My friend, Ben, and I went to the Regatta Bar & Grille located at the Waterfront Place Hotel to celebrate my birthday. It’s a higher priced restaurant, typical for most located inside a hotel, but for a special occasion, I splurged. I think their menu changes occasionally, so be aware of that.
Parking is available in the neighboring garage, and the restaurant validates it so you don’t have to worry about paying. However, when I went this time, our dinner lasted about two hours today. That’s fine, because we were chatting. But apparently 2 hours is around $4, and the validation is only good for $3. So I had to call for help, as I was already at the gate with cars behind me. I was disappointed that there’s a pretty short time they allow you to park. Luckily, the parking attendant let me go, not that he had another choice, but I’ll keep that in mind for next time.
Back to the dining experience. I had a short wait while they cleaned the table, then we were seated next to a flickering fireplace. The dining area isn’t too large, but there were a few booths lined along the wall and tables in the center. A nice bar was situated behind us. Monorail yellow and pink lights were overhead and made for a romantic setting.
We were served a small basket with two dinner rolls and some breadsticks, along with some butter and a cream cheesey butter. Basic flavors here.
Looking over the menu, the first thing that caught my eye was the “Spicy Chili-Garlic Seared Atlantic Salmon.” It was served with a house salad, as well as sweet mirin rice and julienne vegetables on the side for $18. The suggested wine pairing was a MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir ‘08 ~ Sonoma, California, which was a tasty, smooth wine.
First, though, the house salad came out. I wasn’t expecting much, since it was packaged with the entree. But it was something, alright. Packed with iceberg, romaine, spinach, bacon, gorgonzola, red onion, roasted tomatoes, all in a white balsamic. This was phenomenal. Creative, delicious, yet simple.
My entree was out not too long afterward. A long, white plate housed a large, pink filet of salmon, coated with a red chili sauce, all on top of that sticky rice and julienne veggies. I took for granted their definition of “spicy.” I took a bite, and my lips were warm and tingly. But the flavors were powerful. The fish was tender, delicate even, and the spicy sauce added a nice kick. I paired it with the rice to add a base so I didn’t get too heated. It really was delicious; it wasn’t just hot for the sake of being hot. The chili flavor was fantastic, and the heat only enhanced the flavors of the salmon. The sides were a great pairing to keep the spice from overtaking my tastebuds.
I’m two for two on dishes so far, so I ordered dessert: World Famous “Carnegie Deli” cheesecake. Large: check. Creamy: check. A couple strawberries and whipped cream were nice. I think some stripes of strawberry or caramel sauce could have done wonders, but it’s hard to mess up a cheesecake. Pretty tasty.
While I’m usually skeptical of hotel restaurants, this one did pretty well with my meal. I’d be happy to check it out again.
Grade: A
Located in Sabraton, this Mexican restaurant is often in competition with Los Mariachisfor the best food in town. A good friend of mine just came back from Mexico, and she was wanting to head to her favorite local restaurant: Rio Grande III.
This is the third location. Others are in Beckly and Nitro, I believe. Tons of parking, a few different dining areas and strong margaritas are some features of this restaurant. The food is also mighty tasty. It’s tex-mex, really. It’s not truly authentic Mexican food, but nowhere in Morgantown is. But it sure is delicious.
Our waiter was extremely nice, and my friend even spoke Spanish with him for a few minutes. I don’t, so I was left out of that conversation and used the time to look over my menu. I already knew a margarita was necessary - one glass, frozen, strawberry. That’ll cost you $5.95, but it won’t be lacking in the tequila area. I also order a water to help balance out. While we looked over the menu, we were brought a basket of chips and salsa. This salsa has some bite to it. My mouth was on fire after a few bites, nothing the margarita couldn’t put out, but I held off.
I ordered the quesadilla relleno chicken, which is a flour tortilla stuffed with chicken, cheese, beans, grilled peppers and served with a side of lettuce, sour cream, tomato and guacamole. It came out, it seems, within minutes. This thing was so big, it took up most of my plate. The chicken was tender, the veggies grilled soft with a slight bite and the cheese combined everything into one cohesive delicious taste of Mexico.
In the fight for top Mexican restaurant in town, I think Rio Grande can put up a tough argument.
