In the Frontier Shopping Center, located near the Giant Eagle in Marietta, a bistro has recently opened and is serving lunch for the Mid-Ohio Valley. This eatery is 134 Bistro, and they make the best lunch I’ve had in this area.

134 Bistro is a quaint eatery run by a mother and her two sons. They serve up hot dogs, sandwiches, sides and daily specials. The menu is evolving day by day, keeping the experience fresh. I’ve eaten at 134 Bistro several times in the month that it’s been open, and I’ve tried something new each time. Recently, I had the meatball sandwich special, which was an extra-large meatball on ciabatta bread with cheese and marinara. It made me wish it wasn’t a daily special so I could have it again the next time I visited.

The hot dogs are not your grandma’s boiled franks. They are gourmet delights with loaded toppings (I suggest the BLT hot dog). The sandwiches are made in house, including the pulled pork sandwich. 134 Bistro has their own smoker on site, so the barbecue ingredients are smoked to perfection. The sides available include two kinds of cole slaw, potato salad, pasta salad and some of the best mac and cheese you’ll find in town. Salads are also available with dressings made in-house.

The staff is very pleasant and you can tell right away that it’s a family environment. I’ve always been greeted with a smile and friendly conversation. The restaurant is a comfortable place to eat during a quick lunch break or a meet-up meal with a friend.

134 Bistro is open 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays and Saturdays. The hours make it difficult to visit the bistro if you aren’t in the area during your lunch break, but it’s worth the trip to the restaurant on Saturdays for some great food. Prices are reasonable for the quality of cuisine. It’s not going to break the bank, but you also won’t find a dollar menu.

Overall, 134 Bistro is a great addition to the restaurants in Marietta. Top quality food matched with top quality service creates an awesome way to spend your mid-day meal. I highly recommend taking a future lunch break at this great eatery. Also, take a look at their Facebook and Instagram pages to stay up to date on their specials.

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Marvel and DC have proven that big blockbuster action movies do very well. People love to watch larger than life characters fight even larger villains in scenes that cause plenty of chaos. These movies have actors who don’t really put on a performance that would be worth an Oscar nod, but they make multi-million dollar paychecks for swinging their fists in front of a green screen. Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is the story of an actor who used to play one of these superhero characters, but is striving to create a “real” acting tour de force.

Riggan Thomson (played wonderfully by Michael Keaton) is a has-been Hollywood actor who made his name by playing superhero Birdman. He wants to reinvent himself and make himself relevant again by writing, directing and starring in a Broadway play. During the production of the play, Thomson hears the voice of Birdman ridiculing him. Birdman tells him he’s not a Broadway star and he should go back to being Birdman and make millions of dollars again, but Thomson wants to show that he’s an actor.

The cast in this film is absolutely brilliant. Each character is portrayed perfectly by the cast. As said earlier, the perfectly casted Keaton absolutely shines as the once-famous Thomson/Birdman.  Riggan’s girlfriend Laura (Andrea Riseborough) plays the part of a neglected partner very well, as does Naomi Watts as Lesley. Edward Norton plays Mike, a method actor who only really “lives” when he’s on stage. Norton knocks his performance out of the park. He is cocky when it’s about the play but when Riggan’s daughter Sam (played wonderfully by Emma Stone) starts getting personal with him, he is vulnerable and unsure. The main cast is rounded out with Zack Galifianakis playing Riggan’s lawyer and best friend.

During the movie, Riggan does some supernatural things. Things such as busting lightbulbs in his dressing room, spinning a lighter on a counter, and allegedly dropping a stage light on an actor’s head. The movie is also shot in a way that seems like it’s all done in one take. It puts the movie on a very surreal level. You may not know what is real or not, even though you’re always following someone. It’s like a very well done magic trick.

There are two themes that run throughout this movie. The first theme is relevance. Everyone wants to be known for something great. In this day and age of social media and viral videos, it’s hard to be on top. But everyone wants that feeling. We all want to be known for something great. That’s what Riggan is trying to do with his play and with his life. He wants to be known as an actor, not Birdman. Not just Riggan, though. Everyone in the film wants to shine in their own way.

The other theme is about love. The name of the play Riggan wrote is called “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”.  Each character is looking for their own kind of love, but their definitions of what love is differs. To Riggan, love is adoration. To Mike, love is being on stage. To Laura, love is compliments and attention. Each person has to find their version of love, and it takes a while for them to finally feel that deeply desired emotion.

Birdman is a funny, yet dramatic piece of cinema that everyone should watch. The cast shines in a unique film directed superbly by Alejandro G. Inarritu. The movie is released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 17th, so pick it up at the store or through Redbox.

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It’s 2015! A brand new year with a chance to start all over again. It’s also a time to make resolutions to improve those aspects of your life that may need a little bit more attention. One of those aspects may be your health.

It’s hard not to gain weight at the end of the year. You’ve got a giant meal to eat at the end of November, followed by all your friends and family sending you cookies and cakes and candy to eat before another big meal at the end of December. I myself gained five pounds in the final stretch of 2014. So I decided that 2015 will be the year I return to the stationary bike and lose some weight!

It’s a challenge to get motivated, though. After a long day at work, it’s tough to want to get on a treadmill or bike and do some cardio for an hour. It can be a chore to drive to the gym before work to get on an elliptical or lift some weights. That’s why you need a good motivator. And what better way to get you exercising than a really awesome workout playlist on your iPod?

