Morgantown will celebrate Chocolate Lovers' Day on April 14. The 11th annual celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in downtown Morgantown.

The one-day of chocolately goodness is open to the public and allows patrons to taste chocolates from local shops and restaurants. Around 30 restaurants participate each year.

Local restaurants, shops, chocolate ... sign me up!

The price is $5. Children under 5 get in free. Registrants will get to sample the chocolate treats at each location. The more places you go, the more points you accumulate, which goes toward the grand prize drawing: four tickets to Hershey Park in Hershey, Pa.

Registration for the event is from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Monongalia Art Center, which is located at the bottom of High Street.

For more information on Chocolate Lovers’ Day, call 304-292-0168.

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I've had this idea for a long time - to put together the best meals I've had in Morgantown. I have plans in the future to do a best wings, best pizzas, best Mexican, etc. lists. But this list is my favorite foods in Morgantown, period. If I were to have a last meal, this is what I'd wish for. In no particular order, because I love them all:

Puglioni's:
Pasta Carbonara
1137 Van Voorhis Road #13
Morgantown, WV 26505
(304) 599-7521

This does not seem like something that would make me go crazy. I'm not a big fan of ham or bacon individually. In fact, they're probably near the bottom of my list of "most favorite meats." But when they're paired with a cheesy sauce and homemade pasta - like fireworks in your mouth. In a good way.
Chaang Thai:
Pad Thai
361 High Street
Morgantown, WV 26505
(304) 241-5374

I didn't even know I liked pad thai until I had it here. I've had it at other places, and it's like the sauce isn't saturated enough. All the flavors hit the right notes here. All. Of. Them. I can't bring myself to order anything else here because the pad thai is just SO good. And I can't order it anywhere else because I'll always compare it to Chaang Thai.

Mountain State Brewing Company:
Tomato/Mozzarella Salad
54 Clay Street
Morgantown, WV 26505
(304) 241-1976
Shouldn't I put pizza here? Yes, yes, I should. But sometimes I love this salad. It's so simple: tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, spinach, balsamic. It's phenomenal. It's light, crisp, sweet, everything in one. I could eat this every day. I always try to recreate it.

Yesterday's Bar and Grille:
Sweet Potato Fries
3013 Northpoint Plaza
Morgantown, WV
(304) 284-0740

While there are a ton of great things on Yesterday's menu, there's something I always get when I go there: the sweet potato fries. The sweet, delicious fries are to die for. The perfect complement to any meal, don't miss these.

Volcano Japanese Restaurant: 
West Virginia Roll
372 Patterson Drive
Morgantown, WV
(304) 292-9000

This roll single-handedly changed my perspective on sushi. I had always been a fan, but I stuck to safe rolls, like California or salmon. This roll blends crab, avocado, sauce and tempura beautifully. Heavenly.


Tailpipes: 
Maple Bacon Milkshake
417 High Street
Morgantown, WV 26505
(304) 225-2535

Want to try something no other restaurant probably has? I know it sounds odd, but it's tasty with the combo of salty bacon and sweet maple syrup. Think of it as breakfast in a cup.


Oliverio's Ristorante: 
Angel Hair Crab Balls
52 Clay Street
Morgantown, WV 26501
(304) 296-2565

These are enormous, delicious crab stuffing balls are rolled in angel hair pasta and fried. Served in a tangy sauce - you're missing out if you haven't had these.



Golden Finch: 
Strawberry Ginger Creme Brulee
330 High Street
Morgantown, WV 26505
(304) 292-0088

I know Golden Finch rotates desserts, but when I had their strawberry creme brulee, it was amazing. Delicate strawberries, with that creamy custard and hard caramel and sugar crystals.


(Many of these photos are not mine; please click on each to be directed to the respective owners)

Have any other great dishes to add? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

I reviewed the Tudor's in Morgantown and found it to be average. They're actually on my "restaurant redemption" list, so I may review them again soon. I do this for restaurants that reach out to me and invite me back - of course I'm going to reward good PR. Since this is a WV chain, there are more throughout the state, including Princeton. I decided to swing through the drive-thru to get some biscuits!

