CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Lovers of pizza and Greek food can get the best of both worlds at the new Pizza Barbarossa restaurant located in part of the old Shoe Carnival space at Dudley Farms Plaza.
And you need not worry whether the ethnic cuisine served here will be authentic. The restaurant is the latest venture of Manoli and Aoleen Stavrulakis, owners of Cafe Creperi in Kanawha City, Creperi Cafe Plus in the Shoppes at Trace Fork and, most notably, the popular Mykonos Greek restaurant down on Capitol Street years ago.
The new spot doesn't offer a lot in the way of ambiance, although the small dining area with red chairs and metal tables lining pale green walls is pleasant enough for a casual meal.
But the restaurant does deliver where it counts. A nice Greek and Italian-inspired menu blends old Mykonos favorites alongside new pastas and pizzas baked in a three-level, brick-oven-style pizzas.
Making encore appearances are dishes like fried calamari, Greek salad, Four-Cheese Rigatoni and Mykonos spaghetti baked with shrimp, marinara and feta. There are also new subs, calzones and peinirlis, Greek sandwiches loaded with toppings.
We started with the Shrimp Saganaki, a small dish of shrimp baked with tomatoes and peppers. Not bad. Then we dug into a couple of pizzas.
Topped with chicken, spinach, artichokes, onion, garlic, olive oil and feta, the Athenian tastefully represents both facets of the restaurant's Greece-meets-Italy menu. We also enjoyed a make-your-own version with pepperoni, sausage, Kalamata olives and cheese.
Other options include the Mediterranean Shrimp (with peppers, onion, garlic and feta), Carbonara (bacon, ham, cheese and cream), Hawaiian (pineapples and ham), Margareta (fresh tomatoes and mozzarella), Skinny Greek (spinach, onion, garlic, olive oil and crumbled goat cheese) and more.
We enjoyed good pizza and service during a visit that was definitely nice enough to draw us back again.
If you go: Pizza Barbarossa, 100 RHL Blvd. in Dudley Farms Plaza, 304-746-4000, www.pizzabarbarossa.com. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Lovers of pizza and Greek food can get the best of both worlds at the new Pizza Barbarossa restaurant located in part of the old Shoe Carnival space at Dudley Farms Plaza.
And you need not worry whether the ethnic cuisine served here will be authentic. The restaurant is the latest venture of Manoli and Aoleen Stavrulakis, owners of Cafe Creperi in Kanawha City, Creperi Cafe Plus in the Shoppes at Trace Fork and, most notably, the popular Mykonos Greek restaurant down on Capitol Street years ago.
The new spot doesn't offer a lot in the way of ambiance, although the small dining area with red chairs and metal tables lining pale green walls is pleasant enough for a casual meal.
But the restaurant does deliver where it counts. A nice Greek and Italian-inspired menu blends old Mykonos favorites alongside new pastas and pizzas baked in a three-level, brick-oven-style pizzas.
Making encore appearances are dishes like fried calamari, Greek salad, Four-Cheese Rigatoni and Mykonos spaghetti baked with shrimp, marinara and feta. There are also new subs, calzones and peinirlis, Greek sandwiches loaded with toppings.
We started with the Shrimp Saganaki, a small dish of shrimp baked with tomatoes and peppers. Not bad. Then we dug into a couple of pizzas.
Topped with chicken, spinach, artichokes, onion, garlic, olive oil and feta, the Athenian tastefully represents both facets of the restaurant's Greece-meets-Italy menu. We also enjoyed a make-your-own version with pepperoni, sausage, Kalamata olives and cheese.
Other options include the Mediterranean Shrimp (with peppers, onion, garlic and feta), Carbonara (bacon, ham, cheese and cream), Hawaiian (pineapples and ham), Margareta (fresh tomatoes and mozzarella), Skinny Greek (spinach, onion, garlic, olive oil and crumbled goat cheese) and more.
We enjoyed good pizza and service during a visit that was definitely nice enough to draw us back again.
If you go: Pizza Barbarossa, 100 RHL Blvd. in Dudley Farms Plaza, 304-746-4000, www.pizzabarbarossa.com. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
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Speaking of restaurants, I enjoyed two really nice meals in Huntington this past week.
After savoring a wonderfully moist and tender 14-hour braised beef brisket served with oven-baked macaroni and cheese and kale sauteed with bacon at Huntington Prime, we enjoyed equally delicious views of the Ohio River from the restaurant's new Penthouse.
Open only a few days now, the glass-walled dining area 15 floors up from the main street-level dining room serves up many of restaurant's most popular dishes with sweeping views of the city skyline. It's a gorgeous, intimate spot for a special meal.
If you go: Huntington Prime, 910 Fourth Ave. in Huntington, 304-697-1113, www.huntingtonprime.com.
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Earlier that same day I popped in for a dish of my beloved Panang Curry during lunch at the Thai House Restaurant just a block away at downtown Huntington's Pullman Square. Operated by the same family that ran the popular Thai House I used to visit in Dunbar years ago, I've long been a fan of this restaurant's food.
I was reminded of that the second I walked in the door and saw The Food Guy "seal of approval" (my name, logo and snippets from my own review) plastered on the cover of the menu - and almost every page inside!
Guess they wanted everyone to know that "The Food Guy says ... Thai House is a wonderful gem of a place featuring an authentic menu, delicious food, fresh ingredients and great value."
That was years ago, but not a thing has changed outside of the location.
If you go: Thai House Restaurant, 912 Third Ave. in Huntington, 304-522-8898, www.thaihousewv.com.
Contact writer Steven Keith at dailymailfood...@aol.com or 304-348-1721. You can also friend him on Facebook as "DailyMail FoodGuy," follow him on Twitter as "DMFoodGuy" or read his blog at blogs.dailymail.com/foodguy/.
