The Chocolate Moose is a new coffee shop that roasts their own beans -- and has a miniature golf course and indoor climbing gym! A latte with salted caramel was calling my name!

The Poncho, the Lefty & The Cartwright

I recently attended one of Tamarack's dinners, and this one happened to be a partnership with Bloomery SweetShine. I've been to both of these lovely places separately, so I was very excited to see what the duo produced together.





The Bloomery SweetShine Pairings Dinner marketed itself as "an artisanal blend of vice and virtue." I would have to agree. The four-course dinner so blew my socks off that I decided to use my experience there as my column for the WV Gazette Mail. Read all about how these two businesses working together helped bring out the best in one another - something I hope to see more and more of in the future.

Join us for a special evening where our very own Tamarack Chef's bring you a custom tasting menu perfectly paired with the offerings of West Virginia's very own Bloomery. Cash Bar | Communal Seating | Music by Corey Lee McQuade, accompanied by Paul E. Johnson.

Before we arrived for dinner, we walked around to check out Tamarack - easily one of my favorite places in the state. Then, we made our way to the beautiful space set up for the dinner - large windows, touches of purple and gold and some great music playing in the background. Then, before I knew it, the party for our tastebuds began.

So, I made a trip to southern West Virginia recently for some freelance work (woo, check this out), and it was a good excuse for me to finally visit Dobra Zupas. This Beckley restaurant has been churning out incredible food - and beer - for more than a year now, so it was due time to visit.

Dobra Zupas, which means "good soup" in Slovene - paying homage to the restaurant owner's heritage, changes out their menu seasonally, but they have some incredible staples, like the Black and Bleu Fillet and the Crab Risotto. It really is an eclectic, charming spot.

Well, I spent the day with the owner Rebecca Zupanick, and Head Chef Jon Lester, who gave me a sneak peek at lots of amazing dishes they will be churning out now that the air is getting a bit cooler, a bit crisper.

Both of these people are absolutely incredible and allowed me to hang around the kitchen getting up close and personal with these tasty dishes - and being in a chef's kitchen is an honor, truly. I learned that the chef really lets the seasons dictate the dishes. They want the flavors to shine through and are flexible with what's available at the local markets to do so.



This fall, a roasted root vegetable pasta with rutabaga, cauliflower, squash and Anaheim pepper in a cream sauce will be featured as one of the weekly pasta specials. And WOW. This was something Jon just kind of threw together - which is an even bigger testament to his flair for flavors. Those roasted vegetables in this perfectly creamy sauce with just a touch of heat was beyond.

Another special will be a brown butter, pan-seared, bone-in pork chop over creamy cheddar polenta topped with Cognac-glazed apples. I'm not sure there's a better combo than pork and apple, and Jon kills it with this dish. Just absolutely kills it. That cheesy polenta just takes it up another notch.

And a curried carrot bisque is something he has been serving for some time now, and it's no surprise it sells so well. Perfectly flavored with some sweet, some salty, some depth and just a smooth, thick texture that just sings fall. Perfection.

And, last, but certainly not least, I got to try this apple pie shot. It's a poached Fiji Apple Pie Shot with brown sugar, apple cider, rum, amaretto, ginger, whipped cream and crumbled pie pieces that you eat as you drink it. I mean, now he's just showing off. Incredible.

And, of course, I couldn't leave without trying some of the beer. I got a growler of the ginger beer to go ... and I had a ways to get home (another stop along the way, too), and these incredible people assembled this sort of cooler so that I can take it home. I mean, I can't even with this. They packed it tight and full of ice, by the time I made it back to Morgantown hours later, it was still ice cold.

And, it was also delicious!

It's one thing to have absolutely incredible food (which they no doubt do), it's another thing to have absolutely kind, incredible people who will go above and beyond to make people happy. These are the kinds of people you want feeding you. These are the people you want to support. These are the people who are pioneering the incredible food scene in West Virginia and showing that we, too, do food well here. Damn well.

It's a sort of family moment when, after I had a chance to take all my photos, the front of house staff and back of house all gathered and we dug into these plates to try everything. Everyone truly loves the owner, and it's clear they love what they do. Everybody compliments the chef on yet another job well done. It's a special moment that, as a writer, I've experienced a few times. Being one of the staff is a compliment.

I've been to a lot of restaurants, you guys. A LOT. But, this one is special. The food is amazing, the people are incredible, and I'm so proud of how they're contributing to the West Virginia food scene. I can't see what else they do.

Grade: A

There are three Berkshire's Old Fashion Frozen Custard locations in West Virginia: Princeton, Beckley and Crab Orchard. I was first introduced to the custard stand in Princeton when I would excitedly anticipate each new week's flavor.



Because I don't like unfinished lists, I wanted to check out their locations in Beckley and Crab Orchard. I actually called Crab Orchard the day before asking if they would be open. They assured me they would be. When I finally arrived, there was a handwritten note on their stored saying they were closed. Annoying.

I hopped over to the Beckley location to at least knock that one out. They had JUST opened, like, a minute before I got there. I pulled into the drive-thru and ask for a strawberry cone. They were out of strawberry. So, I asked for a chocolate cone. After they put money in the cash register, they handed me my change and my ice cream cone, and I was on my way.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt - maybe the machine didn't have time to "get started," or something. But this was not great. And, for the ice cream-aholic that is me, that's saying something. First off, it's very, very thick. Like, you have to actually bite it. And the flavor tasted ... chalky. Not my favorite rendition of chocolate.

Grade: C
 

I LOVE Tamarack. LOVE it. It embodies the arts and culture that is West Virginia. There are bits and pieces from artists all around the state in this one spot. And it's awesome. You can get pieces of art, Fiestaware, jams and jellies, glasswork, clothing and more -- all created by West Virginians.

They have a cafeteria, which is managed by The Greenbrier, where they serve up tuna melts, chicken pot pies, rainbow trout, and fried green tomato sandwiches.

I got a fried green tomato sandwich to go. It was placed in a plastic container, which kind of steamed it by the time I got to it.

It was OK. Good for cafeteria food, I suppose. But a little mushy by the time I got to it. My fault. It was pretty heavy. Between cheese bacon and fried tomato. Something fresh - maybe onion? Something. I think would make this a little less dense.






Grade: B