The Dancing Fig was located on High Street (formerly Wesbanco turned Lira turned The Dancing Fig turned The Bank at 344), and now it is on University Avenue (in former Zenclay Cafe location).

They're billed as Italian fusion, and I went during their grand opening. Later in the night, they were having a prohibition-themed party. We went early on, though, to get a taste of the regular menu. Parking is free here, but a bit precarious. At least they have a lot - one right near the building and the other across University Avenue. It's not bad, though.

Their hours are 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4:30-10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 4:30-11 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for brunch on Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday. So make sure you check the hours before you head out.

We were there early that evening and were seated at a high top. The space is fairly small, so I imagine it can get full pretty quickly. Because we were there early, it was mostly empty. As we went through the course of the meal, the restaurant did begin to fill up a bit.

The interior is lovely, laidback and cool - yet elegant. They have a focus on the drinks, as well, though I didn't indulge this night.

Our server was fantastic and super helpful. We put in two appetizers: the pork belly with roasted grapes, bleu cheese and arugula salad AND brie cheese purses with puff pasty, brie cheese and fig preserve.

The pork belly was awesome. Nice sear and crisp on the outside and tender inside. One thousand times better than bacon. The sweetness of roasted grapes and crunch of arugula was perfect. Plus there was like this balsamic and pesto - some acid and sweet and an awesome combo of textures.

The brie cheese purses seemed more of a puff pastry with caramel sauce and the preserves. I tasted little (if any) brie cheese. That's not to say these weren't good. They were very good, but they were like a dessert and sans the cheese flavor. Still, though, a tasty puff pastry with delicious caramel and preserves. Good.

With my entree, I got a house salad, which had greens, tomato, red onion, bleu cheese and a basil balsamic dressing. I'm a big fan of their house salad because it packs some flavor. Love their house dressing and fresh ingredients.

I also just want to make note of the pace of the meal at this point. Each was brought out at perfect timing - some breathing room between plates, and really gave us a nice experience.

They have some new menu items as well as the older ones. Okay, main entree was chicken marsala, at the recommendation of the server, which is Italian-breaded chicken, wild mushrooms, marsala wine and demi glace with zucchini and mashed potatoes. I don't typically order chicken at new places, but this has changed my world. It was a huge portion, first of all. And it was so well-thought out. Different components combined to make a truly well-rounded dish with a nice roasted veggie and smooth mashed potatoes with a nicely breaded chicken. Plus a delicious marsala sauce that I need on all my mushrooms for the rest of time.

Our whole meal was so delicious, so we went for dessert. Tiramisu took a little longer than I expected, but it was worth it. A huge portion just drowning in whipped cream and cocoa powder. So good.




The Dancing Fig nailed this meal. Like, I can't wait to go back. Like, is up there in my top restaurants right now because between the vibe I got from this place, combined with the awesome service, unique drinks and just delicious food, I'm not really sure what more you can ask for. Plus large portions for a more upscale place.

I feel as thought they've gotten more into their groove here, dishing out incredible food in an even better environment. I hope they're a mainstay for years to come.

Grade: A

Lisa, who up until recently managed the Morgantown Farmers Market, let me tag along with her to the 2014 Preston County Fiber Artist Holiday Open House. A few of her vendors from the market put it on - mostly those who are in the Preston County area and have some "fiber" connection. Fiber is, I've learned, kind of this generic term for natural wool, cotton, etc. So, for example, folks who raise sheep, and make hats or Christmas ornaments from their wool or milk.

Anyway, this was perfect because I'm always looking for good stories and was interested in learning more about the individual vendors at the market. And a good handful of them were there. AND the lady whose house we went to, Kelly Anderson, she had Karakachan guard dog puppies, and they were the cutest things I've ever seen.



Kelly has the her farm "Hopping Acres," where she has rare breeds of sheep, dogs and rabbits. "Lady Baa Baa." She collects wool from the sheep and rabbits, spins it into yarn and creates ornaments and other cute hats or mittens. In addition to her farm, she bakes under the "Lady Baa Baa" label. She has these tasty pizza crusts, which I just used to make a pizza recently. So tasty.



Another vendor is Moonlight Milk Soaps, which was previously named Two Cousins Soap, by Kim Sheets. These soaps are so great! I had to buy one - the raspberry & lilac scent was my favorite. But they also had lavender, orange, rose, sea kelp, creamsicle and more.

Kim's husband, AJ, also had a hand in the show with Midnight Maple Syrup and maple cream. I had to get one of each because after trying a sample of the maple cream, I was hooked. When I'm not just nibbling on the maple cream plain, it's great on toast or would be perfect for cinnamon buns or bread pudding.





Fiddlehead Woodworking makes really cool, handmade wooden spoons, cutting boards, butter knives, bookends and more. I was really wanting a cool wooden spoon, so my splurge of the day was on that one right in the middle of the bowl there. But I can't wait to use it for soups and stews.



The Sheepherders Kitchen, by Joan Henry, has so many goodies: baked goods, preserves, jams and jellies, plus fiber/woolen items and more.  During this trip, I got some banana nut bread and Amish butter top bread for sandwiches. The banana nut bread was perfect for breakfast.







