What can I say? I was so looking forward to eating here and it was my birthday. We were lucky and got a table on the deck and it was a beautiful summer evening. The service is excellent! Richwood Grill proclaims local ingredients as well as global offerings.
I chose for my appetizer Blue Point Oysters with Pico de Gallo because I had just had them at the beach and they had been extraordinary. My date chose (three of six) Artisan Cheese Sampler with bread and I think it also came with some crackers. I'll start with the cheeses. They were all very nice, we chose the smoked cheddar, the blue cheese, and if I could find the menu online, I would tell you the third one. The smoked cheddar had a nice smokey flavor, not overpowering and the blue cheese was creamy and tangy. The bread is homemade in Preston Co and it was homey and satisfying. The "Blue Point Oysters" were a disappointment. They could easily have been oysters out of a plastic container from Kroger and I think they were. They were perched on some pretty sanitary oyster shells that are probably washed and re-used. The Pico de Gallo really had no flavor either.
My date ordered a steak (farm raised in Preston Co). I ordered Caribbean (Jerk?) Prawns. I don't know if they did not bring a steak knife, but the knife we had would hardly cut the steak and my friend was going to take his own knife out of his pocket to cut the steak. I didn't try the steak, but he seemed happy with what he could hack off of it. I believe it was a rib-eye which should be pretty tender. The Caribbean jerk sauce for my prawns was a cinnamon and sugar concoction, better suited as part of an apple pie filling. It was just strange, did not complement the prawns and the prawns had not been cooked in it or seemingly been anywhere near it until they met up on my plate. The prawns were tough and bland.
They didn't have the dessert I ordered, but they were offering a dessert sushi, which I ordered. My date ordered the trio of South American chocolates. He had recently been entertaining some Peruvians and was in a South American mood. I wish I could remember what the red item in the middle of the sushi was, but it resembled a gummy bear. Actually, the dessert sushi filling was excellent. It was sweet sticky rice, the gummy bear, and a mint leaf, wrapped in rice paper. The rice paper was inedible. I thought I was going to cut my mouth on it, but the filling was so delicious I finally opted to eat the filling and leave the rice paper on the plate.
We had a very good time, especially laughing about our exploits with the food, and it was my birthday gift, so I didn't complain.
This chef's "culinary point of view"? Arrogance. I got the feeling he thinks he can serve us hillbillies anything, tell us it is something else, and we won't know the difference. I'm not the most food savvy person out there, but I was slightly insulted.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The NET, Parkersburg, WV
A restaurant in my home town!
We stopped in for lunch on our way to Blennerhassett Island. I had my favorite, the fried bologna sandwich - a thick slice of bologna on a toasted bun with relish, onion, and hot sauce. Always great!!
Another good thing about The NET is they cater to the lunch crowd. The service is quick and efficient. Easy to get in and out and back to work on time, always has been.
They make their own beer. I don't drink. Someone else will have to comment about that.
We stopped in for lunch on our way to Blennerhassett Island. I had my favorite, the fried bologna sandwich - a thick slice of bologna on a toasted bun with relish, onion, and hot sauce. Always great!!
Another good thing about The NET is they cater to the lunch crowd. The service is quick and efficient. Easy to get in and out and back to work on time, always has been.
They make their own beer. I don't drink. Someone else will have to comment about that.
Lightburn's, Stonewall Jackson Resort, Roanoke, WV
What a disappointment!
I had recently toured Stonewall Resort with my Hospitality Class and was under the impression Lightburn's was a premier restaurant of top quality and I was really looking forward to eating there. We had been traveling all day and were hoping we were dressed appropriately to get in, that's how high my expectations were. We were relieved to see young people entering wearing cargo shorts and ball caps. We opted to sit on the porch. The view is lovely.