Grade: A
China Wok is a Chinese restaurant in Westover. I’ve passed this place probably 100 times, but I never stopped in. Chris and I were in the mood for Chinese food the other day, so we decided to try a new place instead of the usual go-tos.
I logged onto DubVmenus and places my order for a combination plate of General Tso’s chicken. It comes with an eggroll, and you can also choose a shrimp eggroll or pork-fried rice. I chose pork-fried rice, but in the comments section, I asked for white rice. We also put in an order for crab cheese rangoons. My total was around the average: I spent about $25 for two combination plates, the rangoons and delivery charge/tip.
I really wasn’t sure how long it would take since this place is located in Westover, and I am not. Much to their credit, they made it to my place in about 25 minutes. A lovely man knocked on my door, handed me a smiley face plastic bag and went on his way.
Two large white plastic containers contained our entrees (I love these and save them for Tupperware) and a smaller plastic bag had some deep-fried crab cheese rangoons. The General Tso’s sauce was spicy and sweet. Thick, laden with chili peppers, and packing a little heat, this sauce was perfection. I wish I could have said the same for the chicken, but the quality wasn’t the best, with stringy, chewy pieces of chicken occasionally.
The crab cheese rangoons’ mixture is very smooth and creamy. I prefer it to be slightly more crumbly, but it was tasty. I was surprisingly impressed with this restaurant, and I’m happy I gave it a try. It’s a nice change from what I usually order because it’s just as tasty but a little different.
Grade: B
PeppeBroni’s Pizza (ignore the name) is a new pizza place on Chestnut Ridge Road in place of where the Original Pizzeria used to be. I’m sad to see it go, as I’ve often said it’s my second-favorite in Morgantown. Alas, its time has come to an end and a college-named pizza joint is in its place.
This plaza has a good bit of parking, unlike most restaurants near the WVU campuses. Walking inside, the PeppeBroni’s looks nearly identical to the old Original Pizzeria. A half dozen booths and a large countertop where customers order are the core components of this small place.
A small markerboard had their special listed: A $5 14” cheese pizza for WVU students. Sold. Fourteen inches is their “small” pizza by the way. Their medium is 16” and the large is 18”. Not too shabby. I also got a small fountain drink, which would probably be a large anywhere else, for around $7 total. They boast their New York-style pizza, but they’re dishing out West Virginia-size portions. I’m a fan.
I filled up my fountain drink, which I love having the option to choose. This is because I tend to mix Coke, Cherry Coke and Mello-Yello. I know it’s weird, but it’s honestly really good. Anyway, that’s why I like fill-it-yourself fountain drinks. My friend and I took our seats and awaiting our pizzas.
They came out served on giant metal trays, with a side of a paper plate for an individual portion. Thin crust, tangy tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese made this pie delicious. It’s very similar to the Original Pizzeria – not sure what the connection is here – but it was good. Was it exactly the same? No. I think the crust here is actually slightly thicker here on the edges. But is it damn close? Yep. This place is pretty high in my ranks of favorite pizzas – within the top 5.
The service wasn’t bad. The guy who waited on us was polite, but a friend or two were inside the restaurant, and they were joking back and forth. Not the most professional, but it wasn’t offensive, either. They gave us some boxes to pack up the rest of our huge pizza, and I was on my way.
For a convenient, cheap, tasty pizza try this place. Again, the name of the place isn’t the most appealing for those hoping to get a quality pie. Give it a chance; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Grade: A
Great Wall is one of the most popular delivery/take-out Chinese places in Morgantown. I think it’s because of its convenient location on High Street, because the food isn’t overwhelmingly great. It’s not bad, but it’s not enough for me to name it my favorite Chinese place.
I ordered from Great Wall not too long ago just because my go-to, China One, was closed this particular day. I was feeling some delivery, so I hopped on DubVmenus.com. I called three times before it finally got through. Since the phone was busy, I was expecting a long wait time. I was pleasantly surprised that my wait was only 45 minutes. A knock on my door, and a plastic bag with a smiley face enveloped a brown paper bag full of Chinese delights.
A large plastic container contained half breaded chicken pieces and half pork-fried rice. I prefer white rice, but pork-fried is the default and I forgot to mention otherwise. A small container filled with sweet and sour sauce and an eggroll accompanied the combination platter. I also ordered a side of crab cheese rangoons.