Evans Knob Farm had some jams I could just not pass up. Strawberry peach jam? Sign me up. This goes perfectly on toasted Amish Butter Top bread. They sell vegetables, poultry, eggs, lamb and other wool products. Plus they have their own CSA if you're a big fan.


So there's a little bit on some of the vendors who frequent the market - plus this super cool event they have yearly during the first weekend of December. Definitely a good time to pick up some gifts for the holidays, meet the artisans and put some money back into the local economy.

Did anyone go? Anybody get anything great?

The Morgantown Eats Culinary Crawl was this past weekend. The event was created by students in the WVU Reed College of Media, along with Main Street Morgantown, Morgantown Social Networx, Mon Arts Center and Greater Morgantown CVB. It was the first of its kind, and I'm hoping there are more in the future.

Tickets were $35 before the event and $40 the day of the event. The first 100 people the day of the event received wine glasses. All proceeds go to benefit the MAC.

The event started out at the MAC with registration, as well as four restaurants who are a little out of the way: Lebanese Bistro, Mountain State Brewing Company, Table 9 and Morgantown Brewing Company.

Then, we worked our way up and around in a circle. Every place was a little different, but there were students staffed in red shirts at each restaurant directing us where to go and what we would be having. Great idea.

MAC (for restaurants not right along High and Spruce streets, these restaurants sat up inside here)

Lebanese Bistro - Baklava. Baklava is pretty standard from the Lebanese Bistro. They often have this dessert, so nothing super new here. But their baklava is good. It's moist and buttery. All around, it's a nice little bite.



Mountain State Brewing Company - Cole Trail Blone Ale, Seneca IPA and Miner's Daughter Oatmeal Stout. Mountain State did not bring their famous flatbreads, but they did have a choice of three brews. I went with the Cold Trail Ale, which is a lighter beer. I've had this before, and I'm a fan.



Table 9 - Devil's on Horseback: bacon-wrapped dates filled with pear, goat cheese and walnuts with a pepper jam. Served with a bourbon pear cider. I've had the devil's on horseback at Table 9 before, but I don't remember them being this good. A little salty, crunchy with sweet and nutty made for a perfect little taste. Plus paired with the bourbon pear cider, which was hot, was so winter-y and delicious.





Morgantown Brewing Company - Beer. Morgantown Brewing Company brought two of their beers: Holiday Blonde Ale and another I can't remember. I got the holiday blonde, and it's good as always. They went all out and also had their restaurant open for the tastings. Here, you could get the beer.



Then we left the MAC and headed out to the restaurant locations.

Iron Horse - Two West Virginia craft beers. Iron Horse Tavern was first on our list because it was nearby the MAC. We were able to sample any two West Virginia craft beers on tap. That's not too shabby, and they were decent sample sizes. I went with Lost River Common from Lost River Brewing and the Roedys Red from North End Tavern. Was a big fan of the Lost River, not so much the other. Plus they're craft beer, so not bad value there.





Tin 202 - Seasonal appetizer samplers: tzatziki and olive tapenade. Tin 202 had tzatziki and olive tapenade and pita. Not the most impressive spread, but the both the tapenade and dip were fine. Just wish there was a little more thought put in - this is a time to shine to a new audience!





The Bank at 344 - Pot roast pierogi with a sage sour cream sauce. The Bank definitely had a nice combination of flavors here. The problem was they kept running out, and it took some time for the next batch to arrive. They ran out twice while we were there.



The Cupcakerie - Two mini cupcakes from either pina colada, margarita, chocolate merlot, pinot grigio or mudslide. I went with pina colada and margarita. While I didn't get the alcohol flavor necessarily, The Cupcakerie definitely dished out some tasty cupcakes.



Vintage Room - Pizzas, bruschetta and chocolate dessert. This is when I thought I was getting my money worth. Until this point, my belly was full of a good bit of beer samples, one pierogi, one date, and a pita chip. I was hungry. Then Vintage Room shows up. They were popping out whole pizzas of all different kinds - I had the margherita. Plus they had bruschetta, which is delicious. And THEN they brought out these little brownie bites with whipped cream and a berry. Plus they set aside their entire private room for us. Now I was getting my fill, and it was all so good.



Morgantown Brewing Company - Hand-rolled 80 Shilling Scotch Ale pretzel bites with Zack Morgan's IPA beer cheese dip; hickory-smoked pulled pork bbq with fresh fried corn tortilla chips. I was impressed the Brew Pub set up in the MAC and had food at their actual resetaurant. This delicious pretzel bite was even better with some of the beer cheese dip. Plus there was pulled pork for nachos, a stuffing quesadilla with sweet potato dip and a gravy dip. Creative and all around tasty.




Real Juice Bar & Cafe - Raw beet and sweet potato noodle salad with cilantro lime dressing; fish tacos; raw desserts; smoothie. I wasn't sure what to expect from the Real Juice Bar, but man, homerun. It's typically not the kind of food I'd go after, but after the service that night, I think I'll be back. As soon as we walked in, they let us sit down anywhere we'd like. Different from the previous places that had just an area or two blocked off for us. They had us sit anywhere we'd like and actually served us a nice sampler of what they offer. She started us off with some of the juices and then brought each of us a plate. You got a good idea of what they serve. I was a big fan of the macaroon they had. Coconut and moist. Kudos to the Juice Bar - I'm hoping other restaurants take a note from your book on the service.






