Two years ago I went to Morgantown's Chocolate Lovers Day, which was lovely. I've heard absolutely great things about Lewisburg's Chocolate Festival, though, so on April 12, I packed up and headed to town to stuff my face with chocolates. I wrote about the festival in general for Spotlight WV, so you can check out some details there.

Their main street features lots of shops and restaurants that offer a chocolate tasting for one ticket. One ticket is essentially $1. Packets of five tickets are sold for $5. They sold more than 40,000 tickets this year.

While the biggest seller that year was the local Remax agent, who had choocolate fountains, I tried to stick mostly to local restaurants who made their own products. And ones that I knew I wouldn't be eating at later in the weekend (stay tuned for lots of Lewisburg reviews). Others worked with vendors to produce it or bought them.

With more than 35 vendors, Brittany and I thought we could easily eat at 20 different places. This was a poor decision, and we ended up wasting our tickets - but NOT before stuffing ourselves with chocolate. The eighth annual festival brought out 8,000-plus attendees.

-B. Sweet Confectionery, 37 W. Main St., White Sulphur Springs: S’more pop with handmade vanilla bean marshmallow and dark chocolate lava cakes with raspberry sauce Ok, this was super lovely. Not only was it so cute that it was served out of a bright blue and pink truck, but the creativity AND portability was such a good idea. Considering we were traveling around with these, it was super easy to eat and super tasty, too. I didn't know a "fresh" marshmallow until I had this. You could actually taste vanilla - not just pure sugar.

B. Sweet Confectionery: S’more pop with handmade vanilla bean marshmallow

-The Bakery, 102 N. Court St.: Chocolate Crinkle cookie sandwich This was actually one of my very last stops, and I ended up using four tickets to snag some of these cookies and take them to go, since they wouldn't melt. I'm glad I chose these ones because they were absolutely phenomenal. The icing was sweet and thin. The cookie was thick and cookie-like (rather than cake-like). So good.

-Bella the Corner Gourmet, 100 E. Washington St.: Real Scottish butter cookies, dipped in dark and milk chocolate with sprinkles This was probably one of the prettiest ones. I ate glitter and sprinkles! But it was a nice, slightly sweet, dessert. It wasn't overwhelming with chocolate (like some places), so a little cookie was nice.

Bella the Corner Gourmet: Real Scottish butter cookies, dipped in dark and milk chocolate with sprinkles.

-Del Sol Cantina, 206 W. Washington St.: Chocolate mini martinis I have to say - I know this is often a popular one, but I wasn't crazy about it. It was just too.. much for me.

-Edith’s, 114 E. Washington St.: Dark chocolate-covered coconut treats

-Food & Friends, 213 W. Washington St.: Chocolate brownie S’more with salty caramel drizzle Definitely one of my favorites. I think I got two of these. I mean, it's combining s'mores and caramel and chocolate. Just super good.

Food & Friends: Chocolate brownie S’more with salty caramel drizzle

-The Front Porch, 219 E. Washington St.: DeBrand chocolate truffles

General Lewis Inn:  Chocolate brownie

-The General Lewis Inn, 301 E. Washington St.: Chocolate brownie This was a make-your-own-brownie station! I didn't know what I wanted, so I asked the lady to make me her favorite. She topped the brownie with a strawberry filling, whipped cream and nuts. I was excited to go to this one because it was one of the few on my list of places to try that I didn't get to. We considered staying here for the weekend while we were in town, but it was a bit more pricey. But the brownie was good, and the back yard area was lovely!

-Greenbrier County Visitors Center, 200 W. Washington St.: Chocolate pretzel drops, chocolate frozen yogurt, DeFluri’s truffles

-Greenbrier Episcopal School, 3100 Houfnaggle Road: Mobile tastings

-Greenbrier Real Estate, 118 E. Washington St.: Milk Chocolate Houses

-Greenbrier Valley Banking Co., 110 S. Jefferson St.: I ♥ Chocolate triple chocolate heart confection This is one place that was involved in the actual beginning of the chocolate festival, so you can imagine she goes big pretty much every year. This was a white chocolate heart base with a milk chocolate ganache and dark chocolate shavings. It was tasty - but also beautiful.

