Random Saturday afternoons are for trips to Trader Joe's, chocolates from Sarris Candies and a boozy dinner just outside of town so it feels like you're ~getting away~. A quick search found Bistro 19 as one of the top rated restaurants in the area, so I called to see if they had any openings for dinner and lucked out.

We'd found parking a few blocks away from the building, which was cute, modern, and bustling. Inside, every table was taken up, candles flickered and the lighting was dim.

Heather and I were seated in a corner near the window of the restaurant, and I immediately ordered a red wine (Argentinian Malbec). Very good. A few features, like venison, were available. The menu has Chilean sea bass, pork tenderloin, crab cakes, filet mignon, sea scallops, duck breast, shrimp, almond chicken, salmon, a burger, lobster tail gnocchi (which I almost ordered), and orecchiette pasta (which I did order).

These are standard options, so I went for the one that was the most different. While the lobster tail gnocchi sounded good, orecchiette pasta with veal meatballs, bacon, wild mushrooms, spring peas and herb butter was a combo I've not had before.

But first, a small bread basket - both very good, and that butter was to die for. Whipped and herbed and sweet and delish.

The entree was also very, very good. Even though it was a pasta dish, it felt light with the herb butter and peas and mushrooms. The veal meatballs were very well-seasoned, and it all worked well together. The server told us that this dish will be coming off the menu soon, so get it while you can.

Overall, it was quite a good dinner. The service was a bit slow, but that was just more time to leisurely drink my wine and enjoy the meal. A nice little getaway from Morgantown resulted in a pretty good meal - one that I remembered the next day with leftovers!

Grade: A

During my time in Morgantown, I've come to know two parties when it comes to Tex-Mex: There are the Los loyalists and the Rio loyalists. I belong to a small not-a-huge-fan-of-Mexican-food contingent. But, when I recently learned that Rio Grande III changed to Rio Verde, I was tasked with checking it out.

Unfortunately, I have no idea if the menu is different, because I had only been here previously like once. So, it could just be a change in name - or it could be owners or a whole overhaul. I'm not sure. Someone who was a Rio Grande devotee, lemme know.

The interior was a bit sparse, but it looked to have a cool mural on the far wall. Basic, quick service with no devoted server - just whoever was free to top off drinks or fill our chip basket. But, a fairly steady stream of people coming in for lunch.

So, my best bet for satisfaction at a Tex-Mex restaurant is queso. It's my saving grace. So, after the initial chips and salsa came out, I immediately put in a request for queso. And, it was fine. It seemed kind of ... condensed? I dunno; I've had better.

All of the lunch options are essentially some combination of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, or chalupas. I've had tacos and burritos more times than I can count, so I went with Special Lunch #16, which had a chalupa and chicken enchilada with rice.

• Burrito: Flour tortilla folded and filled with meat or beans, topped with cheese and covered with our special burrito salsa.
• Chalupa: Flat crisp corn tortilla with beans, lettuce and guacamole on top.
• Chile Relleno: Poblano pepper stuffed with cheese and potatoes, served with cheese notop & covered with a special egg batter with gravy salsa on top (mild, hot)
• Enchiladas: Corn tortilla folded round and filled with your choice of meats or cheese or beans, cheese on top and gravy salsa.
• Tostaguac: Flat, crisp tortilla with beans, beef, lettuce, guacamole and tomatoes on top.
• Taquitos: A corn tortilla filled with beef or chicken and rolled, fried golden brown, nice & crispy.
• Tamales: Corn husks wrapped around a layer of corn mealwith chicken inside. Served with cheese & special gravy salsa on top.
• Quesadilla: A Mexican version of turnover or a grilled cheese sandwich made by folding a flour tortilla in half and cooked with cheese inside over low heat.
• Chimichanga: Crisp and flaky, deep-fried burritos, served with nacho cheese on top and available in chicken or beef.
• Mole: A highly flavored gravy made with chiles, spices, chicken broth and secret array of herbs. Rich and flavorful.
• Mole Poblano: Made like mole but with extra flavors of chocolate and nuts. Very good and flavorful.
• Chorizo: A mildly spiced Mexican style sausage.

So, it's fine. Everything is this sort of same mushy texture, and it all just tastes a bit bland to me. I don't get the appeal, and I'm not sure I ever will. The enchilada was decent - but I think some fresh veggies inside would've made it something I'd appreciate. The chalupa was soggy, and that's just not my jam.