Black Bear Burritos - Spanish barbecue baked beans and brisket on a fried tortilla topper with an apple salsa puree. Best for last. This was our last meal meal (save for dessert), and it was just phenomenal. We actually got a sampling of Black Bear's special for the week, which was just awesome. I'm not even a fan of baked beans, but these were different. There's some kick plus the pork - just good. And the apple salsa puree was sweet and a perfect complement. AND Chestnut Brew Works was there alongside the owners doling out a brew. So awesome. As we sat, the owners talked to us about how they're branching out from just doing burritos. One owner mentioned how when he showed his father the building for the soon-to-be restaurant, his father noted they lived in the apartment upstairs before he was born. And could have very well been conceived there. It was a cute story, and it was awesome to see the owners really truly wanted to know what we thought of the food and wanted to make sure we loved it. Awesome all around.



Cafe Bacchus - Award-winning applebutter ice cream with caramel sauce. Our final stop of the tour was Cafe Bacchus. It was nice to end on a sweet note with some homemade ice cream. Flavors were good - homey, wintery, Christmas-y. Overall, very nice.



I'm super impressed with the event all around. I wish some more of the other restaurants would get involved - there are so many great ones! And a bottle of water would've been helpful with registration. I got a drink at the Real Juice Bar, which was definitely needed. Overall, though, a nice way to spend a Saturday, even if it was dreary.

Did anyone else go? If so, what were your thoughts?

Saladworks is a new restaurant at the Suncrest Town Center specializing in - you guessed it - salads. It's a chain restaurant, but it's the only one in West Virginia. Cue West Virginia obesity puns.

Their menu has 13 featured salads: a turkey club, autumn harvest (with craisins, sunflower seeds, crispy apple chips), bently (ham, turkey, eggs), tivoli (pasta, ham, turkey), buffalo bleu, garden deluxe, chicken caesar, fire roasted cabo jack (chicken, corn, black beans, whitebeans, tortilla chips), mandarin chicken (chicken, oranges), greek, nuevo nicoise (pasta, tuna, olives), cobb, and sophie's (chicken, craisins, apple slices).

Plus a ton of dressings, including a dijon lemon capri, green goddess, oriental sesame, parmesan caesar and tangy salsa ranch.

Those salads can be turned into wraps, and there are also paninis, soups and some "carver" salads, which have fresh cut protein. Those include thai chicken, a steakhouse, napa steak, malibu chicken, taco, sushi bar and baja.

I ordered a combo of a half caprese panini, half buffalo bleu salad. Inside, it was kind of chaotic, being the first day and all. But we made our way through the counter line, where you can specify what you'd like as they make it right in front of you.

My panini had nice grill marks and a crisp bread. Inside, it had mozzarella, tomato, basil and a balsamic vinaigrette. I think it could've been cooked a bit longer (and fresh mozzarella would've been great) so that the cheese melted more. But it was fine. Nothing outstanding, but a decent sandwich.

The salad was a mixture of buffalo chicken, romaine, iceberg, tomatoes, banana peppers, bleu cheese and tortilla strips. Plus bleu cheese dressing mixed in. Overall, it was pretty good. I'm not sure if I'm on the mix-all-the-dressing-in-your-sald bandwagon or not. Usually I just pour some on top. But it was actually nice to have it coat everything. Could've used more chicken. A nice bit of bleu cheese. Plus the crisp tortilla strips were a decent touch to add something crunchy.

Overall, it's fine. It's near my apartment (closer than Panera), so there's a chance I could go if I want something quick and healthy. Though I think Panera has more options I like. I did meet the two women opening the business, who seem kind and motivated. I think there's a market for them - a sort of Panera crowd lite. Though I know some really great local businesses in town. And you generally know my feelings about chains ...

I know nothing about catering. I've never had to use a caterer, I haven't eaten food from many caterers, and I am not sure what the standards are. However, I get many questions from folks about who to use for catering in Morgantown. I've done my best to aggregate a local list that might be a helpful place to start. Morgantown restaurants - if you cater and would like to be included, please comment below.

• Asian Bistro
• Beehive Cafe
• Black Bear Burritos
• Boston Beanery (at the Pines Country Club)
• Casa D'Amici
• Chaang Thai
• Charlie's Grill
• Clean Slate Catering
• Colasante's
• Gibson Gourmet
• HoneyBaked Ham
• Hotel Morgan
• Kegler's
• Kenyan Cafe
• The Lakehouse
• Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa
• Mario's Fishbowl
• Meadow Mountain Catering
• Mid-Atlantic Market
• Mother India
• Nonna's Bakery & Deli
• Oliverio's Ristorante
• Puglioni's
• Russ' Ribs
• Saffron
• Sargasso
• Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe
• The Tea Shoppe
• Tropics
• The Vintage Room
• Wings Ole