Taste of Bridge Day is an annual dine-around food competition held the evening before Bridge Day. I've been fortunate to serve as a judge for several years, and it's one of my favorite events of the year. Organized by the Canyon Rim Rotary Club and hosted at Adventures on the Gorge, the event brings together local restaurants and food vendors for an evening of sampling dishes from across the New River Gorge region. This year's event featured more than 20 vendors, who served everything from escabeche and cheesecake to BBQ and pupusas. RHODODENDRON ICE CREAM
Hand-dipped ice cream available in Chocolate, Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, S'mores, Sea Salt Caramel, Tractor Tracks and Caramel Apple.

I tried most of these, but my favorites were sea salt caramel and tractor tracks. Both had a bit of salty to balance the sweet. PETE'S SMOKE CLUB BBQ
Smoked Porchetta Sandwich - Served with mozzarella, arugula and a balsamic reduction.

This is one I didn't get as part of judging, so I bought some tickets so I could check it out. The porchetta's texture was pretty tightly compacted and it was cold. All in all, it ate a bit dry, but the arugula and balsamic were great. Just need more. LOST PADDLE AT ACE ADVENTURES RESORT
Wood Fired Pizzas - Specialty wood-fired pizzas available in Cheese, Pepperoni, Old World Style and Bacon Chicken Ranch.
Jalapeño Bacon Cheese Breadsticks - Served with a robust marinara dipping sauce.

We had breadsticks and the bacon, chicken, ranch pizza. Pizza is the ultimate crowd-pleaser. Even when it's not great, it's still pretty good. Bonus points for serving at their competitor's location. SMOKEY'S
Whipped Herbed Goat Cheese - Served with focaccia toast, honey and blistered tomato.
Glade Creek Trout - Served with dirty rice risotto and charred lemon.

The goat cheese has been on the menu in previous years, and there's a good reason for it. It's DELICIOUS. It's one of my favorite dishes each year because of the sweet, salty, crunchy and creamy. I was also excited to see the fish with the skin on, but it wasn't crispy. That was a miss for me. CHETTY'S
Firecracker Shrimp - Lightly breaded shrimp tossed in firecracker sauce.
Wave Runner Fish Tacos - Served with pineapple salsa and topped with baby arugula.

I liked these little tasty furecracker shrimp bites. A little crunchy, a little heat. The fish tacos were OK. THE TABLE
Pick 2 Sides - Choose from baked potato salad, coleslaw, mac & cheese or baked beans.
Ribs, Brisket, or Pulled Pork BBQ with Slaw - Choice of ribs, brisket or pulled pork BBQ with slaw.

Brisket isn't winning any appearance categories, but flavor was solid. This is one location I want to visit. ORIGINAL FLAVOR BISTRO
Bao Buns - Steamed bread filled with BBQ pork or teriyaki tofu, cabbage, pickled onions, cucumber, aji sauce, Asian chili sauce, cilantro and queso fresco.
Cuban - Pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mayo and mustard.
Tripleta - Pulled pork, shredded chicken, ham, cabbage, tomato and rose sauce.
Bistec - Philly Swiss cheese steak sautéed with onions and peppers, cabbage, tomato and rose sauce.
Tres Leche Cake - Vanilla sponge cake soaked in a three-milk cinnamon blend with whipped icing on top and a drizzle of cinnamon.

These folks would win my "best overall," because I enjoyed every one of their dishes. The bao bun was one of my favorite bites of the night. Lovely layered flavors. LA BOLILLA
Silver Dollar Ramperoni Pupusas - Buttery, garlicky silver dollar sized pupusas filled with gooey, melty cheese, ground pepperoni, and West Virginia ramps. Griddled to perfection and served with garlic marinara.
Beef Cheek Tacos - 2 street tacos (corn) filled with deliciously seasoned, tender beef cheek. Topped with our house made garlic sauce and bright pickled red onions.
Bean and Cheese pupusa - Thick handmade corn tortilla filled with gooey, melty cheese, and house special refried beans. Served with curtido (slaw), and salsa roja.
Chicken Skewer - Our signature marinated chicken on skewers, drizzled with house made garlic sauce.