Greenbrier Valley Banking Co.: I ♥ Chocolate triple chocolate heart confection

-Harmony Ridge Gallery, 209 W. Washington St.: Classic dark chocolate pot de crème with yuzu citrus cream and triple chocolate verrine

-Irish Pub, 109 E. Washington St.: Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout

-The Livery, 217 E. Washington St.: Chocolate molten lava cake with crème fraîche

-Hill and Holler, 118 W. Washington St.: Teal white chocolate fudge and chocolate-covered pretzels

-Osage Pecan Co. of Lewisburg, 204 W. Washington St.: Chocolate- and dark chocolate-covered pecans, chocolate turtles, chocolate amaretto pecans and more

-Plants Etc., 102 S. Jefferson St.: Double dark chocolate ice cream by The Homestead Creamery
 
-ReMax, 111 E. Washington St.: Chocolate dipping fountain with dipping treats

-The Retreat on White Rock Mountain, 118 E. Washington St.: Instant karma cupcakes

-Robert’s Antiques, 120 E. Washington St.: Mosato d’Asti in chocolate cups Robert's Antiques is unlike any other antique store I've visited. They have ACTUAL antiques - not just old things of questionable value. Vintage rugs, beautiful furnishings and an actual guillotine. And the wine was at the very back, so we were able to gaze on as we waited. It was tasty. A little messy with a quickly melting cup, but just means it's quicker to drink!

-Serenity Now Outfitters, 207 W. Washington St.: Sticky-finger apple slices

-Shoney’s, U.S. Route 219 at Coleman Drive: Shoney’s signature hot fudge cake

-Show Your Colors, 101 Court St.: Chocolate-covered strawberries

-The Spring, 204 N. Jefferson St.: Brigadeiro (Brazilian chocolate truffle)

-Stella’s, 111 S. Lafayette St.: Flourless chocolate mousse cake with whipped cream and raspberry coulis I was pretty excited about this one, but there was just something about the cake that didn't totally sell me. It was OK, don't get me wrong. But not great.

Stella's: Flourless chocolate mousse cake with whipped cream and raspberry coulis

-Sunflower Soul, 203 E. Washington St.: Chocolate-covered strawberry smoothie This was, well, a little off. You could kind of tell it was supposed to be a bit healthier, but in an odd way. It was OK.

-The Washington Street Gallery, 123 W. Washington St.: Bad Ass beer brittle XX-hot and OO-not so hot I don't recall these being homemade, but they were fine, nonetheless.

-The Wild Bean, 119 E. Washington St.: Espresso brownies

-Wolf Creek Gallery, 112 W. Washington St.: Variety of Belgian chocolate pralines Another place I couldn't wait to check out in Lewisburg. It's a cool little shop, with some higher-end merchandise. The chocolates weren't homemade, but they were fine.

-Yarid’s, 202 W. Washington St.: Holl’s chocolate shoes

That's about it. I wish I could've tried all of the places, but I'm pretty sure my stomach would have not been to pleased with that decision. There's always next year. =]

I heard about the catering company Meadow Mountain opening up a little cafe. Then, I met the owner at a networking event. Between hearing good things and meeting the woman, I couldn't wait to try it out. The problem is they're only open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. And they're up on Greenbag Road (I do love that parking isn't an issue). It's not far from work, but it still requires some coordination and planning.


I'm glad I convinced Tony to go with me, because it's one of the better meals I've had in Morgantown in some time.

The outside is nondescript, and the inside is simple with some black and white paisley tablecloths, a few photos on the back wall and a display with pots and pans. It's small with only three tables separated by some rolling shelving units and the kitchen is on the other side.

