes.

Overall, it's pretty good. I was hoping for drizzled caramel on top of the popcorn instead of the all-over kind, but that's neither here nor there. I love the idea of fancy popcorn in Wheeling because I love fancy popcorn (salty + sweet is my jam).

A little bit more refinement and general ambiance inside the shop would do wonders. Until then, the popcorn will keep me coming back.

Grade: A
 

I've spent very little time at Oglebay, despite it being right in my backyard growing up. But the Ihlenfeld Dining Room wound up on the 101 Unique Places to Dine in WV list, and you know what that means.

It ended up on mine, too. I decided to head up "home" (aka Wellsburg) for the day. On the way up, I thought I could stop at Oglebay for a quick breakfast because 1 - it should be quick since it's buffet style and 2 - it's probably relatively inexpensive.

Sigh. There was a lengthy wait for breakfast. Maybe because it was near the holidays. I don't know. All I remember were lots of screaming children in Christmas colors and me wearing all black just trying to get my waffle on. It's a buffet, so I really didn't understand how it was taking so long.

I finally was seated and waited for a while before I realized that I wasn't going to receive a waiter ... I just wanted a water. But there was a carafe orange juice on the table that seemed to be my only option. K.

I got up from where I was seated (off in a room at the front) and went out to the front to peruse my options. There is an omelet station and a waffle station. I got a waffle made and picked up a few pieces of bacon. I wasn't overly impressed with the options. There were some plain grits, some picked over pieces of ham and other stuff I was mostly unenthused by.

My waffle was fine. My problem was that they had mostly run out of syrup, so I had only a tiny bit for my waffle. But, it's fine. It's decent.

After I flagged someone down and was able to pay - about $14 - I headed out. Quickly.


Grade: C

Atria's is a Pittsburgh-based Italian restaurant that has about nine locations now. I went back when it first opened to see what it's all about.

While the hotel (and parking lot) was still under major construction, the restaurant itself looked as though it was undergoing some minor construction still. We entered through a side door, and there were some pallets sitting outside. But, again, this was just after they opened. So, I'll overlook that.

When we walked in, there were about five people rapid-fire saying hi to us. It was actually a little disorienting. They were saying hi from different directions, so I was actually not sure where to look. That seems ridiculous, but it's true. Someone along the way told them to greet every customer, and they took it to heart.

We sat down and had a few people welcome us - our waitress, a manager or two. OK, OK. I asked our waitress if the items in the brackets on the menu were their specialties. She initially said no with confidence, and then backtracked. I take it they are the specialties. I ordered the chicken parmesan - standard Italian-American restaurant fare that should be a good indicator.

Lisa first ordered the pot roast nachos and was so kind as to share. These were very good. The pot roast was super flavorful and had more of a tangy flavor than a gravy flavor. They were very tasty.

My main entree was also pretty good. I don't think the pasta is homemade, but I liked the red sauce, and the breaded chicken was good. The pasta could've been taken out just a second earlier, but that's small.

I don't know if they were bored, or just had no one to focus on, but there were no less than a dozen interruptions during our meal. There were the couple from our waitress - asking how things were, etc. But then literally anyone who passed by us would ask how things were. At least five separate people asked us. It was just too much. I had to keep stopping eating, covering my mouth and saying "fine" for the thousandth time. After maybe 7 times, you notice it. After 10, you're annoyed. More than that, I'm like - what the hell is going on?

I'm guessing once they get busier, this won't be a problem. Just keep in mind, I'm at lunch with a friend to be with my friend and have a conversation. A few interruptions are expected, but a ton ruin the experience.

Grade: B