I’ve compiled a list of 15 songs that I like to play when I’m pedaling the carbs away. So without any more delay, and in no particular order, here is Pete’s Perspiring Playlist:

1. Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen
2. Gonna Fly Now – Bill Conti
3. Monkey Wrench – Foo Fighters
4. We Will Walk Together – Streetlight Manifesto
5. Hey Jealousy – The Ergs
6. High-Five City – The Aquabats
7. Bomber – Motorhead
8. I Miss Outer Space – Mean Jeans
9. Running Down a Dream – Tom Petty
10. Into the Clear – Andrew WK
11. Superheroes – Daft Punk
12. Mixed Up S.O.B. – Presidents of the United States
13. I Don’t Wanna Grow Up – The Ramones
14. Waiting for an Alibi – Thin Lizzy
15. I’m the One – Van Halen

All of these songs are high tempo tunes that keep me moving, even when I feel like I want to stop. Of course, it goes without saying that this is my playlist. These are the songs that kick me into gear when I’m working out. Feel free to use it yourself, but make sure you find the right music that keeps you running, walking, lifting, or whatever you decide to do.

And another tip, don’t work out because it’s your new year’s resolution. Work out because you want to. It takes plenty of effort and passion to be healthy, so make sure you are going for it 100%.

“All your strength. All your power. All your love. Everything you got.” – Tony “Duke” Evers (Rocky 4)

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The Mid-Ohio Valley is full of chain restaurants, but for every well-known joint, there is a local eatery bursting with enough flavor to steer you away from those well-established fast-food franchises. Philippines Best Food is one of those very restaurants.

As you may have guessed, Philippines Best Food serves Filipino cuisine, and does it really well. They have several combo meals available on their menu, including Teriyaki Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, and Barbeque Pork on a Stick. Each combo comes with a side of either fried rice or pansit noodles, and a drink. Each day, they post the daily special on their Facebook page, so be sure to their social media site, just in case your favorite dish is on sale!

In addition to their combos, they offer burritos, an all-day breakfast meal with sausage or cured pork, soup, and desserts. Everything is very reasonably priced– currently, all combos are $8 (only $7 if it’s the daily special!) Starting in January 2015, the price of the combos will raise to $9 due to the rising prices of fresh food (though the daily specials will remain at $7) It is admirable that they don’t want to skimp on ingredients, and are willing to raise the price to continue to keep fresh foods in their dishes. Well worth the extra eight quarters for fresh, local produce and heaping portions of Filipino goodness.

The great food is just one trait that makes this a wonderful local establishment. The staff on hand is always courteous, and helpful. I frequent Philippines quite often, and have never left thinking “Wow, that person must be having a bad day.” The only thing bigger than the friendly atmosphere is the amount of food they give you. The portion sizes are very generous. Often times, I eat half for lunch, and have enough left over to satisfy me at dinner time.

If there is a downside, it would only be that the restaurant offers limited seating. The building is located off of 7^th street in Parkersburg, and is quite cozy. There are a few tables outside, and even fewer inside. On a cold day, I’d recommend eating inside if there’s available spaces, or taking your food home. Come spring time, however, it is a great atmosphere to eat outside, and the cooks and owners may come out and have a friendly chat with you.

Overall, Philippines Best Food is one of the best local establishments we have in the MOV. They offer a large variety of exotic food made with fresh ingredients at a price that won’t break the bank. If you haven’t tried this restaurant yet, give them a try — especially if you enjoy Filipino cuisine. And if you have been to Philippines Best Food before, go ahead and go there again– you know you want to.

Philippines Best Food is located at 1757 7^th Street, Parkersburg, WV and is open 11AM-7PM, Tuesday-Saturday.

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It’s hard to keep people interested in something for 20 years. Dave Grohl has been tasked to do this with the Foo Fighters, and he’s done a pretty good job by creating albums in a less than conventional way. In their last effort, the band went back to the garage, literally, and recorded on tape to try to return to the basics. For their eighth studio album, the Foo Fighters did something even more unique: record the album’s eight songs in eight different cities in attempt to infuse that city’s known sound into each song.

Although “Sonic Highways” is an interesting concept, it just doesn’t quite come to light. Yes, this album is another great Foo Fighters record, but the infusion of each city (Chicago, Arlington, Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle, and New York) into the songs is as minimal as it can be. The powerful arena-rock sound that most people know from the Foo Fighters is still present on each track.

There is a lot going on musically, however, with guests like Gary Clark, Jr., Joe Walsh, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and Zac Brown lending their talents– talents that ultimately get swallowed up by the expected Foo Fighters power-rock chords. It is nice to hear the funky organ hit in “Something From Nothing”, Zac Brown’s back-up vocals in “Congregation”, and the beautiful string arrangement at the end of “I Am A River”, but other than little moments of flair or references to places or people, this is most definitely the same old Foo Fighters sound. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I just wish the infusion of different sounds was more pronounced. “Sonic Highways” is a bit of a missed opportunity for the band, who had the chance to take this much farther and diversify their own musical evolution, eight different ways. Despite playing it a little safe, this album is still a wonderful rock album, possibly the best Foo Fighters album in quite some time.

“Sonic Highways” is also accompanied by an 8 episode documentary series that is being aired on HBO. These episodes go much more into the history and sound of each region, and are a great companion piece to the album.

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