Each day, they post specials on their website. They also had them printed out. I ordered the French BLT, which was bacon, brie cheese, lettuce, tomato and their "secret sauce" on a French baguette. I also got a cup of soup, which was potato cheddar all for under $10, plus water. Tony went with the ham and swiss with mustard on French bread. The lunch items are lighter - crepes, sandwiches, salads, soups.

It was just the owner, Terry, cooking for us and managing the whole operation. The great thing was, the whole time, I just felt like I was in my grandmother's kitchen. Terry is super conversational and makes sure you're taken care of. You can tell this is something she enjoys doing.

Tony enjoyed his sandwich, which looked great. And my sandwich was fantastic.

The ingredients were fresh, the french bread was grilled and buttered perfectly, bacon crisp, and tons of oozing brie cheese. They aren't greedy with toppings, either. Mine was piled high. I had to unhinge my jaw a bit to be able to eat it, but that's a good problem to have.

The soup - thick, creamy, delicious.

And, she brought us these almond bars at the end of our meal. Very simply, lightly sweet and crunchy. Perfect ending to the meal.


So, sure, Terry may have won me over during our brief encounter at the networking event. She's sweet and inviting. But visiting the cafe really made me a believer. I love that it's this simple, but elegant, idea with warm hospitality. The food was all really delicious (wouldn't it be awkward if it wasn't?), and at a great price.

Meet Terry. Get treated like you're part of the family. Fill you belly with some light, delicious food.

I'm not quite sure if there's a better way to get my attention than creating a brewery in a church.

It's kinda edgy and combines two things I enjoy: craft beer and theology. Kinda.

Tony and I were at a conference in Pittsburgh, so, of course, we used it as an opportunity to try a new restaurant.

Church Brew Works is located on Liberty Avenue (just down the road from my father's former workplace). The brewing is done, literally, in the alter of the restored Roman Catholic church.

Their menu is kind of all over the place, from pierogies and cheesesteak to steamed mussels and buffalo meatloaf. The last one was interesting because I haven't seen it anywhere else. Plus it looked to be one of their specials.


But first - an appetizer. They have "untraditional pierogies" as a daily special with different fillings. That day was chicken and black bean pierogi with a curry BBQ sauce.



It was good. It was different. The sauce was a little sweet, which was nice with the savory filling.

The meatloaf was also different, but I appreciated it. It came with rosemary redskin potato croquettes, braised greens, applewood smoked bacon, garlic chips and roasted tomato demi-glace.



The texture was a bit more ... can I say slimey? than maybe beef. But that wasn't necessarily bad. The flavor was OK. Nothing too special. Combined with some of the garlic chips, it was better. That flavor had to be derived from the additions - not within the meat itself. The fried potato pancake was great, and the greens were a bit bitter so combining a bite with all three flavors made for a decent meal.

We also had a beer sampler. Their main beers were a Celestial Gold (light later), Pipe Organ Pale Ale (English pale ale) and Pious Monk Dunkel (Munich-style dark lager) plus some rotating beers. Overall, I felt the beers were OK. Some pretty good, some interesting, some a little less pleasant. But definitely a good bit to choose from.

I wasn't raised Catholic, but that hasn't stopped me from taking part in our culture's penchant for fish during the Lenten season.

"Historically, since about the second century of Christianity, Christians abstained from meat on Friday as a kind of sacrifice and reminder that acknowledged Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross which we commemorate on Good Friday. It’s also why we proclaim the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary on Friday. About a century or two later, Lent came into being, as a season of intense preparation for Easter, so the fasting and abstinence was extended to much of Lent (source)."

Catholics are to abstain from eating meat on Fridays during lent, so many restaurants have fish specials on Fridays, fast food places have sales on their fish sandwiches, and churches and fire departments (among others) have fish fries.

I love a good fish sandwich. I have memories of my dad and me going to Shop 'N Save (yes, Shop 'N Save) and getting huge fish sandwiches. A fried and battered piece of fish sandwiched on a hoagie bun with tartar sauce was a special Friday treat every once in a while. Nostalgia does weird things--I don't know.