I think some variance in texture or flavor would help make this more well-rounded for me. Maybe I just choose the wrong things. I don't know. I am already preparing for the backlash from this review, so, yes, I know I'm the worst for not loving Tex-Mex.



Grade: C
 

The interior of Naticakes is very shabby chic, with lots of mismatched chairs, upcycled doors as tables and this sort of Victorian theme. The shop offers quiche, French pastries, sandwiches, salads, soups, coffee, cupcakes and gelato.

I ordered a classic almond chicken salad croissant with a side of tomato bisque. Then, I found a seat and awaited my lunch.

They came out on these sort of paper bowls and plates, which I was surprised to see. This coming from the place thats only water option is Fiji.

The sandwich was OK - a little bland. I was a big fan of the soup, though. It's sweet and rich, but not totally convinced it was homemade. But, for a (fairly) quick and light meal, it wasn't bad.

The other thing about this shop is that it was founded for good reason:

When you support our bakery & crème café, you are helping children through The Natalie Wynn Carter Foundation, in memory of a sweet little girl we affectionately called, “Naticakes.” You are providing spaces for children to play, and bringing smiles to little faces locally, and globally. Thank you for partnering with us, in “making life a little sweeter,” for children!

Before we left, we got five macarons (for $10!). A bit expensive, but there are so few places that actually offer them, I wanted to try.

The flavors available were orange-lemonade, chocolate, passionfruit, coffee - cafe au lait and pistachio. I think the orange-lemonade and pistachio were the best. But, they all have a pretty light flavor.

Overall, they've definitely done a good job of transitioning from a froyo shop to a bakery and cafe. I'll be curious to see if they end up adding more items or experiment with some of the recipes they have. I still think their strong point is their sweets, and I would definitely like to try some more of those.


Grade: B

I recently attended one of Tamarack's dinners, and this one happened to be a partnership with Bloomery SweetShine. I've been to both of these lovely places separately, so I was very excited to see what the duo produced together.





The Bloomery SweetShine Pairings Dinner marketed itself as "an artisanal blend of vice and virtue." I would have to agree. The four-course dinner so blew my socks off that I decided to use my experience there as my column for the WV Gazette Mail. Read all about how these two businesses working together helped bring out the best in one another - something I hope to see more and more of in the future.

Join us for a special evening where our very own Tamarack Chef's bring you a custom tasting menu perfectly paired with the offerings of West Virginia's very own Bloomery. Cash Bar | Communal Seating | Music by Corey Lee McQuade, accompanied by Paul E. Johnson.

Before we arrived for dinner, we walked around to check out Tamarack - easily one of my favorite places in the state. Then, we made our way to the beautiful space set up for the dinner - large windows, touches of purple and gold and some great music playing in the background. Then, before I knew it, the party for our tastebuds began.

Have you spotted the tropical shaved ice truck that makes its rounds in Morgantown? There's luau music playing and bright leis lining the windows. And, likely, there are children running up to the window to throw money at the folks working.

That's Kona Ice, the mobile shaved ice company that has locations across the country. But, did you know that it was created by a Parkersburg High School graduate in 2007? Tony Lamb, a 1987 grad, started the company in northern Kentucky and began franchising in 2008. It has been ranked one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country by Entrepreneur Magazine.

Morgantown's Kona Ice folks reached out to me to see if I'd be interested in a midday snack (for free!), so, of course, I said yes. There are only 2 or 3 trucks in the state, so I was excited to see the one that frequents North Central West Virginia.

The truck parked alongside my work building, and the sound of tropical music lured me and a few of my coworkers over to the parking lot. And there it was, a little piece of paradise right in the middle of a concrete jungle. A few people had already gathered in line to get a taste of some shaved ice on a warm day.

When it was our turn, we were lei-ed and given a color-changing cup full of ice. How fun! Then, I went to town on trying all the different flavors. First, I went for the Tiger's Blood, which is a red punch flavor. And the Lemon Lime-A-Licious was pretty good. Oh, and the Wild Watermelon was that perfect fruity flavor. I ended up with drenching the ice in Blue Raspberry, their most popular flavor. The cool thing is you have the ability to put as little or as much of the flavor as you want - and to mix and match!

So, we sat outside, wind blowing, listening to tropical music, wearing our leis and eating this fruity tropical ice. It's a light, refreshing treat that you don't feel too guilty about - always a plus! Plus, one of the big parts of Kona Ice is giving back to the community, which is great to see.

So, if you see them out and about, be sure to grab a cup, knowing that it has roots right here in the Mountain State -- and who couldn't use a little tropical break?