My disillusionment started right away. This is a four-star resort! The first thing I noticed was a hole in my napkin. There was a chip in the "salt" shaker. I say "salt" shaker because both shakers had pepper in them. We ordered bruschetta. The bread was cold. I ordered a rib-eye with rice and a "premium side" of goat cheese grits because it sounded good. The rib-eye was almost indistinguishable from a frozen dinner salisbury steak. The rice may have been Uncle Ben's "boil in the bag". It was completely unseasoned. The waitress forgot the goat cheese grits, but when she brought them out, they had been microwaved to the point they were too hot to eat and didn't cool down until I was done with the rest of my food. They were hard and dry and gummy - if that's possible. Over all one of the worst meals I have ever eaten.
The waitress was sloppy. I don't mind a person being overweight, I'm overweight myself, but wear clothes that fit and are appropriate. Hip huggers are for thin people - it's that simple.
The high point: A thunderstorm came over the mountain and put on a great lightning show, followed by a rainbow.
I had recently toured Stonewall Resort with my Hospitality Class and was under the impression Lightburn's was a premier restaurant of top quality and I was really looking forward to eating there. We had been traveling all day and were hoping we were dressed appropriately to get in, that's how high my expectations were. We were relieved to see young people entering wearing cargo shorts and ball caps. We opted to sit on the porch. The view is lovely.
My disillusionment started right away. This is a four-star resort! The first thing I noticed was a hole in my napkin. There was a chip in the "salt" shaker. I say "salt" shaker because both shakers had pepper in them. We ordered bruschetta. The bread was cold. I ordered a rib-eye with rice and a "premium side" of goat cheese grits because it sounded good. The rib-eye was almost indistinguishable from a frozen dinner salisbury steak. The rice may have been Uncle Ben's "boil in the bag". It was completely unseasoned. The waitress forgot the goat cheese grits, but when she brought them out, they had been microwaved to the point they were too hot to eat and didn't cool down until I was done with the rest of my food. They were hard and dry and gummy - if that's possible. Over all one of the worst meals I have ever eaten.
The waitress was sloppy. I don't mind a person being overweight, I'm overweight myself, but wear clothes that fit and are appropriate. Hip huggers are for thin people - it's that simple.
The high point: A thunderstorm came over the mountain and put on a great lightning show, followed by a rainbow.
Sandy's, Kingwood, WV
Buckwheat cakes in the off season.
Every restaurant, firehouse, church, community center in Preston Co, WV sells buckwheat pancakes at an all you can eat price. They always come with Preston Co sausage. Sometimes they are served with a side of applesauce, what for, I don't know. Now, I have been known to help the Marion Co 4-H cook buckwheat cakes for the Firemens Breakfast at the Buckwheat Festival (last Saturday of September). It is grueling work. A lot of people come in on Saturday morning to have cakes before the parade.
We went to Sandy's in the middle of the afternoon. The buckwheat cakes were fine. I only ate one stack, my friend ate two. The flies were a distraction. I managed to nail one on my friend's cake kinda like a kung fu master catching a fly with chopsticks, only not quite. I was a little unnerving.
The buckwheat cakes served at the Buckwheat Festival are the best, most sour, buckwheat cakes I've ever had. They are the true, pure, unadulterated cakes that all buckwheat cakes should aspire to. That's all I can say.
Every restaurant, firehouse, church, community center in Preston Co, WV sells buckwheat pancakes at an all you can eat price. They always come with Preston Co sausage. Sometimes they are served with a side of applesauce, what for, I don't know. Now, I have been known to help the Marion Co 4-H cook buckwheat cakes for the Firemens Breakfast at the Buckwheat Festival (last Saturday of September). It is grueling work. A lot of people come in on Saturday morning to have cakes before the parade.
We went to Sandy's in the middle of the afternoon. The buckwheat cakes were fine. I only ate one stack, my friend ate two. The flies were a distraction. I managed to nail one on my friend's cake kinda like a kung fu master catching a fly with chopsticks, only not quite. I was a little unnerving.
