Didn't I tell you recently that West Virginia is having a bit of a Jamaican takeover? Quite a few Jamaican restaurants have popped up. This is the first of two in Morgantown - Jamaican Spice.
Located on Greenbag Road, Jamaican Spice is set apart with its unique gray shingled roof on the corner of a small plaza area.
Their menu has staples like jerk chicken, goat curry, oxtail and more. Take a look at their website to see when they host specials.
I put in an order for quite a few things. Let's start with the "Sweet Jamaican Chicken." I've had jerk chicken a number of times, but I've never heard of this. The description states: pan-fry chicken, stewed in a sweet sauce until fork-tender, Served with red bean and rice or white Rice with steamed cabbage. WOW. Yes, it's sweet, but not cloyingly so. I could bottle that sauce and put it on literally everything. Almost like a BBQ, but fruity with a nice sear on the meat, which gives some smokiness.
Then, I got a side of pasta salad, which was in a creamy sauce and added corn and peas. The beef patty was phenomenal. Flavorful, flaky and delicious. And finally, "Jamaican Festival Bread" is a slightly sweet cornmeal. Almost like a sweet-ish cornbread - I'm all here for adding beans for a Jamaican-Appalachian mashup here.
Grade: A
Quick Bites is a new restaurant along University Avenue in Morgantown. It's located right across from the Life Sciences Building at the light. This building has been home to 5 million different restaurants since my arrival in Morgantown in 2007 (yikes!). But, none have been all that memorable.
Quick Bites seems to be specializing in burgers, with the Cowboy (cheddar, BBQ, onion rings), Sunrise (mozzarella, caramelize onion, egg), and the Diablo (pepper jack, jalapenos, buffalo sauce). The inside seems like it will be a late-night college hangout.
They also have some fried apps: french fries, chicken tenders, onion rings, etc. So I wanted to try a little bit of Column A and a little bit of Column B. First up, the mushroom swiss burger. It's a little mushed because it was in my bag in transport, but the flavor remains. A decently seasoned burger, a healthy slice of swiss cheese and some sauteed mushrooms made for a solid little burger. A little ketchup made it even better.
And, here are some macaroni & cheese bites. I always want these to be better than what they ever are. In concept, they sound great. I love macaroni & cheese. But in execution, they're always a little bland, a little greasy and a little dry.
Grade: C
It's time to try the Tudor's biscuit favorite of my vegetarian friends: The Dottie.
Winfield is home to a new-to-me location, so I made my way to their Tudor's Biscuit World. It looks more modern than many locations, with a single level and brick exterior. The menu is standard - they all are. Let's talk about the biscuit.
The Dottie has egg, cheese and hashbrown - no meat. So each individual part here is crucial. And, this is when I learned that a really crispy hash brown just completely changes the sandwich. This all is pretty dense and carby, so I ended up adding some ketchup. But my mind has been changed on the hashbrown. It totally changes the sandwich. If it's cripsy, it's delicious. If it's soggy, don't bother.
Here's another segment of Tudor's Biscuit World. This time: Teays Valley.
Our biscuit of choice: The Miner. This biscuit has bacon, cheese and a hash brown.
First of all, I've realized just how important each element is. When the hash brown is nice and crispy, it's perfection on the biscuit. It doesn't weigh it down; rather, it adds more texture. So, crispy hash brown is key. On the other hand, too crispy bacon just tastes like char to me. Gimme a nice middle ground. And cheese on everything, always and forever.
Grade: B
The collective heart of Morgantown broke when Lefty's Place was forced to close after the building flooded and left the dynamite pizza spot homeless.
Lefty's Place, which serves up Detroit-style pizza, became a quick favorite of mine with its caramelized crust and cheesy perfection - despite my initial hesitation at yet another pizza joint in a college town. But this never was - and isn't - a typical pizza joint.