Loved everything here, but especially the ramperoni pupusas. They weren't the prettiest presentation because they were chopped up to create multiple servings for the judges. I actually went afterward to purchase one in its full form. But my picture didn't turn out - it wasn't meant to be! But I did enjoy my second serving. THE SUMMIT BECHTEL RESERVE
Fried Catfish Reuben - Served with purple kraut on jalapeño cornbread.
Smoked Pork & Collard Green Eggroll - Served with spiced vinegar dip.
Apple Butter Upside-Down Cake - Served with maple whipped cream.
Pineapple Upside-Down Cornbread - Served with bacon marmalade.

This chef pulled no punches. Easily the best catfish I've ever had. And I love the creativity of the pineapple cornbread. RU'S PERUVIAN CUISINE
Papa a la Huancaína - Potatoes with creamy aji amarillo cheese sauce.
Escabeche de Pescado - Fried salmon with tangy onions and peppers.
Lechón Sandwich - Slow-roasted pork sandwich.
Tres Leches Cake - Served with Swiss meringue topping.

I really enjoyed the lechon and the papa a la huancaina. Great flavots that were unique. THE CAKE BOX - BUMBLER BEE BAKER
The Catwalk Crunch - Gluten-free vanilla cake pop dipped in a white chocolate shell with a Fruity Pebbles crunch.
The Route 19 - Scratch-made West Virginia classic stuffed with savory pepperoni and rich cheese.
Fayetteville Fluff - Whipped cheesecake base over a golden graham cracker crust with your choice of topping.
The 876 Foot Swirl - Fluffy caramel-bottom cinnamon roll with cascading cream cheese icing, classic or caramel apple.
Canyon Cream Horns - Handmade cream horns available in Classic Plain Jane, Cozy Pumpkin Patch and Creamy Cocoa Loco.
Gourmet Cupcake Flights - Four flavors: New River Bridal Cloud- Vanilla almond cake w/a raspberry compote core topped w/velvet almond buttercream
Fayette Station Strawberry Crunch - Strawberry cake w/a cheesecake mousse core topped w/strawberry shortbread crumble
Gorge Gold Harvest Apple - Spiced apple cider cake w/a Pomme confit core topped with brown butter caramel frosting
Appalachian Maple Pecan - Chocolate cake w/a maple mascarpone core topped with maple pecan icing
Macarons - Gauley River Salted Caramel, Lansing Lemon or Campfire S'mores Flambé.

Appreciate the creativity in concepts here. DEEZ EATS
Jamaican Rolls - Crispy rolls with Jamaican-inspired filling.
Jerk Chicken or Oxtail with 2 Sides - Choice of jerk chicken or oxtail with two sides.
Wings, 4 Piece - Four wings with your choice of BBQ or jerk seasoning.
Stand-Alone Sides - Choice of mac & cheese, cabbage or greens.
Banana Pudding - Homemade banana pudding.

Unfortunately, we didn't get any entries here. THE HANDLE BAR + KITCHEN AT ARROWHEAD BIKE FARM
Brisket Tacos - Brisket smoked in-house, served in a tortilla with cilantro lime slaw, queso fresco and Memphis mustard.
Burnt End Tacos - Smoked burnt ends served taco-style.
Pepperoni Rolls - Scratch-made pepperoni rolls brushed with herbs and garlic.
Smoker Mac & Cheese - Creamy mac & cheese with a smoky finish.
Coleslaw - Cool, crunchy cabbage slaw.
Candied Bacon - Bacon cured, smoked in-house and candied with maple and peppers.
Bourbon Bacon Cinnamon Rolls - Sweet cinnamon rolls with bourbon and bacon.
Cheesecake - New York-style cheesecake made with Mexican vanilla.

My favorites were the brisket taco and the pepperoni roll. Both well executed.

