Los Mariachis, Morgantown's most beloved Mexican restaurant, has opened a second location at the University Town Centre.

I'll be honest, it has taken me quite a long time to come around to Tex-Mex food. After having the real deal in Texas and Phoenix, I gave the local places more of a chance and spent some time to figure out what I really like.

And, apparently, what I really like is anything drenched in queso.

This Los Mariachis location is large, sparkling new and has a pretty similar menu, if I recall.

What caught my eye were these "best choice" burritos, and I opted for the one ... wait for it ... covered in queso: Burrito Cancun - large flour tortilla stuffed with Mexican rice, grilled chicken or beef, melted cheese, pinto beans, grilled fresh mushrooms and white creamy sauce.

First, chips and salsa (and look at these cute glasses!).

You really can't go wrong with this combo, right? It has a few of my favorite things: mushrooms, cheese...
           

What's your favorite item here?

I went to the Bridgeport Farmers Market in the fall and saw Magpie's Bakery, which had a cute little set-up flocked with flowers.

Then I recalled this name before: They competed in a pepperoni roll competition. And the crust was phenomenal. Typically, they create desserts and hand pies but stretched their culinary wings for that competition. So, when I saw them, I wanted to try their specialty this time: sweets.

I love this piece on this bakery, where it goes on to define "magpie."

– any of various birds (especially Pica pica) related to the jays but having a long graduated tail and black-and-white or brightly colored plumage

– a person who chatters noisily

– one who collects indiscriminately

And, it talks about how the crust recipe is what makes these desserts unique (agree!) - it's a recipe that has been passed down from her grandmother.

I tried a strawberry rhubarb hand pie with this cute little floral design. And, wow, that crust.

I had been to Short Story Brewing previously, but it was prior to the addition of Street Food Kitchen.

So I went back to try this new restaurant headed up by none other than local chef Donnie Orr. This local restaurant celebrates "food concepts from around the world, locally sourced Appalachian ingredients, and a passion for the pursuit of perfection."

First, a glass of "Hunt and Peck," which was an American brown ale. "Malty but not overly sweet with hints of chocolate."

I got the Barbacoa beef brisket with black beans, sweet corn, queso fresco, red chili aioli on flour tortilla. Droool!

Ripley has a couple Mexican restaurants, and Las Trancas seems to be just slightly more popular.

The menu features house specials, as well as standard items like quesadillas, burritos, fajitas, etc.

I was just here for a snack, so I ent with the fajita nachos which said they had chicken and cheese.

But first, MORE tortilla chips with salsa - which had a bit of a kick!

Considering it's me, I also had to get queso.

I wasn't expecting the nachos to come with actual fajita toppings for some reason. But I also wasn't disappointed. So many goodies - and that extra queso went to good use!

Charleston WV Restaurant Week will be held Jan. 28 through Feb. 2, 2019.

In its sixth year, #cwvrestweek features 26 independently owned restaurants, each participating
at one of two different price options! At $25 or $35, each diner will receive an appetizer, entree,
and dessert from a prix fixe menu.

Participating restaurants include:
$25: Adelphia, Big Joe's Bar and Grill, Celsius, Dem 2 Brothers & a Grill, Gonzoburger, Leonoro's, Mi Cocina de Amor, Nawab, Tin Box BBQ

$35: Berry Hills Country Club, Bistro at the Barge, Black Sheep Burritos & Brews, Bluegrass
Kitchen, Bricks & Barrels, Bridge Road Bistro, Edgewood Country Club, Ichiban, Laury's, Noah's Restaurant & Lounge, Sam's Uptown Cafe, Soho's at Capitol Market, The Block, The Chop House, The Elements at Quarrier Diner, The Market, Tidewater Grill.

The eight new restaurants this year include: Big Joe's Bar and Grill, Gonzoburger, Nawab, Tin
Box BBQ, Berry Hills Country Club, Edgewood Country Club, Noah's Restaurant & Lounge, and The Elements at Quarrier Diner.

Organized by local meat and seafood distributor Buzz Food Service, Charleston Restaurant
Week has established itself as an annual week-long celebration of the city’s best food and local
eateries, bringing together residents and visitors to try new restaurants and support small
business. Charleston Restaurant Week offers a specialty menu, with some restaurants serving
their most popular fare and others featuring dishes only available during the promotion.
Restaurants often partner with local bakeries and pastry shops to feature local desserts, and
many have drink specials or live music during the six night event.

Dickinson Gould, President of Buzz Food Service and a founder of Charleston Restaurant Week
had this to say: “After five years of growth, it was clear that splitting the promotion into two
different price brackets could work well for all parties. First, the lower cost of $25 will make the
promotion accessible for more diners to participate. $30 was a bargain in this case, but still a lot
of money for many people. Second, some of the more casual venues were reaching up to a
$30 price point that was higher than their average ticket. Offering a $25 option made more of
those restaurants feel comfortable participating. Finally, some of the fancier fine dining
establishments felt limited by the $30 price point. We’re expecting to see a lot of creativity when
the menus are released on January 12th and deciding where to dine will be more difficult than
ever!”

Reservations are strongly encouraged, not just to reserve a space, but to allow participating
restaurants to plan for staff and supplies. Surveys of participating restaurants have shown more
than 10,000 total meals served during the week each year, generating an economic impact of
roughly $2M over five years. A number of participating restaurants report filling their entire
reservation book during the week, all at an otherwise slow time of year for the industry.

Menus will be posted on January 12 to the promotion’s website, cwvrestaurantweek.com.
Diners are encourage to use #CWVRestWeek in their social posts.