Charleston Celebrity Chef Paul Smith has had a hand in opening up another new local restaurant that is receiving rave reviews.



He is one part of the team who recently opened Barkadas, and now The Pitch at Shawnee Sports Complex in Dunbar is a whole new direction.



Themed with baseball decor, The Pitch carries this theme throughout the menu - but with a bit of elevation. You'll find wings, burgers and fries alongside corn fritters with sweet potato tots with a scallion crema and pulled pork.



My first choice was the "Pepperoni Balls," which I thought would be like little cheese bites with bits of pepperoni. Oh, no, no. These are large - baseball sized - deep-fried pepperoni rolls with piping hot cheese inside and served with a side of marinara. Very tasty.



Just. look. at. that. cheese.



And, underestimating how filling my appetizer would be, I already had ordered a pizza - a Detroit-style pizza. Lefty's in Morgantown turned me onto Detroit-style, and I'm a big fan. This isn't quite the same, but good in its own right.



Grade: A

The Venetian Estate is a stunning venue often used for wedding sand other celebrations. They're currently working on opening up a more formal restaurant. But in the meantime, they've opened their pub.



Even on a drab, dreary day, this property was lit up with string lights and rope lights wrapped around the trees out front.



To be on the safe side, Sara and I opted to sit outside. With giant heaters and a gentle breeze, it was actually a perfect space. Fresh and cool.



The menu features items like pizza, soups, buffalo chicken cheese fries, wings, sandwiches, salads, steaks, fish and pasta. So, this isn't your typical "pub" fare.




For example, my dish was a ribeye over penne pasta with a side of garlic and parmesan focaccia - plus a side of fried green beans. I admit, my eyes were larger than my stomach.



And, it was pretty good. In theory, it is lovely. In practice, it's very difficult to cut a steak overtop pasta. So a larger dish or even putting the pasta on the side would make it a bit more practical. Of course, that did not stop me from chowing down.




And I have to give a special shoutout to that bread, because wow.



The green beans were interesting, too. Not too outstanding, but I also wasn't mad about having some crunch to add to my meal.



Sara went with a burger and fries, which is a step up from any typical pub burger and fries.



And the dessert. Do NOT miss dessert. This maple blondie was everything. And the presentation - does it get any cuter? You need this in your life STAT.

Grade: A

Mia's Panaderia is a sweet, small business that sells Mexican and Honduran sweet breads and baked goods. I found her on Facebook, and she is related to the folks at Melange Cafe, so products are also sold there.



But there are so many goodies that you can order on Facebook - rather than seeing what's available daily at the cafe - that I wanted to make my own mixed box. I took a look at the menu available and pretty much ordered one of everything available at the time! PLUS, she happened to be making Tres Leches Cake that day, so I opted for a slice of that, as well. 



These couple of photos are actually from her - I love that she labeled each of these items! The wedding cookies were slightly sweet little balls; the azucarada was like a strawberry sugar cookie! The marranito is like a gingerbread; besos are coconut and jelly; and my empanada was filled with pineapple - delish.



But look at this absolutely beautiful concha. I'm not kidding when I say these should be the next Instagram food trend. They're beautiful, reminiscent of sea shells and are tasty. But my absolute favorite was the tres leches cake. It was ... maybe the best cake I've EVER had. It was moist and sweet and rich and just ... perfect. I could've eaten an entire cake. It was unbelievable.



And, she even sells pepperoni rolls. Did I mention her items are vegan? The pepperoni roll has a vegan pepperoni and cheese. I can say it's the best vegan pepperoni roll I've had. They're probably a good option for vegan friends who miss that taste of home. For me, I might stick with a more traditional roll ... but I love that these exist.

As a side note, the owner is just the absolute sweetest. Not only did I get super excited upon seeing this bakery and placed an immediate order, but the owner met me in the middle of quarantine (in complete PPE!), taught me how to pay her with Apple Pay (just via text - without a machine!) AND make the transaction super quick since I was *possibly* not in a correct parking spot. Just an all-around lovely experience.

Grade: A

On my way to visit my parents recently, I stopped in Wheeling to pick up a ton of food so we could have a mini feast at home.



Bridgelin Chinese Restaurant is not unlike many other Chinese restaurants in the area - you have General Tso's, lo mein and eggrolls. But items like steamed flounder, peking duck and lobster tail were not ones I see every day.



Here's a sampling of what we tried: veggie lo mein, sesame chicken, walnut chicken, sweet & spicy Thai chicken, general tso's, garlic shrimp, crab rangoons, udon noodles and spinach dumplings.



Overall, not too bad. Nothing was especially standout - as either good or bad. But I did appreciate the udon.

Grade: B

Los Agaves has a few locations in West Virginia: Charleston, Parkersburg and Dunbar.



And, you know, every so often, you get a craving for some Mexican food. The majority of these restaurants in the area have a very similar menu, so I had an idea of what I wanted already (I.e. something covered in cheese).



First up - Fiesta Rolls. Think eggrolls but with black beans and cheese. Plus some special dipping sauce. These had a good flavor, but I do wish they were a bit crisper (again, problems with takeout).



For the main meal, we split up two things. The Yolandas - which were enchiladas and the Burrito Tampico, which had mushrooms.



The enchiladas were the winner here. Flavorful, moist. And lots of cheese.



The burrito wasn't bad, but the mushrooms were overcooked. And I love me some mushrooms, but these lifeless, charred bits were not it.

Grade: B