Plaza Azteca is a chain of Mexican restaurants in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachussetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and one singular location in West Virginia: Morgantown.



This space in Suncrest Towne Centre has been home to a number of restaurants over the years, but I do think the bright blue and vibrant yellow hues on the outside of the building make it one of the most welcoming and exciting options this location has seen. I visited with my friend Kayla and her two kids.



The menu features many of the same offerings you'd find at comparable restaurants in the region: tacos, burritos, nachos, fajitas, chimichangas and the like.



It was something else that caught my eye, though.

FRESH TABLE-SIDE CEVICHE ** Citrus-marinated fish, shrimp, avocados, jalapeño, tomato, onion, lime, orange, salt, cilantro.



"Ceviche is a seafood dish where diced cubes of raw fish, marinated in a lemon or lime juice mixture, react with the citrus juices to cure the fish protein and causes it to become opaque and firm while absorbing flavor," according to Southern Living. It is South American/Peruvian traditionally.



I love a tableside preparation, and there are really aren't too many places to get ceviche locally. Food just tastes much more fresh when watching it be prepared right in front of you.



And I enjoyed the flavors - bright, light, fresh, punchy. While it is typically served as an appetizer, I indulged in it as my main meal. I think the only addition that would have made this meal better is a margarita.



Grade: A

In my travels to visit all of the Sam's Hot Dog Stand locations, I thought I just about completed my list. But I discovered a few more locations, like this one in Ashford.



Like most others, this location is set inside a gas station. It doubles as a Hunts Brothers pizza spot as well as cookie distributor. I did a hotdog with mild chili, slaw, mustard and onions. All the flavors melded well together. They really packed on the slide here, though, which made it a bit too wet. Though, I know many others would not be complaining about too much slaw.



Grade: C

I visited The Belgian Waffle Shop a few months ago and was excited to try out something new. Sure, you're probably familiar with Waffle House, but there are a handful of local places around the state that also focus on the waffle. Wheeling happens to be one of them.



To start, I feel for the businesses in this part of town that have had the road inaccessible for quite some time. I'm sure that affects business. Additionally, there seem to be some behind-the-scenes struggles in terms of ownership that have made the rounds on social media lately. I don't want to get into that debate.

But I will debate what IS a Belgian waffle. In comparison to regular waffles, Belgian waffles are smaller without an outer rim and are a bit crisp on the outside and fluffy and dense inside. I think a lot of places use the term Belgian to sound fancy, but most are just regular ol' waffles.



The small shop offere several specialty waffles - Butter Pecan, Double Triple Chocolate, Strawberry-N-Cream, Toffee Crunch and Traditional Vanilla Bean. Plus, they do bubble waffles. And drinks.



I ordered the toffee crunch, waffle, which was more of a regular waffle: large, fairly soft, fluffy. The toppings are really, well, over the top. Candy pieces and ice cream and whipped cream remove this from any breakfast territory and send it straight to dessert alley. My only hope is that my next waffle is more crisp.



Grade: B

Wheeling is home to a few new candy stores.



Luckies Candies 2 is one of them. They feature trendy candies and international treats.



I grabbed a few Laffy Taffies. Have you been?

Rock Hill Creamery is a Shepherdstown ice cream shop that keeps it simple: "We make our ice cream right here in the shop using only milk, sugar, and heavy cream as our base."



In 2021, the local paper wrote: "Founded by Gary Miller in Martinsburg in 1996, Rock Hill Creamery was officially closed six years ago. One of Miller’s longtime employees, however, lived in Shepherdstown and realized she wanted to bring the creamery back to life in her town."



I kept it pretty simple with salted caramel, but it was the most silky, luxurious salted caramel I've had in recent memory. maybe because of the simplicity, the flavors really popped. I know next time I want to try a waffle cone, if available.



Grade: A