The breaded chicken breast wasn’t bad, but it mostly tastes like the breading - grease. The sweet and sour sauce is fairly runny and not bursting with flavor. The pork-fried rice taste like the same greasy, fried batter. The same can go for the crab cheese rangoons. I could barely taste the cheese - I just tasted the greasy outer shell. My mouth was coated with this grease that made everything I ate from this place taste the same. It was heavy, but that’s partly my fault. Next time I’ll order a chicken and sauce entree or something with veggies. I thought the sweet and sour sauce would help offset all the breading, but it didn’t have much flavor either.
The best part of my meal, though, was the eggroll. It was perfect. The outside was golden brown and crispy, and the inside was light with delicious veggies. I usually skip over eggrolls when given the option, but Great Wall’s are the best.
The price was reasonable: $16 for everything, including delivery tip. And I’m sure a lot of college kids wouldn’t have the aversion to grease that I’ve developed. In smaller amounts, it wouldn’t be so bad. I definitely need to switch it up next time, though.
Grade: C
A little while ago, I tried to eat at Archie’s. When my group of friends and I walked in the door, a man requested $5 from us. What? Apparently there was a band playing, and you had to pay $5 to enter. But I just wanted to eat dinner. No go, according to that doorman. So we left.
Recently, I decided to give this place another try. When my friend and I walked into the Sabraton restaurant this time, we were greeted much more warmly. A man from behind the bar straight ahead told us to sit wherever we liked. There was a dining area to the left and another to the right. We headed right, amongst tons of high-top tables, to sit next to their Christmas tree.
We had a very, very friendly waitress. She took our drink orders, brought our menus and then asked our names. That was confusing, but I guess she just wanted to be friendly. We put in an order for honey BBQ wings as an appetizer. When they came out, I must say, I wasn’t very impressed. The flavor was okay - not very zesty - but the texture kind of threw me. The skin was like a slimy, fatty coating. I much prefer them to be a little crispier. And these had bone-in. I really like the boneless ones, but these were okay. I probably wouldn’t order them again, though.
For the entree, I ordered the whale of a fish sandwich. It was 10 oz. of haddock on a sub bun with tartar sauce, tomato and lettuce. This sandwich was huge! It was cut in half, so it really did look like two full sandwiches. The first bite I took was a ton of breading and a little fish. That made for a pretty dry sandwich. Once I got further into the sandwich, I could taste the tartar, just not very well in proportion to the rest of the sandwich. I asked the waitress for extra tartar sauce to help this sandwich out a bit - it was too dry without it. The extra tartar cup definitely added some flavor and made the sandwich more cohesive. It did, however, contain a ton of relish. That’s not my preference. So, it was okay. The sandwich came with a side of chips, which was a nice crunchy, salty addition.
As we were getting ready to leave, other people started to trickle in. Unfortunately, you’re still able to smoke in there, so I’m glad we got out before it got too smokey inside. All in all, a pretty average experience and food.
Grade: C
Sometimes I just get a craving that I cannot shake. This happened to be the case recently with Indian food. My usual go-to is Mother India, but it was a Monday, so it was closed. But then I remembered there is another Indian restaurant, tucked away on the Mileground: Saffron.
So a friend and I ventured to the Mileground to quench this craving. Saffron is, luckily, open on Monday. The restaurant is quite small, with a handful of booths and tables. To my dismay, the buffet was not available. We arrived at around 8 p.m., and they are open until 10 p.m., but I suppose we were too late. That’s okay - I know my favorite dishes anyway.
Our waiter brought us waters and menus. It was honestly quite different ordering off a menu in an Indian restaurant - I’ve really only tackled the buffet. But they had appetizers, vegetarian dishes, chicken dishes, seafood dishes and others. I scanned the menu until I found “chicken tikka masala,” one of my favorite all-time dishes. This dish is boneless chicken, simmered in onions, bell peppers and tomatoes, all in a creamy sauce. At Saffron, you get to choose how spicy you want your dish on a scale of 0 to 10. I opted for a 2. I know, I know, not crazy adventurous. But, hey, I don’t like super spicy things, and I want to really enjoy my meal.
