Sakura Mankai Café (which means cherry blossoms in full bloom) is a Japanese inspired limited restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, desserts, tea, coffee, and bubble tea.



I stopped here for a quick bite and started with a strawberry boba tea. Actually, instead of a smooth tea, this was more like an icy one. Like a step toward frothy, but not quite to milkshake level. The flavor was nice, but the texture I am not sure on.



I ordered a chicken teriyaki bowl with noodles, onions, and sesame seeds. I'm guessing they don't have a hot cooktop in the back, because the texture of this dish seem to suggest it had been reheated.



It was a bit rubbery and didn't have a depth of flavor that I was hoping for.



Grade: C

Midtown Grocery & Deli was a locally owned grocery store in Whitesville that featured a deli and hand-dipped milkshakes.



Unfortunately, it shuttered earlier this year.



However, I wanted to document this nice little shop in Whitesville.



The grocery shelves were dotted with pantry staples.



And, there would also be some locally made products, like fudge.



On the other side of the space was booth seating, and made-to-order food.



The menu includes an assortment of sandwiches named after coal mining terms.



They did also serve pizza.



I ordered the "Box Crib Club," which included ham, turkey, bacon, pickles, lettuce, tomato, cheese and mayo on toast.



I love a good club sandwich, and this was no exception.



It was like a standard cold cut sandwich, but kicked up a notch when you toast the bread and add all of those fresh veggies in there.



The toast was maybe a touch over for me, but the mayo help disguise some of that.



Overall, though, it was a tasty sandwich with some equally as tasty homemade treats



Grade: B

Midge's Kitchen is a Wheeling-based food service that offers weekly menus crafted by a private chef using local ingredients.



You can also find some of her meals in the refrigerated section of The Public Market. I was excited to get the chance to try some of her food because I had heard such good things. I saw the hoisin glazed vegan meatballs and wasn't overly thrilled but thought I would give them a try. I am glad I did.



Honestly, I may be a bigger fan of these than meat-based meatballs. the texture was just smooth and there's no random hard bits or chewy cartilage pieces full of flavor with that hoisin sauce, and perfectly paired with the white rice.



Grade: A

There is a small little convenience store in my hometown of Wellsburg that sells a little bit of everything: lottery tickets, cigarettes, basic pantry items, and more. But, when I recently stopped in, I noticed they have a selection of deli items, too, like sandwiches, side salads, broasted chicken, meat and cheese platters and more.



Mark's Carry Out is such a frequently visited spot for most in town that I didn't even think about it for its food necessarily. But, I did try some of the chicken and sides on my most recent visit.



"Broasting is a method of cooking chicken and other foods using a pressure fryer technique invented by L. A. M. Phelan and marketed by the Broaster Company. The method essentially combines pressure cooking with deep frying to pressure fry chicken that has been marinated and breaded. Internationally, broasted chicken remains highly popular in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as well as in Latin American countries such as Colombia and Peru. Many restaurants and fast-food chains in these countries also have the word "broast" in their names," according to Wikipedia.



So, the chicken is part of a larger, franchised organization. And, it was decent. I like a harder fry on my chicken, and this was certainly more moist, but not bad.



The pasta salad was my favorite. What can I say? The Northern Panhandle knows how to do pasta salad better than anywhere else I've been. The noodles have some firmness, and there's a lot of add-ins, opposed to just swimming and dressing.



Overall, it is a nice stop if you're looking to get a few random things all in one go plus a quick meal.



Grade: B

"The Olga’s Kitchen odyssey began in the mid-1960’s when Detroit-resident and founder Olga Loizon returned to the Mediterranean to visit her family. She and her three small children wanted to reconnect with their Greek heritage. In the process, Olga would discover her legacy. A visit to the local market square inspired what would grow into an iconic Michigan brand. Here, Olga’s children first tasted souvlaki, a traditional Greek sandwich of meat and vegetables wrapped in fresh-baked pita bread. Her kids were hooked…and Olga was inspired. In her quest to buy an authentic vertical rotisserie to cook the meat, Olga was refused because women didn’t typically own businesses in the 60's. As we know, Detroiters don’t give up so Olga gave her uncle the money to buy the machine for her. Olga, her kids and her new vertical rotisserie were then on their way back to Michigan."



"Back home, Olga recreated the savory delicacy her children fell in love with in Greece with one important improvement—the bread, which Olga found grainy and dry. For two years, Olga rolled and kneaded, baked and balanced, tasted and tested, until finally, she had created the Best Bread on the Planet. Olga layered her secret recipe with seasoned beef and lamb, vine-ripened tomato, sweet onion, and her homemade Olgasauce®. The classic culinary delight known as the Original Olga® was born. Olga was now ready to share The Original Olga® with the world. In Birmingham, Michigan's Continental Market, Olga walked past a wooden shoe store that was closing. Its 10 x 10 space was perfect. After securing a loan at her local bank, the first woman to ever achieve that small feat, Olga was in business. Initially, no one knew what an Olga was so Olga handed out free samples to passersby. With one simple taste, Olga had transformed the “unknown and unwanted” Original Olga into the “celebrated and sought-after” classic now enjoyed by the masses. Suddenly, Olga’s went from a single 10 x 10 location to a chain of restaurants throughout Michigan serving Olga's, The Olga Salad®, Spinach & Cheese Pie, Peasant Soup, and everyone’s favorite, Olga’s Snackers®. Today, Olga’s Kitchen is owned by TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants and boasts over 25 locations and an expanded menu."



There is an express location in Charleston, available through an online ordering app. It appears to be based out of the Embassy Suites hotel. I ordered The Original Olga - Our signature blend of the highest quality beef and lamb, seasoned with select spices, broiled, thinly carved and finished in vine-ripened tomato, sweet onion, and Olgasauce®. This was like a gyro mixed with a wrap. I would have loved fresh lamb shaved from the spit, but this was OK - definitely ask them to go light on the onions, though. Chips were way too dark, but the dip with it was interesting - sweet and creamy.



Grade: C