That's right. Lefty's Place is back. It's now located in Burroughs Place and has used the quarantine time as a soft rollout. I may or may not have planned a trip to Morgantown based solely on picking up a pizza here. As with all things Lefty's does, their ordering process was seamless. They open up ordering a day or two ahead of time. You place your order online for a specific time. You pull up to the shop. They have a rack outside where they will put your pizza with your name on it. No contact. No exchange of money. Perfect.
Oh, and that pizza? Perfection. You all know my love for DiCarlo's... but this may just be the second best in the state.
Grade: A+
(psst yes that's the first ever A+ on my blog - why not try something new?)
How is everyone doing? Trying to stay busy? Same. I worked with fellow Appalachian creator Sean McNamara over the past month or so to make this super nifty poster. I love it, and I hope you do, too! You can purchase on his website:
https://www.seanrobertmcnamara.com/pepperoni-roll-poster/west-virginia-pepperoni-roll-poster
WEST VIRGINIA PEPPERONI ROLL POSTER
25.00
A collaboration with Sean McNamara
18”x12” hand signed poster
Text on bottom of poster: “The pepperoni roll, a soft bread roll with pepperoni baked in the middle, originated in North Central West Virginia sometime between 1927 and 1938. It was likely first crafted by the wives of coal miners, who immigrated to the area from Italy to work in the mines and could enjoy the shelf-stable, portable snack underground. Bakeries soon began offering the iconic pepperoni roll all across the state and in various iterations - like with cheese, red sauce or peppers.”
Here's my latest Appalachian Mercantile Box from JQ Dickinson, complete with delicious and lovely goods from Appalachia! Have you tried any of these yet?
There's a bit of a Jamaican trend happening in West Virginia right now. It started with Karubees in Dunbar, then I quickly learned of two restaurants that opened in Morgantown (more on those later), and then Island Rhythm Jamaican Cuisine & Catering here in Charleston.
Located in Kanawha City, Island Rhythm Jamaican Cuisine & Catering has taken over a former bakery space and is serving carryout during the quarantine. So, I absolutely needed to take advantage of that. I ordered the jerk chicken, mixed vegetables, mac & cheese and a beef patty.
The flavor of the jerk chicken was good, though I found many wayward bones and pieces of cartilage that had me stopping every other bite. I get that this is a standard preparation, just a warning :) The mixed vegetables were tasty - but I do love me some cooked cabbage. Again, be on the lookout for spices and herbs that have leaves and stems you may not want to bite into. The mac & cheese used like a tricolor rotini, which I thought was interesting. Small piece, but it had that comforting flavor I love. The beef patty was totally my favorite part of the meal. Crispy and a little spicy and savory.
Grade: B
Chinese food has been relatively hard to come by during the quarantine (why do I feel like I'm writing in a diary). But, Elkview Chinese Restaurant reopened recently, and it was swarmed with locals who needed their fix.
I called in an order and was told it would be about 15 minutes. So I waited for a bit and got there at about 30 minutes after the time it should've been ready (I just had a feeling it would take longer). And still had to wait another 20 or so minutes inside (this part was less fun - not a lot of social distancing or masks). The inside had a handful of tables and chairs, so I gather most of their business is takeout, anyway.
BUT, soon enough, I was home, digging in. The crab cheese rangoons have an interesting texture inside - almost like crumbly. It was sweeter. Not bad. The steamed dumplings were tasty, but needed to be a bit warmer. The honey chicken was good (not on their menu, but it is on a sign in the lobby). It doesn't have the top tier white meat chicken breast, but it was close. And the regular eggroll was decent. Overall, not bad.
Grade: B
You may be familiar with Ms. Groovy's Kitchen catering from area festivals and fundraisers. They're often participating in community events, so I've been able to sample little dishes here and there. But, never a full meal - until now.
Ms. Groovy's Kitchen - like some other caterers - began offering daily specials for folks. They take the ability to make a big batch meal but sell it by the individual portion. And, they did it on a donation-based scale, with a suggestion of $10. I absolutely love this idea.