I unfolded the fancy napkin and waited. The dining area has some interesting decorations, like a sculpted elephant head on the wall and some art made out of fabrics. A curtain hid the entryway to the restrooms. It wasn’t indulgent and decadent with golds and reds, but it was simple, with a few luxurious touches.
My food arrived in two small dishes - one with the basmati rice and the other full of chicken tikka masala. I scooped some of each onto my plate - the delicious, 
mouth-watering smell alone was enough to give this dish an A. The dish has a very creamy, curry-based sauce. Big chunks of tender roasted chicken soak up the goodness. It had an amazing blend of spices and flavors - cumin, paprika, lemon, cilantro - just fantastic.
I also ordered the kheer for dessert, which is basically a rice pudding. It, too, was creamy in a sweet, light way. The food was delicious. It was a bit pricey - $20 for a main dish and a small dessert - but it really was delicious. I’ll need to double-check their buffet times, though, as that may be the more cost-efficient way to go.
Grade: A
Peking House is one of the few sit-down Chinese restaurants in town. Want Chinese food, but without the tackiness of a buffet? Peking House is definitely the way to go. Peking House is located on Van Voorhis Road, with plenty of parking, and some great service.
When my friend and I walked in, we were immediately seated, with a pot of hot tea awaiting us as well as two glasses of water. Our waitress was very sweet and accommodating - she even asked us if we had a preference where we sat. The menu consisted of a page of chef specialties, and then the usual dining options - some appetizers, then pork, beef, seafood and chicken options.
I ultimately decided on my old faithful options: an order of cheese wontons and sweet and sour chicken. I had been craving rice pudding all day. On a whim, my friend asked if they happened to have it. While our waitress had no idea what we were talking about, she then brought out her manager who talked to us about rice pudding. He wasn’t really sure what we were asking for either, but he joked with us about it for a minute and tried to address our question the best he could.
Our waitress brought out a big platter of rice, which you share. This communal rice dish is kind of cool because it’s more intimate. Plus they bring you as much as you need.
The cheese wontons were a little different than what I’m used to. They were basically all cream cheese inside. I like it when there’s a good bite of crab and some other herbs in there, rather than plain cream cheese.
Our food was served on these large dishes. We also had smaller dishes where we could combine the rice and our entree. Mine came out piping hot and delicious. Large chunks of battered white chicken with some green bell peppers, carrots, and pineapple chunks in a tangy sweet and sour sauce. I can’t say a bad thing about this dish. It seems like it was prepared meticulously with a lot of love. It was delicious. The veggies were fresh. The chicken was of good quality, and I loved the textures of the veggies and flavors of the sauce.
My whole meal was cheaper than what I’d pay for delivery for a single entree. And the quality is much better. This restaurant is truly a little gem in Morgantown. I even had some to take home. But, I think my fortune is a little off.
Grade: A
I tried Dragonfly closer to when it first opened, and to be honest, I wasn’t impressed. I thought I’d give it a second try since it’s been around for awhile and has recently come under new management. I can say my experience has definitely changed from the first time to the most recent time.
When I walked in the restaurant, the overall look is very swanky and posh. The interior is very nice. It’s sophisticated and sleek, but very dimly lit. A large bar area is lit, and a raised area near the windows has some a few tables to people watch. When I walked in, our waiter, John, greeted us and asked us if we had reservations. He asked if we had a preference for where to sit, and I chose an area close to the window. He set down this small service bar, which has buttons for service, refills or checks. What a great idea. Our service was so impeccable, though, that we never needed it. He also immediately brought out two glasses of water while we looked over the menus.
I really wanted to try a little bit of everything here. I ordered some sushi first: Dynamite Roll and Tempura Shrimp Roll. The Dynamite roll contained crab meat, cucumber, avocado and baked spicy, crunchy salmon with spicy mayo and eel sauce for $12. It consisted of about 10 rolls. It was phenomenal. It’s almost like a fantastic California roll, but amped up with some delicious salmon on top. The ingredients were fresh, the rolls were tight, and the flavors were refreshing and dynamic. No raw fish in this roll, so it’s also an easy on for beginners. This is one of my new favorite rolls.
