I enjoyed lunch yesterday for a good cause. Manna Meal hosted "Empty Bowls," which is a fundraiser for their mission.

"A simple meal with a big mission: nourish our community one bowl at a time. Empty Bowls is an annual fundraising opportunity to share a bowl of soup—served in a beautiful handmade bowl made by local artists—all in support of Manna Meal"



🥣 Each order includes a choice of soup, salad, and dessert.

Soup options included: Vegetable soup, chicken tortilla soup, gumbo and stuffed green pepper soup.

I went with stuffed green pepper and really enjoyed it, especially alongside the roll.

"We’re grateful to local potters at Taylor Books and Capitol Clay for donating bowls to honor the legacy of Jim Hores, a longtime supporter and friend of Manna Meal."

Scaffidi's Gnocchi Nook was a quick-service carryout restaurant located in Weirton that turned to a virtual kitchen based out of the Scaffidi Restaurant Group in Steubenville, Ohio.



They offeer Build Your Own Gnocchi Bowls, Pasta Bowls, and more. I with with a gnocchi bowl, which comes with your choice of Ricotta Gnocchi, Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi or Tomato Basil Ricotta Gnocchi. Then, choose the sauce: Alfredo Sauce, Marinara Sauce, Oil & Garlic Sauce or Pink Sauce. Finally, choose the toppings: Bacon, Banana Peppers, Black Olives, Capers, Crumbled Sausage, Feta Cheese, Grilled Chicken, Ham, Mozzarella Cheese, Mixed Peppers, Mushrooms, Onions, Pepperoni, Salami, Shrimp, Spinach and Tomatoes.

I ordered a ricotta gnocchi with marinara sauce, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. What I received was a giant congealed mess of mozzarella sitting on top of some gnocchi. This is in my part my fault for choosing the ingredients, but I assumed erroneously that they would be mixed throughout. Now, none of this is bad - carbs, sauce, veggies. But the proportions were totally off. I went to search for a gnocchi, cut off a hunk of mozzarella and fork a mushroom to get a mix. This is part of the downfalls of a delivery-only restaurant. This probably would've been much beteter fresh.



Grade: C

College towns and pizza joints go together like peanut butter and jelly. In Morgantown, another one entered the scenee: 2G Brothers Pizza.



Based in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, 2G Brothers Pizza opened their second location in Cheat Lake.



"2G Brothers Pizza comes from 45 years of experience starting from Italy to Brooklyn, to now Uniontown. Gio and Giuseppe Schiano's father is the reason they're the proud owners of 2G Brothers Pizza. The brothers started helping their dad as young as 5-years-old making pizza, fetching ice, and other odd jobs they could find. Now it's time for the boys to carry on their father's proud legacy," reads the website.



"The Schiano brothers pride themselves on authentic cuisine that isn't made by machines but with labor and love. At 2G Brothers Pizza nothing is frozen and everything is fresh. Enjoy food from an actual Italian kitchen, made the Schiano way for nearly 50 years."



Even though pizza is the namesake, 2G Brothers Pizza offers fried apps, wings, salads, strombolis, calzones, subs, sanndwiches, burgers, wraps, paninis, pasta, soup, and more. I ordered the hot pepper cheese balls (guilty pleasure - always delish) andn the gnocchi to try something different. I went with the oil & garlic sauce, which was less of a sauce and just more of a "coating." I loved the huge chunks of garlic though and a kick of chili pepper. It ate a bit dry because there wasn't much of a "sauce," but I did enjoy the flavor.



Grade: B

Hello Vietnam is a locally owned restaurant in Bridgeport that highlights pho and banh mi.



The small restaurant has minimal seating, so I placed an order to go.



Instead of pho or banh mi, though, I went with something different.



Bun Thit Nuong - or vermicelli bowl - consists of rice noodles, grilled pork, vegetables, shrimp and pickles.



I love noodles in every cuisine. And here, they are served in the light, vinegary way. The dish eats very clean and fresh. Absolutely delightful.



Grade: A

"At The ROQ, we provide a completely unique atmosphere paired with exceptional service. Customize your evening entirely!" reads the website.



Located in the basement of The Quarrier Diner, The Roq has been hosting a salsa band and serving up specialty drinks for over a year now.



More recently, they added food - bar bites and flatbreads. Bar bites consist of bacon-wrapped dates, pulled pork sliders, and shrimp cocktail.



The flatbreads include cheese, three meats, caprese, annd the portobello & garlic onion - which is what I chose. Portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, garlic onions, shredded provolone, smoked bleu cheese andn garlic oil base.



Paired with my "Lychee Drank," which has vodka, St. Germainn, lychee puree and lemon, this was really quite good. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised with this little bite. It had enough flavor to be satisfying and just enough funk to keep it interesting. Just know that your breath will never be the same.



Grade: A