The day that caught my eye is the one where they were offering roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and dessert. We could all use some comfort food, right? The turkey was unreal. Green beans were some of the best I've had. Not a big fan of chocolate cake, but all around, a delicious meal.
Grade: A
Cheerful Heart Catering typically specializes in larger events. But in the time of quarantine, that is all but nonexistent. So, this savvy business has created a daily special for individuals to purchase. I think this is a great idea - they can still cook in bulk, and the public gets to enjoy a homecooked meal that we may not have had access to otherwise.
Located on the West Side, Cheerful Heart Catering listed a weekly menu, which included options like BBQ, stuffed chicken and lasagna - that last of which caught my eye. "Contessa Laura's Lasagna with salad and garlic bread."
It was easy peasy - I called in and told them I'd like one. The meal is already prepared, so I drove right over and had them hand it to me curbside. Once I got home, I dug into the salad first, which was a handful of lettuce some cucumbers and tomatoes with a side of ranch dressing.
The large square of lasagna was the comfort food I was looking for. Layers of pasta, ground beef and some cheese - though I always think more cheese is better. It was piping hot and perfectly accompanied by a slice of garlic bread.
And, to my surprise, there was dessert AND a bottle of water - all for $8. The dessert was a gooey brownie with marshmallow and it was delicious.
Grade: A
Located in Sissonville, Backwoods Bar & Grill is a restaurant that has been struggling a bit during the quarantine, so I made a visit to check them out.
After placing an order over the phone, I arrived, gave them a call, and they brought out my food. First up is a monte cristo. It's not an open that you see often in restaurants locally, so it's a different option. The deep-fried ham and cheese has crusted powdered sugar and a very thick breading - a bit too much.
It came with fries, but those were a bit soggy by the time I got home. Not their fault, but maybe poking a few holes in the styrofoam would help.
Next up on the deep-fried menu was deviled eggs. I've never seen them prepared like this before, so that was neat. I like mine a good bit tangier though.
And my absolute favorite part was their take on a buffalo chicken dip. Just a little bit of heat - but creamy and cheesy and really great.
Grade: B
Cozumel has a restaurant location in Charleston and in St. Albans. Since I already enjoy the former, it was time to try the latter. And there's something about quarantine that has had me craving queso like no other.
After calling in a carryout order, I arrived about 15 minutes later and went inside to retrieve my food. I smelled the deliciousness all the way home and couldn't wait to unveil these two unique dishes.
First, "Cozumel Pasta." Delicious combination of Grilled Shrimp and Chicken cooked with Onions and Mushrooms on a bed of Penne Pasta. Smothered with our homemade Cheese Sauce. I've never seen pasta at a Mexican restaurant, so this piqued my interest. The penne noodles were soft, covered in queso and topped with shrimp, chicken, mushrooms and onion. Tasty.
And also "Hambalaya." Delicious spicy mixture of Rice prepared with Grilled Shrimp, Grilled Chicken, Smoked Sausage, Bell Peppers, and Onions. I've also never seen jambalaya on a Mexican restaurant menu. This one had some heat and more veggies and meat than rice. Still good.
Oh, and how can I forget chips and salsa. No meal is complete without it.
Grade: B
Huntington has the most Tudor's Biscuit World locations of any town that I know. There are a handful in the city, plus some in the outlying areas.
The location on US 60 looks like it's one of the older locations, with a more muted color palette. Nonetheless, the line was wrapped around the building and onto the road.
The Mountaineer is country ham, egg, hash brown and cheese. I wasn't quite sure what country ham is - and I know they have classic and shaved - but I went for it. Country ham is apparently more like a slab of ham, with which you get the fatty pieces around the edge. I did love how crispy this hashbrown was, though. It makes the sandwich.
Not a bad biscuit, but I think it would be better with their shaved ham.
Grade: B
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