My frenemy Robert Phipps told me about the fish fries at St. Francis de Sales. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., they have fried or baked fish, a roll, drink and dessert with your choice of three sides: French fries, macaroni & cheese, green beans or cole slaw. It's $8 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under. Eat in or take out. But since there is only one more Friday during Lent, you only have Friday, April 11 to check it out.

Aside from being at the top of a hill in Morgantown and getting to see the area from a cool angle, the meal was really good. When we walked in, we walked up to the counter and paid. Cash or check. Then I was a little confused on where to go because lots of people were standing around for to-go orders, I assume. I made my way to the left and down the hall. I had wo huge fish portions that were quite tasty. The roll was fresh and warm - probably one of my favorite parts of the meal. The cole slaw was also great - finely chopped and thick. Macaroni and cheese and french fries were OK. And good lord they have a ton of different desserts brought in or homemade. A huge table full of different kinds.

If you go, the place does get packed - even when we went right at 5 p.m. There's room upstairs, FYI.

Any other places in town do fish fries? Or maybe just a place that has a REALLY good fish sandwich?

I've never really had Tim Hortons or Dunkin' Donuts. I could've in passing if someone brought donuts to work or something, but I never went to one of these shops and consciously purchased a donut. Since Ray's Pastries closed up shop - quite possibly due to both of these donut giants taking over - I wanted to see what all the hype was about.



The shops are literally on opposite ends of town. Tim Horton's out past the University Town Centre, and Dunkin' Donuts is in Sabraton. We ventured to both for a dozen donuts that we took to work. Tim Horton's was up first. Their selection seemed smaller, but more intimate as they were right in the case in front of you. Dunkin' Donuts had a larger variety - a whole wall filled with donuts - and more were coming out fresh waiting to be stocked. Tim Hortons was also a little bit more expensive for a dozen. Tim Hortons has a drive-thru. Dunkin' Donuts also has a drive-thru and is open 24 hours.




I had a jelly-filled powdered donut from Tim Hortons. That jelly turned out to be blueberry, which was good. Super messy, but still good.

The donut from Dunkin' Donuts that I had was an apple crumb one with brown sugar on top and an apple filling. And it was REAL good.

So, what's your favorite? Are you loyal to one or the other? Do you take coffee into consideration?

I don't even know why I'm writing this post. It's going to either completely demolish any shred of credibility I had as someone who genuinely cares about food culture in West Virginia. OR it's going to get me some college hits. Either way, I've somehow set out on this ridiculous quest to try, litereally, every restaurant in Morgantown. So, here it goes.

I went to Bent Willey's.

Well, I didn't GO into Bent Willey's.

I went to Bent Willey's for pizza only.

Does anybody in their right mind do this? I was actually out at Gibbie's this night and as soon as I had just the appropriate amount of alcohol in my system, I decided I was willing to brave the ... place and get a slice.

I'm totally lying - I had enough cranberry and vodkas to not care at all. I just wanted pizza.

Nick and I had actually been joking about this for some time. I mentioned it's on my list of places to go, and he has no shame in being a fan, so we decided this would happen at some point. It happened. Let me try to piece it together.

I have been to Vintage Room, like, more than a dozen times. But I had NO idea that little door right there to the right actually opened into Bent's pizza. So, we made our way in, and naturally, in an intoxicated state, I try to interview the guy working. It went something like this:

"How many pizzas do you have!"

"Two."

"Just two?"

"We go through so many, we keep the variety to a minimum."

"How many!"

"Like 50 to 70 a night. And we're only open from 11 to 2."

My notes from the night read as follows: "11-2. 50-70." So, I'm working with some limited information.

I do remember they are cash only. A slice is $2. I got four slices - two for me and two for Nick. The inside isn't huge, as you can see, so we went outside and sat at a dark, empty Vintage bar and devoured the cheesey slices.