The buckwheat cakes served at the Buckwheat Festival are the best, most sour, buckwheat cakes I've ever had. They are the true, pure, unadulterated cakes that all buckwheat cakes should aspire to. That's all I can say.
Lavender Cafe, Beechurst Ave, Morgantown, WV
I went here after I came to after having a wisdom tooth extracted. I remember the sushi was good, the kim chi was good. I had noodles. I don't remember much else and maybe the reason I everything was good was because I was high. :-)
Will have to go back.
Will have to go back.
Fujiyama Japanese Steakhouse
Again! My sweetie had made reservations for us and another couple for the day I came back from vacation. Oh my goodness! I had driven up from North Carolina just that morning and had not much chance to rest before we made it to dinner. I was in good company and that lifted my spirits a bunch. The food from the Hibachi grill at Fujiyama is very good and the more you enjoy the show, the more enjoyable the show is because the chef will put on a good show for people who are having a good time. I was encouraged to order the surf and turf, so I did. Most people go ahead the standard fried rice but I like the noodles and usually get them. The miso soup was good, as usual. The ginger salad dressing there is incredible, but the iceberg lettuce salad is disappointing and usually too wet, but I eat it anyway. I just don’t eat it all.
The show was fun. Our chef is a very talented egg-spinner, made an impressive onion volcano, has a good sense of humor and we had a very good time. The lobster was sweet and succulent as it should be, the steak was tender. Having an enjoyable time with people you love makes eating dinner that much better and it was a lovely evening.
Tips: Always give the chef a good tip and if he throws something for you to catch in your mouth, at least give it a try. I always miss, but I always try. It is part of the fun.
The show was fun. Our chef is a very talented egg-spinner, made an impressive onion volcano, has a good sense of humor and we had a very good time. The lobster was sweet and succulent as it should be, the steak was tender. Having an enjoyable time with people you love makes eating dinner that much better and it was a lovely evening.
Tips: Always give the chef a good tip and if he throws something for you to catch in your mouth, at least give it a try. I always miss, but I always try. It is part of the fun.
North Banks Restaurant and Raw Bar, Corolla,NC
Crazy thing about that Tim Buck II shopping center, we never had a problem finding a parking space! We were in the Outer Banks the week before the season goes into full swing but it was pretty crazy. One point I had to make was if I wanted to sit in traffic, I could have stayed in Morgantown. My daughter and son-in-law were out celebrating their first anniversary so I took my foster daughter and her daughter (my 13 year old grand-daughter) out for dinner. The place was pretty jammed up, literally. I guess they need to accommodate a lot of people during tourist season and the tables are pretty close together. Keep your pocketbook close, your elbows in and walk carefully if you don’t want to knock anyone’s drink off their table or hit their kid in the head while making your way to your table. Since they were full, they offered us the three open seats at the bar and we accepted. This turned out to be a good choice although I was skeptical at first. The bartender is a very good looking and amiable guy. We had a good vantage point to watch food come out of the kitchen, the steamer was right in front of us so we got to watch the seafood chef prepare plates of steamed seafood. It was fun! I started with ½ dozen Blue Point Oysters on the half shell and I ordered the yellowfin tuna (rare, of course), my granddaughter chose baby back ribs after we refused to allow her to order off the children’s menu and her mother ordered Jambalaya. The oysters were served with lemon, cocktail sauce, a chipotle sauce, and some type of vinaigrette. The oysters were shucked before my very eyes. Who needs a chipotle sauce or a vinaigrette when you have beautiful fresh oysters! They tasted just like the sea, just as I like them. My tuna was succulent and delicious. They were serving all entrees with mashed, skin-on, redskin potatoes and succotash. Both had nice, homemade flavor and the potatoes were very creamy. I did not try the ribs. I had the leftover Jambalaya for breakfast the next day. She had eaten all the shrimp and chicken out of it and I was left with the Andouille sausage. I thought the flavors were a little muddy. It was not my favorite Jambalaya ever.
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