Tudor's is right on Stafford Drive, and the building looks like a barn - not easy to miss. The drive-thru isn't visible from the road, but there's a sign that leads you around back. And there's some nice scenery, too. The large menu board has one speaker. Unfortunately, there's no screen to verify the person has taken your order correctly, but I didn't have any problems anyway. I opted for a Mary B and a Ron, as well as a pulled pork sandwich. I wanted to taste a few different options, and I knew Chris would be happy to have some grub, too.

I waited for quite a while. The woman helping me apologized a few times for the wait, but I really didn't mind. I wasn't in a hurry, and I was enjoying the weather. My total came to around $12, which is great considering I just spent half of that on one drink at Starbucks.


I finally got my food and trekked home. When I opened up the bag, I pulled out my small golden treasures: three yellow wrapped packages. I bit into the pulled pork sandwich and took a big bite - tangy, pulled bbq pork with creamy slaw on top. Quite tasty. I set it aside and unwrapped the Mary B, which has bacon, egg, and cheese. Bacon was crumpled all around the package, kind of like when you get a Big Mac at McDonalds, and it's like they dumped a head of lettuce outside of the sandwich.

I took a bite of the Mary B, and was pleasantly surprised. Since my last Tudor's visit, I had become aware of what was most popular - and it seems like people love the Mary B and Ron, which are the bacon egg and cheese biscuit and the sausage egg and cheese biscuit. The Mary B had a nice, buttery, flaky biscuit with crispy, salty bacon, melted cheese and fluffy, homemade egg. It tasted just like my dad used to make. Oh, and the Ron? Just as good, but with a hearty sausage patty. And I think the most telling part here is that I actually finished the pulled pork sandwich and the Mary B. The Ron was left for Chris.

I like Tudor's. I like supporting a WV business. Do I think their product is immensely greater than other breakfast establishments? No, but it's not bad.

Grade: B

Walking into the Princeton Dairy Queen was different from all the other Dairy Queens I've been in, which is probably a lot. I noticed the commercialized Blizzard logos and designed boards full of ice cream goodies to the right. But on the left was a plain yellow board, with black writing for the food. And the items on the food menu weren't what I was used to: pulled pork sandwich? I didn't understand why the ice cream side looked like a regular DQ, but the food side looked like something someone just made up.

Because it was. Kind of. I ordered a burger, and it was unlike a burger I had ever gotten from DQ before. It was huge, like my dad used to cook. And the bun was pouffy, sans sesame seeds, and a large crisp piece of lettuce and a thick tomato sat atop the thick patty. It looked … homemade. Not commercial. This was a pleasant surprise.

On another occasion, I ordered a chicken strip basket. What I got was a few overprocessed (with rib meat) chicken strips - not what I was used to. And this wasn't good. I expected the nice, tender strips. Not the knockoff version that you can't even see the striations in the meat. It was simply some sort of meat mashed together. It was terrible.

They are under new management now, though, and I hear their chicken strip baskets have improved. They do, however, still serve the same types of food - on that yellow background menu with black lettering.

But how can they do this? Why don't they serve the food that I'm used to DQs serving? I thought I could get a burger at DQ, drive to California, and get the same burger there?

I dug to find some information about locally owned vs. chain vs. franchised restaurants. I generally try to eat at local places because I want to supper them, and I want that money to go back into the local economy. But the story isn't quite as black and white as that. Franchises can be owned by locals, too.

What?

So, local restaurants are those that are created by locals, through and through.

Chain restaurants are a group of one or more stress that have the same name, sell the same products and follow the same corporate policies. When the chain is owned corporately, the parent corporation owns all of the stores and units. It also runs the business day-to-day and the profits belong to the corporation.

Franchises are owned by an outside invester. Each franchise must follow certain guidelines set by the parent company, which usually includes the types of products to sell, etc. Why do this? Because a franchise allows a person to own a business, but use the name of an already successful corporation, etc. This gives them a proven business model, and brand awareness already.

So yes, franchises can be part-corporate, part-local. They are locally owned and operated. There are varying degrees of gray here, from being completely local to being completely corporate, to being somewhere in-between. This issue came up with the BP oilspill, when people were boycotting locally owned and operated BPs. Those local folks don't have much to do with the price of gas or the oilspill, but they felt the effects. This is all new to me, so please let me know if you have anything to add.

Can you add anything that helps clarify here? Or had any similar experiences?