SWIFTWATER GENERAL STORE NEW RIVER
Hot Italian Sausage with Cabbage Soup - Savory sausage and cabbage soup with a little heat.
Traditional Creamy Potato Soup - Creamy homestyle potato soup.
Classic Grilled Cheese on Texas Toast - Melted cheese on thick, buttery Texas toast.

Unfortunately, no sample from here either. TWISTED SISTERZ BBQ & CATERING
Twisted Trio - Four ounces each of Hotmess Brisket Chili, Collard Me Crazy Gumbo and Bayou Mac Attack.
Collard Me Crazy Gumbo - Six-ounce serving of Collard Me Crazy Gumbo.
Bayou Mac Attack - Six-ounce serving of Bayou Mac Attack.
Hotmess Brisket Chili - Six-ounce serving of hearty brisket chili.
Caramel Apple Cider - Six ounces of caramel apple cider.
Nola Cafe au Lait with Beignet - Six ounces of cafe au lait served with a beignet.

Unfortunately, no sample here. WILD VITTLES BY MOUNTAIN TABLE
Shepherd's Empanada - Crispy pastry with braised lamb, potato, peas, carrots and onion.
Trout Banh Mi Slider - Trout with pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño.
Crispy Potato Pavé - Layered crispy potato with crème fraîche and trout roe.
Chicken Schnitzel Slider - Crispy chicken with apple-cabbage slaw and dill.
Pistachio Ice Cream - Creamy pistachio ice cream with pomegranate syrup and crushed pistachios.
Apple Granola Bar - Chewy apple-oat bar with warm spices and dried fruit.

I love the creativity here. I liked the shepherd's pie empanada. The pistachio ice cream was also super unique. I just wish I could have tried that potato pave. ODDFELLER'S FINE FOODS
Chesapeake Crab Dip - Creamy crab dip served with a mini biscuit.
Pimento & Country Ham Dip - Pimento and country ham dip served with a mini biscuit.
Braised Beef Short Rib - Served with mashed potatoes and a mini roll.
BBQ Braised Pork - Served with cheddar jalapeño grits.
Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse - Rich chocolate-hazelnut mousse cake.
Mascarpone Cheesecake - Cheesecake with a vanilla wafer crumb crust.

I'm obsessed with the mini biscuits and mini rolls. These were the most comforting dishes of the evening. I like that they were like mini versions of large, hearty meals. WV BEEF JERKY
WV Beef Jerky Original Peppered - Hand-crafted West Virginia beef jerky, Original Peppered.
WV Beef Jerky Spicy Buffalo Style - Hand-crafted West Virginia beef jerky, Spicy Buffalo Style.

BEST APPETIZER: Smokey's whipped herbed goat cheese with honey, focaccia toast and blistered tomatoes
BEST ENTREE: The Summit's Fried Catfish Reuben
BEST SNACK: La Bolilla - Ramperoni Pupusas
BEST DESSERT: The Cake Box - Bumbler Bee Baker
YOUTH'S CHOICE: The Cake Box - Bumbler Bee Baker
PEOPLE'S CHOICE: The Table Smokehouse

Our House Grill and Pub is is located at the Cantrell Ultimate Rafting base camp just outside Fayetteville, putting the casual grill and pub within walking distance of Cantrell’s cabins, campsites and other lodging. The dining space has a rustic, casual feel, while the outdoor seating area extends into a garden setting with flowers surrounding the patio. The outdoor area also includes the Garden Stage, where Cantrell hosts live entertainment during the rafting season, turning the restaurant into both a dining and music venue. The menu focuses on casual American fare, with burgers, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, wings, West Virginia-style hot dogs, and other pub food alongside beer, cocktails, and other drinks. The "Depot Tomatoes" are seasoned with garlic and basil, and then topped with three cheeses and baked. They would have benefited from some crunch -- lettuce or a crust or something. I also did the pineapple garlic wings, which were much hotter than I'd typically order. But I really enjoyed the sweet heat. Have you been? Grade: B