I'll spare you my waxing poetic about the culinary creations, but I was pleased. Glad to have something in my belly that was quick, hot out of the oven and cheap. It's really a good idea, actually, to make something like this available to college kids who need to sober up after a night of drinking. Plus, I mean, it's not a bad pizza, actually.

OHMYGOD YOU'RE GIVING BENT WILLEY'S A "C." Yes, yes I am. Drunk Candace appreciated it.

Grade: C

You see, I have this friend. Let's just call her Afton. She's obsessed with Indian food. Like, really likes it. Like, has it for multiple meals, multiple times a week.

I've been to both of the Indian restaurants in Morgantown -- Mother India and Saffron -- already, so we searched for the best Indian restaurants near Pittsburgh, and Tamarind Savoring India in Greentree came up a few times. They have another location in Cranberry. As a side note, Afton knew we were getting Indian for dinner ... but she went ahead and had it for lunch. No joke when I say "obsessed."

Tamarind specializes in southern Indian food. South Indian food tends to be spicier and use more rice and more vegetables. North India food tends to be more mild and uses more dairy, breads, lentils and tomatoes. Of course that often gets thrown out the window with American tastebuds, but that's a basis for where to start.


Tamarind didn't have the buffet on Friday night (they only have that on weekends), but we pretty much knew what we wanted anyway. Once we finally found the place tucked into an unassuming plaza, I was a little surprised at it being somewhat run down. The photos online show a more white tablecloth feel. The first table we sat at was so tight, we asked to be moved to the next. That was received warmly, so we then took to our menus.

They have a good bit. Everything from chicken tikka masala and classic and contemporary meals, tandoori, seafood, meat and vegetarian offerings. There's even street food and original appetizers. We were first brought out this brittle bread - like papadam? - but it was almost like a cracker. With a herb chutney and this kind of thin, spicy BBQ sauce. I've never had this before - so someone educate me. But it was a nice little quick bite before our meal.

We started with an order of samosas - crispy and flakey crust stuffed with potato and peas. These were really good. Super full of filling and moist, too. Sometimes these dry out really easily. Super good.

So I've never had a dosa before. We ordered the sada dosa, which is this giant (I mean giant - there's a regular-sized dinner plate under that thing) paper-thin pancake-like thing full of potato with a couple sauces - a yogurt sauce, masala sauce. I was on my third course at this point, so I tried to get a few good mouthfuls of the potato mixture and save some room for the main course. It was tasty - well seasoned, well spiced and I loved the masala sauce to go with it.

Chicken tikka masala, of course, was what I chose because I crave it in my dreams because I am terrible and will hopefully venture outside of this comfort dish soon enough. However, without a buffet, I wasn't sure what I would be crazy for, so I went with my go-to. And it was delicious. Maybe some of the best I've had.

Afton had ordered some garlic naan, which was just a puffy little piece of garlic heaven that went amazingly with the creamy, smokey sauce, complete with onions, tomatoes and peppers. Giant chunks of chicken. Just fantastic. I took turns piling a little bit of rice, then pouring a little bit of the dish. So good. And my mouth is watering thinking about it. Oh, Afton...



Grade: A

"Sweets for the Sweet" is a local restaurant dessert competition hosted by the Caritas House Inc., which assists people living in 25 counties of northern West Virginia who are living with HIV/AIDS. The Caritas (Latin for charity) House was created in 1994 and is one of three organizations in the state who assist these individuals.

The 18th annual event was held on Saturday at the WVU Alumni Center. It cost $20 and the proceeds benefited the Caritas House. The event featured the dessert tasting competition, the Fairmont State University Jazz Ensemble, door prizes and auctions. I luckily opted to be overdressed instead of under-dressed and went with a dress - I fit in just fine.

My starter plate - slide, corndog and some chips/guac. Tasty.

As soon as Heather and I walked in, there was a small buffet to the side. It featured some vegetables, sliders, pepperoni rolls, corndogs, chips and dip and drinks. That was nice, considering I thought it would be all chocolate.