The tempura shrimp roll has tempura shrimp, avocado, and cucumber, which is topped with spicy mayo and green onion. This one is $9.50. It comes with only five rolls, and in typical fashion with shrimp tempura rolls, two of the rolls are ends of shrimp. These are always kind of awkward to eat, but they’re pretty. The flavors were tasty here, as well. The tempura was crispy, the veggies were fresh, and the sauces added a nice delicate touch.
For my entree, I ordered the pad thai, which consists of shrimp, egg, peanuts, bean sprouts, peppers, onions, and of course, the flat noodles. My portion size was huge. The first thing I noticed were these large, plump shrimp on my plate. That was a nice surprise from the typical pad thai I get. When I bit into it, it was slightly different from what I was expecting. The sauce seem almost more condensed and stronger than I’m used to. But it wasn’t bad. In fact, I liked it. Some crunchy veggies helped break up the huge carb-loaded pasta dish, and it added some freshness to the dish. I enjoyed this dish, too. The sushi was definitely hard to follow, though. I had so much leftover, our waiter graciously boxed it up, and even wrote the date on the box for leftovers for later.
Since our experience so far had been fantastic, we decided to try dessert. Boy, was that a good decision. We ordered their specialty that night - a deep-fried raspberry cheesecake with ice cream. Oh my goodness, it was one of the best desserts I’ve had in town. The light crispy batter on the creamy cheesecake, the tart sweetness of the raspberry combined with the frigid smooth vanilla ice cream was beyond words. I hope this is a regular occurrence because I would go solely for the dessert - it was that good.
One other thing that this restaurant does and does well is their service. I’m just going to say it’s the best service I’ve ever had in Morgantown. If all waiters are as fabulous as John, customers are in for a treat. This place is a bit on the pricier side, so special occasions would be a great time to check it out.
Grade: A
I went to Naticakes when it just opened up in the Suncrest Towne Centre. It’s great to see businesses finally opening up there. Naticakes has a cool story about why it was started, and 10 percent of all its proceeds go to the Natalie Wynn Carter Foundation, which is committed to improving the lives of children throughout the world.
I have never been to a solely frozen yogurt shop, so I was excited to try a new place. When you walk inside, it has a Victorian-esque feel. The decorations are slightly mismatched in a very elegant way, and some of the tables are so white, they’re sterile, while others are weathered and fancy.
As soon as we walked in, we were greeted. The young man explained the process to me. Basically, there are a dozen choices of frozen yogurt and a plethora of toppings to put on. He asked us if we’d like to sample any of the frozen yogurts. He had small cups that he filled with whichever yogurt we wished. I tried the peanut butter - not bad, the cookies and cream - very creamy, cheesecake - had some bite to it, the original tart - a unique flavor, and a few others. They also had some sorbet - fruity and slightly tart.
After tasting most of them, I grabbed one of the cups that are located to the left of the machines and filled it to my heart’s content. Naticakes prices your dessert upon weight. So it doesn’t matter how many yogurts you put in it or how many toppings you choose, it just matters what the total weight is. So, I filled half my cup with cookies and cream and the other half with pomegranate raspberry sorbet. That way I could try the fruity toppings and the chocolate toppings.
I scooted over to the toppings area. It was packed: Reese’s, Snickers, Twix, Oreos, Gummi Bears, Gummi Worms, chocolate chips, M&Ms, Heath bars, Whoppers, Butterfingers, Reese’s Pieces, Fruity Pebbles, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, pound cake, coconut, Junior Mints, nuts, Rice Krispie treats, sprinkles, raspberries and strawberries - I probably missed a few, too.
I scooped as much of the candy and chocolate onto my cookies and cream side, and the gummi candies and raspberries onto my sorbet side. I put it on the scale, and my total came to around $5. That’s not too shabby.
The pomegranate raspberry sorbet was nice and sweet, refreshing and fruity. The small bits of fruit added another dimension with some texture. The gummi bears were fun. The cookies and cream yogurt was rich and creamy. I had a little bit of Snickers, Reese’s and Butterfinger in there, which basically boiled down to the taste of chocolate chunks in the yogurt. It was fun, tasty and interactive. I’m not sure there’s anything like this in town. I liked customizing my dessert, free of restriction, to my exact specifications. And it was cold, creamy and light. I’ll be back.
Grade: A
