Princeton Edition: Campestre

Campestre is a gem hidden in Princeton. Situated on Greasy Ridge Road, this restaurant is located in the Walmart Plaza. After discovering the amazingness that is this restaurant, I've had my boyfriend take me back at least once every time I'm in town. Featuring creative Mexican dishes, Campestre is a nice Mexican restaurant that stands out of all the others I've had in West Virginia so far. If you've read my blog, you know I'm not a big Mexican fan. But the restaurants I do like tend to end up on here. Campestre is different in that it isn't the typical Tex-Mex lunch combos of one taco, one quesadilla and one burrito. Or maybe two soft tacos, one hard taco and a chalupa. No, Campestre has tons of creative, unique dishes.

When you walk in, the atmosphere is not tacky and painted with bright reds and greens like favorite college Mexican restaurants in Morgantown. In fact, the interior is gorgeous and welcoming. The restaurant is impeccably clean, and it's refreshing. The booths are high and private, and a lit-up bar welcomes you as you walk from the entrance to the center of the restaurant. As soon as you are seated (there's never been a wait while I've been there), a basket of tortilla chips with both cups of salsa and queso are rushed to the table. The queso is the best I've ever had, hands down. It almost waivers on the sweet side, but the cheese and spices are undeniable.

The wait staff is very attentive and friendly. I've never had to go with an empty glass to wash down the spicy food. The menu, however, is on a whole other level. It's not written in hieroglyphics, where you have to constantly flip around the menu for definitions of what each dish is. It's largely split up into the types of meat one would like: beef, pork, chicken, seafood and vegetarian. Each dish lists what is in it, so there's no unwelcomed surprised when the dish arrives.

For an appetizer, we split a chicken quesadilla. It didn't arrive ahead of our main entrees, but the food was prepared so quickly, we weren't waiting long enough anyway. The chicken was lightly spiced and was housed in a bed of oozing white and yellow cheese. A simple dish, but delicious with just the right touches.

My current favorite entree, which I've ordered the past two times, is the "Camarones Locos," which is grilled shrimp, scallops, bell peppers, onions and zucchini on top of rice with their special cheese sauce. Essentially it's a delicious creamy cheesy rice with my favorite foods on top. The ingredients are fresh and tasty. The seafood seems like it's straight for the ocean, which is surprising for landlocked Princeton, and the veggies are crisp and add the perfect balance for the cheesy rice base. The portion is huge, and I always have leftovers. It tastes just as amazing cold as it did warm.

Chris opted for a new dish this visit, and he tried the Pork Carnitas, which were a five or six large chunks of tender pork served with a couple flour tortillas, pica de gallo, rice and beans. The poor was just falling apart, it was so tender, and he was content with his dish.

For dessert, we split an order of churro - simple fried long pastry filled with a fruity filling. Ours had an apple filling, with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a cherry on top. Essentially, it tasted like an apple pie, but with much less mess. This restaurant is quickly becoming my favorite in Princeton with its variety of tasty dishes, fantastic service and good prices (~$35 for all that!). I will definitely be stopping by again when I'm in town.

Grade: A