Then, it was just circling the room, chocolate tasting from a bunch of local restaurants:

Ali Baba Restaurant
Atomic Grill
(Claudia Atkinson Catering - not present)
Cold Stone Creamery
The Cupcakerie
The Dancing Fig
Erickson Alumni Center
Jimmy's Diner
Lebanese Bistro
Morgantown Brewing Company
Noteworthy Sweets
Ramada - Heritage Grille
Rising Creek Bakery & Cafe
Table 9
Terra Cafe
Tutto Gelato Cafe

Ali Baba's baklava - pretty good; buttery and flakey.

Noteworthy Sweets - my first French macaroon! Super good, love the strawberry. Better than I expected.

The Cupc- akerie - raspberry champag- ne cupcake. Didn't taste too much like raspberry or champagne, but it was an OK cupcake overall. My favorite of the first three (Ali Baba's, the Cupcakerie and Noteworthy Sweets) would have to be the French macaroon. Maybe because it was my first, but it was also just delectable.

Northern Eagle Distributing had a few different dessert wines to choose from. I tried the chocolate red win - ChocoVine because YOLO. Eh, it's alright.

And yes, they gave these adorable mini stemless wine glasses (for the first time, I'm told) to drink the wine (and beer!) with. How thoughtful and fun. Plus you get a little souvenir to take home, in case you want tiny glasses of beer/wine in the future.

The Heritage Grille at the Ramada Inn had little plates of three desserts. I really didn't need three separate desserts, so I just stole a strawberry off one plate. It was good - and it was a nice change of pace to have white chocolate.

I didn't know the Ramada had a restaurant. I need to add that to my list of places to try. Has anyone been there?


Okay, Atomic Grill really went all out. This is what they had: lemon curd, almond genoise, smoked chocolate ganache, blood orange reduction, crystallized ginger scented mascarpone, pistacchio brittle. I gotta say, it was definitely different and creative. And it was tasty - but not my absolute fav.

Terra Cafe had a huge - not sample sized - chocolate cake with coconut. Chocolate cake isn't my most favorite, but kudos to them for seriously making huge portions and giving everybody their own mini cake. Holla.





















Rising Creek Bakery & Cafe had my absolute favorite dessert. Joel Brown actually crafted these babies: french lemon cake with raspberry and meringue.

I voted for them to be the overall winner - and surprise - they were. Joel was super creative with the delivery - so not only was this fun to eat, the flavors were just divine. The cake part was moist and not overly sweet so that the other sweet flavors shined through. Just very creative and very, very tasty. 





The Brew Pub brought their A game, for sure. Not only did they have beer on top to complement their dessert, they infused it into the actual dessert. It is a strawberry Alpha Blonde ale swirled Old Morgantown Amber Ale malt chocolate brownie with a coffee porter cream cheese frosting paired with an 80 Shilling Scotch Ale marshmallow fluff and Kettle Bottom Brown Ale candied almonds.

It was definitely different and had some fierce flavor. But I love the creativity and thought that went into this. It was a little heavy and strong for me, but I still am happy with it.

Oh, and I got a beer. So, yeah. That was a smart move.





Lebanese Bistro had baklava, but I already had baklava. I asked for the filo dough/strawberry concoction. They said I'd have to go to the restaurant for that. But the owner quickly said I could have it. He said he was saving it for those really interested. So, I did, and it wasn't bad. It was a bit more creative, not super sweet, but overall not bad.

After Lebanese, it was Tutto Gelato. Who actually did the ice cream right - by storing it in a freezer and scooping it as people come by. It was salted caramel stracciatella with whipped cream.

Table 9 - a citrus goat cheese cheesecake with strawberry rhubarb sauce and candied pecans. This was definitely my second runner up. I love love loved this.

Erickson Alumni Center - creme brulee. By the time I got here, it wasn't brittle at the top - it was just soft. So, meh.

Jimmy's Diner had this lemon cake that had cream and meringue, and it was tasty. And the owner was lovely.