Over in Moorefield, West Virginia, there is a real, authentic pupuseria.

What is a pupuseria? It's where pupusas are sold! What are pupusas? Well, let's turn to Wikipedia:


"A pupusa is a thick flatbread from El Salvador made with cornmeal or rice flour, similar to the Venezuelan and Colombian arepa. It is usually stuffed with one or more ingredients. These may include cheese, chicharrón, squash, or refried beans."

Pupuseria Emerita serves up authentic Salvadorian and Honduran food. Everything is made fresh and from scratch right in Moorefield.




And I had to try some of these pupusas.

On the day I went, they had five different kinds. I ordered shrimp & cheese, pork & cheese, and one that had a plant, similar to cactus.



These are like savory little fluffy pancakes with a filling inside.

And they were served with a marinara-esque sauce and a vinegar slaw that was the perfect citrus accent for a heavy dish. Delicious.

While over in the Eastern Panhandle, I remembered that a winery was nearby. A few, actually. But the one that came to mind was West-Whitehill Winery.

This small building isn't much from the outside. It was never intended to be a tasting room. Really, it was just a place to make the wine. But as business grew, it necessitated a tasting room, we were told by the young man giving us a free wine tasting.

We tried all the wines. Because when in Rome, right? I remember liking the West Virginia Red and noting that it was "dry-ish" with a bit of sweetness. I also enjoyed the Aurore Blush, which is a semi-sweet blush. It was crisp and smooth. The Raspberry Royal is their best seller and very sweet. The Classic Currant is also very sweet but in a delicious way.


Have you been? What are some of your favs?

Sooo, Moorefield happens to have two restaurants on the 101 Most Unique Places to Dine in WV list, and they both happen to be right beside each other. Sooo, after dining at O'Neills, I may or may not have wandered over to Baby Blues, which was previously called Blues Smoke Pit. I think there's been a management change, though I was assured the food is still the same.

Baby Blues has a pretty impressive exterior that is massive and has this worn barn feel with a sign hanging out front that says "Blues." Kinda cool. Inside, lots of - surprise - blue.

The menu has bbq sandwiches, burgers, wraps, and more. This was a pretty easy decision for me, though. The pork sampler - written in at the bottom of the menu - is three sliders (a memphis red sandwich, a smoked pulled pork sandwich, and a North Carolina minced pork sandwich).

To be honest, I didn't love any of these sliders. And the cole slaw on the side was this mushy mayo pool that was just not appealing. The pork on all three of these was kinda of slimy/fatty. I don't really know how that happens. The one I like the most was the plain one that I added sauce to. That one was pretty good - the quality seemed better, and I liked the sauce provided at the table. But, I was mostly underwhelmed.

Grade: C

What do you know about Moorefield? I don't know much. I know that one of my freshman roommates (of the five of them) was from Moorefield. I also know they have chicken processing plant. But, that's all I got ... Until recently.

Now ... now I know they also have some pretty good food.

I received a comment a while back from Daniel Todd, who mentioned that O'Neills in Moorefield served him up the perfect plate of food (plus pie!). That, combined with the restaurant's placement on the 101 Most Unique Places to Dine in WV list, sent me on a road trip.

O'Neills has a country charm to it with high-backed chairs, precariously placed rooster art and some greenery that add to the ambiance. I can say, though, that I went here alone for lunch, and I don't think they were quite sure how to respond to that.

The menu has some really good options - steak, salmon, crab cakes, sandwiches, salads and more. I rarely order a salad, because how can you size up a restaurant based merely on a bunch of ingredients that have been assembled. Where's the creativity? Where's the personality? Where's the fun? O'Neills solved that for me.


Their baby crab cake salad would allow me to have something pretty light while also getting a real taste for what their cooking is like -- plus I don't think I've ever had a crab cake salad before? The greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions were all fresh and provided a perfect bed for these succulent little crab cakes. I've been having some really good crab cakes lately, and these are no exception.

Let's keep the fun rolling, amiright? Butterscotch pie! I think I'd truly be happy with anything on this list. But oh my gahhh look how delicious.

Oddly, I think the crust on this pie was my favorite. The butterscotch and meringue were of course very good, but that CRUST was super on point. Man. Just, yes.

Grade: A