WV Gourmet

Sure, they might not have been very good at paying their rent, but I was sorry to see Pullman Square’s Moe’s Southwest Grill close last year.

Fortunately for Huntington burrito lovers, Moe’s is back. Sure, it’s called “Dos Amigos“, but it’s a carbon copy of Moe’s, even seemingly down to the appliances and tableware.

This, as I discovered at lunch today, is emphatically a good thing. I grabbed their premium-priced pork burrito, piled with a tasty cilantro-lime flavored rice, black beans, a spicy home-made salsa, olives, and a sprinkle of fresh, shredded cilantro (yum) for $5.99, and left both well fed and happy.

It came with an acceptably heaping portion of hearty, fresh tortilla chips, and free access to a salsa bar where you’ll find a very passable, well-balanced pico de gallo and an excellent corn salsa, among other things.

Their menu is a lot slimmer than Moe’s, but they will make tacos or salads if you prefer, and offer ground beef, chicken, and steak in addition to the pork. The menu includes beer and margaritas, although neither are actually on sale just yet.

Moe’s Dos Amigos is brought to us, the Herald-Dispatch says, by the owners of the Hall of Fame cafe just across the road. As you’ll read in the link, they’re promising an emphasis on freshly made cuisine, and even though the staff were obviously still learning the ropes today, it’s a promise that rings pretty true. The marinated, slow-roasted pork was delicious, the range of salsas had been made with some skill, and the portion size was just right. I’ll be going back to try the chicken.

The best thing about it? There’s no embarassed-looking fool shouting “WELCOME TO MOE’S” at you when you walk through the door. That’s one Moe’s standby I am not sorry to see the back of.

Hibachi flames at Taste of Asia, Huntington

Huntington’s Hibachi restaurant on 4th Ave. is no longer the only hibachi joint in town.

It isn’t even the best hibachi joint in town, either.

It gives me no particular pleasure to say that. I’ve had a lot of good times at the 4th Ave. Hibachi. When I emigrated to the US, my wife-to-be greeted me at Charleston airport with a box full of Hibachi steak and fried rice: my first meal as an American resident.

Times change, though, and new arrival Taste of Asia on 3rd Ave, opposite the new Holiday Inn, is serving up the best Asian cuisine in town, across the board.

We checked it out last week, strolling in off the street and sitting straight down at a grill — no reservation needed. Our chef, an experienced and personable chap from the Taste of Asia restaurant in Teays Valley, put on a sterling show: all the flips, flourishes, and flames you could want, delivered with a smile and a great attitude.

But his attitude wasn’t what impressed me most about the meal. We ordered their everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink option, boasting fillet steak, chicken, shrimp, scallops and lobster. Knocking out all of that on a hibachi grill without overcooking anything is no mean feat, but our chef was a real pro: nothing was undercooked, chewy, or dry. The thought of cooking scallops on a red-hot grill brings me out in a cold sweat, let alone doing it without being able to taste one or slice one in half to check for doneness. But this chap slung them out like it was nothing, cooked to perfection. They were good quality, too: nice and fresh-tasting, and a healthy size. (Previously frozen, I doubt not, but it’s a long damn way to the sea.)

Tasty rice and vegetables, too, although we missed the beansprouts the 4th Ave. place adds. We added on a few California rolls, just for a quick impression of the sushi chef, and those were first class also, although I’ll save more detailed criticism until I’ve been back for a dedicated sushi pig-out.

I was unhappy with the service I had over on the Chinese side when I ate a lunch there a week or two back: I think I was just unlucky, because they got it just right this time. Too often the 4th Ave. place ditches you after you order, and you’re lucky if you can get your beer refilled more than once. Not so here — our waitress was well on top of the whole table.

The bad points? My pre-dinner martini was too watery: it tasted like it had been left sitting on the ice.

Yeah, that’s all I’ve got. Taste of Asia has great ingredients, they have the theatricals down pat, and chefs with real talent. Well worth the stiff $100 tab we ran up between two of us, after a few drinks and the tip. All that, and they didn’t make you feel like they were doing you a favor by finding you a table, unlike another hibachi restaurant I could mention. Full marks.

As is their wont, Fork You brings us a delightfully detailed writeup of Charleston’s revamped Vandalia Grille.

“This place is a home run. Skip corporate, over-marketed, unimaginative chains at South Ridge and head downtown for a unique meal in a comfortable setting, you won’t be disappointed.”

http://forkyou.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/vandalia-grille-2/

To cut a long, detailed, and packed-with-excellent-photos review criminally short, they loved it. So did Chris, when he checked it out last week, although I think he’d disagree (as is his wont) with their favorable view of the decor. Those sweet potato fries and blackened scallops sound unmissable.

Nawab is one of my favorite places to eat in Huntington. And that’s not just because the fragrant cuisine reminds me of Britain. It’s also because the service is excellent, the surroundings are well-appointed and the atmosphere is top-notch. Most of all, though, it’s because you can roll in there on a Friday night, after driving past seething throngs queuing, inexplicably, outside Red Lobster or Applebee’s, and have both your choice of table and an attentive waiter. Nawab is nowhere near as popular as it deserves to be, and I’m quite happy with that.

Nawab is also one of the few local places that serves lamb, preparing it in a variety of delicious sauces. Lamb curries deliciously, in my opinion, and is so hard to find around here for reasonable money that I inevitably make sure at least one of our dishes contains this sadly overlooked meat.

Plus they’ve always been delighted to cater to our 3-year-old, even bringing him out fried potato pancakes when he was struggling a little with our spicier dishes. He loves the excellent naan and tandoori dishes, though.

Yes, the evening prices are a little steep, but it’s worth it. The lunch buffet is always outstanding and much more moderately priced, though — check it out for its range of creative and unusual salads if for no other reason.